In American television in 2011, notable events include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and re-branding, as well as information about controversies and carriage disputes.
Antenna TV, a digital sub-channel network owned by Tribune Broadcasting, makes its debut. The network, whose programming is dedicated to classic television series and films, launches mainly on stations owned-or-operated by Tribune and Local TV LLC.[2]
PBS member station KCET/Los Angeles becomes an independent public/educational station. KOCE-TV/Huntington Beach, a secondary PBS affiliate serving nearby Orange County, replaces KCET as the LA market's primary PBS member station, rebranding as PBS SoCal.[3]
Dish Network and Frontier Radio Management fail to reach a new carriage agreement, leaving Macon customers without both ABC and Fox, where both networks come from WGXA.[4]
Comedy Central retires the skyscraper-and-globe-themed logo, which it used in one form or another since its 1991 debut, and adopts a new logo mark featuring two "C"'s (which resemble a copyright symbol), with one of them and the word "Central" turned upside-down.[7]
ESPN fires play-by-play announcer Ron Franklin for making derogatory remarks to colleague Jeannine Edwards during prep work for a December 31 telecast of the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Prior to the firing, Franklin was pulled from ESPN Radio's January 1 coverage of the Fiesta Bowl over the incident.[9]
7
History announces that its first scripted miniseries, The Kennedys, will not air on the network, with a spokesperson stating, "This dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand."[10] The content of the 8-part multimillion-dollar project (produced in Canada in partnership with History's Canadian counterpart, History Television) had been the source of controversy; various sources claimed inaccuracies in the script,[11][12][13] while the miniseries' director and production company countered that History officials gave approval on the final draft script and final cuts before dropping their broadcast plans.[14][15] The producers would then begin shopping the production around to other networks, and on February 1 reached a deal with ReelzChannel, which would air the miniseries in April (this after Showtime, Starz, FX, and Audience Network took a pass).[16][17]
Both Joan and Melissa Rivers announce that they will no longer do red carpet specials.[18]
15
After a lengthy dispute and two deadline extensions, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Time Warner Cable reach an agreement in principle to keep 28 Sinclair-owned-or-operated stations in 17 markets on Time Warner cable TV systems.[19] A more formal agreement would be announced on February 2, which includes plans for TWC to produce newscasts for Sinclair's ABC affiliate in the Greensboro market, WXLV-TV, beginning in 2012.[20]
After a lengthy review process, the FCC and Department of Justice approve (with conditions) Comcast's purchase of a controlling share of NBC Universal.[25] The deal officially closes before midnight on January 28, with Comcast owning 51% of NBCU and General Electric 49%.[26] GE completed a purchase of Vivendi's 12.3% share of NBCU on January 26.[27]
20
Houston PBS outlet KUHT announces that they will merge their operations with its FM sister station to become Houston Public Media.[28]
CBS announced that Two and a Half Men would go on a production hiatus after series star Charlie Sheen is admitted into a rehabilitation center, one day after his hospitalization for a hernia condition.[36]
Several American reporters are attacked during the protests in Egypt: Anderson Cooper is kicked and punched, Katie Couric gets rocks thrown at her, and several others are harassed, held or beaten by the angry mobs.[38]
Una Vez Mas purchases two Texas stations from the bankrupt Johnson Broadcasting, KNWS/Houston and KLDT/Dallas. The stations' call signs are respectively changed to KYAZ and KAZD, and their affiliations also change to Azteca America.[40]
4
Viacom (the American company that owns Nickelodeon) becomes a co-owner of the Italian television studio Rainbow S.p.A. after purchasing a 30% stake.[41] Following the purchase, Nickelodeon collaborated with Rainbow on multiple shows, including Winx Club and Club 57.[42]
Current TV announces that Keith Olbermann will join the network as its Chief News Officer and will have an equity stake in the network's parent company, Current Media. Olbermann will also anchor and executive produce a nighttime broadcast for the network. That show, which would start on June 20, bears the same name as his former MSNBC show, Countdown.[44]
Time Warner Cable announces the formation of two new Southern California-based regional sports networks named TWC SportsNet and TWC Deportes (one in English, one in Spanish) that would launch in 2012. The networks would serve as exclusive local TV homes of basketball's Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years beginning with the 2012–2013 NBA season.[49]
A unique daytime-primetime crossover airs involving ABC's All My Children and TV Land's Hot in Cleveland: the premise involves Wendie Malick's Cleveland character, Victoria Chase, landing a bit role on AMC as a housekeeper. Malick (as Victoria) appears on the AMC broadcast of the 24th; AMC castmembers Susan Lucci, Darnell Williams and Michael E. Knight appear on Cleveland's episode of the 23rd.[53]
24
Following a series of angry public rants by star Charlie Sheen, including comments directed at his employers, CBS and Warner Bros. announce that production on Two and a Half Men will be canceled for the remainder of the season.[54]
