The news from CBS NEWS that came down yesterday produced many tears in that iconic Eye. DEADLINE’s Ted Johnson was among the many that broke the story: Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, said Tuesday that he is resigning from the venerable CBS newsmagazine, telling staffers he had lost his ability to make independent … Read more
How fitting that on the very day that folks of a certain faith celebrate Resurrection the concept of a good creative idea rising above the morass of corporate sludge enough to make an impact on consumers and their pocketbooks was celebrated. Well, at least by the creatives. UPI’s Karen Butler succinctly reported the bottom-line results … Read more
It’s been a while since I caught up with MATLOCK, and considering the season finale aired Thursday night on CBS I felt I was running out of time to be justified in giving it any attention at all. Maybe it’s because I’m actually a tad too young to be one of its devoted fans, a … Read more
Whenever the name Norman Lear is invoked, one way or the other, I get downright evangelical. As I’ve mused on numerous other occasions, getting the chance to rub shoulders and actually collaborate with him was one of the highlights and bucket list items of my career, and I dare say of numerous others’ far more … Read more
NOTE: This also appears today on our sister site, Double Overtime. Please visit it regularly for musings on sports, technology, and business. I’ve never had any illusions that I could have ever had enough athletic prowess to justify my presence on a field, rink or pitch. And I’m far too old and inept to harbor … Read more
Yes, I know that I likely spend a lot more time covering the world of game shows than many of you might think is warranted (although, as I noted as late as yesterday, there’s also more than a few to whom whatever happens in that world is of paramount importance). I usually have little desire … Read more
I’m a student of data and at times almost too honest for my own good, so trust me, I know what a significant portion of my “massive” audience cares about. So while I can devote as much deserved attention as possible to shows jockeying for Emmy awards and looking to reach millions of people no … Read more
In today’s ever-fractionalizing world, there are perhaps only two thing harder than being a hit out of the box. Improve upon your rookie performance as well as at least maintain where your platform is if it happens to be going well. In HBO/Max’s case, the challenge for the second season of THE LAST OF US, … Read more
I’m kicking myself yet again this morning, a choice I’m well aware an awful lot of people would cheer. Suffice to say that I’m guilty of a lot of behavior that I’ve later learned to regret, often driven by spur-of-the-moment choices that are driven by triggerings from past situations where I probably should have taken … Read more
In a year where perhaps the busiest and least vulnerable CBS employees are lawyers, the news that came down yesterday pretty much assured their job security for a while longer. DEADLINE’s Peter White succinctly reported the baseline facts: The thorny legal issue over who gets to distribute long-running game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune has an update. A … Read more