CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.tvweek.com:80/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php","20090813133528","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1250170528"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <title>Going Too Gently Into That Good Night: Saying Farewell To Analog TV : Open Mic : TVWeek - Television Industry news, TV ratings, analysis, celebrity event photos</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20090813133528cs_/http://www.tvweek.com/_library2/newmaster.css" type="text/css" media="screen"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20090813133528cs_/http://www.tvweek.com/_library2/print.css" type="text/css" media="print"/>   <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/mt.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_library2/oas-adserver.js"></script> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: TVBizwire" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/tvweek/tvbizwire"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: Open Mic Blogs" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/tvweek/Open-Mic"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: TV MoJoe" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/tvweek/TVMoJoe"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: In Depth" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/tvweek/News"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: Broadcast" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/News-Broadcast"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: Cable" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/News-Cable"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: Syndication" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/News-Syndication"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: TV Advertising" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/News-Advertising"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="TVWeek: Digital" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://feeds2.feedburner.com/News-Digital"/> </head> <body>  <div style="position: absolute; bottom: 1px; right: 1px; overflow: hidden; visibility: hidden;"> <script language="javascript"> function hbxStrip(a) { a = a.split("|").join(""); a = a.split("/").join(""); a = a.split("!").join(""); a = a.split("&").join(""); a = a.split("'").join(""); a = a.split("#").join(""); a = a.split("$").join(""); a = a.split("%").join(""); a = a.split("^").join(""); a = a.split("*").join(""); a = a.split(":").join(""); a = a.split("~").join(""); a = a.split(";").join(""); a = a.split(" ").join("+"); return a; } var _hbEC=0,_hbE=new Array;function _hbEvent(a,b){b=_hbE[_hbEC++]=new Object();b._N=a;b._C=0;return b;} var hbx=_hbEvent("pv");hbx.vpc="HBX0100u";hbx.gn="ehg-crain.hitbox.com"; hbx.acct="DM540505MPBA83EN3";//ACCOUNT NUMBER(S) hbx.pn=hbxStrip(document.title);//PAGE NAME(S) <-- notice the change to this line hbx.pndef="title" //additional line <--- </script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_library2/hbx.js" language="javascript1.1"></script> </div> <div id="container" class="container"> <div id="header" class="span-24"> <h1 id="branding" class="span-6 column pngfix"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/"><span>TVWeek</span></a> </h1> <div id="print-branding"><img src="/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_images2/tvweek-print-logo.png" alt=""/></div> <div id="oas1" class="span-18 last advert"><script language="JavaScript">OAS_AD("Position1");</script></div> <div id="navbar" class="span-24 prepend-top"> <ul id="nav" class="menu column clearfix prepend-2"> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/news/broadcast/">Broadcast</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/news/cable/">Cable</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/news/syndication/">Syndication</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/news/advertising/">TV Advertising</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/newspro/">NewsPro</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/news/digital/">Digital</a></li> <li class="final"><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/newsletters/">Newsletters</a></li> </ul> <div id="search" class="last"> <form class="search" id="searchbox_010315689085519056364:nn0oi1m7ugc" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/search-results/"> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="010315689085519056364:nn0oi1m7ugc" style="border:0 none"/> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:9" style="border:0 none"/> <input name="q" type="text" size="15"/> <button type="submit" name="sa" value="Search"><span style="display:none">Go<span></button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="span-16 column"> <div id="pagetitle" class="box clearfix"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/"><img src="/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_images2/openmic.jpg" alt="Open Mic"/></a> </div> <div id="entries"> <div class="entry box" id="entry-31922"> <div class="headshot left pull-2"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/profile.php?id=173"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/support/assets_c/2009/06/deprez_greg_square_lo_res-thumb-47xauto-88.jpg" alt=""/> </a> <p class="bottom"><a class="biopic" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/profile.php?id=173" title="">about</a><br/><a class="biopic" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/profile.php?id=173#entries" title="">posts</a></p> </div> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php">Going Too Gently Into That Good Night: Saying Farewell To Analog TV </a></h1> <p class="meta"> <strong class="author"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/profile.php?id=173">Greg DePrez</a></strong> <span class="separator">■</span> Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/">June 8, 2009</a> at 3:55 PM </p> <p class="tags"> <strong>Tags:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Analog">Analog</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Digital+Transition">Digital Transition</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/DTV">DTV</a> </p> <p>Recently, I lost a loyal and faithful friend.