25
CNN announces that Parker Spitzer co-host Kathleen Parker will leave the show to concentrate on writing her syndicated news column (though she will continue to be a CNN contributor). On February 28, the show is revamped and retitled In the Arena, with sole host Eliot Spitzer presiding over roundtable discussions with journalists and contributors.[55]
Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Carlisle One Media, Inc. announces an agreement to purchase WZMY-TV/Derry, New Hampshire from ShootingStar Broadcasting of New England.[57] The deal for the MyNetworkTV and Universal Sports station, which is operated by New Age Media, would close in May, when the station changes call sign to WBIN-TV.[58]
4
Twenty-seven stations owned and operated by LIN TV Corporation that serve 17 markets vanish from Dish Network at midnight after the two companies fail to reach a retransmission consent deal. The stations are restored by March 13, when the companies reach a new deal.[59]
7
After a week of interviews in which he continues criticizing his employers, but also appears at times rambling and incoherent, Charlie Sheen is fired from Two and a Half Men.[54]
The 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament begins play, as does a multi-year broadcast partnership with CBS Sports and Turner Sports that will allow, for the first time, nationwide broadcasts of all tournament games in their entirety on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV (it's the first sports programming for the latter network, which is known for true crime and reality programming).[61]
18
Netflix announces a deal with Media Rights Capital for North American distribution of the original drama series House of Cards, which will premiere on the online and video distribution service in late 2012.[62] It is Netflix's first announced foray into distributing original episodic content. (Lilyhammer would be Netflix's first original show, debuting in February 2012.)
Tribune-ownedCW affiliate KIAH/Houston converts its hour-long 5 and 9 p.m. evening newscasts to NewsFix, a new format that de-emphasizes the traditional use of anchors and reporters, uses voiceover narration (by local radio personality Greg Onofrio) for continuity, and emphasizes visual storytelling, including graphics and camerawork.[64]
Amanda Knox, an American woman who was appealing her conviction of the 2007 murder of her roommate in Italy, filed an injunction to block a television film based on her case from airing on Italian television, claiming the movie (which premiered in the U.S. on Lifetime on February 22) left her "exploited" and "very disturbed." Knox also sought to block the film from running on the internet. YouTube has obliged by removing clips of and references to the movie from its website.[67] On October 4, an Italian jury overturned her conviction and Knox was freed. As a result, Lifetime announced that it will alter the TV movie to reflect the outcome.[68]
28
BBC World News America moves from BBC America to sister network BBC World News and is shortened from 60 to 30 minutes. The move is part of an effort to expand BBC News' U.S. operations (including efforts to increase cable/satellite carriage of BBC World News in the U.S.), as well as to more clearly define BBC America as an entertainment channel ( WNA still airs on several public television stations).[69]
29
AMC announces that the new season of Mad Men, its fifth, will be delayed into early 2012, the side effect of ongoing contract negotiations between AMC, Lions Gate Entertainment, and series creator/producer Matthew Weiner. Weiner would ink a deal to continue as Mad Men showrunner on March 31.[70]
New York City-based regional sports networkSNY announces they are in a carriage dispute with Dish Network.[72] The dispute comes to light the same day as the 2011 Major League Baseball season commences play (SNY is the cable home of the New York Mets). SNY was later removed from Dish Network,[73] prompting SNY to take out ads attacking the satellite TV company, and encouraging their customers to switch providers.[74]
Another New York City based regional sports network YES Network (cable home of the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets) informed DirecTV customers of a carriage dispute, which would have resulted in a loss of the channel beginning April 2.[72] After a week of good faith negotiations and a temporary agreement that allowed the channel to remain on DirecTV for another six days,[75] a new long-term carriage agreement was reached on April 7 with no interruption of service.[76]
Citing the station's lack of financial viability, the owners of OrlandoPBS affiliate WMFE-TV announce that the station will be sold. The buyer is religious broadcaster Daystar, who plans to eventually change WMFE to a Daystar station upon FCC approval.[80][81]
In an effort to expand its programming beyond college athletics, CBS College Sports Network rebrands as CBS Sports Network.[84]
Cablevision unveils its own iPad app, featuring 300 live channels streaming over its own proprietary Advanced Digital Cable network.[85] In response, YES Network claims its inclusion on the app is a violation of their distribution agreement.[86]Viacom files a similar complaint on April 7.[87]
Fox News Channel and Glenn Beck announce that Beck's self-titled show will end later in the year (June 30 would be its final airing), although Beck plans to develop new content for the network.[89][90]
7
Nexstar Broadcasting Group announces its purchase of CBS affiliates WFRV-TV/Green Bay and WJMN-TV/Marquette, a deal that would close on July 2. It also reveals its intentions for a separate local newscast on the latter station, which currently simulcasts news from the former.[91]
