April 2005
- April 29, 2005
- 6:33 PM
- Comment
President Bush's Press Conference Draws 32.7 Mil
President Bush's prime-time press conference attracted an average total of 32.7 million viewers on the eight channels that carried it live Thursday, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. CBS News' coverage attracted the biggest audience, nearly 11.8 million. Among the cable networks, Fox News Channel dominated with 2.7 million viewers.
NBC News coverage averaged 6.9 million viewers for the press conference. ABC News attracted an average 5.8 million from 8 to 9:30 (because the network built analysis of the event into its schedule, while the others switched to their entertainment lineups as quickly as possible). Fox Broadcasting's coverage of the speech attracted an average 4 million viewers. Data for CNBC's report on the speech was not immediately available.
Fox News Channel's cable audience was more than double its prime-time average of 1.1 million for the week ending April 22, and triple that of its nearest cable competitor. CNN's Thursday audience (896,000 viewers) for the speech was up less dramatically from its prime-time average of 842,000 viewers the previous week. MSNBC averaged 569,000 viewers for the speech, a big pop compared with its prime-time average of 248,000 the week before.
- April 29, 2005
- 5:19 PM
- Comment
Paxson Releases Executive Compensation Figures
Paxson Communications Chairman and CEO Lowell "Bud" Paxson earned 25 percent more in 2004 than he did in 2003, according to the beleaguered broadcaster's proxy statement, filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the filing, Mr. Paxson earned nearly $1.6 million in remuneration for 2004, compared with a year-earlier figure of nearly $1.3 million, with both his base salary and cash bonus receiving upward bumps in the year.
Meanwhile, Dean Goodman, Paxson's president and chief operating officer, saw his remuneration fall to nearly $1.1 million from more than $1.4 million. Despite increases in both base salary and cash bonus, Mr. Goodman's compensation couldn't fully offset the impact of restricted stock awards he received in 2003.
Seth Grossman, the former chief strategic officer who quit the company in March, earned nearly $626,000 in 2004, compared with 2003's figure of almost $557,200.
- April 29, 2005
- 4:47 PM
- Comment
CBS Wins First Night of Sweeps in Adults 18 to 49
CBS won the first night of May sweeps Thursday, April 28 in the adults 18 to 49 demographic with an 8.0, followed by NBC (6.1), ABC (2.0), UPN (1.9) and Fox and The WB (both 1.6), according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS also won the night in total viewers with an average of 22.5 million. Both nightly figures exclude the 8 p.m. hour, which featured a press conference by President Bush. CBS, NBC and Fox pre-empted only the 8 p.m. hour, while ABC ran press conference coverage until 10 p.m. The WB and UPN left their schedules intact.
CBS led the 9 p.m. hour with "Survivor: Palau," which scored a 7.8 rating in adults 18 to 49 (21.2 million total viewers). NBC's "The Apprentice" came in second in the hour with a 5.5 (12.4 million). Fox's hour block of two episodes of "The Simple Life: Interns" at 9 p.m. scored a 1.6 (3.6 million).
In the 10 p.m. hour, CBS's lead continued with the highest-rated show of the night, a reshuffled "CSI" (8.3 demo, 23.7 million total viewers). NBC's "ER" trailed with a 6.6 (14.5 million), followed by ABC's "Primetime Live" with a 2.0 (6.5 million).
The WB's lineup of its "Blue Collar" comedy block and reality special "Mobile Home Disaster" not only tied Fox for the night with its 1.6, it scored a 78 percent improvement over its season-to-date average for a Thursday in adults 18 to 49.
- April 29, 2005
- 3:57 PM
- Comment
Cablevision Releases Executive Compensation Data
Cablevision CEO James Dolan's remuneration was more than 50 percent less in 2004 than the previous year, when Mr. Dolan received an extraordinarily large restricted stock award.
According to the company's proxy statement, filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Dolan took home just over $8.1 million last year, versus nearly $16.5 million in 2003. Though his annual base salary of $1.6 million did not change year over year, and his annual cash bonus rose to $4.8 million from a year-earlier figure of $2.8 million, Mr. Dolan receiving $1.2 million in restricted stock awards in 2004, compared with a year-earlier figure of $11.6 million.
Meanwhile, the total take of Cablevision Chief Operating Officer Thomas Rutledge fell to $5.6 million from a year-earlier figure of more than $8 million, driven mainly by the same restricted stock award effect.
Vice Chairman Hank Ratner's compensation fell to nearly $7 million from a year-earlier $12.2 million, while William Bell, another vice chairman who retired at the end of 2004, saw his pay rise to more than $13 million in 2004 from $7.6 million in 2003. Mr. Bell's remuneration rose because of a severance payment of nearly $6.8 million.
- April 29, 2005
- 3:22 PM
- Comment
Sundance Acquires Aussie Comedy
Sundance Channel has acquired the U.S. rights to the Australian comedy "Kath & Kim." Sundance has ordered the first three seasons of the show, a single-camera series following a dysfunctional suburban family a la "Arrested Development." The series was the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's most popular show from 2002 to 2004.
