WSJ:

NBC’s downward slide is getting steeper.

Long a ratings laggard, the network has fallen further behind its competitors this fall, heightening the challenge facing its new owner Comcast Corp. as it works to mount a turnaround.

Through the first four weeks of the TV season ending Oct. 16, about 3.3 million adults under 50 years old have been watching prime-time TV shows on NBC, according to the latest figures from Nielsen Holdings NV. That is down 9.3% from the same period a year earlier. Much of the decline is concentrated in NBC’s entertainment shows.

Leaving out National Football League games, which NBC airs on Sunday nights, the network’s 18-to-49-year-old audience is 2.2 million—down 16% from a year earlier. That demographic is the audience group most valued by advertisers.

Among the shows demonstrating particularly severe declines are long-running programs like “Law & Order: SVU” and “The Biggest Loser,” each of which lost one of its stars. The 18-to-49-year-old audiences for those shows have fallen 20% to 3.4 million and 23% to 3 million, respectively, this season compared to last season, according to Nielsen.

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First some context. Sunday night the Emmys scooped up 12.4 million viewers. This was a broadcast network telecast, not cable. On cable, however, the season premiere of “Jersey Shore” managed to snag nearly 9 million viewers. That’s telling. Moreover, 21 million watched the Emmys in 2000 and the slide since has been a steep one.

What did Hollywood expect. They chose as their host Jane Lynch, the undeniably talented star of “Glee,” a show that is only a pop culture phenomenon because pop culture writers who agree with its politics say so (9 to 11 million viewers is not a phenom). Furthermore, “Glee” is a highly partisan enterprise that gleefully (see what I did there?) and regularly goes out of its way to insult the large majority of Americans who are not liberal. This large majority of Americans is also known as — wait for it, wait for it — The Customers.

Detroit Free Press:

It wasn’t the worst ratings performance in Emmys history, but Fox’s broadcast Sunday of the “63rd Primetime Emmy Awards” was down about 8% from 2010.

According to preliminary figures released Monday from Nielsen, 12.4 million viewers tuned in to the show, hosted by “Glee” star Jane Lynch.

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Hollywood’s so sure that all America wants to see is… Youth! Beauty! Liberalism! Edginess! Nihilism! Snark! Irony!

Well, then, how do they explain this…

Monday’s Cable Ratings: History’s “Pawn Stars” Dominates Labor Day

Here are the highlights of 32 ad-sustained programs that aired in primetime on the cable networks last night, courtesy of TravisYanan:

The Closer (7.174 million viewers, #1; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T9)

Rizzoli & Isles (6.688 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.3, #T9)

Pawn Stars (10:00) (6.086 million viewers, #3; adults 18-49: 2.3, #T1)

Pawn Stars (10:30) (6.020 million viewers, #4; adults 18-49: 2.3, #T1)

American Pickers (4.782 million viewers, #5; adults 18-49: 1.6, #T4)

This tight-knit, patriotic family that runs a small business is NUMBER ONE in that oh-so cherished 18-49 demographic. And this is why reality television is filling a very important void narrative television won’t. Working class heroes not presented as buffoons; men and women who love their country, risk their capital, and keep this world turning.

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So many deserving, yet-to-be acknowledged men and women who actually work in and contribute to the film business, and here goes the Academy making a choice that’s quite obviously geared toward television ratings as opposed to merit:

Hollywood Wiretap:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith as recipients of this year’s Honorary Awards. And, in something of a head-scratcher, Oprah Winfrey will be honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Academy’s board of governors voted on the awards on Tuesday night. They will be conferred at the 3rd Annual Governors Awards on Nov. 12 at the Grand Ballroom at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

Winfrey, best known for her TV contributions, received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress for her film debut in 1985’s “The Color Purple.” The Hersholt prize goes to someone “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Deadline Hollywood Daily:

Suffice it to say that of all the lousy decisions made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and its Board of Governors, choosing Oprah Winfrey to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award has to rank among the worst. This Oscar statuette is supposed to be given “to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry”. …

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Back during its highly successful run, I loved the show “Friends.”  If I had the opportunity, I would have moved heaven, earth or (God forbid) my gaming night to meet the cast (except for Ross).  Today, I wouldn’t reschedule the sort of dentist appointment that involves sharp implements, hemorrhaging, and crying to be in the same room as the cast from “Jersey Shore.”  The reason for this is simple; the folks from Friends were stars.  The cast of Jersey Shore is rampaging herd of schmucks.  So why are we seeing more of the “Snooki” types on television and fewer Jennifer Anistons?  The answer is simple.  It’s all about money. 

