ABC's Janet Jackson Interview: a Class Act Fields Lousy Questions

TVWeek's Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin found Janet Jackson to be mesmerizing during ABC News' “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts" Wednesday night -- she can't say the same for some of the questions, or the announcer. Read all about  it here.

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

Oprah Winfrey's decision to discontinue her longrunning syndicated talk show in 2011 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

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

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

ABC Expands 'Grey's Anatomy' to Original Web Series

A new web series based on "Grey's Anatomy" has started online, reports B&C.

The web series, titled  "Seattle Grace: On Call," is available online after "Grey's" airs on Wednesday nights. There will be six webisodes, mostly set in Joe’s Emerald City Bar, and they will be presented as faux documentaries. Each installment will be about four-minutes long and available only online.

According to the article, " 'Our goal with the web series is to expand the Grey’s universe by offering a unique perspective of the various happenings at Seattle Grace, while paralleling some of the same storylines seen on the show,' said Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes."

-- Allison J. Waldman

Report From the Emergency Room: 'Trauma' Might Survive After All

NBC's "Trauma," which has been reported D.O.A., might just survive after all, according to Nikki Finke's  Deadline Hollywood.

According to the report, "NBC has told the show this week the network not only will produce all 13 episodes from its current order but also order more. What helped to earn a pickup? A recent ratings rise."

--Chuck Ross

Garth Ancier Leaving Helm of BBC America

Garth Ancier is stepping down as the president of BBC America. UPDATE: This news was first reported this morning by Bill Carter of the New York Times on its  Media Decoder blog.

According to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, here's the email Ancier sent his staff today:

This morning we will announce that I intend to step down in March as President of the U.S. portion of the company, but remain a non-executive director of BBC Worldwide America.

Together we have achieved a great deal over the past three years and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished.

BBC America is performing at an all time high. We’ve increased distribution to 65 million homes, doubled primetime ratings and established a raft of mainstream hits including Torchwood, Top Gear and Primeval. Bringing ad sales in-house has increased revenue by 39% in year one and Mark Gall and his team have doubled the channel’s advertiser base. Establishing an in-house affiliate team makes our distribution efforts stronger and is already driving the roll out of BBC America HD. As many of you know, plans are also well advanced for the launch of pre-school channel CBeebies next year.

One of my proudest achievements is the commissioning of BBC World News America. Rome Hartman and his team have done a remarkable job. WNA has become a cornerstone of BBC America’s schedule and is retransmitted throughout the world. The program upholds all that is great about BBC News, but packages it effectively for the U.S. market. In its first year it won a much- deserved Peabody Award, and this year it has received six Emmy nominations – fingers crossed for December 7!

I believe we’ve now aligned BBC America, DVD and DTO to effectively exploit content across all windows. In digital, Beth Clearfield has spearheaded important deals with Amazon, Xbox, Netflix and iTunes. BBC America is now one of the top 15 television providers on iTunes in the U.S. Next year, our digital story will get even stronger with the launch of a U.S. facing edition of BBC.com.

On the BBC Worldwide Productions front, Dancing With The Stars remains a reality juggernaut and is about to wrap its ninth season on ABC. I’m delighted Jane Tranter joined us in January to head up the U.S. production operation adding scripted production to our slate, and that our New York-based team, set up to serve the East Coast cable industry, has won several new commissions.

In Home Entertainment, Planet Earth continues to be a remarkable success for Burton Cromer and team. It is now the number one DVD documentary of all time in the U.S., selling over four million units. We look forward to the release of follow-up, Life, early next year.

The business is firing on all cylinders – and now seems a suitable time to pass the day to day running of the U.S. over to someone new. I sincerely thank all of you for your continued hard work and dedication. Without you we could not have grown the BBC brand so significantly or increased profits by 78%. I very much look forward to continuing to work with you in my new role.

A search for my replacement is underway – but in the meantime it’s business as usual!

Best regards,
Garth

--Chuck Ross

Smart and Sassy: The Brillance of (and Why We Love) Jon Stewart

The last thing you think you want to see is another video about Lou Dobbs leaving CNN.

But trust us, you DO want to see this.

It's Jon Stewart's interview with Dobbs and it's why we love Stewart: It's hysterically funny and has more substance than 10 other interviews done on the same subject. Click here to view it.

--Chuck Ross

Aaron Sorkin, the Creator of 'West Wing' and 'Sports Night' is Planning Another TV Series

Five-time Emmy-winner Aaron Sorkin, who created "West Wing," 'Sports Night' and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," is planning another TV series, according to TVGuideMagazine.com.

According to the report, Sorkin said, "It's going to be what turns out to be the third in the trilogy of TV shows that take place behind the scenes of a TV show, but this will be a different kind of TV show. That's all I can let out of the bag right now."

His shows "Sports Night" and "Studio 60" were also set behind the scenes at TV shows.

Sorkin said he hopes to collaborate with his pal and well-known TV director Tommy Schlamme on the project, as well as work with some of the actors he's worked with in the past.

--Chuck Ross