Le Blog
In The Middle with NBC, Then and NOW
I suppose I was destined to become a fan of NBC news programming because Channel 4 had a better signal than did Channel 2 (a local news we actually preferred but had trouble seeing clearly), and because they had several five-minute updates dropped into their all-day game show lineup which was the soundtrack of my
Sometimes, I Hate When I’m Right
Back at year’s end time when I was feeling particularly isolated and snarky, I actually went out on a limb for a change and offered up a series of predictions for the media landscape for 2022. One of my somewhat ballsier prognostications was this: The CW will take a significant step toward ceasing to exist
The Battle For 94 Minutes A Day
On the eve of the broadcast upfronts, in the wake of 17 returning shows being cancelled and its cast and crew joining the unemployed this week, the timing of a Hollywood Reporter article that attempted to use Nielsen data to shine some light on the potential sea change that caused this struck me as, well,
Nothing Funny About This
Next week the 2022-23 broadcast networks, otherwise known as the downstream feeders of corporate multiplatform media companies, will release their new schedules, which means this week news of cancellations and renewals are breaking with the frequency and fervor of free agent signings in sports. This coming year will actually be historic, yet again not necessarily
We Know Trauma
When FX was venturing into the world of quality scripted television two decades ago, our management team set our sights on overtaking the leaders as quickly as possible. Qualitatively, the unquestioned leader at the time was HBO, with THE SOPRANOS at the height of its popularity and influence. But as a pay cable channel, HBO
And Here Are Your Hosts…
The best thing about an in-person convention is the opportunity to actually have face-to-face conversations with people who the normal limitations of geography and life are limited to occasional phone calls, e-mails or social media posts. Yes, you can glean a lot about someone’s professional and personal lives this way, and there’s nothing inherently wrong
Reed Hastings, General Sarnoff
MEMO TO: REED HASTINGS, CHAIRMAN AND CO-CEO, NETFLIX CC: TED SARANDOS, CO-CEO, NETFLIX FR: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA CONSULTANT RE: OPERATION BANDWIDTH Dear Reed, Like many of your loyal subscribers, I was disappointed to see that you fell short of your subscriber projections in 1Q22, and anticipate even greater underages as the year goes on. According
On Cloud One
A few weeks ago I took a flyer and invested a couple of bucks in an online boot camp that promised the magic of “actually being on TV!” to content creators looking to expand their fame. The first couple of days were lively, fun and energizing. We got separated into smaller groups where we discussed
The Mother Of All Days
I fall into the category of someone who dreads Mother’s Day, as this is the 30th that mine has not been alive. As those of you who are in a similar position might concur, it never gets easier. Without a living mother, spouse or significant other directly in my life I have a tremendous sense