Changing Television

"Television, as we know it, is changing as we know it. Think about it. Talk to anyone who was born before Television even existed and they’ll tell you how much it’s changed since its inception. Talk to anyone who was born within the last 40 years, and they’ll tell you things have changed since even they’ve been around. Color television was only introduced into households in the mid 1950’s early 1960’s, but very few shows were actually filmed and broadcast in color, though NBC’s ‘Ford Theatre’ became the first color filmed series in October 1954."




" There are so many websites with LOST theories. Almost every little detail is analyzed and each time I read a new theory I discover meaning behind things I didn’t even notice.

And of course no one knows if he or she is right.

What we experience is, I think, one big puzzle (”Second Degree White Belt Sudoko“). So if you want to read up on some theories and have your own brilliant ideas, you absolutely need to check first “what is already know”, unfortunately that is more than a day-task. Here is a by-far-not-complete-list of 20 LOST sites that you can scan completely for info. On these sites you will find links to dozens of other (official) LOST sites and communities."

Another One Bites The Dust

Ben Silverman is probably hating Nina Tassler these days.

Not because he's the chief programmer of NBC and she's the chief programmer of CBS. But Tassler is at least partly, albeit indirectly, responsible for the fact that Silverman is being buried under baby booties.

Silverman has angered "Las Vegas" fans because he canceled the show. Not just because he canceled it, but because the final episode was no finale at all — it ended on a cliffhanger involving Delinda Deline (Molly Sims) being pregnant.

Which precipitated "The Save Las Vegas/Operation: Baby Booties" campaign. Which was in no small part inspired by what happened at CBS last year."



"AT&T has joined two venture capital firms and a Hollywood talent agency to invest in new digital media companies, reports The New York Times.

The VC firms are Accel Partners and Venrock; the agency is William Morris. The partnership seeks companies interested in developing entertainment content and technology.

AT&T hopes to get in early among technologies that might improve the ease with which ads are run on mobile devices."

Watching Journeyman

Here's a brief interview with Kricka who loves Jericho and Journeyman. I appreciate her comments and will have more from other fans this week.



1. What makes you love Journeyman?

For me, Journeyman was one of those shows that got lost in the mix of new shows this season. I had wanted to catch it because I love a good time travel story. So, I checked it out online and was hooked right from the start. Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser had a strength and kindness, and a strong love for his family that I found very appealing. As the season went on, the stories became more twisty and we started to get some very interesting answers to his time travel, and his reasons to try and help these people. Many people compared this show to Quantum Leap at the beginning (as did I), but it was so much more than that, because Dan had a whole life and family that directly impacted his new ability to travel. And, like most shows I come to love, it is smart, it is real, and it was obviously conceived by someone (Kevin Falls) who was just as invested in the characters and story and I was.


2. Can people watch episodes online? Where?

Unfortunately, NBC.com has pulled the full episodes from their site, but all 13 episodes that were produced can be found for free on hulu.com and on veoh.com, and are still for sale on iTunes and Amazon's Unbox.

3. Why does Journeyman deserve another chance?

The creator, Kevin Falls, gave us a big present by wrapping up some of the questions in the 13th episode, for fear that the show wouldn't make it past the original 13 episode order, but he did leave plenty of room for more. After watching all 13 several times (I can't help it, when I get obsessed, I am obsessed), I am sick to death of really good shows being yanked without any effort from the networks. NBC smashed us over the head again and again with the Bionic Woman, a show that was seriously flawed and never seemed to recover, yet they barely even mentioned Journeyman right from the start. By the last few episodes, it was as if NBC didn't even know it was still on! The show never really got a chance, and I really think it deserved one. TV viewers do want good TV. There is definitely an audience for a show like this if it had been promoted at all by NBC. NBC has gotten a rep for giving good shows a shot (see: Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, et al), and I wish they hadn't just shoved this one under the rug.

CBS: The Unwatched

"While CBS still constantly pitches itself on-air as the most-watched television network, that is no longer the case, at least not in prime-time where advertising dollars go for a premium.

Also worth noting is a very unhealthy longer-term trend for all the big guys (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) where there are appreciably more 35-49 viewers than there are 18-34 viewers. The youth seems to be phasing out of TV, and while that can somewhat be masked in the overall 18-49 and 25-54 categories, it won’t get masked forever."



"Earlier talks this year can only help the broadcast networks, who likely are going to have fewer new fall programs to tout due to the recently ended writers strike holding up production schedules and pilot development. The big TV outlets have other problems, too: their prime-time ratings continue to erode and penetration of ad-skipping digital video recorders continues to increase.

That's led to a growing sense among major advertisers that TV commercials don't work as well as they once did. A survey of 78 leading marketers conducted by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research found 62% of marketers believe traditional TV ads have become less effective during the last two years. More than 50% reported that when half of all TV households use DVRs, they will cut spending on TV advertising 12%."

