Jenna Bush Hager will make her debut on NBC's "Today" show Sept. 17 and have her first story air on Sept. 18 in a broadcast from Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, the network said Thursday.

Bush, who lives in Baltimore, will profile Dalton Sherman, an 11-year-old motivational speaker from Dallas. (As someone who lived and wrote a column in Dallas in the 1980s, I am allowed to say, "only in Dallas.")

According to the network annoucement, Sherman "made headlines last year after giving an inspiring speech" at his school's pep rally. Bush was hired to be a contributing correspondent on education stories, so I guess the pep rally is the educational angle. Let's wait and see.

Continue reading "Jenna Bush to debut on 'Today' Sept. 17" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: NBC
        

Since hardly a day goes by here that we don't talk about jounalism and network and cable TV news, I would be remiss if I didn't open the floor for discussion of Jenna Bush being named a contributing correspondent to NBC's "Today" show.

It has been been announced that she will be reporting on education, but her duties will range beyond that beat as well. As an NBC News spokeswoman said in an answer to an email from me Monday morning, "She will be reporting on education nationally, but she'll also be covering other subjects -- humanitarian reporting, women and children's issues, and features and profiles."

This is a part-time arrangement with no regular schedule of when her reports will run. According to NBC News, she will contrinue her job in the Baltimore City School system as a reading resources teacher. She will work for NBC News out of its Washington bureau.

(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

Continue reading "Jenna Bush to range beyond education at NBC News " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: NBC
        

The "Kate Plus 8, Let's Hate Jon" story line I saw taking shape on the show's return to TLC this week looks like it will be taking another step forward Monday morning when Kate Gosselin is interviewed live on NBC's "Today" show by Meredith Vieira.

This will be her first interview since the break-up, and even though TLC stresses that she and Jon are still equal partners in the show, the interview will be Kate only.

As I said, TLC looks to be urging viewers to take sides just as friends are often led to do in a real-life divorce, and there is no secret about whose side the channel wants us to take. Hint: It's the side of the parent who isn't on the Riviera with a 22-year-old "friend."

Continue reading "Kate Gosselin goes solo Monday on 'Today'" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: NBC
        

I did not think things could get worse for The Wanted, the dreadful newsmagazine program NBC introduced last week.

I hated it, and you can read how much I hated it here. You can also read how much viewers in the U.S. and Norway hated it here. And the Nielsen ratings hated it, too. Read that here.

Yes, I hated it. I wrote three posts in one day, saying I thought it was the poster show for everything that was wrong with network TV news today in its so-called hunt for terrorists "living among us."

Last Monday, it was the lowest rated show of the night on network  prime time with only 2.99 million viewers. This Monday, it failed to hit even that low-water mark with only 2.17 million viewers. Tuesday afternoon, after only two epsiodes had aired, Lauren Kapp, a spokeswoman for NBC News, said that the network had no more episodes of The Wanted scheduled.

(Photo courtesy of NBC shows three members of The Wanted team.)

Continue reading " NBC's The Wanted: Here's hoping it's gone for good" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: NBC
        

Here's a final kick in the pants for The Wanted, the wretched NBC News series that debuted Monday night: It was the lowest rated prime-time program of the evening with 2.99 million viewers.

You can see my highly-critical review here, and some scathing remarks from viewers here. 

And now, the news that the ratings are miniscule. TVNewser does a deft job of pointing out just how bad an audience of 2.99 million viewers is by network standards here.

Continue reading "NBC's The Wanted: And the ratings are awful too" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: NBC
        

Reaction to The Wanted, a new prime-time series from NBC News, has started to roll in from Norway, and it's official: The show is already a laughingstock on two continents. Read on to understand why Norway's opinion of this newsmagazine matters.

Monday night, NBC News debuted this self-important, silly and reckless production featuring a so-called elite team that tracks down alleged terrorists and war criminals who are (cue the scary music) "living among us."

Dramatically, the show wants to be Steven Spielberg's Munich with the assassinations replaced by gotcha "journalistic" confrontations. But it comes off more like V.R. Troopers, the 1990's action-adventure show for children 4 to 8 years old about a team of teen superheroes with magic pendants.

Monday night's premiere showed the team "tracking down" a terrorist in Norway. They didn't have to do much tracking, though , since he has lived openly in Oslo since 1992. Read my review here, and then savor some of these mocking comments from readers in Norway.

