Leaving Jericho

Arabelle's Alley was born from a desire to showcase the Save Jericho campaign in May of 2007; it then evolved into an outlet for Jericho news and information.

This chapter of the Jericho saga is finished. Jericho has been cancelled by the people who can't see the future so it is time for me to move on.

All content will be left online for viewing but I will not continue to post. I would like to thank everyone who contributed, commented, dugg, and those who were faithful readers.

JerichoMonster will remain active but, in coming weeks, will have a different look and broader scope. Jericho will continue to be a part of the Monster.

My friend, Beth, and I are happy to have a new blog named Margie and Edna's Basement. Margie and Edna are fictional characters created by Beth and myself. They have lived in Jericho, Kansas all their lives but have decided it's time for them to branch out beyond their beloved town. We hope you will follow their hilarious adventures.

Nutty Nielsens

More on Nutty Nielsen ratings.

"Nielsen recently announced time frames for two major data initiatives, including a new "enhanced weighting" procedure that has the potential of generating differences in ratings estimates effective with the next television season. Nielsen said it will revise the algorithms it uses to weight national ratings beginning in September 2008, and that the revision would likely have an effect on both program and average commercial minute audience estimates."
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"Nielsen's calculation systems are so complex, especially since they've weighted people in the database so that a person is not a simple person. A person is 1.1 on one day and 1.5 on another day," Brooks explains, adding, "Therefore, when they do multiple calculations they run the risk that people who were heavily weighted in the 'live' sample, may not be in the playback sample."

Nielsen Out-Of-Home

"The Nielsen Co. has begun to get some traction for its newest research services that are designed to analyze TV viewing beyond the traditional home-bound TV screen. In a first-of-its kind agreement announced Thursday, Zenith Media Services has signed for three new Nielsen services, becoming the first subscriber to the Nielsen Out-of-Home Report.

Set to launch next month, the Out-of-Home Report is a joint service of Nielsen and Integrated Media Measurement that uses a cell phone-based methodology to track TV viewing outside the home in bars, hotels, airports and other locations. "




"Most Lost fans have a favorite character, or even a few favorites. Now all of the Locke fans, Kate admirers, and Ben disciples can settle their differences--March Madness-style. Since March 7th, the Washington Post has been hosting Lost Madness, a bracket-like poll to determine the best all-time Lost character."

Stand and Fight

Bringing Back The Monster: Season 3

" Bringing new life to the monster."

"Save season 3 initiatives are starting to spring up for Jericho. In chat rooms, on message boards and through private message the call is sounding throughout the Jericho fandom to be proactive and act before any decision is made about the show. There are a number of fantastic resources we can visit or revisit as we think about which tactics we personally will employ to keep our show alive."



"Welcome to the News & Information Update site for the New Home 4 Dresden Petition & Campaign!"

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."

Jericho: The Underrated

"I think that if CBS doesn’t pick Jericho up for a 3rd season, they’ll be making a terrible mistake. Everyone knows that Jericho is a fantastic underrated show. By now everyone understands that the Rating system is completely flawed and overrated, no pun intended."



"The price of a TV commercial routinely runs into the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. And if that wasn't enough, the three oldest broadcast-TV networks have for decades required another fistful of cash known as an "integration fee." Two big ad-industry trade groups are now fighting to keep that money in advertisers' coffers."



"Will couch potatoes give up their ability to skip ads if they can watch a program at a time of their own choosing? ABC is making its best-known programs available to media distributors who can promise exactly that, prompting a hot debate over whether advertisers should follow."

New Jericho Video

Fantastic New Video form K4ist.

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%."

Jericho: Weekly Recap

Nielsen ratings


CBS: Know Your Audience


Count All Viewers


Exclusive interview with Bjo Trimble who is responsible for saving Star Trek.



Jericho Advertisers Contact List

Please Contact these advertisers and thank them - let them know you enjoy their product or are now interested.

