TV

WABC took the prize as most-watched station in New York. The just-concluded May sweeps give Channel 7 wins across virtually all dayparts, winning in households and other key demographics.

Eyewitness News at 11:00, led by Bill Ritter and Sade Baderinwa, with meteorologist Lee Goldberg and sports anchor Rob Powers, scored a 6.1 household rating, the highest for a major sweep in the last three years.

The 4 p.m. newscast was the only such broadcast that failed to produce a victory for Channel 7, and that can be traced to the success of Judge Judy on WCBS.

Thanks to that monster lead-in, WCBS declared itself a winner at 5 p.m. among households and total viewers.

WCBS says it’s the station’s first sweeps win since 1982.

“It is very gratifying to get such an incredible report card.  Achieving significant ratings growth in every daypart makes it clear that we are getting a great team effort from the best local news team in the business and more and more people across the tri-state area are appreciating the quality coverage that we are providing every day,” said Peter Dunn, President, CBS Television Stations, and president and general manager, WCBS-TV.

Read more

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

The Celebrate Israel parade makes it annual march along Fifth Avenue, Sunday, June 3.

And WWOR/Channel 9 calls the parade home for a second straight year.

Harry Martin and Israeli TV’s Becky Griffin get the hosting duties, with live reports from WNYW/Channel 5 reporter Robert Moses. The noon to 2 p.m. broadcast will feature two hours of parade festivities, including dozens of colorful floats; rock, reggae, folk and a cappella groups; marching bands; stilt-walkers; motorcycle riders; dancing rollerbladers; and juggling clowns.

In making the announcement Lew Leone, WWOR VP and general manager, said, “My9 is proud to be the exclusive broadcaster of this annual event. We look forward to providing our viewers with coverage of this joyous celebration, which honors Israel’s rich history and vibrant heritage.”

Channel 9 will also stream the parade for the second year from noon until its conclusion at approximately 4 p.m. on its website, www.my9tv.com.  Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to gather this year to celebrate Israel, joined by a record 35,000 marchers.

American Idol wrapped up season 11 with another star-studded event, culminating with Phillip Phillips being crowned champion.

Rewind a week, and American Idol had its best showing of the season in the New York prime time ratings.

Idol, which trimmed its field to the final two singers, nailed down the top two positions for the week.

Taking number one, Idol‘s two-hour performance on WNYW/Channel 5, according to Nielsen. The show generated an estimated 1.5 million viewers with a 7.6 rating. The penultimate results night yielded a number two with 1.2 million fans and a 6.4 rating.

Idol‘s rating rival, Dancing With The Stars grabbed hold of the next two slots for the week.

The 90-minute Dancing competition had a number-three finish on WABC (1.1 million/6.0), while elimination night settled for fourth (1 million/5.2).

America’s Got Talent returned for a new season amid the fanfare of new judge Howard Stern. The NBC summer series landed in seventh place (836,000/4.3). The second night also made the Top 10, at number eight (829,000/4.2).

More from the Top 10 after the jump

Read more

The Peabody Awards honors the best in electronic media. Winners for the 2011 awards were handed out this week at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Among the 38 recipients were some of TV’s most familiar faces.

Stephen Colbert earned his second Peabody as host of the satire, Colbert Report.

Alex Trebek and Jeopardy! earned their first Peabody. The classic game show returned to the air with Trebek in 1984. (Watch the video below)

CNN was recognized with three trophies, including its coverage of the Arab Spring. Anderson Cooper was on hand to accept the honor.

PBS was selected for three awards, one given to the acclaimed series American Experience.

On a lighter note, NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation was victorious, along with the HBO medieval fantasy Game of Thrones. After the jump, watch a clip with actors from both shows.

Read more

There is a definite buzz in the air. For the first time in nearly 35 years, thoroughbred racing may have its elusive Triple Crown champion.

I’ll Have Another is poised to capture horse racing’s dream trio of races, after the dramatic win at Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

Now, all eyes will converge on the Belmont Stakes, June 9.

MSG Network is grabbing some of that colt’s momentum. The regional sports network has announced two specials ahead of the Belmont.

MSG will carry the Belmont Stakes Draw, revealing the post positions for the potentially historic race, June 6 at 11 a.m. As the race inches closer, Belmont Stakes Preview gears fans for race day. The show airs Friday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. Both broadcasts are hosted by Jason Blewitt with contributions from analysts Eric Donovan, Richard Migliore, Andy Serling, and Maggie Wolfendale.

