Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer
Highlights and links to the big stories in the news this week about the media. This column appears twice a week at MEDIA NOTEBOOK
Weather Channel in Sex Storm(The Smoking Gun) As The Weather Channel's owner negotiates a multibillion-dollar sale of the cable outlet, the network's lawyers are angling to keep secret the details of a blistering arbitration ruling in favor of a former anchorwoman who charges that she was subjected to unrelenting sexual harassment by her male co-anchor, who was "romantically obsessed" with her and frequently made crude remarks like, "Will you lick my swizzle stick?" Hillary Andrews, 38, contends that the cable network's brass turned a blind eye to the harassment because her co-anchor, Bob Stokes, was popular with viewers and scored high ratings.
Top Shows Hit Ratings Lows
(USA Today) Gary Levin writes: "Spring has sprung leaks in big-network lineups. Ratings shortfalls for some top series have sparked Hollywood hand-wringing on the eve of next week's fall schedule announcements. Such shows as ER, CSI: Miami, My Name Is Earl, The Simpsons and Supernatural hit all-time lows in recent weeks, and others — including Grey's Anatomy and Cold Case— are down sharply from last spring. Some observers blame the writers' strike, which forced a three-month gap in most scripted series and led viewers to stray. Most series have trickled back but without the usual marketing fanfare."
CLICK HERENAB to FCC: Don't retreat on media ownership rules
(Radio Online) In a 32-page filing on Tuesday with the FCC, NAB opposed efforts to overturn the loosening of the broadcast/newspaper cross-ownership ban, an action the trade group calls a "minor reform." In the filing, NAB said there is no reason for the Commission to retreat from its recent modest revisions to the "outmoded" ban, which had not been reformed since its adoption in 1975. "This order very modestly reformed the complete ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership and made no changes to the television duopoly and local radio ownership rules. NAB urges the Commission to deny this petition," read the filing. "Claims in the petition that the 'exceptions' could 'swallow' the revised rule and somehow harm the public interest are unmeritorious."
CBS Radio President Dan Mason: Radio is not dead
(Radio Online) CBS Radio President/CEO Dan Mason kicked off a presentation of its new Media Player in New York Monday to convince advertisers that reports of radio's demise are unfounded. He claimed that over $1 billion in ad dollars have been spent flaunting the iPod and satellite radio -- eventually leading to the death of broadcast radio. "That's a myth. Like when you were told the eight-track tapes, cassettes and the CD would sign radio's death warrant. To say that an iPod or satellite radio, with little or no human connection will ever replace radio is absurd," proclaimed Mason. He also said that CBS Radio intented to make use of digital distribution with its previously announced media player in a deal with AOL Radio.
CLICK HERE
Erica walks out on Eddie & Jobo
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "As the studio door shut behind her, Erica Cobb's first thought wasn't that she might be risking her relationship with WBBM-FM 96.3 on-air partners Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon by walking out in the middle of Tuesday's show after protesting Volkman's impersonation of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. 'I just thought, 'I can't believe I cried on the air,'" Cobb said by phone a few hours later. 'I was more angry at myself for getting that upset, but I needed to take a timeout and kind of sit back.' The walkout lasted only a half hour or so. By then, Eddie and Jobo had moved on to another topic, and Cobb had regained her composure. 'I know people would really like to believe that there was this huge argument and we tried to kill each other,' Cobb said. 'I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, because Eddie and Jobo are great guys. Things like this are few and far between. … I just didn't want to say something out of anger or frustration that would have been more detrimental. Sometimes it's better to say nothing than to say something you don't really mean.'"
