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Showing posts from November, 2009

BREAKING: AP reports GE, Vivendi reach deal on Vivendi's 20% stake in NBC Universal; Comcast deal now seen as imminent

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The Associated Press is reporting this evening that a tentative deal has been reached between General Electric and Vivendi of France for GE to purchase the 20% stake in NBC Universal currently owned by Vivendi. Vivendi will receive $5.8 billion from GE, and GE plans, in turn, to then sell 51% of NBCU to Comcast Corporation for $30 billion. MY VIEW:   Why in the world Vivendi sees this as a fair deal is beyond all possible comprehension.  I still think this is a very, very, VERY bad idea.  Comcast can make claims from here to eternity that they won't take the best of what's left of NBC's programming and chuck it right on over to cable, but the second they can do it, they will. And it won't be pretty.

CBS cancels "Three Rivers"

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Word has just come in to JDTVB HQ that CBS has canceled " Three Rivers" effective immediately. The poorly-rated new show never really gained traction, and was actually beginning to drag "Cold Case" down with it until the network tried a time swap earlier this month.  Ratings for "Cold Case" improved with the switch, so it will move permanently to 8:00 PM Central beginning next Sunday night. At some point, CBS will have to air the remainder of the "Three Rivers" episodes that it had ordered previously, and when I get information on when that will happen, I'll let you know.

UPDATED: WHAT'S ON TV TONIGHT?

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I made a couple of errors on the program guide this morning, so at right you will find an updated and corrected version.  I apologize for any inconvenience.

RTV's new schedule

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I tracked down a new program schedule for RTV25 (WEHT, channel 25.2), and some things have really changed. During the late morning/midday portion of the schedule, "Leave It to Beaver," "Bachelor Father," "McHale's Navy" and "Marcus Welby, M.D.," all of which have been staples of the lineup since the channel debuted locally in August 2008, have given way to: 11:00 AM - The Rifleman (Western, ABC 1958-63) 11:30 AM - The Cisco Kid (Western, syndicated 1950-56) 12:00 PM - Peter Gunn (Detective fiction, NBC-ABC 1958-61) 12:30 PM - The Adventures of Robin Hood (Drama/adventure, CBS 1955-59) 1:00 PM - Daniel Boone (Action/adventure, NBC 1964-70) Meanwhile, during primetime, the schedule hasn't changed, but instead of "It Takes a Thief" at 10:00 PM, now we'll get "I Spy," the pioneering 1965-68 NBC adventure series starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. Finally, I first noticed on Friday night that the

AROUND THE COUNTRY: Modernizing weather coverage

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I've been reading an interesting article at Broadcasting & Cable this morning, and if it's to be believed, the days of the weather forecast as a major part of each newscast might be fading away. I don't believe that time is coming soon, but I do appreciate some of the points that the writer makes.  First and foremost, with so many choices in how we get our news and weather these days, it is true that waiting until 5, 6, 9 or 10 to find out if it's going to rain or snow isn't an absolute necessity any longer. But that doesn't mean a significant audience doesn't tune in for just that reason, even with the latest advances. Our local stations have certainly embraced getting your weather information wherever you are, some more than others.  Fortunately, however, they've not skimped on coverage within newscasts.  Here's an idea, if you're not familiar, of what our local folks offer: All of the local news stations, as well as WEVV , offer w

WHAT'S ON TV TONIGHT?

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Click the image at left to see tonight's program guide in full size.

Might want to update that, folks ...

I decided to get up earlier than usual this morning and watch "Good Morning America."  It didn't take long before I noticed something odd. NEWS25's crawl (which they show each morning during "GMA") is, well, a little behind the times.  As in, it's the same crawl they put up Saturday afternoon when Reitz won the state football championship, right on down to the "full coverage and highlights ... on NEWS25 Weekend tonight at 6 and 10." Oops.

