Tampa Drops Another Notch in the TV Industry; Deggans on CNN Sunday

Another knock on Tampa Bay: Nielsen Media Research reports that we are no longer the nation's 12th largest TV market.

Turns out, Phoenix, Ariz. gained more TV households than we did -- they jumped about 75,000 households compared to Tampa's 30,000 household rise -- so they vault to Number 12 for the 2007-08 season. According to ratings whiz Bryan Fields at WTVT-Ch. 13, the change won't cost anyone advertising revenue, because Tampa's audience is still growing.

The odd thing about these numbers, is that they measure the number of households with TVs -- not individuals people or televisions. So even though Miami has more people, because more people live inside each home, they have fewer TV households than we do (blame the huge number of retirees here living one or two to a home). That's why we getting bragging rights as the state's largest TV market.

Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta also each jumped a notch -- from 6th to 5th and 9th to 8th, respectively -- displacing San Francisco and Washington D.C.

I can't believe I wrote this much about this subject.

Drew Carey Takes Over Price Oct. 15

CBS's Emmy-Award winning THE PRICE IS RIGHT, with new host Drew Carey, will have its 36th season premiere on Monday, October 15 (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET; 10:00-11:00 AM, PT), on the CBS Television Network.  Carey was recently named host of television's long-running game show, succeeding former host Bob Barker, who retired in June after 35 years on the show.

Deggans on CNN at 10 a.m. Sunday

Everyboy else in medialand must be on vacation.

CNN's media guru Howie Kurtz called this week to ask me back on his show Reliable Sources for another spirited roundtable. So far, the subject list includes Wikipedia editing by Fox and NYT and coverage of Hurricane Dean.

I'll be trying to do this shot from he offices of the St. Petersburg Times, where we have a nifty camera set up for talkbacks now (I used to drive 20 minutes to the central Tampa offices of PBS station WEDU). So my fingers are crossed that this comes off okay...