The large salaries – and bonuses – going to the brass aren’t sitting well with the hired help
(Radio Info) Tom Taylor sums it up beautifully..."Some CBS staffers who read about Leslie Moonves’ lavish 2007 compensation – up 30%, to $36.8 million – aren’t too thrilled given the lack of raises at the station level. Clear Channel folks read in T-R-I and other places about the fact that Mark Mays and Randall Mays both hit their OIBDAN bonuses last year, and that John Hogan hit a subjective goal – and they aren’t too tickled. That’s in a company that’s handing out either minimal raises or no raises to the troops, under a zero-expense-growth mandate. Sometimes it’s the small stuff that really rubs it in, like the sports tickets that Moonves and Sumner Redstone enjoyed, or the personal use of the company Gulfstream for the Mays family (due to what they call “security concerns”) while CC staffers sit at home with a freeze. Then there’s Citadel’s Farid Suleman, who admittedly made much less dough in 2007 – a mere $11,215,925, down from nearly $18 million – but who got the company to pay his taxes, in what Wall Streeters call a “gross-up.” And we haven’t mentioned Radio One’s Alfred Liggins, who’s taking $5.8 million in regular bonus and “signing bonus” as a makeup for being underpaid lately. That’s a dire condition the board apparently just discovered, and it comes as the company’s stock has drifted dangerously below $1 (92 cents on Friday) and it was essentially forced into selling is Los Angeles FM. All that adds up – and it’s not very motivational."
Turning Adam Carolla into a radio star proves very tricky for CBS
(Wall Street Journal) Sarah McBride writes: "Two weeks before Christmas, radio host Adam Carolla woke before dawn and called in sick. Jack Silver, program director of Mr. Carolla's popular morning show, didn't buy it. 'The dude's not sick,' Mr. Silver recalls thinking. Mr. Carolla was sick -- sick of his sidekick. Danny Bonaduce, the former child TV star and self-described "freak show," had been brought on board early last year to juice up the act. Thanks partly to Mr. Bonaduce, the show's ratings were rising. But Mr. Carolla had had enough of the frenetic Mr. Bonaduce: his interruptions; his over-the-top anecdotes; his suggestions, which included climbing into a tub of live snakes. If Mr. Bonaduce didn't go, Mr. Carolla would. 'I just decided the show wasn't right,' says Mr. Carolla, a tall and lanky 43-year-old. If he got fired, 'so be it.' Mr. Bonaduce says he thought he was adding 'a quick wit, a reasonable knowledge of current events, a good sense of humor' to the show. The Carolla-Bonaduce standoff is one front in what is perhaps the $21-billion industry's biggest challenge: developing long-term radio franchises."
CLICK HEREBob Schieffer could bail out CBS again
(Marketwatch) Jon Friedman writes: "A few years ago, CBS was desperate to find a replacement for Dan Rather, who was forced out after the network publicly apologized for a disastrous segment about President Bush's National Guard record. CBS needed to install a stopgap who could keep the ratings intact, reassure advertisers and calm colleagues. Bob Schieffer, the optimistic face of "Face the Nation" and a respected CBS veteran, all but rode into the breach atop a white horse. He not only restored order, but also managed to do what seemed nearly impossible at the time: increase the size of the network's evening-news audience. Golly, what do you know? CBS is again in a jam at 6:30 p.m. Schieffer could work his magic once again if Couric decides to leave the evening-news anchor position."
Chuck Swirsky returning to Chicago Radio
(Chicago Sun Times) Robert Feder writes (2nd item): "A hearty welcome back to Chuck Swirsky, one of Chicago radio's all-time characters, who's returning to become the radio voice of Bulls basketball. He'll team with analyst Bill Wennington in the broadcast booth for ESPN sports/talk WMVP-AM (1000). 'The Swirsk' spent 15 years as a Chicago radio sportscaster and sports talk show host before moving to Detroit in 1994. Since 1998, he has been the voice of the Toronto Raptors."
An interview with Steve Scott(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with former WLS News Director Steve Scott about his long and illustrious news career here in Chicago, and his current gig as the afternoon news anchor at WCBS in New York. Coming this weekend, an interview with broadcasting legend, King Bee Ron Britain.
