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Article: Snowstorms Send TV Vewership Soaring Jaime Stein When snowstorms hit the East Coast last week, TV viewership in the area skyrocketed. This article noted the excitement of networks to see their ratings increasing. Overall viewership was up 8% over the four day period. Many networks realized that there would be a change in demographic for their audiences during specific times of the day. Ratings were up 18% among children ages 2-11 and up 15% among teenagers. Since older kids would be home during the day instead of at school many networks decided to adjust their programming. Nickelodeon's audience went from 1.9 million to 2.4 million on January 10th, so January 11th they decided to cut short the preschool programming time by two hours and added shows for the more "mature" audience like "Spongebob SuarePants" and "iCarly." This shows that networks have come a long way from the days when it would take weeks or months to process ratings. In one day networks could see their ratings increase and make adjustments to their programming.

[|2010 obsessions: Is reality TV the new scripted drama?] Stephanie Ramirez "Sarah Palin's Alaska" is one of many reality TV shows that dominated 2010's cultural conversation.

Americans have become fascinated with Reality T.V. Watching the so called everyday lives of celebrities has become a popular trend today. We talk about these celebrities as though we personally know them. This past year was the biggest year for reality television from the drama of the Jersey Shore to the backstabbing tales of the Real Housewives of Los Angeles. Reality TV has gone so far to show the life of former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. This article shows despite the growing popularity of reality TV, networks still have faith in a good scripted drama. Many television networks have added some sort of reality show to their lineup in hope to gather more audience, but scripted dramas through their attention grabbing plots have been able to keep up with high viewership and will continue to do so.

[|Redbox and Amazon gunnig for Netflix's online subscription business] Cynthia Haro



After being the reigning giant for so long, Netflix, the biggest player in the DVD sales and rentals business, is finally being challenged by its competitors. Redbox, one of Netflix’s biggest competitors, dominates more of the rental avenue, but has been hit with the realization that they need to keep up with the technological demands Netflix is popular for. Renting a DVD is not always a common preference what with on demand video streaming on the Internet. While rumors had been circulating that Amazon.com and Hulu are also trying to step up their game, Amazon.com is said to be closer to launching their online subscription service. After having known Blockbuster and Hollywood Videos as the only source for “movie nights”, corporations are soon coming to realize that online video streaming is a newer and more popular form for public entertainment.

[|Vampires Out,] [|Zombies In]

Mallory Sharp

media type="youtube" key="fWkEjT1r3Fo?fs=1" height="307" width="384" align="right" Both of my articles above discussed how the CW is now jumping on the supernatural bandwagon and is set to roll out a new show featuring zombies. This didn’t come as a shock to me seeing as how media should change their slogan from “sex sells” to “supernatural sales.” It’s hard to blame them for jumping on the bandwagon when shows such as True Blood and The Walking Dead are killing it in ratings. They are not the only ones to follow the trend though, as NBC recently announced that they are going to feature a new show called Zombies Vs. Vampires. I guess networks will continue to jump on the band wagon as vampires seem to be a thing of the past (unless you’re a fan of Twilight.) We’ll just have to wait and see which comes first, the rise of the next supernatural superstar or a zombie apocalypse.

[|Two and a Half Men on Hiatus] Alyson Fargher

CBS and Warner Brothers are at risk of losing up to $250 Million in domestic syndication deals and millions more in ad revenue because Charlie Sheen's addictions. While Sheen is seeking rehabilitation in his home for an estimated three months the show will be on hiatus. It is reported that CBS grossed well over $155 Million in ad revenue alone ( at 200,000 per 30 second time slot.) There are two more episodes this season that haven't aired yet, and they are scheduled for normal time. CBS expresses concern for Sheen's well-being and wishes him a speedy recovery. This shows how even a powerhouse show can only be as strong as it's weakest link. This is especially troublesome when the weakest link is the main character.



[|MTV Stands with "Skins" as Ratings Stabilize] Sarah Chere

MTV’s has recently been investing on new and different shows. Many people did not believe the new scripted controversial drama “Skins” would improve ratings. Some have compared it to child pornography but his has not stopped the network’s scripted initiative. However the show has not lost any advertising money and the controversy of the show has actually shown to be a benefit for ratings. They have been pleased with the ratings so far and the first episode pulled in over 3 million viewers after the premier of Jersey shore before hand. They believe that the amount of viewers will stabilize now that they are getting more interested with the characters and 10 more episodes have been ordered.



[|American Idol Article] Anna Drozdoff

The 10th season of American Idol premiered January 19, 2011 with two brand new judges. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez joined Randy Jackson this year, and there has been much debate on who will replace Simon and who will be the next Paula. However, Tyler and Lopez have shown that they are both pushovers when it comes to letting people through to the next round. A lot of people have wondered whether or not the show would be worth watching without Simon as a judge. According to the ratings posted in the article, to most, Simon's presence does not matter, but there are still some who are unsure.



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