</p><p>It was on a nondescript April night, just after midnight. It wasn’t unexpected; it was clear this was going to happen, and I figured I could be a witness to the final moment. Even so, I had to scramble to make the connection with my friend, and once I had, I discovered that my vigil was a lonesome one.</p><p>Who was the friend? A reliable pal born 57 years ago into an unknown but promising future: the analog TV signal of a local television station. Cause of death? Progress. He couldn’t keep up. His successor, a furious blast of bits, had pretty much replaced him with five times the ability to deliver the goods.</p><p>How did he go? With a brief and impassive pop, at one minute past midnight, as planned. He was busy to the end, conveying the image of a late night comedian in smooth analog modulation, just as he’d always done. On the audio track the audience was laughing at a joke, when suddenly – picture and sound vanished. The TV, startled, examined the resulting snow for a few seconds, trying to find some pattern, then gave up and reverted to a blue screen. Of death. <br/></p> <div id="more"> <p>I knew that a whole team of electrical relays that had spent many years tightly clenched to keep electricity pulsing into the bowels of the TV transmitter had just “clunked” – but this time, to the open position. This last clunk had denied thousands of volts to the signal end of the transmitter, and the radio energy created there had evaporated, leaving nothing to crawl out on the transmission line. A TV antenna a thousand feet away had instantly been reduced from a pulsing beacon of high frequency energy to a quiet metal frame, just a large dead weight strapped to a tower.</p><p>Something about it triggered a phrase buried deep in memory: do not…go gently...into that good night...</p><p>And I wondered: except for the engineers who were punching a few more buttons to let the blowers wind down, who was at the party? And why hadn’t I and every other viewer been included?</p><p>Of course there was a party. For 57 years, hadn’t this signal been an integral part of the community, delivering hundreds of thousands of news stories and storm alerts and game scores?</p><p>Hadn’t this signal let us be witnesses to events great and small, happy and sad, using its unique and powerful combination of sight, sound, color, and motion to engage us, enrage us, distract us, and educate us?</p><p>Hadn’t this signal been a key catalyst of local commerce, showing millions of commercials that inspired us to shop, bank, drive, eat, visit, vote, see?</p><p>Oh, sure, for better than half this signal’s life, its basic waveform had been diverted, more and more, to cable and satellite boxes, and the aluminum rods that we had strapped to our chimneys to receive it had become anachronisms, but this was still the signature feature of the station, the spinning of an electrical umbrella over the community that anchored and defined the station’s business: “broadcasting.”</p><p>Was this how broadcasters would mark the changing of the guard – the biggest national conversion of an electronic medium that the world has ever seen – with the simple flip of a switch that would send a lingering giggle at Letterman or O’Brien riding a station’s last analog waves into space?</p><p>Another line crept out of memory: old age should burn…and rave…at close of day...</p><p>So where was the party? Where was the video of current and veteran personalities and employees who had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this busy signal over the years? Where were the viewers who had sent in crazy ideas on how to say goodbye to analog or who had a favorite station memory to share?</p><p>Where were the tributes from the mayor and the police chief and the chamber of commerce and the ad agencies and the animal shelters and the food banks and all the folks who’s voices had been amplified by this powerful community resource?</p><p>Where was the countdown clock and the split screen on the digital feed that paid homage to the analog signal as the DTV signal picked up the exclusive duty of continuing the broadcasting tradition?</p><p>Where was the story of who got to throw the analog shutoff switch (not a fake cardboard switch, but the real one, right on the transmitter)? Was it the highest bidder to the station charity? Or the oldest engineer? Or the governor, or the President, or everybody, grabbing a rope and counting down to the moment when they all tugged together and cheered the clunk of the relays that said technology changes, but broadcasting continues?</p><p>Another phrase had wandered into my head: rage…against the dying of the light...</p><p>I looked it up. In 1952, the same year the TV station went on the air, a wild Welsh poet named Dylan Thomas published a poem that screamed against darkness. He had written it while watching his father die gently, too gently. The first stanza ended with this: “Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.”</p><p>“Rage” may be too overwrought a term for a transition we’ve been planning and managing for years, but there is a fierce passion in Thomas’s words. Is it just a coincidence, or, 57 years ago, did he publish the first obituary for analog TV?</p><p>To the “un-transitioned” broadcasters who still have time to mark the moment with something more than a dispassionate clunk: you decide.</p><p style="text-align: center">“Do not go gentle into that good night,<br/>Old age should burn and rave at close of day; <br/>Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”</p><p style="text-align: center">- Dylan Thomas, 1952. First stanza.