TV Notes: Are 10 p.m. dramas dying breed?
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NBC's decision to give Jay Leno a show each weeknight leaves CBS and ABC the only major broadcasters still in the business of making scripted dramas for the last hour of prime time.
Viewing habits are changing, and the well-turned adult drama is one more genre that broadcasters no longer have uniquely to themselves.
So far this season, not one program that airs in that hour is among the 10 most popular prime-time shows, according to Nielsen Media Research. "CSI: Miami," at No. 11, comes closest.
Meanwhile, six of Nielsen's top 10 shows air at 9 p.m., among them "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Desperate Housewives" and "The Mentalist."
Is 9 the new 10?
Networks have frequently used the 9 p.m. hour to air popular shows in the hope that viewers will stick around to try something new at 10. It hasn't worked much lately, but a textbook example was ABC using "Desperate Housewives" to introduce "Grey's Anatomy" a few years back.
Struggling networks are now contending with an unanticipated problem for their 10 p.m. shows -- the digital video recorder. Instead of trying something new at 10, more people are simply watching something they've taped earlier.
"The 10 o'clock hour is still a very good hour for the networks," said David Poltrack, CBS's chief researcher. "It's just that some of the people are watching the 9 o'clock shows."
Over the past 15 years, average viewership at 10 p.m. on ABC, CBS and NBC has dropped by 44 percent, according to Nielsen. But it's not particular to that hour; viewership for all of prime time is down 43 percent.
Trouble for some people is opportunity for others. Many cable networks consider 10 p.m. their prime time, since it's a good hour for younger viewers, and Fox and the CW aren't competing. Of the year's 10 most popular original dramas on cable networks, seven air at that hour -- not even including series like "Mad Men" or "Californication."
Only in the past few years have networks like TNT, USA, FX and AMC begun making original dramas.
(David Bauder, Associated Press)
The Fox network is making a musical comedy, a somewhat unusual project for prime-time television.
Fox said Tuesday it had ordered 13 episodes of "Glee," a scripted series about a high school teacher trying to transform a glee club into a national power. At least three musical numbers will be performed in each show.
Fox said the new series will appear sometime in 2009.
(AP)
Four hours in the morning apparently isn't enough. NBC's "Today" show is going prime time, for one night only.
Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and Ann Curry will host a one-hour review Monday of the year's biggest news events. It won't be strictly serious; the show will include big moments in pop culture and "Today" show bloopers. It's the first time they've tried something like this in more than a decade.
(AP)
Channel 4 sports anchor Jon Burton will leave the station after eight years on Dec. 31 in a departure he describes as "by mutual decision, one we both feel good about." Burton doesn't yet have a new job lined up.
"I'm excited to move on to the next phase of my career," he said. "I enjoyed my time here. This is a class organization through and through."
General manager Rick Henry said Burton's position was eliminated "due to economic conditions." WTAE has been going through a round of buyouts, job cuts and early retirements in recent weeks.
Henry said cutting Burton will not degrade sports, that there will still be a sports segment in weekday evening newscasts, but a replacement for Burton has not been named.
(Staff reports)
WQED, which is in the midst of pledge, will scrap its planned lineup tonight in favor of a "WQED Holiday Sale," 8-11 p.m. Live from the WQED studios, the station's personalities will peddle discounted items from WQED's pledge inventory, from WQED-FM mugs to Rick Sebak VHS tapes of his older shows. "P.O.V.," scheduled for 10 p.m., will air at 9 p.m. April 2. ... "Speedy Delivery," the documentary on David Newell's work as Mr. McFeely, spreading the word of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," is for sale on DVD at WQED.org or SpeedyDeliveryMovie.com. The film, which has played in theaters locally, is expected to air on WQED early next year.
(Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)
First Published December 17, 2008 12:00 am
