Last year, on a whim, I signed up to take part in the NYC marathon. Not only was it to be my first marathon, I hadn’t done ANY running for thirty-odd years. As I started training, from the first painful, gasping steps to being able to run comfortably for two, then four, six and12 miles, [...]
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A New Year’s Prediction
When I am dealing with producers on developing their projects, it usually come down to a final question: How is this going to be funded? The answer is on this order: Cable networks, cable networks, cable networks, PBS or maybe a benefactor with little expectation of a quick return. The long-tail theory says that in [...]
Charismatic leadership and why no one is a “natural seller”
Work is more fun when the skills you hone on the job are transferable. That is, you develop skills on the job that can help you with another job or even, another non-professional part of your life. Over the past few years I’ve learned that the skill of “sales” is one of the most important, [...]
CABLEU.tv CEO Gary Lico on his secrets for success and on philanthropy
Gary Lico, Cable U, talks about his secrets to successUploaded by maxwellflower. – Classic TV and last night's shows, online. Gary Lico, Cable U, on his philanthropic involvement with Syracuse University en Yahoo! Video
Good Reality Programming Contains Documentary
What has happened to the traditional documentary? As extinct as a Discovery Channel dinosaur. Maybe. On occasion you see documentary series, based upon archive, interspersed with interview and maybe a bit of reenactment to boot. Or even a straightforward, fly on the wall or verité program — which is usually a special or a simple [...]
How “Adversity” Creates Opportunity for Clever Producers
As the summer winds down, cable’s competitive winds shift direction. ESPN, which has been dealing with the slack time in summer following the World Cup event, picks up speed dramatically with Monday Night Football. And it won’t be long before college and pro football begin to play games that matter. That always means trouble for [...]
In Defense of Networks
Networks are often unfairly criticized for programming decisions. The criticism comes from those who lament that “everything on television is rubbish.” My response: 1) There’s plenty of great programming on television 2) To the extent that there are also base, valueless programs on television, it’s not really the networks’ fault. This all came to me [...]
The Best And Worst Network Taglines
Network taglines are an interesting marketing tool, and they’re not one thing to all networks. Most use it to define how they want us, the viewers, to think of their programming: Way More Than Cooking (Food Network), We Know Drama (TNT), Very Funny (TBS), Not Reality. Actuality (TruTV). Others go in a more lifestyle-defining direction, [...]
What Makes a TV Story Worth Your Time?
There’s a scene at the beginning of the movie Sideways where Paul Giamatti’s character tells another character he’s writing a work of fiction. The man responds that he actually prefers non-fiction, explaining “There is so much to know about the world that I think reading a story someone just invented is kind of a waste [...]
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CABLEU.tv, a leading independent cable television research company, regularly publishes reports and analysis concerning the major U.S. cable networks. Utilizing the latest Nielsen data, CABLEU.tv delivers actionable insights and opinions on key trends that thousands of industry professionals have come to depend on daily.
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3D Programming – Friend or Foe?
3D is seen by many companies as the next frontier in entertainment. Manufacturers are busy developing and producing new HDTV’s in 3D. As of right now, the viewer will have to wear special glasses to watch the programs. In-fact, there are many hurdles: a third of viewers may be physically unable to watch 3D; movie [...]