"We are delighted to bring all three seasons to the Sundance Channel audience, who will be drawn in by the unique and idiosyncratic storytelling and enthralled by the exceptional talents of the creators and stars of this hilarious show," said Laura Michalchyshyn, executive VP of programming and marketing for Sundance Channel.
- April 29, 2005
- 2:15 PM
- Comment
Hearst-Argyle Reports Q1 Results
Strong advertising in automotive, retail and furniture helped station group Hearst-Argyle Television soften the blow of a sharp decline in political advertising, according to first-quarter financial data the company released Friday.
The New York-based owner or operator of 28 television stations, reported a 27 percent decline in first-quarter profit to $13.1 million, compared with $17.9 million a year ago. Revenue slipped 3 percent to $162.3 million.
The company said an effort to replace a substantial amount of the lost political advertising dollars garnered last year was a big factor behind Friday's results. Hearst-Argyle booked just $700,000 in political advertising in the 2005 quarter, compared with $10.1 million a year ago.
However, the company was able to partially offset that loss of business by registering gains in several core advertising areas, as well as benefiting from the improved prime-time ratings at its ABC affiliates.
The company said that ABC's loss of Monday Night Football, while likely to impact local ABC affiliates, won't hurt the overall company because its NBC affiliates can make up the loss with that network's coverage of NFL games.
- April 29, 2005
- 12:57 PM
- Comment
Turner Buys 'Matrix Reloaded' Broadcast Window
Turner Broadcasting said Friday it has agreed to buy the premiere broadcast window for "The Matrix Reloaded" from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution.
Turner also acquired rights to "A Lot Like Love," "Miss Congeniality 2" and "Eight Legged Freaks." The price tag was estimated at about $50 million.
For about a year Warner Bros. had been holding its movies, including the second and third parts of the "Matrix" trilogy, out of the market. But in recent months, it has made deals with networks including Oxygen, Nickelodeon and Speed Channel.
- April 29, 2005
- 12:56 PM
- Comment
Rainbow Media, EchoStar Rescue Voom
Voom lives. Rainbow Media Holdings on Friday announced that it will operate and market Voom 21 HD Originals and that EchoStar Communications has agreed to carry the high-definition programming service.
The Voom channels originally were offered on Cablevision Systems' money-losing Voom satellite service. Voom's satellites were sold to EchoStar earlier this year.
Voom now will be offered as a programming service instead of a satellite service, said Joshua Sapan, president and CEO of Rainbow. Subscribers to the defunct Voom satellite service will have to sign up for EchoStar to see the channels.
"I think EchoStar has a pointed interest in doing something aggressive with HD," Mr. Sapan said. "I think they want to be leaders in video and defined leaders in HD."
EchoStar will carry 10 of Voom's HD chanels immediately and will offer all 21 by 2006, when new compression technology is employed. Rainbow's parent Cablevision presently does not carry the Voom channels.
- April 28, 2005
- 7:50 PM
- Comment
Judy Woodruff to Resign from CNN
"Inside Politics" anchor Judy Woodruff announced Thursday that she will resign from CNN when her contract expires. However, she will continue to be involved with the news network she joined in 1993 after covering Washington, D.C., for "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" and NBC News.
"I've decided to leave daily journalism after 30 years, 12 of them at this network," she wrote in an e-mail to colleagues. "I've had challenging and exciting opportunities, been supported by an amazing and talented group of people, and made lifelong friends. I wish them the very best. I'm discussing several long-form projects in television. I'll also teach, do some writing and be an occasional consultant and contributor to CNN."
CNN has been exploring options for reconfiguring its political coverage, including "Inside Politics."
- April 28, 2005
- 7:24 PM
- Comment
Nets Agree to Air Bush Conference at 8 Tonight
The start time for tonight's presidential press conference has been moved from 8:30 to 8. That accommodation wrung agreement from all four major broadcast networks to carry the conference live. As a consequence, the networks had to perform last-minute surgery on their entertainment lineups on the opening night of the May sweeps ratings period, when millions of advertising dollars are on the schedule.
CBS is pre-empting "Without a Trace" and sliding its schedule back two hours, starting with "Survivor" at 9 p.m. (ET).
NBC is pre-empting its sitcoms "Joey" and "Will & Grace" and will stick with "The Apprentice" and "ER" after the press conference. NBC reportedly signaled to the White House that if the network could get the press conference at 8 p.m., it would carry it. Otherwise the Peacock Network, which could have left the press conference to MSNBC, did not want to butcher its entertainment lineup.
Fox is pre-empting "The O.C.," and double episodes of "The Simple Life: Interns" now face the one-two punch of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."
ABC, which has not been a contender on Thursday nights, was the first network to agree to carry the press conference live, The Alphabet Network had already decided to pre-empt "Sweet Home Alabama" and start its coverage at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT). "Primetime>live" now is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. (ET) instead of 10 to fill out the night.
The White House had given less than a day's notice that it wanted the primest of prime-time clearance for President Bush, who seems to be losing the PR campaigns for his Social Security plan, his nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. and on other fronts.
ABC News' plans for coverage tonight include anchored reports on its digital-broadband service ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.
CBS also will offer the presidential press conference for broadcast on local stations to carry on their digital channels on CBSNews.com and CBS News Radio.
