I don't know if some of this might belong in the "Indirectly RElated to Broadcasting" section. And I know we have 3 more weeks left in 2019.
But what are your predictions for 2020 which have TV-related effects?
My predictions (most of which are probably going to be off):
--ABC's "20/20" makes a big deal of the year 2020 with specials and retrospectives. Maybe even a second night of "20/20."
--ABC adds new game shows to their summer prime-time block. Possibilities include revivals of "The Joker's Wild" and "Tic Tac Dough"--or a combination thereof (a la "Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour on NBC daytime in 1983-84). With the new show based in Las Vegas.
--Speaking of "Tic Tac Dough": "Jeopardy" commemorates the 40th anniversary of Thom McKee's 1980 TTD run of 43 straight wins by inviting him to a special week of long-awaited games against Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer.
--OR: Jeopardy puts together an "All-Time Game Show Greats" tournament which also includes champions from other shows (McKee included), against many of the all-time Jeopardy champions (Jennings and Holzhauer obviously included, plus other J! champions including Roger Craig, Julia Collins and Brad Rutter). Maybe even including some past champions from the 1964-75 and 1978-79 "Jeopardy" versions if any of them are still alive and/or interested.
Alex Trebek overcomes another cancer remission. However, he announces his retirement from "Jeopardy!"
NFL announces plans to expand the playoffs by one wild-card team per conference starting in 2021 (AFC and NFC), with only the #1 seeds in NFC and AFC getting first-round byes. Wild card weekends will have 3 Saturday and 3 Sunday games. Once each on CBS and Fox on Saturday and Sunday, in alternating order by day. ESPN gets the Saturday night game for ABC, and the Sunday night wild card game will be on NBC.
NFL also experiments during Week 1, and Weeks 13-17, with both CBS and Fox getting doubleheader games on the same week.
--The "America's Got Talent" scandal intensifies as 2020 begins, and Simon Cowell is charged with sexual harassment. NBC cancels AGT and Cowell is "Me-Tooed."
--MLB explores the possibility of turning each league's Wild Card game into a best-of-3 series. The team with the home field advantage gets both Games 2 and 3 on successive nights.
--After 25 years, Fox finally changes their NFL (and general sports) theme.
--Lowest-ever ratings for Olympic coverage (Tokyo, July 24-Aug. 9), and for convention/election night coverage on all network and cable news stations. Same with many awards shows too.
--Despite the HBO Max deal, Disney buys Sesame Workshop
--in the Peoria/Bloomington, IL market, the repack of WAOE-59 from its RF 39 tower near Peoria to the former WWTO-DT 10 (virtual 35) tower near LaSalle, IL (70 miles northwest), means that WAOE loses its My Network affiliation. Sinclair buys the My affiliation from WAOE, initially planning to put it on former ABC affiliate (and now Comet TV) WHOI-19. Sinclair then takes Fox from their WYZZ-43 (managed by Nexstar via LMA with WMBD), and instead puts Fox on WHOI (and thus a "Big 4" affiliate back on virtual channel 19 in Peoria). MyNet instead goes to WYZZ. WAOE's netlets (Antenna TV, Light) are replaced with those controlled by Sinclair (TBD, Charge, Stadium) after the move to either WHOI or WYZZ. Meanwhile, WAOE airs only several subchannels of netlets from LaSalle. WHOI and WYZZ become an inter-market satellite stations of WICS-20 (ABC) and WRSP-55 (Fox) Springfield (in addition to WICD/WCCU Champaign).
--The WAOE/WHOI/WYZZ moves in Peoria/Bloomington leads to a minor network change in the Springfield/Decatur/Champaign, IL market. MyNetwork and CW affiliations are swapped between Sinclair and Nexstar. CW moves from WBUI-23.1 (Decatur) to WCIX-49.1 Springfield (virtual 3.2 in Champaign); and vice-versa for MyNet.
More DTV America stations never see the light of day in many markets--and some are already sold to cellular providers instead of going on the air.