WWE announces its plans to launch its own 24-hour cable channel in 2012.[92]
Wheel of Fortune introduced a gameplay element in which picking up two such car plates would win a car. The debut featured was in a form similar to the Million Dollar Wedge (with the car plate sandwiched between two $500 spaces), and it would become a permanent format starting September 26 (which now became regular car plates covering a full wedge), until its retirement at the end of the 36th season.
14
ABC announces the cancellation of two of its long-running daytime dramas—All My Children, which will end its 41-year run in September, and One Life to Live, whose 43-year run will end in January 2012. Both shows will be replaced by lifestyle and talk programming.[94] The moves will leave General Hospital as ABC's last remaining daytime drama.
Cellular phone company Verizon Wireless announces it will phase out its famous "Can You Hear Me Now?" campaign. The catchphrase had been uttered on Verizon commercials since 2002 by the "Verizon Test Guy" (actor Paul Marcarelli), who last appeared in February promos for Verizon's iPhone 4.[95]
The studios of NBC affiliate WDIV-TV/Detroit are evacuated after a suspicious package is left in the station foyer. Though no explosives are discovered, the scare forces the station's 11 p.m. newscast to be delayed by 15 minutes.[96]
18
In protest over ABC's cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live, floor care company Hoover announces it will pull all advertising from the network as of April 22 and start a campaign to save both shows.[97]
GSN, ESPN, and Fox Sports Net begin to pare down or cancel airings of poker broadcasts and poker website advertising in the wake of United States v. Scheinberg, in which websites Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars are seized by federal authorities. ESPN and FSN would pull broadcasts of PokerStars-sponsored events, while GSN would reduce the number of weekly airings of High Stakes Poker, airing them without any mentions of poker website sponsorship.[98][99]
NBC Sports and the National Hockey League reach a new 10-year broadcast deal, running through the 2020–2021 season. The new deal will include national broadcasts of all Stanley Cup playoff games on NBC or sister channel Versus.[101]
Dave Willis announces that after 10 years on air, the title Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the longest running series on Cartoon Network's program blockAdult Swim, would officially be changed to Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1. The first official episode of the series to premiere as an Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 eventually aired on May 8, 2011.[103]
21
DirecTV launches its Home Premiere pay-per-view service, which allows subscribers to watch movies only 60 days after their theatrical release at a price of $29.99 each.[104]
NBC affiliate WALB in Albany, Georgia begins airing ABC programming on WALB-DT2, marking ABC's first full-time affiliate in Albany since the demise of WVGA (now CBS affiliate WSWG) in 1992. This also gives Albany in-market affiliates of all four major commercial networks.[107]
A special crossover storyline involving Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad! is pulled by Fox in the wake of a recent series of devastating storms and tornadoes that destroyed portions of the Southeastern United States. The planned episodes had the characters in all three shows bracing for a hurricane that was headed their way. The episodes later aired October 2, 2011.[112]
Dish Network and EchoStar announce that it will pay TiVo $500 million to settle their seven-year-long patent infringement battle over DVR technology used by Dish.[114]
3
An estimate released by Nielsen indicates that the number of households with television sets will decrease in 2012 for the first time in 20 years.[115]
4
The soon-to-be Pac-12 Conference announces a broadcast deal with ESPN and Fox Sports that goes into effect in 2012. The agreement will feature game broadcasts on ESPN's and Fox's sister networks (including ABC and FX), as well as their sharing broadcast duties for the conference's football and men's basketball championships on an alternating basis.[116]
Fox News Channel ends the contracts of two of its political contributors, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Both men, who were suspended by Fox on March 2, failed to meet a network-imposed May 1 deadline for their decisions on not running for president. (Gingrich would formally declare his candidacy on May 11, Santorum on June 6.)[118]
6
Oprah Winfrey Network CEO Christina Norman is dismissed and replaced on an interim basis by Peter Liguori, the chief operating officer of OWN's co-owner Discovery Communications.[119] Winfrey would move into the CEO position in the fall.[120]
With contract negotiations finishing at the last minute, Paula Abdul formally joins the judging panel on Fox's The X Factor for this date's taping of the first judging session.[123]
After four attempts in Survivor, Rob Mariano emerged as the sole survivor on the twenty-second season of Survivor; at 117 days of participation, he surpassed Parvati Shallow's record of 114 days as the longest played player in the show's history at the time of the finale. As of his fifth played season in Winners at War, Mariano played a cumulative 152 days (excluding his involvement in Island of the Idols), surpassing Ozzy Lusth's 127 which was surpassed during Game Changers six years later.