Continue reading "NBC's The Wanted: Already a joke in Norway " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (74)
Categories: NBC
        

After watching the premiere of NBC's The Wanted Monday night, I could not help but wonder if there is anyone left in management at NBC News who still has a journalistic bone in her or his body.

How could anyone in a network news division, let alone one with as distinguished a history as NBC, think it was a good idea to produce a show like this? I have seen a lot of wretched hybrids of TV news and entertainment the last 25 years, but I am hard pressed to remember one as silly, self-important and journalistically out to lunch as this.

The premise involves NBC News putting together a so-called elite team to track down terrorists and war criminals who are allegedly living "among us," and confronting them or helping authorities bring them to "justice."

It clearly wants to look and feel dramatically like a TV version of the Steven Spielberg film Munich, a docu-drama about a team of Mossad assassins avenging the massacre of Israeli athletes by terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But it comes off more like V.R. Troopers, the 1990's kids show from Haim Saban about a team of crime-fighting teenagers with magic pendants.

Continue reading "The Wanted: NBC news show an embarrassment" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (83)
Categories: NBC
        

Over the weekend as we remembered CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, our focus was the high end of network TV journalism -- the golden age when facts mattered and ideological agendas were left at the newsroom door.

That was then... Monday night, viewers will be offered a look at the questionable lengths and possible depths to which one network news organization is now willing to go in pursuit of a prime-time audience as NBC News debuts The Wanted at 10 p.m.

If you have ever seen the sleazy and controversial editions of the newsmagagzine Dateline that ran under the banner "To Catch a Predator," think of this as "To Catch a Terrorist" or "To Catch a War Criminal." Only who's deciding who is a terrorist or war criminal? And is that something a network news division should be involved in when it is packaged and sold as prime-time entertainment?

Continue reading "Should NBC News be deciding who's a terrorist? " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: NBC
        

Keeping faith with its pledge last year not to get caught up in outmoded rituals of seasonal programming and planning, NBC jumped its own upfront presentation scheduled for May 19th in New York to announce most of its schedule for the fall TV season.

Despite lukewarm receptions last month, The John Wells' cop drama, Southland, and Amy Poehler's sitcom, Parks and Recreation, will be back. Also, returning will be the expensive and increasingly less popular serialized drama Heroes.

Continue reading "Risky business: NBC names new, returning fall shows " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Coming Soon to TV, NBC
        

Stephen Baldwin has quite a career going these days. Unfortunately, it is as a D-level reality TV star rather than an actor.

Baldwin is expected today to officially be announced as the replacement for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on the reality TV show Get me Out of Here...I'm a Celebrity to be taped this summer in Costa Rica.

Blagojevich, who is indicted on 19 counts of corruption from his time in office, was this week denied permission by the court hearing the case to travel to Costa Rica. The disgraced Illinois politician still might have a role with the show, however, and is expected Friday at a promotional event for the series in Pasadena, according to the trade publication TV Week.

Continue reading "Goodbye/hello Costa Rica: Blagojevich out, Baldwin in" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: NBC, Reality TV, TV and Politics
        

It looks like disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is going to have another dubious distinction on his resume: the shortest reality TV show career in history.

A federal judge in Chicago Tuesday denied Blagojevich, who faces 19 corruption counts from his time in office, permission to go to Costa Rica to film segments of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here at $800,000 an episode.

"I don't think this defendant in all honesty ... fully understands the position he finds himself in," the Chicago Sun-Times reported U.S. District Judge James Zagel saying as he made the ruling. 

"I have to do it for my kids," Blagojevich said before his court hearing, explaining to reporters why he needs the money from the NBC reality show that features D-list celebrities in a Survivor-like setting.

(Left: Chicago Tribune photo of Blagojevich being swarmed by reporters last week by Antonio Perez)

Posted by David Zurawik at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: NBC, Reality TV
        

This might be getting a little old for some viewers, but it is nevertheless remarkable that NBC has so little pride in its CNBC brand that it keeps letting Mad Money host Jim Cramer flip out on air.

Here is the latest with Cramer bursting on the set of another show to scream at a guest who questioned the cable channel's "In Cramer We Trust" catchphrase.