UPDATED 11:55 AM: Presidential address to shake up programming tomorrow night

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UPDATE 11:55 AM:  I'm pretty sure I've got the final word on scheduling from CBS, Fox and NBC, and the information is shown below. President Obama is scheduled to speak to the nation at 7:00 tomorrow night on his plans for the war in Afghanistan going forward. That's going to throw off the normal programming schedule, as you might expect. The speech is expected to last 30 minutes, but with analysis following, ABC, CBS and NBC are giving the full hour to the President.  Fox, which normally doesn't carry the President's addresses at all, will carry only the speech with no analysis. ABC (WEHT channel 25.1) is moving the previously-scheduled "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and Disney's "Prep & Landing" to next Tuesday night. CBS (WEVV, channel 44.1) will air a repeat of "NCIS: Los Angeles" at 8:00. Fox (WTVW channel 7.1) will broadcast the first 30 minutes of the address, and "So You Think You Can Dance" will ai

IN BRIEF: IT'S YOUR LAST DAY TO VOTE!

I think I might have mistakenly said both here and in my column that yesterday would be the last day of voting in the current poll, but obviously, since today is the last day of November, today is the last day to do so. The poll will close at 11:59 PM tonight , and I'll post the final results tomorrow morning.

THE VICTORY MARCH CONTINUES: Colts top Texans 35-27, move to 11-0

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UPDATE: With Jacksonville's loss to San Francisco, the Colts have clinched the AFC South for the sixth time in seven years, and they are the first team in the league to secure a playoff berth. After coming out flat-footed in the first half, it looked like the Colts might fall for the first time this season, but as we've seen time and again this year, never count them out until the clock hits 0:00. Such was the case in the second half of today's game, when the Colts came out and hammered the Texans on both sides of the ball, denying Houston any points until the closing minute of the game. So the Colts move to 11 and 0, and we await the Titans (5-6) at Lucas Oil Stadium next week.

TODAY'S NFL GAMES

On WTVW Fox 7: NOON - Seahawks (3-7) at Rams (1-9) ~3:15 PM - Bears (4-6) at Vikings (9-1) On WEVV CBS 44: NOON - Colts (10-0) at Texans (5-5) It's not easy to pick a winner when it comes to a game between 3-7 Seattle and 1-9 St. Louis , but I think the Seachickens might have the advantage. Could be wrong on that one, but I doubt it. Seattle wins in a close one. I won't be a bit surprised to see the Vikings turn Jay Cutler into the Amazing Technicolor Interception-Throwing Machine (again) today. Hey, the boys from Minnesota don't have a 9-1 record for nothing, and Cutler's INT-happy nature of late is one of the keys behind the Bears' 4-6 record. The question is: Which will happen more often? Sack or INT? Minnesota wins running away. I'm naturally going to say the undefeated Colts will have the advantage at Houston , but the Texans have a strong incentive to keep from falling under .500. And with Dwight Freeney out, the Colts' defense will have a lot

WHAT'S ON TV TONIGHT?

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I know I said WOTT would go up at 1:00 PM, but since I have the grid ready, here it is. Just click the image at left to see it in full size, print it or save it. We'll catch up some more later.

CORRECTION: "Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In" NOT on at 9PM

In discussions with the members of the DTVUSA Forum , it's been discovered that the new "Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In" did NOT replace "Battlestar Galactica" on RTV25 (WEHT, channel 25.2) at 9:00 PM. I'll be checking to see if it replaces "Midnight Monster Hop" at 10. UPDATE: YES, "Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In" is on at 10:00. Apparently it is replacing "Midnight Monster Hop" after all.