16
After seriously flirting with the idea for months, businessman and The Apprentice host Donald Trump announces that he will not run for President of the United States in 2012.[126] Eight months later on December 23, Trump switches his party affiliation from Republican to Independent due to a possible opening to enter the race as a third-party candidate.[127]
NBC and its affiliates announce plans for a "proxy" agreement that would see the network handle cable/satellite retransmission negotiations for any consenting affiliates. NBC, in exchange, would receive a percentage of the retrans fees the stations receive.[128]
Fox announces that Seth MacFarlane will create a new version of the classic animated series The Flintstones. Production will begin in Fall 2011 for a projected 2013 premiere.[131]
17
Telemundo announces that Cristina Saralegui will host a weekend talk show on the Spanish-language network beginning later in 2011. Saralegui had hosted a long-running talk show on competitor Univision until its cancellation in November 2010.[132]
19
After failing to reach a new contract with owner Comcast, Dick Ebersol announces his resignation as chairman of NBC Sports after 22 years, with Mark Lazarus, who heads NBC Sports Cable Group, being tapped to replace Ebersol.[133] (Ebersol's second-in-command, NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer, would announce his retirement one week later on May 26, effective at the end of summer.)[134]
After 25 years in syndication, Oprah Winfrey hosts the final original episode of her eponymous program, a guest-free retrospective and "thank you" to her viewers.[140]
MSNBC talk host Ed Schultz takes a one-week unpaid leave from his MSNBC primetime show for comments directed at conservative commentator Laura Ingraham on his syndicated radio program the previous day, in which Schultz twice referred to Ingraham as a "slut".[141] Schultz addresses the remarks and makes an on-air apology to Ingraham during the opening four minutes of the evening's broadcast, after which he turns it over to MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts and begins his leave.[142] Schultz returned as host of his primetime program on June 6.
ABC announces it has signed Katie Couric to host an eponymous daytime talk show that will be distributed by the network's syndication arm and premiere on September 6, 2012. At that time, ABC is expected to turn over the 3-4PM (ET/PT) hour of its daytime network schedule back to its affiliates (General Hospital currently airs in that time slot, and its future after September 2012 has yet to be determined). Also as part of the deal, Couric will contribute to ABC News programming.[144][145]
Meredith Vieira anchors her final broadcast of Today after five years. Ann Curry, the NBC show's newsreader since 1997, moves into the co-host role with Matt Lauer the following day.[150]
Science Channel rebrands with a new logo, graphics, and name, going as simply "Science."[151]
KNX radio announcer Jim Thornton officially becomes the announcer of Wheel of Fortune. Earlier, Thornton made his debut as announcer on a majority of the season starting on December 20, 2010.
NBC issued an apology for running an opening montage during its U.S. Open broadcast the previous day that featured a partially redacted recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.[157]
Citing a Major League Baseball rule that forbids franchises to borrow on future assets in order to pay current bills, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig rejects a proposed local TV contract between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports Net's Prime Ticket.[158] As a result, the Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a week later.[159] (Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had been in a protracted divorce case, the settlement of which was contingent on MLB's approval of the team's deal with Fox.)
