TV News ®

TVBR returns on Tuesday, September 4th.
Notice: TVBR returns on Tuesday, September 4th. The RBR/TVBR/MBR offices will be closed Monday, September 3rd, in observance of Labor Day.

Morning shows accused of liberal bias
The right-leaning Media Research Center (MRC) is out with a report complaining that the morning news shows on NBC, ABC and CBS devote far more coverage to Democratic candidates for President than to the Republicans. Is it bias, a “liberal agenda” or just following the news?
After monitoring ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CBS’ “The Early Show” and NBC’s “Today” show from January 1 through July 31, MRC said it found that nearly twice as many campaign news segments covered the Democrats as the Republicans and that Democrats got three times as much airtime. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) got the most exposure, followed by former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), all well ahead of the top Republican, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). “Of the interview questions that could be categorized as having a political agenda, more than two-thirds (69%) of the questions posed to Democrats reflected a liberal premise, and more than four-fifths (82%) of the questions to Republicans came from the same perspective,” MRC charged. “Our results show pure partisanship on the part of ABC, CBS and NBC. Not only are the network morning shows overwhelmingly focused on Democrats, they are actively promoting the Democrats’ liberal agenda.” declared MRC President L. Brent Bozell III.
The networks deny any bias, and say they are covering the campaigns based on news value. Some news executives also complain that the GOP candidates have repeatedly turned down invitations for appearances on the morning shows.

TVBR observation: This is the first time since the introduction of television that we have had a US presidential election without either a sitting President or his Vice President in the running, creating a real horse race in both major parties. Let’s face it, there is more drama in the Democratic race at this point. That will change once the nominees are selected and it becomes a two-person competition for the White House.

KTLA’s home is up for sale
Since new Tribune Company director-investor Sam Zell made his billions mostly from buying and selling real estate, it is hardly surprising that the company is reassessing its real estate portfolio. The big property on the block now is the former Warner Brothers studio in Hollywood, which now houses KTLA-TV (Ch. 5, CW), Tribune Entertainment and Tribune Studios. The Los Angeles Times, also owned by Tribune, quotes a local real estate expert as estimating that the property is worth around 175 million. Warner Brothers began building the grand facility in 1919. The Colonial-style main building, known as “Tara,” built in 1923, and a sound stage on the lot are registered historic properties, subject to restrictions on any changes. But there has been a resurgence in investment interest in Hollywood properties in recent years, so there could be considerable interest in the property.

TVBR observation: KTLA and every other TV station in LA could easily fit into this facility, so Tribune hardly needs the massive property it got when it acquired KTLA from Gene Autry in 1986. Tribune can cut debt by selling the property and then lease space elsewhere for new, updated studios for KTLA. Lots of production companies lease studio space to produce TV shows, in fact quite a few lease from Tribune Studios, so that will be no problem for Tribune Entertainment.

Morgan Stanley to advise Hearst-Argyle directors
Hearst-Argyle Television announced that the Special Committee of its board of directors has retained Morgan Stanley as its financial advisor to assist them in their review of the proposed tender offer announced by Hearst Corporation. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has been engaged to provide legal advice to the Special Committee. Hearst Corporation, which already owns a majority of Hearst-Argyle, has offered 600 million to buy out the public shareholders, but the stock has been trading above the 23.50 per share offer in anticipation of Hearst being forced to go higher.

CEO exits OpenTV
OpenTV announced that Alan Guggenheim has stepped down as President, CEO and a director of the company for personal reasons. The remaining board members appointed Ben Bennett to the newly created position of COO and named him Acting CEO as well. Bennett had been Sr. VP, Customer Operations. Mauro Saladini, an executive of the Kudelski Group, was named to the open board seat. "OpenTV is strongly positioned as the worldwide leader in middleware for television network operators, providing a customer-focused, solutions-based approach to the market,” declared Andre Kudelski, Executive Chairman of OpenTV. He also praised Bennett as an executive who “has a clear view of the company’s potential.” The Kudelski group bought control of OpenTV from Liberty Media back in January for over 132 million.

CNN to stop using Reuters
CNN said on Thursday it would stop using the Reuters news service, ending a 27-year relationship, to cut costs and invest in its own news gathering operations. CNN said in an internal memo that it wanted to reduce reliance on agency material while achieving better control of its growth. "This is all about us, not Reuters. This is about content ownership," CNN spokesman Nigel Pritchard said. "Everything is changing and content ownership is king." CNN will stop using Reuters text, photography and television material from Friday. News organizations such as CNN are grappling with how best to court new generations of viewers who are as likely to get their info on cell phones and the Internet as from television, Reuters said. "To advantage CNN in the content marketplace and manage the continually rising costs associated with acquired assets, we are making significant investments in our own news gathering while simultaneously reducing our reliance on agency material," Tony Maddox, CNN International EVP, said in a memo. CNN will continue to use news provided by the Associated Press and Associated Press Television News.

