Jan 2015

Firing up the Februrary "sweeps"

01/30/15 12:43 PM

Thursday marked opening night of the four-week February “sweeps,” with ABC throwing the hardest punches with the return of its “Thank God It’s Thursday” lineup of Shonda Rhimes-produced dramas.

We have all the D-FW ratings details, plus the opening shots in the local news wars among Fox4, NBC5, Gannett8 and CBS11. The Dallas-Fort Worth TV page is your venue.

Also, enjoy a blast from the distant past with this 1985 KDFW-TV news promo starring the late Jim Varney’s Ernest P. Worrell. Yes, that actually happened, with Ernest touting the team of Clarice Tinsley, Steve Bosh, James Spann and Paul Crane. You can see it here.
Ed Bark

Pivot network hopes to up its visibility with the icy/snowy Fortitude

01/29/15 12:10 PM

The still fledgling Pivot network offers its first original drama series on Thursday, Jan. 29th. It’s the very picturesque Fortitude, which is set in the Arctic Circle. Our review is here.

Also, Fox’s Empire very much remains in charge of the D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

CNN crows about January ratings uplift

01/28/15 01:34 PM

CNN lately is making significant headway in its ratings war with Fox News Channel and MSNBC. The January Nielsen ratings are testament to that. And the network therefore could care less whether some are watching because CNN regularly is ripe for ridicule. Details and our commentary are on the Network News & Reviews page.
Ed Bark

A hoot and a hee haw: truTV's Breaking Greenville toys with real-life small-town TV news

01/27/15 01:02 PM

Breaking Greenville, premiering Thursday, Jan. 29th on truTV, pits two small-town TV news operations against each other in a real-life battle for ratings supremacy. Or at least that’s how it’s played in this “character-driven, comedic docu-soap.” Our review is here.

Plus, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is posted.
Ed Bark

FX's The Americans returns -- but not yet in the finest of forms

01/26/15 03:08 PM

Season 3 of FX’s acclaimed The Americans launches on Wednesday, Jan. 28th. So far so good. But not as good as previous starts in this view. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Kaley O'Kelley's stealth debut as new CBS11 anchor

01/26/15 11:05 AM

She wasn’t supposed to join Doug Dunbar until Monday, Jan. 26th as co-anchor of CBS11’s 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

But Kaley O’Kelley instead made her on-air debut on Friday’s 10 p.m. newscast. The scoop -- and the poop as it turns out -- is on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, the weekend D-FW ratings “snapshot” spotlights some strong ratings for Sunday night’s Pro Bowl.
Ed Bark

Taking liberties in History's Sons of Liberty

01/22/15 03:44 PM

History channel’s latest scripted miniseries, Sons of Liberty, charts the run-up to the Revolutionary War. Leading the charge: a strapping Sam Adams. And our review is here.

Also, Fox’s Empire stayed strong in the ratings with Wednesday’s Episode 3. Get the latest D-FW highlights in our latest “snapshot.”
Ed Bark

Fox's Backstrom moves to the front of this season's new broadcast network cop dramas

01/21/15 02:30 PM

Fox has a very see-worthy new cop drama, even its head crime solver is thoroughly unsightly. Rainn Wilson plays the title role in Backstrom, and our review is here.
Ed Bark

NBC5 names Kris Gutierrez as new 5 p.m. weekday co-anchor

01/21/15 11:32 AM

After three years in Chicago, Kris Gutierrez is returning to North Texas to co-anchor Fort Worth-based NBC5’s weekday 5 p.m. newscasts. Lots more details are on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” breaks down the numbers for President Obama’s latest State of the Union address.
Ed Bark

A little chin music for some impulsive Tweets and Facebook posts

01/19/15 03:18 PM

It’s a wild and wooly Web out there. Even I get that. But every once in a while, it’s cathartic to call out some of those quick-on-the-draw Twitter and Facebook posters whose complaints have no real basis in fact. Which is the point of this latest Dallas-Fort Worth TV page post.
Ed Bark

New CBS11 news anchor Kaley O'Kelley gets a Jack FM liftoff

01/19/15 11:31 AM

So what’s up with introducing news CBS11 news anchor Kaley O’Kelley via a TV promo driven by CBS Radio-owned Jack FM? The D-FW market’s never seen anything quite like it -- and we discuss and dissect on the Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

The hows and whys of all that anchor tilt-a-whirling at CBS11

01/16/15 05:23 PM

It’s been pretty dizzying of late. CBS11’s latter day whirl of anchor changes, with many vacancies still to be filled, is unprecedented in the D-FW TV market. Your friendly content provider tried to keep his head from spinning while puzzling it all out. And our extended report/commentary, complete with an update on the status of sports anchor Babe Laufenberg, is on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Syfy's 12 Monkeys serves up another bent, mutilated, decimated future

01/15/15 04:19 PM

Visions of the future -- on both big screens and small -- are very seldom under the rainbow. Syfy’s 12 Monkeys series, loosely drawn from the 1995 movie, continues on that same path. Our review is here.

