In the end, Donny Osmond's legions of fans and game attitude beat out the dance skill of R&B singer Mya, as the toothy '70s pop star walked away with this cycle's mirror ball trophy tonight on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
To be fair, Osmond had two advantages; besides being much more famous than Mya, he had a hardworking attitude that lead to steady improvement over this edition's episodes.
I've said before the only thing DWTS fans love more than a good dancer, is a mediocre dancer who gets good over the course of the show. (which also explains why another celebrity offspring, Kelly Osbourne, survived long enough to land third place tonight)
And it doesn't hurt that Osmond's core fan base is smack dab in the middle of the fiftysomething female demographic most likely to addicted to the show.
Unfortunately, they may have been the only ones excited about this cycle's competition, which struggled to generate the buzz of past editions. In part, that's because the comic relief left early, as politico Tom DeLay was forced to bow out due to foot problems and despite a record number of contestants, there were no shlubby comics waiting in the wings to pick up the slack.
Here's hoping DWTS producers get the message and reinvent the show a bit, with fewer contestants, bigger stars and a more competitive field (the other thing that hurt this cycle was the fact that Mya emerged as the show's best dancer in the first few episodes).
Otherwise, the show's status as one of TV's most popular series might also be in jeopardy.
It's been weeks since news director Darren Richards left St. Petersburg CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10 for a new career in public relations.
But station officials today announced his replacement, Peter Roghaar, who comes to WTSP after nine years as news director at the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, WPTV.
Roghaar actually gets the title director of news and information, perhaps to emphasize the online component now prized at WTSP, which was rebranded as 10 Connects under Richards.
Richards oversaw a number of controversial moves during his tenure -- from the departure of longtime anchors Marty Matthews and Jennifer Howe to letting go forecasters Anna Allen and Randy Rauch go from the weather department and developing the online-focused 10 connects approach.
Roghaar inherits a newsroom still fighting to succeed in mornings and other time periods (they have done well at 11 p.m.,however), while also struggling with the same economic challenges every mainstream newsrooms faces.
The Republican Party could learn a thing or two from Glenn Beck.
While GOP lawmakers were in Washington D.C. dealing with the start of debate over the revamp of the nation's health care system -- in other words, governing -- Beck outlined the early beginnings of a political action which could snatch many true believers from the heart of the Republican Party just before a crucial midterm election.
The speech, delivered Saturday afternoon at The Villages retirement community in Florida, outlined something Beck has been calling The Plan. It's his 100-year plan to "bring us back to the America that our founders would have understood."
And during his speech, Beck gave hints of what that would mean, talking approvingly of libertarian policies to shut down the Internal Revenue Service and bring troops home from foreign conflicts, while implying that the science isn't settled on pollution-inspired climate change and presenting his plan as the solution to "a ticking time bomb" created by progressives many years ago to turn America into a "socialist utopia."
He also announced plans for a series of educational conventions, starting with a March 27 date at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, culminating with a giant rally Aug. 28 in Washington D.C. where his final plan is to be revealed.
He talked about having a team of advisors drafted to help him with different aspects of the plan, and turning his group used to organize politically active fans, The 9-12 Project, to the task of registering people to vote in the manner of the Democratic-supporting group he has long opposed on his shows, ACORN.
"We are going to go out...without taking a dime from the federal government or without smuggling any underage hookers across the border," he said, defiantly.
It is an odd media world indeed, where former GOP office holder and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin(who supposedly left office to effect political change from outside the system) is jetting around the country talking up her memoirs with Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters, while a radio and TV talk show host who has never won an election can outline plans to create a voter registration apparatus and series of forums for teaching potential voters about his policy initiatives a year before a major election.
Shouldn't somebody in the GOP be trying something like this?
This, it seems, is what happens when a political party's politicians lose their most effective voices. Now, with GOP lawmakers out of power in Washington, radio hosts such as Beck have stepped up in a major way to snare the hearts and minds of the most politically active, conservative-minded and frustrated voters in the country.
These are the folks who would normally fuel the grass roots voter registration drives and rallies which could change over power in an off year election. But what will the GOP do if these folks are hanging at 9-12 rallies and buying Beck's new book instead?
This isn't unprecedented. Curiously, Beck's plan reminds me of a similar effort put together by radio and TV personality Tavis Smiley, who organized a similar campaign to press the ideas behind his book to address the ills hurting African Americans across the country called The Covenant. But Smiley's efforts wasn't so overtly political, focusing instead on helping black culture re-establish ideas and habits which could help solve social ills.
Beck offered few facts to back his presentation, relying mostly on emotion and drama to carry the day.
If it works, this plan could turn Beck into a powerful political player whose only electoral mandate comes from the millions of fans who listen to his radio show, watch his television program, buy his books and attend his rallies.
For a public broadcasting nerd like myself, it's like getting asked to shag a few balls for A-Rod.
But the good folks at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer have been very nice about inviting me onto their show today to talk about Oprah Winfrey's decision to leave her legendary talk show after 25 years on Sept. 9, 2011.
The news wires today have been filled with speculation and analysis about Winfrey's move -- to be honest, too many of these pieces feel like obituaries written for someone who won't even die for 18 months.