</p> </div> <p class="social clearfix"> <a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="return mtScore(31922)" id="scoring-id-31922" class="scoring button"> Like <span class="scoring-status"></span> <span id="scoring-score-31922" class="scoring-score">1</span> Vote </a> </p> <div class="advert inline-advert"> <img src="/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_images2/fullbanner.jpg" alt=""/> </div> <div id="comments" class="clear comments"> <div class="comments-open" id="comments-open"> <h2 class="comments-open-header">Leave a comment</h2> <div class="comments-open-content" id="postcomment"> <div id="comment-form-external-auth"></div> <form method="post" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/cgi-bin/mt425/mt-comments.cgi" name="comments_form" id="comments-form" onsubmit="if (this.bakecookie.checked) rememberMe(this)"> <input type="hidden" name="static" value="1"/> <input type="hidden" name="ajax" value="1"/> <input type="hidden" name="entry_id" value="31922"/> <input type="hidden" name="parent_id" value="" id="comment-parent-id"/> <input type="hidden" name="__lang" value="en"/> <div id="comments-open-data"> <p id="comment-form-name"> <label for="comment-author">Name</label> <input id="comment-author" name="author" size="30" value=""/> </p> <p id="comment-form-email"> <label for="comment-email">Email Address</label> <input id="comment-email" name="email" size="30" value=""/> </p> <label for="comment-url">URL</label> <input id="comment-url" name="url" size="30" value=""/> </p> <p id="comment-form-remember-me"> <label for="comment-bake-cookie"><input type="checkbox" id="comment-bake-cookie" name="bakecookie" onclick="if (!this.checked) forgetMe(document.comments_form)" value="1"/> Remember personal info?</label> </p> </div> <div id="comment-form-reply" style="display:none"> <input type="checkbox" id="comment-reply" name="comment_reply" value="" onclick="mtSetCommentParentID()"/> <label for="comment-reply" id="comment-reply-label"></label> </div> <p id="comments-open-text"> <label for="comment-text">Comments (You may use HTML tags for style)</label> <textarea id="comment-text" name="text" rows="15" cols="50" onfocus="mtCommentFormOnFocus()"></textarea> </p> <button type="submit" accesskey="v" name="preview_button" id="comment-preview" value="Preview">Preview</button> <button type="submit" accesskey="s" name="post" id="comment-submit" value="Post">Post</button> </form> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">  </script> <div id="ajax-comment" class="clear"></div> <h2 class="commentheader">Comments <span>5</span></h2> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <div class="comment commentbox" id="comment-13546"> <div class="commentheader"> <h3><a title="http://dtvswitch.blogspot.com/" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://dtvswitch.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Bob Colby</a></h3> </div> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://dtvswitch.blogspot.com/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="47" height="47" alt="user-pic"/></a> <p>I run a blog on the switch, and I've been having exactly the same feelings. Surely something so momentous deserves a few words of on-air commemoration before the switch gets thrown, but I suspect that most if not all of my local analogs will go the way yours did.</p> </div> <div class="commentmeta"> <ul> <li><a title="Reply" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="mtReplyCommentOnClick(13546, 'Bob Colby')">Reply</a> to this comment</li> <li>Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php#comment-13546"><abbr class="published" title="2009-06-10T07:20:30-08:00">June 10, 2009 7:20 AM</abbr></a></li> </ul> </div>  </div> <div class="comment commentbox" id="comment-13575"> <div class="commentheader"> <h3>Andy S.</h3> </div> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <a href=""><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="47" height="47" alt="user-pic"/></a> <p>It will be done the same way radio format changes are: one minute you're listening to country and western, the next you're listening to love songs, nothing but love songs. No warning, no explanation. Yet somehow, people deal with it.</p> </div> <div class="commentmeta"> <ul> <li><a title="Reply" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="mtReplyCommentOnClick(13575, 'Andy S.')">Reply</a> to this comment</li> <li>Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php#comment-13575"><abbr class="published" title="2009-06-10T09:10:49-08:00">June 10, 2009 9:10 AM</abbr></a></li> </ul> </div>  </div> <div class="comment commentbox" id="comment-13818"> <div class="commentheader"> <h3>What's On?</h3> </div> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <a href=""><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="47" height="47" alt="user-pic"/></a> <p>Didn't we say goodbye to analog in the 80s? There really are people without cable and satellite?</p> </div> <div class="commentmeta"> <ul> <li><a title="Reply" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="mtReplyCommentOnClick(13818, 'What\'s On?')">Reply</a> to this comment</li> <li>Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php#comment-13818"><abbr class="published" title="2009-06-11T00:48:48-08:00">June 11, 2009 12:48 AM</abbr></a></li> </ul> </div>  </div> <div class="comment commentbox" id="comment-13919"> <div class="commentheader"> <h3>Scoot</h3> </div> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <a href=""><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="47" height="47" alt="user-pic"/></a> <p>Poetry and technology. What an odd and beautiful dance. Thank you.