Thoughts?
But what are your predictions for 2020 which have TV-related effects?
My predictions (most of which are probably going to be off):
--ABC's "20/20" makes a big deal of the year 2020 with specials and retrospectives. Maybe even a second night of "20/20."
--ABC adds new game shows to their summer prime-time block. Possibilities include revivals of "The Joker's Wild" and "Tic Tac Dough"--or a combination thereof (a la "Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour on NBC daytime in 1983-84). With the new show based in Las Vegas.
--Speaking of "Tic Tac Dough": "Jeopardy" commemorates the 40th anniversary of Thom McKee's 1980 TTD run of 43 straight wins by inviting him to a special week of long-awaited games against Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer.
--OR: Jeopardy puts together an "All-Time Game Show Greats" tournament which also includes champions from other shows (McKee included), against many of the all-time Jeopardy champions (Jennings and Holzhauer obviously included, plus other J! champions including Roger Craig, Julia Collins and Brad Rutter). Maybe even including some past champions from the 1964-75 and 1978-79 "Jeopardy" versions if any of them are still alive and/or interested.
Alex Trebek overcomes another cancer remission. However, he announces his retirement from "Jeopardy!"
NFL announces plans to expand the playoffs by one wild-card team per conference starting in 2021 (AFC and NFC), with only the #1 seeds in NFC and AFC getting first-round byes. Wild card weekends will have 3 Saturday and 3 Sunday games. Once each on CBS and Fox on Saturday and Sunday, in alternating order by day. ESPN gets the Saturday night game for ABC, and the Sunday night wild card game will be on NBC.
NFL also experiments during Week 1, and Weeks 13-17, with both CBS and Fox getting doubleheader games on the same week.
--The "America's Got Talent" scandal intensifies as 2020 begins, and Simon Cowell is charged with sexual harassment. NBC cancels AGT and Cowell is "Me-Tooed."
--MLB explores the possibility of turning each league's Wild Card game into a best-of-3 series. The team with the home field advantage gets both Games 2 and 3 on successive nights.
--After 25 years, Fox finally changes their NFL (and general sports) theme.
--Lowest-ever ratings for Olympic coverage (Tokyo, July 24-Aug. 9), and for convention/election night coverage on all network and cable news stations. Same with many awards shows too.
--Despite the HBO Max deal, Disney buys Sesame Workshop
--in the Peoria/Bloomington, IL market, the repack of WAOE-59 from its RF 39 tower near Peoria to the former WWTO-DT 10 (virtual 35) tower near LaSalle, IL (70 miles northwest), means that WAOE loses its My Network affiliation. Sinclair buys the My affiliation from WAOE, initially planning to put it on former ABC affiliate (and now Comet TV) WHOI-19. Sinclair then takes Fox from their WYZZ-43 (managed by Nexstar via LMA with WMBD), and instead puts Fox on WHOI (and thus a "Big 4" affiliate back on virtual channel 19 in Peoria). MyNet instead goes to WYZZ. WAOE's netlets (Antenna TV, Light) are replaced with those controlled by Sinclair (TBD, Charge, Stadium) after the move to either WHOI or WYZZ. Meanwhile, WAOE airs only several subchannels of netlets from LaSalle. WHOI and WYZZ become an inter-market satellite stations of WICS-20 (ABC) and WRSP-55 (Fox) Springfield (in addition to WICD/WCCU Champaign).
--The WAOE/WHOI/WYZZ moves in Peoria/Bloomington leads to a minor network change in the Springfield/Decatur/Champaign, IL market. MyNetwork and CW affiliations are swapped between Sinclair and Nexstar. CW moves from WBUI-23.1 (Decatur) to WCIX-49.1 Springfield (virtual 3.2 in Champaign); and vice-versa for MyNet.
More DTV America stations never see the light of day in many markets--and some are already sold to cellular providers instead of going on the air.
Thoughts?