Jericho Fans: Not At Fault

I am very aggravated by the articles that are coming out every day that seem to imply that Jericho fans are somehow at fault for the bad ratings. Can't these people read? Do they ever venture out from their blog? Like this comment:

"Well, you Jericho fans out there can’t say CBS didn’t give your show a chance. Networks rarely uncancel a show as it is, but they did it with Jericho after fans got riled up enough to engage in a brilliant resurrection campaign, but apparently all the publicity from that didn’t generate enough viewers, because Jericho’s Season 2 return from the abyss, starting with its first two episodes, netted well below average numbers."

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I beg to differ. CBS has never given Jericho a chance. There was the long hiatus, lack of advertising,summer reruns that were constantly being preempted, and affiliates who replaced Jericho with other programs. Many affiliates did not air the episode last Saturday night.

Furthermore, CBS told us to get viewers. Thanks for telling us to get viewers who don't count unless they're Nielsen families. Let me get my list of all those families that we don't know who they are. Thanks for never giving us any marketing help.

Are Jericho numbers below average? Compared to what? All the strike did was chase off viewers and some have never returned. Ratings are down all around us.

Joe says it best when he writes:
"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."




Even Kelly Kahl of CBS says he realizes audiences are down so Jericho's ratings cannot be compared to last year's. What will CBS do now?


" Once the networks are back it remains to be seen whether viewers will be back as well. Expectations of audiences flocking to rare instances of original programming during the months-long strike proved incorrect. This year's Grammy Awards broadcast, after receiving a waiver from the Writers Guild of America, went on as usual in the teeth of the strike but got one of its smallest audiences on record. Likewise, there was much speculation "American Idol" would do its biggest numbers ever, based entirely on the fact there would be so few viewing alternatives. Instead, while far and away the most watched show on television this season, "Idol" is down this year from last.

"The real interesting thing when we get back up is what [viewing] levels are going to be at," Kahl said. "Are viewers going to come back, or will there be a strike hangover here?"

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."

Marketing Television

"Sixty-two percent of marketers believe traditional TV ads have become less effective during the last two years. Given that belief, it's no surprise that close to half of them already have experimented with other ad formats that work with digital video recorders or video-on-demand programs. And more than 50% of marketers reported that when half of all TV households use DVRs, they will cut spending on TV advertising by 12%.

Eighty-seven percent of advertisers believe branded entertainment is the key to TV advertising in the coming year, and 65% of them are eager to try ads in online TV shows."



"To CW Network:
We, the undersigned fans, want Supernatural renewed for a 4th season. Supernatural makes Thursday nights one of the best nights on TV. We love this show too much to let it go off the air without a fight.

Please sign this petition and show your support for a Supernatural Season 4. Send it to your friends, family, co-workers, put the petition widget on your MySpace and FaceBook page. Let's not see another great show become a memory."

Jericho: The Return

"This week’s second-season premiere of “Jericho” will now repeat on CBS Saturday (Feb. 16) at 8 p.m. -- perhaps a tiny test of whether the series now airing Tuesdays at 10 should return to an earlier time slot. I can’t be the only critic getting emails from parents outraged that their kids’ once-favorite show has returned at a weeknight hour too late for them to stay up for.

The episode is also streaming online at CBS’ extensive “Jericho” site, either with or without commentary."



"Whether Jericho fizzles back out due to incredulous audiences refusal to give the new plot a try, or if the series pulls off what seems to be the impossible and builds an audience sizable enough to warrant a full season renewal, it certainly can be said that the Jericho crew took CBS’s cancellation and subsequent revival as a mandate to deliver something worthy of a second chance. Jericho 2.0 is definitely worth a second glance."



"Al Norton: Fact. I have written it before and will do so again here - the return of Jericho is the greatest accomplishment of the TV Viewer in my lifetime. Bringing a show back from the dead simply doesn't happen, so all who sent nuts to CBS deserve high praise. What makes it even better is that these episodes are the same high quality as where the series left off last spring. I have seen the first four of the year and can tell you they have not lost one iota of their trademark intensity, while at the same time boosting the heart of the show with more of the Stanley-Mimi relationship; how Alicia Coppola continues to fly under the radar screen is beyond me. Esai Morales is a fine addition to the cast, and while I know there are some Skeet haters out there, he is a very good fit as Jake. On some level whether or not the show does well is beside the point, that the triumph is simply in the resurrection, but I do hope Jericho meets with some success as it will encourage other networks to consider second chances in the future."