Posted by David Zurawik at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Cable and Network News, NBC
        

Isn't reality TV great? Fox is going to make a show out of people getting fired in the recession. Spike TV is going to "hunt" pirates with the U.S. Navy. And now comes disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich hoping to join the D-list cast of I'm a Celebrity...Get me Out of Here.

Blagojevich has reached tentative agreement with the producers of the reality show to be a contestant in episodes that would air starting June 1.

Because the show is scheduled to be filmed in Costa Rica, Blagojevich, who is under indictment, on 19 counts of corruption, needs permission to travel. His lawyers sought that permission in court Tuesday  where Blagojevich pleaded not guilty to the corruption counts as well as seeking permission to go to Costa Rica, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Continue reading "Blagojevich headed for reality TV -- where else?" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Coming Soon to TV, NBC, Reality TV, TV and Politics
        

The commander of the Navy ship that rescued an American captain from Somali pirates cited his Annapolis training and a conviction that such kidnappers only understand force in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams Monday night.

Here is some of what Commander Frank Castellano, commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge, says on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams Monday:

Williams: Have you had any contact with the Commander-in-Chief other than receiving orders indirectly from him on engagement in this matter?

Castellano: I can tell you I had the pleasure of receiving a phone call from the President last evening. And we had a very wonderful conversation in which he wanted me to pass on to my crew that they did a wonderful job and he was very proud of them and it was a job well done.

Continue reading "Commander cites Annapolis training in pirate mission " »

Posted by David Zurawik at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Baltimore Television, Cable and Network News, NBC
        

Southland, the new John Wells drama premiering Thursday night on NBC, is a first-rate cop drama. The question is whether prime-time network TV needs another cop drama right now given the fact that viewers are far more focused on the economy than big-city crime these days.

Another question might be whether readers need a preview from me given the fact that NBC seemed to have shown virtually every frame of Thursday’s night pilot last week during breaks in the finale of ER. Was not the relentless intrusion of promos for this series incredibly annoying? I wonder how many potential viewers NBC drove away with its overkill for the show that would replace ER this week in its Thursday night time period.

The series is set in Los Angeles, but it could be Baltimore or New York – only with smog and more sunshine.

Continue reading "NBC's Southland: Is there life left in the cop drama?" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: NBC, Scripted Series, TV Review
        

Amy Poehler earned my undying admiration for her work during the 2008 election on Saturday Night Live – particularly the Sarah Palin rap she delivered from the Weekend Update desk along with that fabulous chorus line of dancing moose. Because of her work during this monumental election, I will go to my grave singing her praises.

I need to say that because the preview of her new NBC series, Parks and Recreation, which premieres Thursday night at 8:30, is going to seem like a mixed one based on my reluctance to predict success for the show despite its several winning elements. 

With all the pre-air hype and snippets that NBC has shown during other prime-time shows everyone knows that it is intended to be a companion piece for The Office, another mockumentary workplace sitcom featuring a mid-level manager with a wildly inflated self-concept. It is created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, executive producers of The Office, and it will debut Thursday night sandwiched between two episodes of NBC’s most successful comedy. Nice launch if you can get it.

Continue reading "Amy Poehler has heavy lifting in new NBC sitcom" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: NBC, Scripted Series, TV Review
        

NBC's medical drama ER ended its 15 year run on a strong ratings note Thursday night attracting an audience of 16.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures supplied by NBC. 

It was the biggest audience for the final epsiode of a drama series since Murder, She Wrote ended its CBS run in 1996, the network says.

By way of comparision, the CBS newsmagazine, 60 Minutes, has been averaging 15 million viewers a week this season. So, while ER's numbers are good, they are not through the roof.

Posted by David Zurawik at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: NBC, Scripted Series
        

It is a national day and night of celebration and mourning for fans of the long-running ER. 

I realize how dangerous it is to say anything less than gushing when fans are grappling with separation anxiety as they are today. But the truth is that St. Elsewhere was a more important and better medical drama. It was far more innovative, with much better writing. It was also groundbreaking in its handling of adult subject matter, and I dare anyone to come back here after the final credits roll and tell me that tonight's finale was better than the brilliant ending of St. Elsewhere. Remember the child and the snowy globe?

