Your 2018 general TV predictions (or guesses)

[KeithE4]

Miss America needs to bring back the swimsuit in the show and once the ratings are down in Sep they will bring back the swimsuits not that I watch Miss America which is the worse out all beauty contest. Miss Teen USA hasn't been aired on broadcast or any network since 2009 or 10 when NBC resigned with Miss USA & Universe. Which Miss USA & Universe is way better than Miss America which the new leaders are prudes for getting rid of the swimsuits.

This is 2018. "Beauty pageants" are obsolete, condescending, and useless. They all need to go away. Want to drool over women that you have no chance whatsoever of meeting? Go to a bar in the ritzy part of town.

 

[CTListener]

Johnny Gilbert is 93 and still voicing Jeopardy! for each episode. He's still doing great! Charlie O'Donnell was only 78 (IIRC) when he died in 2010; Don Pardo was 96 when he died in 2014.

A voice is a marvelous thing. For many, it's not the last thing that goes -- it never goes. There's a man on BBC radio named Nicholas Parsons who's been hosting the same comedy game show, "Just a Minute," since 1967. He's 94 and other than a little shortness of breath, he sounds pretty much as he did 30 years ago, if not more.

 

[LKellerIII]

A voice is a marvelous thing. For many, it's not the last thing that goes -- it never goes. There's a man on BBC radio named Nicholas Parsons who's been hosting the same comedy game show, "Just a Minute," since 1967. He's 94 and other than a little shortness of breath, he sounds pretty much as he did 30 years ago, if not more.

IIRC, Don Pardo never lost his voice. Even after his retirement to Arizona, NBC would fly him to NYC to announce SNL - and once he was too frail (I assume) to travel, he continued with SNL by pre-recording his parts from his home until age 91. The lucky guy died in his sleep in 2014 at age 96. Speaking of Jeopardy, Pardo was the announcer for the original version of the show with Art Fleming in the mid 1960s, and started with NBC radio in the 1940s before NBC television existed.

Then again, there was my father - not a radio announcer, but a man with a rich baritone voice, whose voice turned into a hoarse squeak by age 80.

 

[joebtsflk1]

A voice is a marvelous thing. For many, it's not the last thing that goes -- it never goes. There's a man on BBC radio named Nicholas Parsons who's been hosting the same comedy game show, "Just a Minute," since 1967. He's 94 and other than a little shortness of breath, he sounds pretty much as he did 30 years ago, if not more.

Found a recent episode online of "Just A Minute" and it sounds like a fun concept that PBS should consider licensing for the US market. There are only so many retreads of Antiques Roadshow (itself a BBC concept) that we can watch, after all.

 

[vchimpanzee]

A voice is a marvelous thing. For many, it's not the last thing that goes -- it never goes. There's a man on BBC radio named Nicholas Parsons who's been hosting the same comedy game show, "Just a Minute," since 1967. He's 94 and other than a little shortness of breath, he sounds pretty much as he did 30 years ago, if not more.

Regardless, how long will Johnny be able to get around? Somehow, Betty White is still active. That's pretty amazing. George Burns did too until he had a fall. Not sure about Bob Hope but he lived a long life.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Miss America needs to bring back the swimsuit in the show and once the ratings are down in Sep they will bring back the swimsuits not that I watch Miss America which is the worse out all beauty contest. Miss Teen USA hasn't been aired on broadcast or any network since 2009 or 10 when NBC resigned with Miss USA & Universe. Which Miss USA & Universe is way better than Miss America which the new leaders are prudes for getting rid of the swimsuits.

True. It's a fitness competition (yeah, I believe that) but in the actual competition they don't really give you a chance to look.

 

[Megatron]

PBS will finally ask pay providers for Retrans money and become Sinclair & Nexstar since they don't need tax payer money to fund them since PBS has O&O's after all like NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC etc.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

PBS will finally ask pay providers for Retrans money and become Sinclair & Nexstar since they don't need tax payer money to fund them since PBS has O&O's after all like NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC etc.

What?

 

[FreddyE1977]

He says that PBS will finally ask cable and satellite systems to pay them a carriage fee
so that they won't have to rely on public funding. I actually think that's a good idea.
I have never thought that funding broadcast outlets was a proper function of the Federal Government.

Whether cable and satellite providers will play ball is another matter.

 

[CTListener]

Found a recent episode online of "Just A Minute" and it sounds like a fun concept that PBS should consider licensing for the US market. There are only so many retreads of Antiques Roadshow (itself a BBC concept) that we can watch, after all.

The problem is that "Just a Minute" is a radio program. It's only been brought to television twice in its long existence, for two brief runs, the most recent about a half-dozen years ago. I remember listening to it on the BBC World Service as a teenage shortwave listener in the '70s, but now it's only carried domestically on BBC Radio 4. I've often wondered why it never migrated to TV on a permanent basis, but then, this is the BBC we're talking about, where radio game and quiz shows are still a going concern.

UPDATE: I just reread your post and I see now that you meant the format, not the show itself. Yes, I would love to see an American "Just a Minute" on PBS, or even hear one on NPR. By the way, last I looked, those English TV "Just a Minutes" are on YouTube.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/114278/comcast-offer-for-fox-expected-after-att

Here is a consolidation roundup.