23
Viacom sues Cablevision over the latter company's iPad app, claiming it is in violation of their distribution agreement.[160]
24
The State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issues a 15-year cable franchise license to Hawaiian Telcom, thus ending Oceanic Time Warner's 35-year monopoly as the state's sole cable TV provider.[161] Hawaiian Telcom launched the service on July 1, after a year of testing in the Honolulu area, with statewide expansion to start in 2012.[162]
27
New Moon Communications, a minority-owned broadcasting company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, announces it will acquire four LPTV stations, all of them former TBN affiliates, from The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council. The stations—WDON/Dothan, Alabama, WZMC/Jackson, Tennessee, KJNE/Jonesboro, Arkansas and KUMK/Ottumwa, Iowa—were slated for NBC affiliation starting in September, but eventually were either sold off or never had digital facilities built out and their licenses canceled.[163] Of the four, only WDON ever came to air as an NBC affiliate, after being sold to Gray Television and becoming WRGX-LD.
Five months after joining Univision as its Executive Vice President and COO,[164]Randy Falco is promoted to the President and CEO positions at the network.[165]
MSNBC analyst Mark Halperin calls President Obama a "dick" during a live broadcast of Morning Joe. Halperin warned he was about to use the vulgarity and asked for a 7-second delay so it could be censored, but the show's new executive producer didn't know how to do so and the profanity was aired uncensored. Though Halperin would issue an on-air apology, he would be suspended by the network.[166]
July
Date
Event
1
Control of public television's New Jersey Network shifts from the State of New Jersey to a subsidiary of WNET/New York City, which rebrands the stations as NJTV while the state retains the stations' licenses.[167] The changeover comes 4 days after the New Jersey Senate, by one vote, fails to block the plan.[168]
PBS member station KTEH/San Jose, rebrands to KQED Plus (KQEH) for another channel of quality Public Television, where KQED was not related to KTEH.[171]
3
NBC airs Wimbledon for the 43rd and final time, with the network stating later in the day that they have been outbid for future US broadcast rights to the annual British tennis tournament.[172] The winning bidder would be ESPN, who has carried early round coverage since 2003 and will carry all rounds exclusively (and live to all time zones) until 2023.[173]
4
OTA Broadcasting wins the bankrupt independent station KFFV/Seattle from North Pacific International Television, Inc., with a bid of $5.2 million in auction.[174]
6
NBC transferred the ownership of one of its three stations in Los Angeles, Spanish-language independent stationKWHY-TV, to local businessman Alex Meruelo, who had acquired the station for $43 million in January. The station became a MundoFox affiliate in 2012.[175]
7
Media/production company Prospect Park announces it has picked up the license to produce and air new episodes of All My Children and One Life to Live on an in-development website similar to Hulu after the shows conclude their runs on ABC.[176] Prospect Park would be unable to reach deals with all parties involved (from actors to financial backing), and by November 23 would announce it would shut down production development on both soaps,[177] thus preventing both from being the first of the genre to transfer their first-run broadcasts from conventional TV to online broadcasting.
The Philadelphia-based 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals rules in favor of the Federal Communications Commission over their 2008 decision to keep the cross-ownership rules for TV/radio stations as it is. The ruling also includes keeping current limits on local ownership rules, including the "sub-caps" for AM and FM stations, and that the Commission was correct in not counting HD Radio simulcasts against the ownership limits.[178]
Citing fatigue in the position and difficulty with boxing broadcast negotiations, Ross Greenburg announces he will leave as president of HBO Sports after 11 years in the position and 33 years with the network.[183]
20
After a six-month stint as a fill-in for MSNBC's 6 pm timeslot, The Young Turks'Cenk Uygur turns down a deal to sign with the network and parts ways.[184]Al Sharpton, who took his spot and saw the ratings for his appearance increased, took over the hour on a permanent basis and was later given his own show called PoliticsNation, which premiered August 29.[185]
Nickelodeon launches a block of reruns of its 1990s programming to cater to its twentysomething viewers. Dubbed The '90s Are All That, the block airs on its older-skewing sister channel, TeenNick.