</p> </div> <div class="commentmeta"> <ul> <li><a title="Reply" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="mtReplyCommentOnClick(13919, 'Scoot')">Reply</a> to this comment</li> <li>Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php#comment-13919"><abbr class="published" title="2009-06-11T09:04:04-08:00">June 11, 2009 9:04 AM</abbr></a></li> </ul> </div>  </div> <div class="comment commentbox last" id="comment-23684"> <div class="commentheader"> <h3>Lee Schuman</h3> </div> <div class="commentcontent clearfix"> <a href=""><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="47" height="47" alt="user-pic"/></a> <p>As someone who was born at the dawn of the TV age, my parents had the first TV on the block and sat me in front of it. They still joke that I was "raised by TV." I remember the countless hours not just watching TV but trying for distance reception and the summers when the ionospheric conditions allowed TV "skip" for thousands of miles. I rememeber watching flickering images of Cuban TV on channel 3 from my home in Maryland. It felt like magic.I appreciate your epitaph for a passing that needs to be noted. Thank you... signing off! ;-)<br/> </p> </div> <div class="commentmeta"> <ul> <li><a title="Reply" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="mtReplyCommentOnClick(23684, 'Lee Schuman')">Reply</a> to this comment</li> <li>Posted <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php#comment-23684"><abbr class="published" title="2009-06-12T08:58:12-08:00">June 12, 2009 8:58 AM</abbr></a></li> </ul> </div>  </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="column span-8 last"> <div id="utility" class="widget-sign-in widget clearfix"> <div id="signin-widget-content" class="widget-content"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/signin.js"></script> <div id="oas2" class="advert"><script language="JavaScript">OAS_AD("Middle1");</script></div> <div class="box"> <h2>About Open Mic</h2> <p>Open Mic is the TV industry鈥檚 Town Square, a forum for insight, analysis and debate about all things television. It鈥檚 written by an array of industry insiders, experts and observers. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/bloggers/">View a list of our bloggers</a>.</p> </div> <div id="tags" class="box"> <h2>Tags</h2> <p class="clearfix bottom"> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/60+Minutes">60 Minutes</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Analog">Analog</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Andy+Richter">Andy Richter</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Bravo">Bravo</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Britain's+Got+Talent">Britain's Got Talent</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Brothers+&+Sisters">Brothers & Sisters</a> <a class="rank-2" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Conan+O'Brien">Conan O'Brien</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/David+Letterman">David Letterman</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Digital+Transition">Digital Transition</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Doctor+Who">Doctor Who</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/DTV">DTV</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Everwood">Everwood</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Food+Network">Food Network</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Fox">Fox</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Friday+Night+Lights">Friday Night Lights</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Human+Target">Human Target</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/I'm+A+Celebrity...Get+Me+Out+Of+Here!">I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Jay+Leno">Jay Leno</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Jimmy+Pardo">Jimmy Pardo</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Joel+McHale">Joel McHale</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Jon+&+Kate+Plus+8">Jon & Kate Plus 8</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Medium">Medium</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Miami+Social">Miami Social</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/My+So-Called+Life">My So-Called Life</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/NBC">NBC</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Next+Food+Network+Star">Next Food Network Star</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Nielsen">Nielsen</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Nurse+Jackie">Nurse Jackie</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Once+and+Again">Once and Again</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Pilots">Pilots</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Real+Housewives">Real Housewives</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Reality">Reality</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Royal+Pains">Royal Pains</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Showtime">Showtime</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Stephen+Colbert">Stephen Colbert</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Susan+Boyle">Susan Boyle</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+Colbert+Report">The Colbert Report</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+Daily+Show">The Daily Show</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+Goode+Family">The Goode Family</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+Real+Housewives+of+New+Jersey">The Real Housewives of New Jersey</a> <a class="rank-1" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+Tonight+Show">The Tonight Show</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/The+WB">The WB</a> <a class="rank-5" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Tony+Awards">Tony Awards</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/Torchwood">Torchwood</a> <a class="rank-6" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tag/USA">USA</a> </p> </div> <div id="hot" class="box"> <ul class="tabmenu clearfix"> <li class="active"><a href="#hotweek">Hot This Week</a></li> <li class=""><a href="#hotmonth">Hot This Month</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="#hotyear">Hot This Year</a></li> </ul> <ul id="hotweek" class="bottom switcher"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php">What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</a></li> </ul> <ul id="hotmonth" class="bottom switcher"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php">What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</a></li> </ul> <ul id="hotyear" class="bottom switcher"> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/kudos-to-colbert.php">Kudos to Colbert!