FOX WITH DISNEY OR COMCAST

Disney has made a $52.4 billion all-stock offer for the bulk of Twenty-First Century Fox, including the studios behind the "Avatar" movies, "The Simpsons" and "Modern Family," along with National Geographic. Marvel would get back the characters previously licensed to Fox, reuniting X-Men with the Avengers.

But Comcast has said it is preparing an all-cash offer that is superior to Disney's. It will likely to make an offer soon, now that the judge has ruled on AT&T.

Fox previously rejected a bid from an unnamed suitor, widely believed to be Comcast, because of potential regulatory roadblocks. AT&T's favorable ruling would seem to clear those objections. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected the government's argument that AT&T's takeover of Time Warner would hurt competition in pay TV and cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars more to stream TV and movies.

If Comcast succeeds in outbidding Disney, a major cable distributor would control even more channels on its lineup and those of its rivals. That could lead to higher cable bills or make it more difficult for online alternatives to emerge, though there is not yet evidence of either happening following other mergers. For Disney, a successful Comcast bid could make Disney's planned streaming service less attractive.

SPRINT AND T-MOBILE

In April, the two telecom companies announced a $26.5 billion combination. The deal would combine the nation's third- and fourth-largest wireless companies and bulk them up to a similar size to Verizon and AT&T, the industry giants.

The worry is that with just three major carriers, there would be less incentive to keep innovating on prices and service. T-Mobile and Sprint might even raise prices now that they don't have to try to poach customers off each other.

A 2014 attempt to combine fell apart amid resistance from the Obama administration. But the industry is different just four years later. Wireless carriers aren't just competing with each other, but also with Comcast and others as the wireless, broadband and video industries converge. AT&T is about to get larger with CNN, HBO and other channels from Time Warner. Beyond combining with each other, T-Mobile and Sprint might need its own content acquisition to compete.

CBS AND VIACOM

CBS has resisted pressure from its controlling shareholder, National Amusements, to merge with Viacom, which also is controlled by National Amusements. The two companies used to be one but separated in 2005.

A combination would reunite CBS's television business with Viacom's production studios, similar to the arrangements now in place at NBC owner Comcast and ABC owner Disney. (On the flip side, the Fox television network and studios would separate under a deal with either Comcast or Disney.)

With Viacom, the $6-a-month CBS All Access streaming service might have a larger library, as Viacom owns MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and other cable networks.

VERIZON

Verizon, which bought AOL and Yahoo in recent years, could be on the prowl for other entertainment properties. Verizon wants to challenge Google and Facebook in the huge and lucrative field of digital advertising — and having more content could help. There's speculation that CBS could be a potential target. With its main wireless rival AT&T becoming even more of a content powerhouse, Verizon might feel the need to grow.

SMALLER MOVIE STUDIOS

Rumors have long swirled that Lionsgate might be a potential takeover target by anyone from Amazon to Verizon or even a combined CBS-Viacom entity. Nothing has materialized yet for the owner of the "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" franchises. As a smaller studio, Liongate needs to get bigger to compete in the current landscape.

Similarly, Viacom-owned Paramount studio has been on the chopping block before. After years of troubles, it has recently rebounded with the horror film "A Quiet Place" and comedy "Book Club." That could make it a lucrative takeover target by a company seeking content creators.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

I may have made a similar prediction earlier (but regarding the general ratings of award shows and the ilk), but I am going to predict (if I haven't already) that tomorrow night's Tony Awards on CBS will be the lowest-rated in TV history. This is despite the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals being done.

For some reason, I will also go on a limb and predict that once CBS' current Tony Awards TV deal expires after the 2026 awards, that the event might be another awards show that migrates over exclusively to cable or perhaps even live streaming. Or whatever is the fad in 2027.

Looks like during the 8PM ET hour, the Tonys lost the slot to "Celebrity Family Feud":

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/3...litically-charged-tony-awards-in-ratings-race

https://deadline.com/2018/06/robert...osh-groban-sara-bareilles-nhl-cbs-1202407677/

 

[nomadcowatbk]

don't the Tony's attract rich NYC viewers? a small but rich audience

 

[seatownmedia]

I never understood the network appeal of The Tony's. I guess in big cities it does well, but in flyover country I can't imagine much interest. I would agree this is not a high priority CBS renewal. And De Niro's rant (while edited), might have backfired to anyone outside of NY. This kind of stuff is becoming very tiring, and this is coming from no fan of Trump.

 

[KeithE4]

don't the Tony's attract rich NYC viewers? a small but rich audience

If that's the case, I'm surprised NBC hasn't tried to snatch it up. Shows that are popular in Noo Yawk but few other places outside the NE and maybe LA are right up their alley (see: Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O'Brien when it was there).

 

[nomadcowatbk]

If that's the case, I'm surprised NBC hasn't tried to snatch it up. Shows that are popular in Noo Yawk but few other places outside the NE and maybe LA are right up their alley (see: Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O'Brien when it was there).

when does their deal with CBS end?