IHSAA 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: Reitz 23, Lowell 9

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Congratulations to the Reitz Panthers , the 2009 IHSAA Class 4A STATE CHAMPIONS ! Reitz topped Lowell by the score of 23-9 for the win, putting the cap on a fantastic 15-0 undefeated season for Coach Tony Lewis' Panthers. For the complete wrap-up, here's an article in the Courier & Press, and of course all three local news stations will have full coverage of both the Reitz win and Memorial's heartbreaking loss tonight in their newscasts. CORRECTION: I misread my handwritten stats earlier. 33-14 was the score of the 2007 Reitz-Lowell championship game, which I wrote along with today's score. I apologize for the error and will work on my penmanship so this doesn't happen again! PHOTO CREDIT: Lance Wilkerson

IHSAA 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL: West Lafayette 24, Memorial 10

While they just couldn't pull off a victory over the undefeated West Lafayette Red Devils, I'd like to congratulate the Memorial Tigers on a great season! Coach John Hurley's team finishes the year with a fine 11-4 record. For the complete game wrap-up, see this article in the Courier & Press.

"What's On TV Tonight?"

To answer that question, click here . I think you'll like it.

NEW: Shaking up the features a bit

Starting tonight, I'm changing a few of JDTVB's features, but just a little bit: AROUND THE COUNTRY will run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a weekly recap on Saturday for major events. POLL UPDATES , when there are active polls, will run on Wednesday and Saturday. WHAT'S ON TV TONIGHT? will run every day at 1:00 PM (beginning Sunday). Effective immediately, THE WIRE has been discontinued. You may have noticed a slightly larger font on JDTVB. This is to make it easier to read, as I've noticed that the type is a bit smaller than I'd like on certain screens. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please let me know.

A WHOLE NEW LOOK: "What's On TV Tonight" becomes more user-friendly!

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I'm early with the Saturday edition of " What's On TV Tonight?" , but it is for a very good reason. At left, you'll see the new, more user-friendly layout for WOTT. And, if you'd like to print it or save it for later viewing on your own computer, you can do that, too. All you need to do is click the image at left to enlarge it to full-size. Once it's loaded, right-click and you'll see several options. Among those are "Save image as." By choosing that option, you can download the guide to your computer. Let me know what you think about the new look!

UPDATE: "Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In" debuts on RTV tomorrow night at 9PM Central time

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In an update to my Nov. 18 post on the subject , "Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In," a family-oriented horror movie show, joins the RTV (WEHT, channel 25.2) program lineup tomorrow night at 9:00 PM Central time. This word comes from the assistant to the show's producer. "Chiller Drive-In" replaces "Battlestar Galactica" on the RTV schedule.

THE ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS: Reitz & Memorial title games are less than 24 hours away

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If you're looking for ways to follow the big state championship games tomorrow, look no further! JDTVB has the information you need right here. Tonight, all of our local sportscasts will feature previews of tomorrow's games, and 14WFIE will have a one-hour special entitled "Touchdown Live: Championship Edition" at 9:00, live from Indianapolis. Cable subscribers will be the only ones fortunate enough to have the chance to watch the games on TV tomorrow (on Insight channel 244 and WOW channel 9 ), but there are other ways to catch all the action: RADIO -- The games will be broadcast on the following local stations: WBNL 1540 AM , Boonville WGBF 1280 AM , Evansville WQKZ 98.5 FM , Ferdinand WITZ 104.7 FM , Jasper WRCY 1590 AM , Mt. Vernon WYFX 106.7 FM , Mt. Vernon WAXL 103.3 FM , Santa Claus WAOV 1450 AM , Vincennes WZDM 92.1 FM , Vincennes WAMW 107.9 FM , Washington WWBL 106.5 FM , Washington ONLINE -- You can watch the games at ihsaa.org or listen to them at news

POLL UPDATE: I think it speaks for itself

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With 50 votes now cast -- and voting will be open until Sunday night at 11:59 PM for your convenience -- I'd say it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point that folks want to see more local sports broadcasts. Here's how the votes break down: 70% (35/50) said YES. 22% (11/50) said NO. 8% (4/50) said MAYBE. Thanks to all who have participated so far, and if you haven't yet voted, please do so! I'll post the final results on Monday morning.