</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/nurse-jackie-its-nearly-perfect.php">'Nurse Jackie': It's Nearly Perfect</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/07/the-most-important-news-about-american-pop-culture-so-far-this-yearand-i-doubt-youve-heard-about-it.php">An Important News Flash About American Pop Culture, And I Doubt You’ve Heard About It</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/07/live-blogging-the-tca.php">The Perils of Live Blogging the TCA—on an iPhone</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/05/bravos-miami-social-a-cure-for-reality-fatigue.php">Bravo's 'Miami Social': A Cure for Reality Fatigue?</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/05/the-password-is-idiot.php">The 'Password' is... IDIOT!</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/get-used-to-it-conans-here-to-stay.php">Get Used to It: Conan's Here to Stay</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/the-surf-report-visits-the-tonight-show.php">The Surf Report Visits 'The Tonight Show'</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/going-too-gently-into-that-good-night-saying-farewell-to-analog-tv-1.php">Going Too Gently Into That Good Night: Saying Farewell To Analog TV </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/06/nurse-jackie-quiet-mean-awesome.php">'Nurse Jackie': Quiet. Mean. Awesome.</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/07/funny-story-about-one-of-tvs-all-time-great-pitchman.php">Funny Story About One of TV's All-time Great Pitchmen</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/07/i-was-there-watching-the-great-cronkite-at-work.php">I Was There: Watching the Great Cronkite at Work</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/07/if-you-are-under-45-years-old-heres-a-personal-explanation-as-to-whyand-howcronkite-was-so-influenti.php">If You are Under 45 Years Old, Here's a Personal Explanation as to Why—and How—Cronkite was so Powerful and Influential</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php">What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="oas3" class="advert"><script language="JavaScript">OAS_AD("Middle2");</script></div> <div class="box noprint"> <h2>Recent Comments</h2> <ul id="recentcomments" class="bottom"> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Josh commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48865"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Andrew, MALL727.net commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48854"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Karrington commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48787"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> michael smith commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48750"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> bill commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48725"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Dorienne commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/what-fox-should-do-about-the-paula-abdul-situation.php#comment-48702"><strong>What Fox Should Do About the Paula Abdul Situation</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Jack On Fire commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/matt-damons-history-is-made-finally-with-maria-tomei.php#comment-48504"><strong>Matt Damon’s ‘History’ is made (finally), With Marisa Tomei</strong></a></li> <li> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_mt-static/images/default-userpic-90.jpg" width="30" height="30" alt=""/> Andy S. commented on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/am-i-being-a-twit-because-i-wish-tweet-was-just-the-sound-tweety-bird-made.php#comment-48395"><strong>Am I Being a Twit Because I Wish Tweet Was Just the Sound Tweety Bird Made?</strong></a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="box noprint"> <h2>Archives</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/08/">August 2009</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/2009/">2009</a></li> </ul> </div>  </div>  <div id="footer" class="span-24 clear"> <div id="follow"> <img class="pngfix" src="/web/20090813133528im_/http://www.tvweek.com/_images2/followtvweek.png" alt="Follow TVWeek" title="Follow TVWeek"/> <a id="footerfacebook" class="footerfollow pngfix" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.facebook.com/pages/TVWeek/36537875671?sid=3736ccc34760b3ab362afdb9a24e6bd9&ref=s"></a> <a id="footertwitter" class="footerfollow pngfix" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://twitter.com/tvweek_joe"></a> <a id="footerrss" class="footerfollow pngfix" href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/feeds/"></a> </div> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/about/">About Us</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/contact/">Contact Us</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/classifieds/">Classifieds</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/about/media-kit/">Media Kit</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20090813133528/http://www.tvweek.com/about/privacy-policy/" class="last">Privacy Policy</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528/http://www.crain.com/">Copyright © 2009 Crain Communications Inc.</a></p> </div> </div>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090813133528js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.3.2/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/jquery.form.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/jquery.neotweet.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/cufon.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/fonts/Interstate_400.font.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/fonts/Interstate_Bold_700.font.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/web/20090813133528js_/http://www.tvweek.com/_js2/site.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> Cufon.now(); </script> </body> </html>