Both MSNBC and host Rachel Maddow are sued by conservative preacher-musician Bradlee Dean (the founder of the religious group You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International) for $50 million in damages, claiming that Maddow took his comments that homosexuals should be executed in accordance with Islamic Sharia law out of context during a segment on her show in 2010, despite a disclaimer about his personal views (including a posted retraction by Dean about the statement) made by Maddow. MSNBC has stated that Dean's lawsuit has no merit.[188]
The Pac-12 Conference announces it will launch a group of one national and six regional networks dedicated to airing sporting events featuring the conference's schools. The networks are set to debut in August 2012.[189]
Starz Entertainment makes several changes and additions to its Encore premium multiplex service: an eighth channel, Encore Español, launches as a Spanish-language simulcast of the primary Encore channel; Encore Mystery and Encore WAM are rebranded as Encore Suspense and Encore Family respectively; and high definition feeds of Encore Action and Encore Drama launch. Additionally, MoviePlex discontinues its rotating daily simulcasts of programming from Encore's multiplex channels and becomes a standalone channel.[193] On this date and August 2, Encore aired its first original programming: the mini-series Moby Dick.[194] Additional original programs scheduled for Encore this year are the mini-series The Take[194] and the documentary Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis.[195]
The Fox affiliation in Fort Wayne, Indiana moves from WFFT-TV to WISE-DT2, a subchannel of Fort Wayne's NBC affiliate that retains secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV.[196] WFFT-TV becomes an independent station, which was its status from its 1977 launch until joining Fox in 1986.[197] The swap occurs 6 days after WFFT owner Nexstar Broadcasting Group, which had been going through a falling out with Fox in several of its markets, files a federal antitrust lawsuit against WISE owner Granite Broadcasting over Granite's monopolization of operating 2 TV stations with 4 network affiliations in the Fort Wayne market (Granite operates, through an LMA, ABC/CW affiliate WPTA, which is owned by Malara Broadcasting).[198]
MTV celebrates the 30th anniversary of its launch. Sister network VH1 Classic joins in by airing the channel's original first hour (including the original commercials and technical difficulties) in addition to some of the network's most memorable shows and moments throughout the weekend.[199]
PBS announces that it is launching a PBS-branded channel in the United Kingdom in November.[200][201]
Comcast sues DirecTV for false advertising for ads that claim its exclusive out of market sports package NFL Sunday Ticket is now free for new customers.[203] Comcast dropped the case on August 19 after DirecTV altered the ads to remove the word "free".[204]
Cinemax, the Time Warner-owned premium cable channel known for running mainstream feature films and late night adult programming under the "Max After Dark" banner, expands its original programming into mainstream content[207] with the U.S. launch of the primetime British action series Strike Back (the series, which will be aired in the United States for the first time, originally debuted on Sky1 in the U.K. in 2010, with first-run episodes set to air on Cinemax being from the second season).[208] Additional action series Transporter: The Series,[209]The Sector,[210]Banshee,[211] and Sandbox[212] are in production and are scheduled to premiere in 2012. Earlier in the month on August 1, the channel retired its logos that have been used since 1997 (the logo in use at the time, a modification of the 1997 version, dates back to 2008), changing to a new ones with a different font and color scheme.
15
Fox begins next-day streaming of its shows to paying customers of approved cable and satellite distributors. People who want to see the episodes the following day for free on Hulu will have to wait eight days after the first-run telecasts.[213]
Christine O'Donnell becomes the first guest to walk out on Piers Morgan Tonight after the host asked her questions on her views on same-sex marriage, which she thought were rude.[215]
Bravo announces it will reedit the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after Russell Armstrong, husband of Taylor Armstrong, is found dead from an apparent suicide. The couple was reportedly having marital problems.[218]
Univision-owned WUVC-DT/Raleigh premieres a weeknight half-hour 6 p.m. newscast, titled Noticias 40. It is the first Spanish-language local newscast in the state of North Carolina.[221]
Major changes take place on the MDA Labor Day Telethon: The show is shortened to six hours (less than one third its previous length), airs live only on the East Coast, and abandons its nominal and traditional carryover to Labor Day (instead airing only on this date). It also does not include any live appearance by Jerry Lewis, the telethon's founder and host since its inception, although a tribute to him is featured in the telecast's opening and closing segments (Lewis was "released" from his post at the Muscular Dystrophy Association on August 3).[225]
8
Sinclair Broadcast Group announces its acquisition of 7 TV stations from Four Points Media Group for $200 million, a deal that closes the first week of January 2012. The stations involved in the transaction are KUTV and KMYU/Salt Lake City, KEYE/Austin, WTVX, WWHB and WTCN/West Palm Beach, and WLWC/Providence. The deal brings Sinclair into these four TV markets for the first time.[226][227]
The same day the 2011 NFL regular season kicks off, ESPN extends its contract for Monday Night Football for another eight seasons, giving it rights to the broadcasts until 2021. The new deal, valued between $14.2 billion and $15.2 billion, also gives them rights to expanded highlights, international and digital rights, and possibly a Wildcard game.[228] The deal also draws rebukes from cable operators over its cost and the likelihood of an increase in ESPN's already record-high retransmission consent fees.[229]
After his original date (September 7) is turned down by House leadership, President Barack Obama delivers a speech on jobs to the United States Congress on this date. The speech is delivered at an unusual time for a Presidential speech to Congress: the prime time "access" slot of 7PM (ET), so as to avoid potential conflict with the NFL's season opener between New Orleans and Green Bay. The President's speech finishes well before the game's start time of 8:30PM (ET).[230][231]
Seeking to expand the network's coverage and possibly add HD content, NBC Sports announces it will move its Universal Sports from an over-the-air digital multicast network to a cable/satellite network, beginning in early 2012.[234] DirecTV already offers the channel on its national lineup.