Here's what Winfrey herself had to say this morning: ""After much prayer and months of careful thought, I've decided the next season, season 25, will be the last season of the 'Oprah Winfrey Show.' Why walk away and make the next season the last? Here is the real reason -- I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say 'goodbye.' Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number, the exact right time. So I hope you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the finale show."
Check out the video below, and check out my observations on the Lehrer show in about two hours:
Winfrey herself is expected to announce the move during her live show today, though she isn't expected to say where or whether her program will reappear elsewhere. She's leaving to focus on the cable channel she's been trying to develop from the ashes of Discovery Health Network, known in shorthand as OWN, or the Oprah Winfrey Network.
It means something when one of the most successful TV hosts in history chooses to depart broadcast television for cable. And the woman who launched a thousand books will leave a slew of winners and losers in her wake.
WINNER: Ellen DeGeneres
As longtime blog reader and FlNewsCenter.com webmaster Chris Blanton points out, Winfrey competes against DeGeneres in many markets, including Tampa, because all of Winfrey's syndicated TV kids are prohibited from airing against her. So when Winfrey takes off in 18 months, guess who is best poised to scoop up the viewers who won't watch Judge Judy?
LOSER: News broadcasts, including Tampa's WFLA-Ch. 8
Winfrey's talk show has been a successful lead-in for local news broadcasts -- including WFLA's 5 p.m. broadcast -- for years. Without her massive audience sticking around for news shows, the ratings game in many markets, including Tampa's, could shift significantly. Winfrey's show also appeared on lots of ABC affiliates across the country, which could affect ratings for the network's flagship evening newscast, World News Tonight.
WINNER: Winfrey's TV kids -- Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Dr. Phil
With big mama Winfrey gone, TV stations will need to fill lots of programming holes. And who better to use for holding onto some of Winfrey's massive audience than hosts who already have the Queen of All Media's seal of approval?
LOSER: Syndicated TV industry, especially CBS Television
Already on life support, this industry -- where TV shows are sold individually to each market instead of aired at once on a network -- has just seen its biggest star tell the world her future lies in another playground.
In particular, Winfrey's syndicator -- CBS Television Distribution, once known as King World -- will take a hit. The giant company, which sells everything from Inside Edition to Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Everybody Loves Raymond reruns, will see the show which is the linchpin of its success go away.
WINNER: The Oprah Winfrey Network
Struggling with a revolving door of executives and pushed back start dates, OWN's biggest problem may have been that it seemed a gigantic side project for its superstar namesake. But when Winfrey's show leaves the air in 18 months, OWN will be the only place in television where you might see her -- which just elevated its status tremendously.
LOSER: Oprah Winfrey?
It is never a good idea to bet against someone as wealthy, savvy and talented as Winfrey. Still, cable TV is by definition a niche medium that reaches a smaller sliver of the audience than the big broadcasters. It hard to imagine how she will retain the influence, audience and income she has enjoyed until now.
Though, if anyone can turn cable TV into a broad megaphone, it's Oprah. And we'll all have great fun watching her try.
Most of conservative pundit Glenn Beck's book signing events in Florida this weekend will be seriously brisk affairs; he's scheduled to hit seven different cities on Friday and Saturday, culminating with a noon stop in Tampa and a 3 p.m. rally/singing at The Villages retirement community.
But his stop at The Villages promises to be a special event. There, Beck says he's going to reveal details on The Plan -- a future direction for his Fox News Channel show, which is now the third most-popular program on the most-watched cable TV news channel.
"Coming this January, my whole approach changes on this program," said Beck in a clip from his Fox News Channel show widely circulated on the Internet. "Personal responsibility is dead in this country; it's time that we got the little paddles -- poof! -- and bring the body back."
Organizers in Tampa expect about 800 people to show for his stop there, as the host barrels between locations in a huge bus emblazoned with his logo -- whipping through a tight schedule arranged by a team of planners with the precision of a political campaign. Store staffers have already been told there won't be time to personalize his signatures or to talk with many people from the local press.
But his stop at The Villages may be different. The retirement community is a favorite for conservative politicians and authors -- former Arkansas governor-turned Fox News host Mike Huckabee drew a crowd of about 1,000 Monday to sign copies of his book A Simple Christmas. Former Alaska gov. Sarah Palin drops by Tuesday to sign copies of her new book, Going Rogue.
The Sarah Palin book tour continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for media watchers.
First, Fox News had to apologize today for telling viewers Wednesday that video from a campaign appearance by Palin last year before adoring throngs was footage from a recent book tour stop.
The flub highlights the ongoing controversy over whether outspoken conservatives such as Palin are widely popular or appeal to an excited niche. And its the second time in as many weeks that Fox had to apologize for leading viewers to believe old footage was new.
It also highlights something I said Sunday on CNN. The problem with having opinionated news networks isn't necessarily showcasing opinion, it's the lack of transparency and accuracy when programmers are actively and deliberately bending reality to fit their preconceived ideas.
I actually think this was an honest mistake -- mostly because Palin is drawing crowds at her book signings, so deception wasn't necessary (in fact, as I write this, MSNBC is broadcasting from a crowded Palin book signing). But when you've had your finger on the scale in the past, it's hard to argue innocence in the future.
