CBS Reality Show Abused Kid Stars: Parents

This year's network pilots include four with non-white stars

(NEWSER) - The upcoming crop of pilots for network TV offers hope that the industry taboo against minority leads in dramas can finally be put to rest. Four of the most high-profile projects in the works feature non-white actors, notes the Hollywood Reporter , including Forest Whitaker in a spinoff of Criminal Minds for CBS. More»

Networks retune their lineup to court young viewers

(NEWSER) - Network TV's big hits—Modern Family, The Cleveland Show, NCIS: Los Angeles—join a pack of losers and losing news: NBC viewership is down 10% among young adults, ABC and CBS have slipped, too, and Eastwick, Hank, and Trauma have already been canceled. The LA Times surveys the playing field, mid-season.

• Comedy rules—kinda: Modern Family has reeled in 10.6 million viewers, but networks are still struggling to find the Friends or Seinfeld of the late aughts.

Broadcasters say 'overexposed' prez wastes valuable time

(NEWSER) - Networks are not happy about the primetime hour that President Obama's July 22 news conference took up, reports Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post. Rahm Emanuel called the top brass at all three networks to ensure they carried the event. The networks both resent the pressure and complain that they’re not getting their money’s worth. “There was nothing” newsworthy, says one CBS VP. “There hardly ever is these days.” More»

Growing chorus says couple exploiting their children

(NEWSER) - Jon and Kate Gosselin and their eight children have become the darlings of cable TV, giving hope to frazzled parents everywhere with their hit show Jon & Kate Plus 8. But the love affair with the bustling brood is ending, Jessica Remo writes in Philadelphia Magazine. “They are totally exploiting those kids,” said one organizer who was burned by the couple. "I was pissed," she admits. More»

Networks consider jumping straight to cable

(NEWSER) - For decades, local TV stations ruled the airwaves and were treated with deference by the likes of ABC, CBS, and NBC, which needed them to reach their audiences. But as the recession has pummeled advertising revenue, most have been forced to make drastic cuts, and the networks are contemplating doing the unthinkable: ditching the airwaves for cable, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»