WichitaCBS affiliate KWCH begins producing half-hour 4 and 9 p.m. newscasts for CW affiliate KSCW-DT (both stations are owned by Schurz Communications). The latter KSCW-DT newscasts will compete with an existing 9 p.m. newscast KWCH produces for Fox affiliate KSAS-TV, owned by Newport Television, since 2004 (KSAS' news share arrangement with KWCH will expire at the end of the year). As a result, KWCH will become the first U.S. television station to simultaneously produce newscasts for four stations in the same market (in addition to its own newscasts and the outsourced news programs for KSCW-DT and KSAS, it also produces a newscast for Univision affiliate KDCU-DT) and the first U.S. station to produce competing outsourced primetime newscasts for two stations in the same market.[235]
13
Journal Communications announces that they will drop The Cool TV from their stations and plan to sue parent company Cool Music Network for $257,500, claiming that they were not paid for broadcasting services prior to June 1. The channels will be replaced with programming from other providers, such as Live Well Network and Me-TV.[236]
The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards airs on Fox. This telecast, which was produced for the first time by Mark Burnett, is part of an eight-year renewal deal with the four major over-the-air networks (Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC), ending speculations that it would move to cable.[237]
23
All My Children, an ABC long-running 41-year-old soap opera that debuted in 1970, airs its final episode on the network after more than 10,000 episodes.[238]
25
Fast food chain Wendy's unveils a new ad campaign based on its famous "Where's the beef?" ad campaign of the 1980s, using a new slogan that answers that famous question: "Here's the beef."[239]
26
Bounce TV, an over-the-air digital broadcast television network aimed at an African-American audience, commences programming.[240]
A&E Networks rebrands History International as H2, which includes broadcasts of more recent documentary programming to it from parent channel History.[241]
27
ALN (American Life Net) is rebranded as Youtoo TV, with a new format featuring Internet based programs as well as viewer contributed videos via social networking sites.[242]
HD Theater is rebranded as Velocity to more naturally fit its increased focus on male-oriented programming.[250]
11
Roberts Broadcasting, whose portfolio includes four CW affiliates and one My Network TV affiliate, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the company defaulting on payments to Warner Bros. Television Distribution that resulted in the latter pulling their properties from Roberts' stations, and an earlier lawsuit of the same from CBS Television Distribution.[251]
CBS commemorates the 60th anniversary of its famous eye logo.[255]
21
FIFA, soccer's governing body, reaches U.S. broadcast deals with Fox Sports (English language) and Telemundo (Spanish language) for FIFA championship events from 2015 to 2022, including the 2018 and 2022Men's World Cup championships. Fox's bid surpasses those from incumbent ESPN and NBC Sports, while Telemundo's bests Spanish incumbent Univision.[256]
Sinclair Broadcast Group makes its second station purchase of 2011, acquiring the eight stations (mainly ABC and CBS affiliates) put up for sale by Freedom Communications earlier in the year. The deal (pending FCC approval) is worth $385 million.[261]
NBCUniversal announces that is reorganizing its local NBC Nonstop digital broadcast channels carried on ten of the 11 NBC stations owned by the company's NBC-Owned Television Stations division into one national network. The national NBC Nonstop, which will feature news and lifestyle programming (along with locally produced content by its affiliates) is set to launch in early 2012, and will also be made available for distribution to NBC affiliates not owned by NBCUniversal (it will be the second news and information digital multicast network venture by NBC, the weather-focused NBC Weather Plus operated from 2004 to 2008).[262]
3
Bounce TV announces an affiliation deal with Fox Television Stations Group. The digital multicast network will initially be available to Fox's MyNetworkTV stations in Los Angeles (KCOP) and New York City (WWOR-TV), with eventual subchannel carriage on additional Fox-owned MNT stations. The deal is FTSG's first subchannel venture, and makes Bounce TV the second outside-owned multicaster to reach an affiliation agreement with a major O&O group (The Local AccuWeather Channel was carried on ABC's O&O stations from 2006 to 2010).[263]