But MSG remains in the race. Beginning on Memorial Day, MSG takes part in six thoroughbred specials as part of the New York Racing Series.

From May through November, The New York Racing Series on MSG Plus will feature a total of 15 live races over six telecasts, including seven Grade 1 races from Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga. The lineup of races includes the Met Mile, Acorn, Mother Goose, Jim Dandy, Diana, Whitney, Prioress and Cigar Mile, and the New York Showcase Day featuring seven stakes races for New York-bred horses.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Playboy Battles Vanity Fair Over Nudes of Marilyn Monroe, May 11
2. Real Simple First Print Mag to 10,000 Pinterest Followers, May 11
3. 2012 Gerald Loeb Award Finalists Announced, May 14
4. The Business of Parenting, May 15
5. Long Island’s Fair Media Council Says WCBS/WLNY Deal Is ‘Wonderful Thing,‘ May 14

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

During TBS’ upfronts, the network’s beacon of hope — Conan O’Brien — took a couple shots at media heavyweights Oprah and Rupert Murdoch. The Huffington Post reports that O’Brien went through fake Craigslist ads and as he did, the pictures of the alleged authors flashed on a screen behind him.

When Oprah popped up, O’Brien said, “For sale: Controlling interest in OWN. $10 or best offer.” Not bad! But we liked the Murdoch zinger better.

With a picture of Murdoch up, O’Brien deadpanned, “Missed connection: You: beautiful, checking your voicemail. Me: goblin-like, selling your voicemail.” Nicely done.

Television shows have a long history of being produced in New York. Broadcast and cable networks unveiled their fall schedules in recent days. New York City’s media and entertainment commissioner Katherine Oliver is delighted that six new shows call the Big Apple home.

“New York City is a ‘Lights, Camera, Action City and we are very proud to be on track to break another television record putting 2012 on track to be the busiest year yet for television production” Oliver says.  “As television and cable networks present their schedules for the fall 2012  season,  more and more, producers and writers around the country have realized that New York City is the best place in the world to make television. Mayor Bloomberg and I congratulate the shows and everyone who will be working on them.”

Blomberg and Oliver recently discussed a Boston Consulting Group report that details a record 130,000 jobs for New York in the film and television industry. There is an estimated $7.1 billion being spent in the local economy every year by film and television, also a record.

The six new programs are:

666 Park Avenue (ABC)
Elementary (CBS)
Gotham (ABC)
Golden Boy (CBS)
Made in New Jersey (previously Baby Big Shot–CBS)
Infamous (previously Notorious–NBC)

There was Julie, Kevin, Heather B., Norman, Andre, Becky and Eric, just seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped to find out what happens when people… You know the rest.

The Real World might be a household name now, but back in 1992, MTV wasn’t that enthusiastic about the concept. In fact, the show’s creator and executive producer says nobody in TV was.

“The people who were in charge of the networks had all come out of scripted television, and they just didn’t get it. They just didn’t understand it,” explained Jonathan Murray, founder of Bunim-Murray Productions, in mediabistro.com’s So What Do You Do? interview. “We would go to various places and people would ask us, ‘So basically what you do is all improv, right? You bring everyone together and you improv the shows? You have a script and you improv?’ There was just no understanding of how we did this.”

The man behind other hits like Road Rules, Bad Girls Club and Project Runway also gave tips on getting a job in reality TV and whether Kim Kardashian‘s 72-hour marriage was really a sham. ”Kim did not seek us out as to who she should marry, nor should she, ” he said.

Read the full interview.

Twirling celebrities and singing amateurs held on to the Top 4 slots for the week in New York.

ABC’s Dancing With The Stars takes ownership of the number one position again, according to Nielsen, for the two-hour performances. An estimated 1.2 million WABC viewers tuned in, giving the broadcast a 6.4 rating.  Results night managed a fourth-place finish (1.1 million/5.8).

American Idol filled the gap in second and third place for the week, scoring nearly identical 1.2 million WNYW viewers and a 6.3 and 6.2.

NBC’s The Voice finished its final week of season two with the two-hour talent showcase landing in a 21st-place tie (637,000/3.3), while the winner was crowned tied for 12th (763,000/3.9).

More from Top 10 after the jump

Read more