Jericho: Whack -The -Mole

Remember how Jericho fans showed CBS that they were not being counted by Nielsen ratings? We told CBS that everybody should be counted. Well, Nielsen made a little stab at it but nothing much has changed.

Now Nielsen has a plan to track how many people are watching a TV show via computer.Don't get excited though. This plan won't be introduced until the end of this year. Notice I said introduced and not implemented.


"Last year, when Nielsen came under fire by the fans of several cancelled television shows, I had some faith they could fix it," says Richard Becker of Copywrite Ink.

"Nowadays, it seems more that they are playing whack-the-mole. There is no clear focus. They have to fix the rating system that drive entertainment decisions before they can hope to provide better analytics for something a simple Google program or StatCounter can do."


Thanks Rich. Whack-the-mole seems to fit well here.

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."

Jericho: Tassler, Strike, and Nuts

"CBS' Risk Taking Tanks

Net's innovative scheduling yields lackluster demos"

"In an interview with Mediaweek, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler acknowledged those disappointments. But she remains supportive of the new shows, even Laughlin. "It was the boldest risk that we took," she said of the music-drama hybrid. "The true failure would be to stop trying new things."

Although Kid Nation is drawing young viewers, it is not attracting coveted young adults. The show may be trending up in key demos, but its focus on children apparently offers few entry points for older viewers, especially those without young kids. "I can see how it's more of a challenge for adults to find a particular character to relate to," Tassler admitted.

Whatever makes air next season, Tassler said, an increasingly fractured media pie may demand that all broadcasters come up with new methods of measurement. Between online streaming and increased DVR penetration bleeding off live TV viewers, she added, "I think we really need to examine—and redefine—what is a good number."



"Being one of the Jericho "Nuts" (yep, CBS got mine, and who knew I ever had them?) this blog was originally intended to promote the Television Series "Jericho". I've cleaned up the Jericho Resource links for new and old fans alike. I'll be adding other TV sections as time goes on."



"Here’s our guide to how the strike might affect the average entertainment consumer this time around—though, even if there’s a last-minute settlement, don’t get too comfy. Contracts with the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild run out in June 2008."

CBS: Breaking News

CBS? We think you need to explain this.

"This is what Kimberly who works for CBS Sportsline customer service who I was transfered to by the main swtichboard.

Meaning the information telling us to go to Sportsline with our issues is erroneous.

The user name robert_green is a generic username shared by about 100 people who moderate the message boards.

Now, keep in mind that Jennifer from CBS Sportsline (main switchboard) told me on Friday that they were getting the moderators together and we would get some communication on the boards.

So CBS Admin2 does not work for CBS yet CBS Admin2 has been posting announcements and questions for producers, etc. etc. etc.

THIS MAKES NO SENSE

We need some clear concise answers and information from CBS.

In other words- somebody's got some explainin' to do."



"OK so who is CBS admin 2 who issued the press releases etc then. This is so confusing. "

" Why can't someone on this so called "moderation team" respond in some form or fashion to show the users of this board that action is really being taken?"


"So if CBS Admin2 does not work for CBS and CBS Admin 2 is the one who posts all the announcements and questions for the producers, etc. etc. etc. what does this mean????

It means that somebody has some explainin' to do.

What is going on CBS????????"


"Who did Kimberly work for Sportsline or CBS? I feel like we are treated like dogs and told to chase our tails by CBS."


"Just went to look at the post that sent us to sportsline and it was signed the Jericho Web Team. You would think if someone was signing on and asserting that they were someone from CBS that those posts would be removed by the real moderators. This makes no sense at all. "

CBS: Just Say No To Unfair Moderation

How CBS treats consumers:

"CBS does not care about the members that have declared their loyalty to this board, and no, there is nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that when it comes down to it, every poster on the board as well as the new traffic is another coin in the shareholders pocket."


