The Morning Fix: Olympic ranting. Disney Channel’s crossover hit.
After the coffee. Before learning how to score gymnastics.
The Skinny: Lots of gripes about how NBC is covering the Olympics (see below). My favorite complaint is that NBC has a “monopoly” on the games. Well, they outbid Fox and ESPN for that “monopoly.” No one handed them the Games and said “go to town.” Tuesday’s headlines include the above-mentioned Olympic coverage complaints, a look at how much money Warner Bros. pumps into the local economy and a new Disney Channel cartoon is a hit with African Americans.
Daily Dose: Fox Business Network continues to make gains on CNBC. In July, FBN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” beat CNBC’s “The Kudlow Report” in the key 25-54 demographic. It’s the first time “Lou Dobbs Tonight” has scored a monthly win since it premiered in March 2011. In total viewers, Dobbs still trailed Kudlow by about 10,000.
Big spender! How important in Warner Bros. to Los Angeles County? Well, in 2010 the studio spent about $1.6 billion on local businesses and paid $2.5 billion in wages and residuals to residents. While studios typically guard such numbers, Warner Bros. is in a talking mood in an effort to enlighten local communities and civic leaders about the value of having it in the backyard. Details on the local spending habits of Warner Bros. from the Los Angeles Times.
No pleasing everyone. NBC’s Olympics are scoring big ratings for the network. It is also streaming events live online (I snuck a peak at women’s volleyball on Monday). But there will also be people who can find things to complain about and now thanks to Twitter they have a platform for their rants against NBC. If the network could make as much money by playing the Olympics live on TV all day with no tape delay and no worries about a prime-time audience, it would. But until that day comes, tape delay in prime time for TV will remain as it has for decades. Since I actually work during the day and am definitely in the casual viewer camp, it’s not a big deal to me. There are worse things in the world I can find to complain about. More on the backlash against NBC from the Baltimore Sun and Los Angeles Times.
Can I get a show? Google’s YouTube is determined to make its video platform a showcase for professional entertainment (as opposed to clips of cats doing silly things). Having already spent $150 million to launch dozens of channels, it is now pumping another $200 million into the effort. Lots of producers and stars are also giving YouTube a shot. Details from the Wall Street Journal.
Building bridges. The New York Times notes that Walt Disney Co. has at times had a hard time connecting with African Americans. But now, thanks to a new Disney Channel cartoon called “Doc McStuffins,” the company has hit pay dirt. “For Disney to make a cartoon that stars a little brown girl as an aspiring intellectual professional, that’s coming a long way,” one mother said of the show.
Get out the vote! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will elect a new president Tuesday night. There are at least five people jockeying for the job including studio executive Rob Friedman and producer Gale Anne Hurd. Variety with a preview of the race.
Reborn! When Matt Damon decided to stop playing Jason Bourne, many bet that the franchise would end. But Universal is banking on Jeremy Renner keeping it alive. The Hollywood Reporter talks with producer Frank Marshall and coproducer Pat Crowley about their efforts to show that Bourne is more than Matt Damon.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Spanish-language TV stations and networks are poised to make big bucks from political spots.
Follow me on Twitter and pick fights with me. Twitter.com/JBFlint
For the record: An earlier version of this post misidentified “The Bourne Legacy” producer Pat Crowley as Jonathan Crowley.
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