Ad Business Report TM

Changes coming on Capitol Hill?
Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) is under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans to resign and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) is due back on Capitol Hill next week, after suffering a brain hemorrhage last December. What are the implications for broadcasters as Congress returns from a holiday break?
Democrats have generally been holding back on any criticism of Sen. Craig, letting the Republican Party twist in the wind, following the news that the conservative Senator had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in Minnesota after he allegedly solicited an undercover male cop for sex. Senate GOP leaders have announced plans for an investigation. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Norm Coleman (R-MN) have publicly called for Craig to resign, as have some conservative radio hosts and Internet bloggers. If Craig does resign, it will not change the party split in the Senate, where the Democrats hold a slim majority. Idaho Governor Butch Otter, a Republican, would name a successor to fill out the remaining months of Craig’s term. Democrats are salivating at the possibility of picking up a seat next year in a state that has long been staunchly Republican, but that won’t be an easy task even after this scandal.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Johnson made his first public speaking appearance this week in South Dakota, walking and talking with only slight impairment from the brain hemorrhage he suffered last December. The Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, September 4th, and that looks to be the last day that Johnson will be absent. He plans to be back in his office and on the Senate floor come Wednesday.

TVBR observation: Neither Craig nor Johnson is on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has the most direct impact on legislation affecting broadcasters. Both are, however, on the Appropriations Committee, which has oversight of spending by the FCC and every other government agency. Neither, though, has a reputation for being active in any issues affecting broadcasters. Johnson is also on the Budget Committee, so he has a double-barreled impact on how the federal government collects and spends money.

NBC Sports taps Faith Hill
No, she’s not doing play-by-play. NBC Sports has selected five-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-platinum recording artist Faith Hill to perform the opening theme for NBC Sunday Night Football, "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night." A special version of the song, "Waiting All Year for Opening Night" will air Thursday, September 6th in the "NFL Opening Kickoff" as the entire 2007 NFL season kicks off on NBC with the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts hosting the New Orleans Saints. "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" debuts Sunday, September 9th, NBC's first "Sunday Night Football" broadcast of 2007 featuring NFC East rivals – Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys hosting Eli Manning and the New York Giants. The opening theme will continue to weekly kick off "Sunday Night Football" every Sunday night throughout the NFL season on NBC.
"It's exciting to have been asked to sing the open for this season's Sunday Night games," said Hill in the NBC announcement, adding "Maybe now I'll be able to get my jersey size and some better seats for the games?"
"Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" is set to the original Joan Jett song, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and marks Hill's first production with NBC Sports. She recorded the track with her longtime producer Byron Gallimore at Legacy Recording Studios in New York City. The video was shot at The Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles.

CMA Awards nominees announced
Nominees in select categories for “The 41st Annual CMA Awards” have been this week. The 12 awards will be presented during “The 41st Annual CMA Awards” telecast on 11/7 on ABC. The partial list:
Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait and Keith Urban
Female Vocalist of the Year: Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year: Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Josh Turner and Keith Urban
Horizon Award: Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Little Big Town, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift
Vocal Group of the Year: Alison Krauss + Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas; Dixie Chicks, Emerson Drive, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts
Vocal Duo of the Year: Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland and The Wreckers

New study shows Americans' blogging Behavior
According to a recent Synovate/Marketing Daily survey, 8 out of 10 Americans know what a blog is and almost half have visited blogs. The study, conducted online with 1,000 adults using Synovate eNation from July 30 to August 1, shows that blogging has entered the mainstream. "8% of Americans currently have their own blog," said Tom Mularz, senior vice president at Synovate. "This is surprising given that a few years ago hardly anyone knew what a blog was." Loyalty to specific blogs is also fairly strong with 46% of blog readers saying that they visit the same blogs regularly versus 54% who instead usually surf for new and different ones.
Awareness and usage of blogs, along with people penning their own, strongly correlates to age, with younger people being much more active. Nearly 90% of those aged 25 to 34 know what a blog is, compared to just 65% of those aged 65 and over. Similarly, 78% of those aged 18 to 24 who are aware of blogs say they have visited a blog, compared to only 45% of older Americans. Also, more women than men are bloggers, with 20% of American women who have visited blogs having their own versus 14 % of men. As blogs have gained in popularity, so has the frequency with which they're read. Though the majority of blog readers (39%) view them less than once a month, another 28% visit them monthly, 15% visit them daily and 5% read them several times a day.

Hispanic and Asian Households jump again
In its annual reworking of population estimates for all US TV markets, Nielsen reports that Hispanics and Asians are again the fastest-growing national segments of the population. For the 2007-2008 TV season, total US television households (HH) are up 1.3% to 112.8 million. The number of Hispanic HH increased 4.4% to 12.14 million, still slightly trailing African-American HH, which rose 1.5% to 13.65 million. Asian HH rose 3.9% to 4.54 million.
In local markets, Nielsen estimates that Los Angeles continues as the number one Hispanic market, followed by New York, Miami, Houston and Chicago. Los Angeles also has the country’s largest Asian community, followed by New York, San Francisco, Honolulu and Chicago. New York is the largest African-American TV market, followed by Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.