Conan O'Brien ends his week-long return to New York City by officiating what is believed to be the first televised same-sex marriage between a staff member and his partner on Conan.[264]
7
ABC affiliate WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee announces that they have signed an affiliation deal with CBS and will carry their programs on their DT3 subchannel, beginning January 1, 2012. This will be the first time since 1968 that WBBJ carried CBS programming when it was WDXI-TV (as it was a CBS affiliate from its 1955 sign on until its network switch to ABC that year).[265]
9
At approximately 2:00 PM EST, all TV and radio stations in the Emergency Alert System are tested simultaneously, the first nationwide test of the system since its 1997 inception.[266]
Belo Corporation and Raycom Media announces a shared services agreement for their Tucson outlets. As a result of this deal, Raycom's CBS affiliate KOLD will take over the programming and newscasts operations of Belo's Fox outlet KMSB and sister My Network TV affiliate KTTU, starting in February 2012. Belo will continue to own KMSB and KTTU and retain their sales department.[268]
Actor-director Hugh Laurie announces that he will retire from performing on television after 30 years in the business. Laurie states that he will transition more into directing and big-screen roles once his Fox series House M.D. concludes its run after its eighth season.[271][272]
ABC announces that Brian Frons, who has served as the president of the network's ABC Daytime division since August 2002 and faced criticism over the April cancellation of longtime soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live, will step down from the position upon the expiration of his contract with ABC in January 2012. Vicki Dummer, currently serving as ABC's Senior Vice President of Current Series and Specials, will take over as president of the division, which will be internally renamed within the company as Times Square Studios.[278]
5
Citing its "different business model" as an independent station (it lost its Fox affiliation on September 1), KTRV-TV/Boise suspends its news operations.[279]
Disney XD announces that actor/singer Mitchel Musso will not return for the third and final season of Pair of Kings, with Adam Hicks (star of fellow Disney XD series Zeke and Luther) replacing Musso in a new role.[282] The move comes after Musso's October 16 arrest and December 9 arraignment on 2 misdemeanor counts of DUI (for which a not guilty plea was entered in a Burbank district court).[283][284] Additionally, his monthly Disney Channel series PrankStars was canceled immediately, with the remainder of the already filmed episodes never airing in the United States and burned off in the United Kingdom. Despite the arrest, Musso would remain as the voice of Jeremy Johnson on Phineas and Ferb, until the show's series finale in June 2015 and appearances beyond.
13
Citing a desire to return to international reporting, ABC announced that Christiane Amanpour will step down as host of This Week, but will continue to work for both ABC and prior employer CNN, where she will host a daily show for CNN International, where she hosted a show until 2010. George Stephanopoulos, whom Amanpour succeeded as host, will return to hosting This Week in January 2012 while continuing as co-host on Good Morning America.[285]
The FCC puts forth a proposal that would loosen cross-ownership restrictions, including a move to allow common ownership of radio, TV, and print outlets in the top 20 U.S. markets (where restrictions are already tighter), and modifications to existing rules, including radio-TV ownership in smaller markets.[290]
^ abcdThe Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor is a combined award. Nominees include actors from drama and comedy series, TV films, and miniseries. The winner is only listed once, based on the genre of the series they are a part of.
Reporter for Washington, D.C. area radio and TV stations and former head of television and radio projects for The Washington Post and co-owned Post-Newsweek Stations
Founder, and later CEO, of Apple Inc. (Oversaw the creation of, and helped adapted, television programs and other media platforms, for use on Apple's iPod, iPad, Apple TV, and iPhone devices)
