update+4

Old Shows, New Faces, Big Risks By: Annalisa Guidone Source: NY Times []

Due to contract disagreements, thriving acting careers and lack of creativity, several of TV's most popular shows are facing major changes this season. Shows including //"CSI," "House M.D.," "Law and Order: SVU," "The Office,"// and //"Two and a Half Men"// have all been graded based on their transitional success via ratings. "//CSI//" received an //A// since Laurence Fishburne had left the show and Ted Danson as D.B. Russell has come on the show. "//CSI"// manages show changes better than others due to the dynamic, committed characters that make up its cast. On "House M.D." lost two important actresses due to salary cuts and previous movie commitments. The losses of the two entertaining characters that they played are hurting the show. Other major characters that give the show momentum will not be returning until mid season. "House M.D." received a B. "Law & Order: SVU" also received a B- from the loss of Christopher Meloni-who has been featured on more than 270 episodes- due to a lack of a contract agreement. Now, the show is more aloof and has remaining actors fighting for air time. "The Office" received a C, and "Two and a Half Men" received a D. Losing actors like Steve Carell and Charlie Sheen are major blows to these two hit shows. "Two and a Half Men's" viewership has dropped at a rate of a million viewers per week! The New York Times said Ashton Kutcher's performance was "personality-free," and "painfully unfunny." This shows what an impact star power and salary disagreements have on what were once astonishingly popular shows. Once again, the ratings are indicative of how successful the show is.

No TV For Children Under 2, Doctors' Group Urges By Maria Taravella [] <--This article is along the lines of the one I used for my update (link changes on the site)

Doctors have ordered for parents to not allow their children to watch television before the age of two years old. Doctors believe that watching television will harm the child's development. It is suggested that parents should play with their children instead of putting a screen in front of their child’s face to entertain them. This advice came about because doctors noticed that 90% of parents admitted to their children watch some sort of electronic media. The call to action is that doctors are supposed to make parents acknowledge that when they become distracted by television; their children will become distracted as well. Doctors are even discouraging so called “educational” programs to be shown to children under the age of two. This idea connects to the notion of technological determinism. Doctors are relaying the message that everything (in this case, a child’s development) revolves around the technology of television. Also, the “media effects” theory is being presented which negates the power of humans. The idea that watching television will harm a child’s development is the notion Doctors are believing. When in reality, I believe that we have to look at the big picture of things not just pin point a child’s lack of development to one technology like television.

=**Networks Rethink the Ratings Game As DVR Usage Spreads**= post by Astrid Perez
 * by Michael Schneider [|Article]**

The networks are beginnig to see the difference that seven days of DVR usage creates. They see that it creates a great improvemtent in ratings for a lot of tv shows. These rating could also make a difference between what shows are kept and which are cancelled. The bad part of these ratings is that it takes several weeks to receive, whih of course being in the world that we are no we always want information right away. Therefor, networks are now considering the C3 ratings which has began to show improvement in broadcast network performance and has possibly led to millions of extra dollars in advertising revenue. This could bring a big change to TV and it might be something that is needed considering that the usage of DVR has greatly increased.

=South Asian TV hits American airwaves= By: Michelle Moore

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sab-tv-breaks-into-free-to-air-market-in-new-york-metro-dallas-tx-2011-10-20

Sony Entertainment has recently launched a free-to-air South Asian channel in two major US markets (New York and Dallas/Fort Worth). SAB TV, which is India's leading comedy channel, is the first South Asian channel to hit American shores with an estimated reach of 10 million people. Of course, if the channel does well within these markets we will surely see it spread to other areas of the nation. I feel this article is relevant to our class because it shows how other forms of media are entering our society. The medium is the same (TV), but the message will be different. Indian programs will most likely hold different values from our own and by being exposed to these messages who knows what we can learn. Integrating new channels from different countries into our regular programming will close the gap on how differently we see ourselves compared to other nations. By being able to relate to these programs created by people in other countries, audiences will begin to realize that our similarities as people outweigh our differences and in turn could lead to more understanding around the world.

=Fox Cable Networks May Go Dark= By: Angela Means

[|full article]

If negations cannot be made by November 1, Fox’s cable network may be pulled from DirecTV systems. DirecTV claims that Fox is seeking a 40% license fee increase. The previous carriage agreement expired on September 30 and after extending talks no agreement has been made. The standoff between Fox Networks and DirecTV may ultimately lead to a blackout. This blackout would include FX http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/good-lord-hollywood-suddenly-hot-251536 hits like Sons of Anarchy, National Geographic Channel, Speed, Fuel TV, Fox Soccer, Fox Movie Channel, Fox Deportes and 19 Fox regional sports channels. If this standoff continues it will not be the first time Fox Networks are involved in a blackout. A year ago the same networks went dark on Dish Network before an agreement could be made. Just as in any dispute both sides have released statements and competing websites.

= ** Hollywood's Hot for the Bible ** = ** By: Courtney Mazurek ** http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/good-lord-hollywood-suddenly-hot-251536

Apparently the new trend in film and TV may be a religious one. A half dozen high-profile film projects as well as renewed interest from TV executives could lead to a new trend of Old Testament stories on our television sets! One reason for this new possible trend is that Bible inspired stories have the potential to be profitable across the globe, and have proved to be so in the past (ex. //The Passion of the Christ// and //Lord of the Rings)//. Old Testament stories involve less controversial archetypes that appeal to a wider audience than New Testament stories that split faiths. Although TV executives are interested in Old Testament stories, they plan to "dress it up" in modern spectacle so it might not be overly obvious that these stories are religious in anyway. The main challenge for TV producers and writers is balancing these shows so that it is still respectful to the devout but still provides modern day story telling appeal.