Perspectives

Popularity is also about cultural salience, about a show’s place in popular culture, and about whether it really matters to people
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A deal that will indelibly alter our media landscape, throw the future of broadcast into question, promise new distribution models, expand interactive and “addressable” advertising… a deal that will fundamentally redefine television. No, I’m not talking about the Comcast-NBC Universal announcement that made waves last week. This was the hype surrounding the...
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A radio station that signs on and off with the phases of the sun? Well that's something I haven't experienced since. . . well, ever.
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Lately, it seems like TV shows are hitting the road with increasing frequency. This trend started several years ago with American Idol's "American Idols Live" show, and continued with the annual So You Think You Can Dance tour. But it's not just made-famous-by-TV singers and dancers hitting the road--TV chefs Anthony Bourdain...
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A new Antenna feature designed to pick out and pick on egregious product placement moments within TV & film. This week's pick: The Invention of Lying. Too bad I got thrown for a loop...
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Today’s pet peeve: how some pop critics and observers try to read cable news ratings as a sign of which political philosophy is in the ascendancy, or even of which outlet is trusted.
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Last week Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas announced his intention not to run for reelection (big) if and when a vote is held. This isn't the forum to discuss the political significance of this move, but I thought I'd throw out some quick observations on the international media side of the story.
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In GLAAD’s recent report they mention that the total number of LGBT characters on television actually decreased this year. In part this was a result of the cancellation of the L-Word, the majority of whose character’s were LGBT. However, I believe that this year we actually saw an increase in the visibility of LGBT...
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Felicia Day demonstrates that she is almost-famous, in at least one corner of the internet, with some help from Wil Wheaton.
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A few weeks ago, NBC announced a new feature: the NBC Artists in Residence Program. Sounds fancy, but ultimately it's just a shiny name for an exclusive promotional deal they signed with Jon Bon Jovi. The artist himself attributes the decision to the "shrinking media environment," a phrase that he was applying...
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As we begin our new blog, it seems an appropriate time to launch my new television station. Or, rather, my new primetime schedule. If I could have only one channel, yet had free claim on any and all current series, what would that network contain?
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After family sagas and quiz shows hosted by Bollywood stars, it is now "voyeuristic" reality television that has the Indian television viewer hooked and the moral police rankled. The latest reality show to grab headlines and media attention is Sach ka Saamna, which not only bolstered Star Plus' ratings but also spawned debates about...
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Fans of comedy on NBC rejoiced last week Monday, then went into a deep funk around 10/9c, then rejoiced again after reports that the network had agreed to a pilot commitment with Reno 911! co-creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. The program was a modest success for Comedy Central over the last six...
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So I'm not living in a place where my social life includes television or movie theaters or talking about things that aren't terrifying. As a result I was not reduced to watching Ricky Gervais' The Invention of Lying by myself; I was reduced to watching some guy on the Internet's camcorder recording of Ricky...
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