Also, Wednesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings were another big splash for Fox’s new Empire.
Ed Bark

Sick laughs at core of FXX's Man Seeking Woman

01/14/15 02:24 PM

Based on the first two episode, I’m still not sure what to make of FXX’s Man Seeking Woman, which premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 14th. Our attempt at reviewing it is here.
Ed Bark

Little Rock's David Goins set to make bigger coin as new reporter at Gannett8

01/14/15 12:33 PM

D-FW’s Gannett8 has bolstered its newsroom staff with the addition of veteran reporter David Goins. More details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Plus, Tuesday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings snapshot is in the house.
Ed Bark

CBS11 and longtime sports anchor Babe Laufenberg part ways over contract impasse

01/13/15 11:30 AM

And just like that, it’s over. Veteran CBS11 sports anchor Babe Laufenberg tweeted Tuesday morning that he’s leaving the D-FW station after the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract. His last sportscast for CBS11 will be on Wednesday, Jan. 14th. More details are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, Monday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is highlighted by the numbers for the Ohio-State-Oregon national championship game in Jerry’s Palace.
Ed Bark

CBS11's Karen Borta dawns in early mornings; NBC5 names Brian James as new weekend morn meteorologist

01/12/15 01:11 PM

Early risers can now see one familiar face in new surroundings, with a new face arriving soon on weekends.

Karen Borta made her CBS11 waker-upper debut on Monday while Brian James will be rolling in from Amarillo in March to join NBC5’s weekend morning show as the latest resident meteorologist.

Our Dallas-Forth Worth TV page has further details on both Bartles and Jaymes -- er, Borta and James.
Ed Bark

Cowboys go down fighting & fans go down arguing while D-FW ratings go through roof

01/12/15 10:51 AM

Sunday’s big Cowboys-Packers showdown now bathed in controversy, was the one-and-only game this season to top the 2 million viewers mark in D-FW. All the ratings details, plus turnouts for other big TV attractions, are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Zeroing in on Fox4's "Where the Locals Go" promo

01/09/15 04:32 PM

We occasionally like to show, and also tell about old and new promotions from Fox4, NBC5, Gannett8 and CBS11. The latest featured spot is Fox4’s touting of the 7 to 9 a.m. portion of Good Day as a no-brainer alternative to the “outdated morning news from New York.” Read all about it and then take a look on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.
Ed Bark

Girls returns. Is everybody happy? You must be kidding.

01/09/15 02:43 PM

HBO’s Girls returns for Season 4 on Sunday, Jan. 11th. Don’t expect any tidings of comfort and joy from one of prime-time’s most polarizing series. Our review is here.

Plus, Thursday’s D-FW Nielsen ratings “snapshot” is in.
Ed Bark

For Peet's sake, HBO's Togetherness is well worth a look

01/08/15 12:10 PM

Amanda Peet should have the stature of, say, Julia Roberts. But although she’s still regularly employed, it hasn’t worked out that way. She’s the best thing about HBO’s new Togetherness, a series that excels in the early going and then not so much. Our review is here.

Also, Fox’s Wednesday night premiere of Empire was everything it could have hoped for in the D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

Can Fox make history with Empire?

01/06/15 02:24 PM

The Big Four broadcast networks have never mounted a successful, long-running drama series with a predominantly black cast. In fact they’ve hardly ever tried. Fox’s Empire, premiering on Wednesday, Jan. 7th, possibly could change all that. It’s sudsy good and never boring. Our review is here.

Plus, Jimmy Fallon reigned like a Caesar in late night last year. The TV Bulletin Board page looks at the “4th quarter” (October-December) national Nielsen ratings and also has video of Bradley Cooper’s show-stopping air guitar solo during the first new Tonight Show of the new year.
Ed Bark

Marvel's Agent Carter comes calling and brawling

01/06/15 09:52 AM

ABC’s ongoing relationship with the Marvel empire is doubled with the Tuesday, Jan. 6th, two-hour premiere of Marvel’s Agent Carter. And our review is here.
Ed Bark

Cowboys are on a high -- ratings-wise and otherwise (plus a few preliminary comments from the retiring George Riba)

01/05/15 12:02 PM

Although falling a bit shy of the 2 million viewers mark in D-FW, Sunday’s pulsating Dallas Cowboys’ playoff win over the Detroit Lions still ranked as the most-watched game of this season.

All the details, plus local Nielsen ratings for other high-profile weekend attractions, are on our Dallas-Fort Worth TV page.

Also, Gannett8’s George Riba, D-FW’s longest-running TV sports reporter/anchor, has some early words on his decision to retire next month. You can find them right here.
Ed Bark

Downton Abbey renews and reinvorgates itself with a solid Season 5

01/03/15 12:45 PM

PBS’ biggest long-running hit, Downton Abbey, returns in fine form on Sunday, Jan. 4th. Our Season 5 review is here.

Also, the latest Nielsen ratings “snapshot” highlights a trio of big New Year’s Day bowl games.
Ed Bark

Above the Fold

So tell us what you really think about what you see on TV