Back in the good old days of television, there were really only three networks that provided most of the news and entertainment.  This meant that “Magnum P.I.” Tom Selleck only had to drive his Ferrari over James Naughton of “Trauma Center” and “Gimme a Break’s” Nell Carter to win his time slot.  Granted even the powerful car may have had problems getting over the, well, um…ample form of Ms. Carter, but Mr. Selleck managed to do it and charm his way to a ratings number of 22.4.  The success of the show, which had a lot to do with Tom’s massive appeal to the television audience, justified his $50,000 per episode price tag.  In today’s money that translates into over $100,000 per episode.  It is no longer 1983 though, and the times have dramatically changed. 

If Magnum P.I. were being produced today, it would not be competing against two other networks, but rather there would be over a dozen legitimate contenders for just about any time slot.  A diversified audience means that each show gets less than they did a couple of decades ago.  This is important when you consider that a ratings number is not just an ego booster that tells a producer they are winning a time slot.  A ratings number is a legitimate commodity that is converted to cash when advertising time is sold.  The bigger the number, the more money it is worth.  Ratings numbers are smaller today, but this connection between ratings and money seem lost on high profile stars.  Many still insist on premium salaries.   (more…)

How do critics stay employed? Next to Weathermen and Wall Street Analysts, only critics are more incompetent forecasters. In fact, it would seem that critics are so bad at analysis, that if the critics loathe a movie, play, or television show, there is a fairly good chance it will be a blockbuster.

I often wonder how these people keep their jobs. Perhaps the editors share their disdain, and they like to keep them around so the rest of the staff will know which productions to avoid. Because it seems that most newspaper writers are left-wing drones who hate anything that might be entertaining, even in the slightest way. In certain circles, what you like to watch is less important than what you don’t watch. The most popular stance you can take with these elites is to claim that you NEVER watch television and rely on NPR for all your news.

A recent example of this was seen with the debut of Jay Leno back into the Tonight Show desk. Critics panned his opening monologue. But his ratings were huge. And the audience came back the next night, fueled in part by his selection of Sarah Palin as a guest.  Now after two weeks, it seems that Jay is back to the number one slot that David Letterman held during the reign of Conan. (more…)

Shortly after last fall’s election, some pundits declared that conservative talk radio was dying.  After all, we lost the election and had no impact on voters.  In November, an op-ed written by Steve Elman and Alan Tolz for the Boston Globe said, “overall use of their medium is in decline.”  The authors also stated, “Alternatives to broadcast radio have proliferated – satellite, net-casts, downloads, blogalogue, iPod entertainment, cellphone updates.  As a result, younger listeners largely ignore talk radio, and its existing audience is calcifying.”

Not a rosy picture for conservative talk, right?  Let’s check the facts.  For decades my job was to produce ratings as a National Talk Radio programmer.  We check those ratings constantly.  Apparently, the authors of this Boston Globe commentary don’t keep the same scorecard radio keeps.  While it is true there are many sources of information today, talk radio listening has increased dramatically during the past year.  The 2008 election provided us with daily drama that translated into ratings.  In keeping my scorecard which included ratings for over 40 radio stations nationwide, we registered one of the highest fall ratings reports ever.  KKOH in Reno, which has always been the market leader, registered the highest ratings in 14 years.  KKOB in Albuquerque, which has been the market leader for over eight years, increased its ratings stranglehold on that market.  In almost every market, conservative talk radio increased its ratings.  And, it hasn’t slowed down.  (more…)