ER was a medical drama that wanted to be a soap opera, St. Elsewhere was a medical drama that wanted to be a Samuel Beckett play.

Still, ER was a great drama in terms of its cast and 15-year run, if nothing else, and tonight's finale does mark the end of an era.

Here's what I said in a piece on the finale at cnn.com, and I believe history will bear me out.

Continue reading "Go ahead and weep for ER, but it is no St. Elsewhere" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: NBC, Scripted Series, TV Review
        

Peabody Awards for 2008 will go to one of the most diverse and socially-responsible lineups of programs in the history of television's oldest and most prestigious award. They range from ABC TV's serialized drama, Lost and HBO's John Adams miniseries to CNN's coverage of the presidential election and NBC's Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. YouTube, Saturday Night Live and The Onion were also honored.

In terms of Baltimore flavor, ABC News won for its Hopkins documentary, a sequel to Hopkins 24/7 that followed the lives of doctors and patients at the world-renowned hospital. WBAL-TV (Channel 11), Baltimore's NBC affiliate, will share a Peabody with 24 other stations owned by Hearst-Argyle -- for reporting by a TV group on political candidates and races.

"All-access filmmaking in the corridors and operating rooms of a fabled teaching hospital produced human drama of open-heart intensity," the judges said of the Hopkins series.

Continue reading "From Hopkins series to SNL, Peabodys get it right" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: ABC, Baltimore Television, NBC, PBS
        

Friday Night Lights, the widely-praised but lowly-rated drama about a high school football team in Texas, will be around for at least two more seasons.

DirecTV and NBC announced that it has ordered 26 more episodes, which will air in two arcs of 13 each. Following their showing on DirecTV, the episodes will air on NBC.

While it looks as if these will be final 26 episodes of the series, which has been on ratings life support almost since its debut, neither DirecTV nor NBC has confirmed that.

Posted by David Zurawik at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: NBC, Scripted Series
        

Last night's appearance by President Barack Obama was a ratings boon for The Tonight Show. The audience in metered overnight cities like Baltimore was the highest since Jan. 24, 2005, when the show featured a tribute to Johnny Carson, according to Nielsen figures released by NBC.

The last time Tonight scored a higher overnight rating was on May 14, 1998 -- the night of the finale of Seinfeld when the cast appeared on Leno's program. Overnight ratings for last night's show were the fourth-highest in the 16-year history of Leno's show.

Bottom line, one out of every four TVs in use last night was tuned to The Tonight Show. The overnight ratings from metered markets are not conclusive or final. But they generally match up when final figures are released.

Continue reading "Nielsen: Obama visit a big boost for Leno ratings" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: NBC, Ratings, TV and Politics
        

When was the last time in the history of late-night shows that the featured guest and host chatted about "capital ratios," "credit default swaps" and "toxic assets"?

The answer is never until last night when President Barack Obama appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno to try and reassure Americans that he had a plan and good people in place to get the country out of its economic crisis.

For all the ease with which Obama sat in the chair nearest Leno’s desk, right leg crossed over left, looking as smooth and cool as Tony Bennett as he sold his economic proposals for 35 minutes of air time, what a remarkable moment in TV history it was.

Continue reading "Leno and Obama: the TV talk show as political tool" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 1:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (54)
Categories: NBC, TV Review, TV and Politics
        

As the perception spreads that cable TV news pundits are passing a hasty and harsh judgment on President Barack Obama's economic plans, you have to wonder if there isn't more than meets the eye to the annoucement today that the president will appear Thursday on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

Let me put it less delicately: Is Obama giving cable TV, which has seen its ratings and revenues rise with his candidacy and election, the stiff arm by going with NBC and Leno? Is this a taste of what's to come if Sean Hannity, Lou Dobbs and the gang of clowns at CNBC continue to play fast, loose and rough with his presidency? Is Obama going to further bestow his ratings magic on the struggling networks -- as he did with CBS and its 60 Minutes newsmagazine during the election?

There is nothing new about using late-night TV to get elected president. But no one has used that entertainment venue to try and govern as Obama will do Thursday night when he "talks about his economic plan" with Leno, according to the NBC press release.

Continue reading "Is Obama trying to stiff arm cable TV with Leno visit?" »

Posted by David Zurawik at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Cable and Network News, NBC, TV and Politics