Nuts and Rice-A-Roni

" Your One Stop Source for Journeyman"



"Journeyman has been nominated for two Saturn Awards, awarded by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The series has been nominated for Best Network Television Series, and Kevin McKidd has been nominated for Best Actor in a Television Series."



"Some critics came out firing after the first episode that the Jericho Nuts fans didn’t do enough and the show was doomed after the first episode. Yes, numbers don’t lie but a silver lining is starting to shine, Jericho appears to be doing very well in the coveted 18-49 group. Now some of those wrong-headed critics appear to be changing their tune."

Jericho: CBS Boneheads

From Rich at Copywrite Ink comes hopeful news for all of who love our TV shows.


"According to The New York Times, NBC will be committing to a new lineup of shows earlier than any of its competitors, while also inviting advertisers to build marketing plans around specific shows and perhaps to integrate brands and products into the plots of the shows themselves.

The departure places a real question mark on the viability and importance of the Nielsen rating system. Nielsen is not prepared to measure a 52-week season; the bulk of its measure is based on traditional sweeps. Tradition, it seems, is dead.

Whether this decision plays well for the fans of recently cancelled shows, or those on the bubble, has yet to be seen. For NBC, the show is Journeyman. So far, despite the inventive Rice-A-Roni campaign, the best outcome for fans seems to be based on a rumor that a few more episodes of season one might see the light of day.

For CBS, everyone knows the show is Jericho. With season 2, episode 2 ratings being called a virtual disaster, even sympathetic critics seem to think there is little hope left."



"Nope, pin the responsibility for Jericho’s failure on CBS’s boneheaded scheduling and marketing. Putting this show right after a show that’s been dead for 5 years was a brilliant move if you’re trying to open up some space for yet another CSI. Otherwise, it’s a drain.

Look, I’m as thankful as anyone that CBS gave this show another chance. But what I don’t get is why they’re only giving it half of one.

If last season’s “Save Jericho” campaign taught them anything it was that this show has an audience, a damned vocal and clever one at that. Connecting to that audience is CBS’s job. In other words, each Tuesday night all of those hardcore Jericho fans are tuning in (to the tune of about 5 million). CBS needs to grow that audience. Too bad they’re not doing it."

Fighting For Journeyman

While browsing for Journeyman websites I found this one from Australia. I wanted to know more so I asked the owner, Edgeman, to tell me why he started this site and more about Journeyman.

Here's what he said:

"Journeyman started on Australian TV in it's "out-of-ratings" period, which as a start is pretty bad, it means the Australian TV network that showed it (channel ten) did not have much faith in it. Funnily enough they started "Everybody Loves Raymond" exactly the same way, and it took a couple of seasons for them to bring it to prime-time, and within ratings season.

To make matters worse Channel Ten have now moved this (my favourite show) to their Hidh-Definition channel, which means I can no longer watch the show (I don't have a HD set-top box). Luckily there are other means of watching TV shows these days!

I started my web site as soon as I heard that the show was not being renewed. This is the first time I have come out to support a show like this (and yes, I watched Jericho, and many, many other shows that have been cancelled prematurely to be replaced by reality tv dribble).

The purpose of my web site, and please bear in mind it's growing is to provide easy resources for other fans to show their support, it's an "add-on" site to savejourneyman. I found it difficult to get all the resources I needed in one spot (faxes, e-mail addresses, links, etc, etc), so I built my site. I am also about to publish another round of fax / letter templates, again, to make it easier for others to show their support. My feeling is that a lot of people really like the show, and will even post here on savejourneyman.net, but I want those voices, those people heard by NBC & FOX directly.

I am passionate about this show because of the show itself. It is not only the first show that I've come across with SCI-FI concepts that my wife likes and enjoys (almost) as much as me, I just found it to be the perfect package for a show. In terms of acting, script, location, concepts, etc... for me, it's got it all and I believe it would appeal to many, many people (given some proper promotion, lead-in and a good timeslot!!)."

Jericho: Season 2

"Hey Jericho fans get a first look at the new Season of Jericho before anyone else. Click here to see an exclusive promo. We're giving all of you Rangers a sneak peek before it airs anywhere else.

Enjoy!

CBS Jericho Web Team"



Be sure to check this out as it certainly looks official.

http://www.myspace.com/jericho_ks



"Without first-run episodes of TV's biggest scripted hits, the nets hope a handful of original scripted shows will draw eyeballs. Among them: CBS' Jericho, the return of NBC's original Law & Order and the premieres of Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Canterbury's Law and New Amsterdam.

Most buyers believe those shows could benefit from limited competition. But with ratings at most networks down versus a year ago—even factoring in increased DVR usage this season—several advertisers questioned whether broadcasters have the promotional muscle to create awareness for those programs.