The Daily Show also had several great segments Wednesday; particularly a bit where host Jon Stewart explains that critics object to Palin because her positions on issues are mostly conservative-friendly code words and phrases strung together in rambling sentences which sometimes don't even make sense.
Later, he complimented former CNN host Lou Dobbs for his consistency in upholding abhorrent and wrong views.
At a time when some critics insist that content in newspapers is unofficially for sale, Creative Loafing's Tampa edition is about to put that notion to the test.
The items for sale include: its lead cover image, a five-star review from its restaurant critic Brian Ries, a local band profile and photo shoot, the chance to write a music review of your choice and a chance to add your questions in person to an interview political editor Mitch Perry will conduct with a politician for a story in the newspaper and Perry's podcast.
These items involving the newspaper's actual content are sprinkled among more conventional bid items such as an indie record shopping spree and acting classes at the Venue Actors Studio. The suggested opening bids are rather low -- the one for the cover is $100 -- and the possibilities for problems seem plentiful.
What if a group of white supremacists want to buy the cover? Or that guy who swears Stephen King helped kill John Lennon? Can Creative Loafing say no if the image suggested isn't definitively offensive?
And doesn't the whole business, coming as the six-newspaper chain is climbing out of bankruptcy, reinforce the notion that their editorial product is unsteady enough to be bought out?
"This is our way of saying 'This is not how we do business,'" said Creative Loafing editor David Warner, clearly digging how vaguely disquieting this whole episode was for me. "just this once, you'll see what you get if our content actually is for sale. It's ironic, unchartered territory."
Based on an annual auction held by the Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger, it's also an interesting bit of irreverence coming as the chain's new owners hire more conventional newspaper types to run its properties -- from former St. Pete Times publisher Marty Petty joining as CEO to former Chicago Tribune managing editor Jim Warren becoming publisher of the chain's Chicago Reader.
The auction started this morning and concludes in December; the newspaper expects to maintain editorial control over the material provided by winning bidders. Warner wasn't sure, but believed The Stranger raises somewhere around $50,000 with its auctions.
And yes, I realize auctioning the newspaper's content is mostly a bid for free publicity, which I'm providing.
But I'm thinking I just might get a posse together here at Times Publishing and buy a big cover ad for our free weekly newspaper, TBT.
Hey, it's all for a good cause and free publicity, right?
I've been waylaid for much of today by problems with a virus in my office computer, so apologies for the lack of posts today.
But Nielsen has begun reporting TV ratings reports again after a power outage in Oldsmar during the wee hours Wednesday morning disrupted data collection efforts. Some local data was made available to clients last night, while national ratings were rolled out today, according to spokesman Gary Holmes.
There's still no word on why a transformer blew out at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, but the failure sent a power surge through Nielsen's systems which required them to restart much of their equipment over the day Wednesday, Holmes said. The disruption left clients without ratings for the better part of a day and revealed that their backup power systems might not be enough to halt disruptions in TV ratings during an emergency.
When I toured The Nielsen Company's $80-million, 475,000-square-foot data processing center in Oldsmar a few years ago, officials presented a facility poised to withstand just about anything the Tampa Bay area could dish out.
A fortified data collection area was built to endure a hurricane. Backup power generators were available to take over if Tampa Electric's power were interrupted. Tests had been performed to ensure lightning strikes would not disrupt service.
So how did a power transformer which blew out at 2:05 a.m. this morning, disrupt Nielsen's systems so badly that they could not release any ratings data today to clients?
"We have very good safeguards....but this was an unforeseeable, unprecedented event," said Nielsen spokesman Gary Holmes. "We don't even know all the information (about what happened)."
Holmes said a blown transformer sent a surge through Nielsen's systems which knocked out power at the Oldsmar complex. About 60 customers were affected by the outage, which lasted five hours; repair crews don't know yet what caused it, according to Tampa Electric Company. Nielsen's backup generators kicked in after an hour, Holmes said.
But the delay -- which occurred early in the morning, when Nielsen generally downloads data from thousands of households in its survey samples -- pushed back the company's process enough to scuttle overnight and weekly ratings reports to be released today. And officials can't say with certainty whether the data will be available tomorrow.
Nielsen took lots of criticism back in May, when computer server problems caused a delay in releasing ratings data for days, just as the networks were deciding on which series to keep for the next TV season.
Then, in September, 14 heavyweight media companies united to create the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement, an incubator for new techniques of audience measurement that some called a less-than-subtle challenge aimed at spurring Nielsen to work harder on new innovations.
With the economics of a multi-billion-dollar industry riding on its data processing abilities, Nielsen may face additional criticism -- particularly if the release of TV ratings is delayed by more than a day.
The Feed is a blog on TV, media and modern life by St. Petersburg Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans. Possibly the most critical guy at the Times, he has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years.
E-mail Eric Deggans:
deggans@sptimes.com
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The Feed is a blog on TV, media and modern life by St. Petersburg Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans. Possibly the most critical guy at the Times, he has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years.
E-mail Eric Deggans:
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