AROUND THE COUNTRY ... It's a slow news day

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With most of the country hitting the stores today, there's not a lot of TV-related news to report, but there are a few little items, so let's get to 'em: REMEMBER THAT GE-COMCAST THING? HOW IT WAS ALL A DONE DEAL? WELL, MAYBE IT ISN'T ... YET: General Electric chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt spent Thanksgiving eve in Paris, not for pleasure, but to plead with Vivendi's bosses to hurry up and sell GE their 20% share of NBC Universal so they can get the Comcast tie-up done. The L.A. Times reports that the French want more money -- about $500 million more -- than GE has offered thus far. CANCELING NEWSCASTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS? It's a ... well, it's an interesting idea, but not one I can foresee catching on. KSEE , the NBC affiliate in Fresno, California , gave its entire news staff the day off for Thanksgiving . The station went completely newscast-free yesterday, and they'll do it again for Christmas and New Year's Day, according to the Fresno B

It's Friday, so you're probably asking yourself ...

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Good morning again, friends ... here again is your daily guide to what's coming on tonight! With the Christmas season getting into full swing starting today, special programs will continue, so those will, as they were yesterday, be listed in blue . Tonight, those programs include "Touchdown Live: Championship Edition," a special on 14WFIE (channel 14.1) that will take you to Indianapolis, where the Memorial Tigers and Reitz Panthers will be preparing for their respective IHSAA Class 3A and 4A state football title games! Primetime programs with a {{ begin prior to 7:00 PM. All times listed below are Central time. 7:00PM / ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN 9:00PM / FOX 7 NEWS AT 9 --- 7:00PM / WASHINGTON WEEK 7:30 PM / NOW ON PBS 8:00PM / BILL MOYERS' JOURNAL 9:00PM / ANTIQUES ROADSHOW --- 7:00PM / CARTOON FACTORY 7:30PM / EVERYDAY EDISONS 8:00PM / BIZ KID$ 8:30PM/ THE ELECTRIC COMPANY 9:00PM / FEEL THE HISTORY 9:30PM / FEEL THE HISTORY --- 7:00PM / THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGI

So ... we survived Thanksgiving, now let's look ahead to Christmas!

Now that we've gotten Thanksgiving out of our systems (well, OK, we stuffed ourselves silly!), it's time to look ahead toward Christmas, so beginning today, I'm decorating JDTVB for Christmas! It'll take me most of the day to figure out just what I want to put up ... which is sort of the way it works around the house, come to think of it ... so please bear with me if things change a few times here and there. Coming up this morning will be the Friday edition of WOTT, and of course the latest local and national TV news and info. See ya later!

For your Thanksgiving entertainment, I give you ...

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Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here's your guide to what's on TV tonight, plus some specials that will air today at various times. Special programs, where available, are listed in blue. Primetime programs with a {{ begin prior to 7:00 PM. All times listed below are Central time. 10:30AM / NFL PREGAME 11:00AM / NFL FOOTBALL: PACKERS AT LIONS 7:00PM / NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 9:00PM / FOX 7 NEWS AT 9 --- 7:00PM / APPALACHIA: A HISTORY OF MOUNTAINS AND PEOPLE 8:00PM / SOUNDS OF THE SEASON: WNIN HOLIDAY 9:00PM / GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN --- 7:00PM / CARTOON FACTORY 7:30PM / EVERYDAY EDISONS 8:00PM / BIZ KID$ 8:30PM/ THE ELECTRIC COMPANY 9:00PM / MEET YOUR LEGISLATORS --- 9:00AM / MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE 7:00PM / THE OFFICE 8:00PM / NBC'S PEOPLE OF THE YEAR 9:00PM / THE JAY LENO SHOW --- 7:00PM / DR. PHIL 8:00PM / OPRAH 9:00PM / 14 NEWS AT 9 9:30PM / THE INSIDER --- 7:00PM / HARRY & SON (1984) 9:00PM / CASINO ROYALE (1967) --- 7:00PM / {{ BOXING: TAYLOR-BER