"If people aren't watching TV, how do you get the message out that you have original scripted series coming in first quarter?" said Starcom Entertainment executive vp Laura Caraccioli-Davis."

Extraordinary Heroes

"If you have missed "Heroes," the NBC Monday-night series about a group of people with extraordinary capabilities, then you have missed everything, which is to say, you have missed a show that exempts almost no subject of current political or social fascination from the roster of its interests.

More than a quarter of the way into the second season, the ratings have slipped somewhat, but it remains the most engaged drama on television at the moment, a big hand with fingers dangling in every pot."



"Variety reports that Supernatural picked up its best ratings of the year, both overall and in the 18-34 group.

And just in case you - somehow - missed it, there's a Hollywood writer's strike going on. Several sources have said that most shows have stockpiled enough scripts to finish out the season. Firefox news posted a link to an article in the LA Times saying that Supernatural only has about 10-12 finished scripts, with 5 more roughly finished."



"Miss “Veronica Mars,” Kristen Bell, will be lending her talents to Ubisoft’s upcoming historical-fantasy game, “Assassin’s Creed.”

CBS,NBC,and Content

"Oh, I love my vampire!" CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler said recently, beginning a conversation about her network's new drama, "Moonlight."

Clearly, she must. No other TV show this fall has experienced as much turbulence as "Moonlight." But through all of the changes in the executive producing ranks, the cast and the show's framework, CBS hasn't budged in its support, scheduling it in between its reliable Friday-night fare, "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs."



Hey Nielsen Interviews JerichoMonster:

"In addition to being vocal and viral champions for their favorite show, the Jericho Monster crew have also proven themselves to be great community builders and a resource of information on TV and entertainment across the board. At a conference just last week on Consumer Generated Media hosted by our siblings at Nielsen Online, more than one TV exec spoke about the power of fan blogs and forums... and how they had all learned something from their passion and their approach."


"Beth Comstock, president of NBC Universal Integrated Media, told American Magazine Conference attendees today that we now spend more time with media than we spend sleeping.

Digital video recorders, the source of the most anxiety for companies like NBC Universal have only reached 22% penetration, according to NBC's research. But of course that number is growing rapidly. "It's causing a lot of anxiety in our world," she said.

This all reflects the many, many quick changes affecting the media business, but that's all right, she said, calling this a "golden age" of media. "It's a great thing to be a content company in the digital age," she said. "Content is always going to win."

DVR's and TV Ratings

Five freshman drama series -- NBC's "Bionic Woman," "Life," "Journeyman," "Chuck" and CBS' "Cane" -- have received orders for additional scripts.




"You knew it would happen: DVRs are finally breaking down the TV ratings system.

Because DVRs make skipping over commercials so easy, Nielsen is now rating commercials themselves, based in part on how often people stop fast-forwarding and watch them. According to a New York Times report, DVRs have also affected show ratings themselves: after a single night, a show like How I Met Your Mother might have a 2.7, but by the end of the week, when everyone with a DVR has watched it, the rating might be much higher, at 4.1. The trouble is, both of these new ratings take weeks to process."



Here's a new Jericho blog with a unique twist.

Check it out here.

CBS: Meet RubberPoultry

There have been comments from the beginning of the Nuts campaign about why CBS won't use fan created art or videos. Maybe it's because NBC beat them to it.
CBS continues to overlook one of their best assets in our campaign to win new viewers--RubberPoultry.

No, that's not one of Mimi's pet names for her chicken. RubberPoultry is one of the most creative people I have ever seen. He has done posters, videos, fan art; an endless list of wonderful promotional tools.The picture I've used today is his. Consider what could be done with all his creativeness by reading below about what NBC is doing.

"First Broadcast Network Site to Introduce True Community Features with Networking Tools"

Your video could be featured on NBC. "That's right...we'll be checking out the videos on a regular basis and if any of the videos stand out as being extra special, we might feature it on NBC."

***Good idea CBS. Why won't you do this? RubberPoultry and other fans have made incredibly motivating videos.***

"Let your inner artist out and create something fantastic to submit to our Heroes Fan Art Gallery. Whether you love to draw, paint, create graphic illustrations, take/edit photos...whatever your medium, we want to see it! Besides, wouldn't it be great to tell all your friends your very own artwork is featured at NBC.com?"

***I'm beginning to wish Jericho was on NBC. All of this, created by Jericho fans, would go a long way to showing that CBS really does care.***

You can upload and share your own videos and photos, create public profiles about yourself, build your own fan groups around your favorite shows, access community pages from your cell phone and receive video and content recommendations based on the activity of other like-minded users.

***Wow!! Wouldn't this be incredible???***

"Get an inside look into the plots and characters of the NBC shows you know and love. Whether it’s a producer, actor or character blog, you’ll read stuff here you can’t find anywhere else."

CBS may care but it looks like NBC cares a whole lot more.