Who is robert_green? Why is he editing posts on the CBS Jericho board when they are not breaking TOS?


"Some people want to play at this board - fine for them. I feel that clouds the very real issue here- customer service.
Also who is robert_green and why is someone who posts "blah blah blah" on the message board allowed to have moderator ability?"


From CBS Jericho message board:
"What I truly don't understand is how someone like robert_green, who appears to be a normal poster like the rest of us, had moderation capabilities?"


"Dear Mr. Robert Green,

Hello. In the future, when you see fit to edit a post, I would really appreciate a written communication from you as to why.

You see, there has been a lot of trouble with moderation on the boards lately. And since no one will return my phone calls or answer my emails - it would be a great help if the mods could offer an explaination as to why a post of thread is being deleted."


"Has anyone e-mailed Robert Green through the CBS board to calmly and politely ask him who the hell he is and how dare he edit someone else's post? CBS seems to have washed their hands of the whole message board gremlin thing. Might as well go straight to the horse's mouth."

" Yes. email returned ad undeliverable...names the address as rmonteiro2@cbs.com...interesting huh?"


"This is Robb from CBS Interactive, here is my reply - can you see me now?"
Posted by rmonterio




Who moderates the CBS Jericho board??


Prospero Clients:


Why is it that CBS has us contacting Sportsline and not Prospero?


Pay special attention to the ABC boards that Prospero is in charge of. It seems when posts are edited there, that fact is not hidden in the HTML as it is at CBS Jericho.

http://www.sportsline.com/

The CBS message boards are monitored by CBS Sportsline. They can be contacted at (954) 351-2120




"CBS has the power to stop this and doesn't. They could moderate the message board properly and professionally, they could do lots of things.

Trust me, CBS knows what happens when your website becomes a free for all. And if they don't want Jericho back, why not just shrug and say whatever.

THAT is what I think the conspiracy is. CBS does not care about Jericho fans."


"They absolutely do not. They have tried to pacify us. Look at the joke they call Fan Central. Look at the way they treated the reruns.

CBS is the joke."


"CBS cares about me as a Panther fan, but not as a Jericho fan. Nice. Sorry CBS but I visit ESPN and other sites for my sports news and fun. The only reason I ever visited any CBS website was for Jericho."


" Just got off the phone with Jeff Burkett - in charge of website content, etc
323 - 575 - 4380

I told him what was going on and asked why the mods would not respond and who we could contact other than the numbers I posted to get some answers about moderation on the CBS board.


I was told - it is not his job, he does not know who handles the moderation, he refused to give me a contact for moderation. When I asked if he would contact them and ask them to contact me his reply was - he did not have time and it was not his job.

I repeated back to him what he said and asked - if I post this to the CBS board, would this be correct and his reply was yes.

CBS does not care."




"Not everyone has the capacity to understand what is going on here, and that is OK. What I am trying to do is to document the very serious customer service issues ALL fans have regarding CBS."


"How does it look for the vast majority of posters to have no concern that posts are being deleted with no obvious violation of the TOS...does this not raise a few questions in your minds as to who is behind these deletions and why the deletions are so specific?"


"For what it is worth, CBS cannot arbitrarily edit or censor posts that do not clearly violate TOS unless they are willing to accept the responsibility of being a publisher."


So, CBS, why does someone like robert_green have the authority to delete only certain posts, which are not breaking TOS, while posts which make personal posts are allowed to remain?


Ms. Nina Tassler, President
CBS Entertainment
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039-2112
(323) 575-2747

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CBS Television Network
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

(212) 975-4321

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CBS Audience Services
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

212-975-3247 – CBS Audience Services
email at audsvcs@cbs.com

CBS Audience Services at 212-975-4321
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Why don't you, CBS, Sportsline, or Prospero answer our questions? This goes far beyond shoddy customer service. Jericho Rangers never give up so we will keep searching and posting about what could certainly be called censorship of our posts.