The Repercussions of Winfrey's Departure From Daytime TV Far Reaching

Oprah Winfrey's decision to discontinue her longrunning syndicated talk show in 2001 carries with it a long list of repercussions, according to The New York Times.

It means the loss of its signature program and millions of dollars every year in revenue for distributor CBS, and for stations, the loss of daytime’s most popular program that generates huge audiences for their local evening news.

The Times said the move also represents an big professional bet for Winfrey, who is counting on her popularity and "golden touch" with programming to sustain an entire cable channel.

-- Tom Gilbert

Oprah's Absence Will Alter the Local News Battlefield

Many U.S. stations are reacting with panic to Oprah Winfrey's decision to end her enormously popular syndicated TV talk show, which they have long relied upon to bring viewers to their local newscasts.

In Upstate New York, for example, the Buffalo News reports that WIVB-TV, which carries Winfrey's show at 4 p.m., has been the local news leader for years thanks to her strong lead-in, noting that whatever the replacement is, it is unlikely to be as powerful as "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

The Hollywood Reporter Editor Elizabeth Guider also describes Winfrey's departure as "a paradigm shift, one that will roil the already fragile local TV station business for the next two years."

-- Tom Gilbert

Oprah Winfrey's Mega-Success in Review

Media columnist Phil Rosenthal reflects on Oprah Winfrey's daytime TV success while awaiting her announcement about her future in the Chicago Tribune.

"[Her] success is a combination of the common and uncommon," he writes. "Her life story includes triumph over adversity and imperfection, talent and the ambition to better one's self, shrewd business acumen and an uncanny knack for making millions of fans warm to her as a good friend with whom they might trade recipes or gossip."

--Tom Gilbert

What the Man Who Dated Oprah and Talked Her Into Entering Syndication Thinks

Veteran film critic Roger Ebert, who at one time dated Oprah Winfrey and claims to have influenced her decision to accept an offer for a syndicated show, has made an educated guess in the Chicago Sun-Times about what her next move might be.

Ebert thinks the talk-show queen will be on her OWN cable network, syndicate overseas, have same-day reruns, stream on the Internet and have an online archive of past shows.

"This move doesn't require a rocket scientist to explain it. She knows as much about TV as anyone alive," Ebert said

-- Tom Gilbert

Chicago Mayor Has Own Ideas Why Oprah Called It Quits

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has a theory why Oprah Winfrey is ending her syndicated talk show, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

He says complaints about the city shutting down North Michigan Avenue for two days at a cost of $54,832 in city services for her 24th season premiere in September may have been too much for Winfrey, who has since reimbursed Chicago taxpayers

The Sun-Times quoted Mayor Daley as saying, "When the controversy came up on Michigan Avenue, and people were criticizing her in the media, the first thing I said is, 'She's paying for everything on Michigan Avenue.' I said, 'So, why are you criticizing her?' The merchants loved it, we had huge recognition around the world when she opened her show ... And so, you keep kicking people, and people will leave. Simple as that."

--Tom Gilbert

New Season of 'Lost,' Now on Tuesdays, Debuts Feb. 2

ABC will begin airing the sixth and final season of “Lost” Feb. 2, moving the series Tuesdays for the first time, reports The New York Times.

A recap special covering past series developments will precede the two-hour season premiere, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. 

In its new time slot, the series will compete with CBS' popular “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

-- Tom Gilbert

'Friday Night Lights' Actress Cast in Hallmark Channel Movie

 Alicia Witt, who has a recurring role on the fourth season of the DirecTV/NBC drama "Friday Night Lights,"  has been signed to star in a Hallmark Channel movie with the tentative titled "Backyard Wedding," The Hollywood Reporter reports.

The film centers on a woman whose plans for her second wedding are marred by her ex-husband and first love. Markie Post and Frances Fisher are also in the cast.

-- Tom Gilbert

Tivo Teams With Miller Beer to Messages While Fast Forwarding Through Content

By Jeremy Mullman
Advertising Age

In watching the chaos that time-shifted, ad-skipping viewing has rained down on primetime TV advertisers in recent years, many beer-marketing executives have expressed relief, roughly paraphrased, in something like these terms: "Thank goodness most of our budgets are tied up in sports, where we don't have to worry about all that."

But a first-of-its-kind deal between MillerCoors and TiVo suggests those concerns are finally reaching sports marketers' radar. The deal calls for Coors Light's branding and messaging to appear on TiVo viewers' screens whenever they are deleting, pausing, fast-forwarding or rewinding NFL content.

 MillerCoors describes the deal as a complement to its long-running status as the official beer of the NFL, a platform from which it bombards football fans with those fake press-conference ads starring former NFL coaches, rather than as insurance in case those ads get skipped.

"We don't look at it as an either-or question, because the consumer is in the middle," said Jackie Woodward, VP-marketing services. "We're looking at it as another way to engage consumers with Coors Light's official sponsorship [as the NFL's official beer]."

Pro sports are far less prone to time-shifting than other types of programming. Only 20% of first-run football viewing is done on a time-shifted basis, according to TiVo StopWatch data. That's half of the 40% rate for all viewing, and only a third of the 61% afflicting primetime.

"It's true that sports are much less time-shifted than anything other than news," said Todd Juenger, TiVo's VP-general manager for audience, research and measurement. "But it's 20%, and that's not zero."

Mr. Juenger also noted that there are key differences between the ways viewers use time-shifting with sports. While primetime programming might sit in a DVR for days before being watched, 91% of sports time-shifting occurred during a single day, and 77% occurred with an hour.

And the average time-shifter hits the pause button 5.5 times per broadcast, which suggests they're hitting pause while they get up for a beer, a bathroom run or some housework, and likely skipping ads as they try to catch up to the action in real time.

Under this deal, TiVo users will be prompted with an opportunity to visit a Coors Light NFL Showcase, which will feature behind-the-scenes footage from the press-conference ads, consumer-generated versions of those ads and information on promotions, such as the brewer's long-running Super Bowl ticket giveaway.

The deal covers every NFL game through the Super Bowl, which means consumers could theoretically find themselves looking at Coors Light branding while rewinding for another look at an Anheuser-Busch spot. (A-B is the only brewer with commercial time during the Super Bowl broadcast, although Coors Light is the big game's official beer.) #

Movie Veteran-Playwright to Star in Epix' First Drama Pilot

Epix, a joint venture of Viacom, Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate that launched Oct. 30 with concert and comedy specials, has tapped Sam Shepard to star in its inaugural pilot, "Tough Trade," reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Shepard will play the patriarch in"Tough Trade," an hour drama about a three-generation Nashville music dynasty whose penchant for drink, debauchery and divorce has left them morally corrupt and on the verge of bankruptcy, the Reporter said.

-- Tom Gilbert

TiVo Teams with Major Advertiser To Show Commercials When Viewers Fast Forward Through Content

In a pioneering deal, TiVo has partnered with a major advertiser to show messages from the advertiser even when viewers fast forward, rewind, pause, or delete certain content, Advertising Age reports.

When viewers perform these functions with NFL games, message for Coors Light will appear on the screen. 

According to the report, " 'It's true that sports are much less time-shifted than anything other than news,' said Todd Juenger, TiVo's VP-general manager for audience, research and measurement. 'But it's 20%, and that's not zero.' " 

The report also notes, "The deal covers every NFL game through the Super Bowl, which means consumers could theoretically find themselves looking at Coors Light branding while rewinding for another look at an Anheuser-Busch spot. (A-B is the only brewer with commercial time during the Super Bowl broadcast, although Coors Light is the big game's official beer.)"

 -- Allison J. Waldman