May 22, 2013 - 2:31 PM
By Alan Pergament
Does anyone in the Erie County Legislature have time to watch reality TV?
I certainly wondered if they watched this season's "The Amazing Race."
WNYers Katie and Max Bichler, the newlyweds who finished second in the Emmy Award-winning series, will accept a proclamation at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Legislature.
Continue reading "An "Amazing" local honor for the Bichlers " »
May 22, 2013 - 8:43 AM
By Alan Pergament
This is what I'm thinking:
You may have read that viewership for the two-hour season finale of "American Idol" fell 33 percent from a year ago.
Not so on Buffalo's Fox affiliate, WUTV.
Continue reading ""Idol" finale steady here; Stanonis full-time at Ch.2" »
May 21, 2013 - 9:19 AM
By Alan Pergament
The differences in news philosophies between Channel 2 and Channel 7 were on display Monday during coverage of the devastating Oklahoma tornado that grabbed the attention of the national morning shows today and the cable networks Monday night.
Channel 7, the third-rated news station, gave 11 p.m. viewers Team Coverage for more than seven minutes, more than twice as long as Channel 2 gave the story.
Of course, Channel 7 has the smallest staff in town, and team coverage fills time. But this national event, certainly deserved the extra coverage at 11 p.m.
Continue reading "Ch.7 makes right call on tornado coverage at 11" »
May 20, 2013 - 10:15 AM
By Alan Pergament
It isn't always wise to ask viewers to speculate on surprising news because the truth can be a little disappointing and the guesses have the potential to be embarrassing.
On Sunday night, Channel 2's "Daybreak" co-anchor Melissa Holmes sent out a Facebook message telling viewers that there was going to be "big news about one member of the 'Daybreak' family" on the No. 1 morning program in Western New York. Naturally, that led to speculation.
Continue reading "Baby, big "Daybreak" surprise not what was expected " »
May 20, 2013 - 8:51 AM
By Alan Pergament
As many of you know, I continued to blog about local and national television during my three-year sabbatical from The Buffalo News.
I did it for a variety of reasons. The primary reason was because I enjoy writing about television.
Continue reading "Mel Brooks stories you won't hear tonight" »
May 17, 2013 - 8:19 PM
By Alan Pergament
Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Marcellus Wiley, who has become a TV star, didn't exactly sell Western New York to Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel Friday night on ESPN's "Sports Nation."
To his credit, Manuel wasn't buying Wiley's negativity.
Co-host Charissa Thompson told Manuel on the set that the good news is the Bills need QB competition and the bad news is that Buffalo is "not a thriving metropolis." Then she asked Wiley how his four seasons in Buffalo went.
Continue reading "Ex Bill on ESPN tells EJ Manuel to go to the movies" »
May 17, 2013 - 7:15 AM
By Alan Pergament
If you were watching "Grey's Anatomy," "American Idol" or the New York Knicks Thursday night when the series finale of "The Office" was playing, head to On Demand or Hulu in the next few days.
Writer-producer Greg Daniels somehow found time to give all the series' 100 or so characters (OK, I exaggerate slightly) a decent send-off and even was able to get himself in a staged photo of the cast. Daniels was the tall guy standing next to Pam (Jenna Fischer) when she organized the group photo that matched an oil painting she had drawn to celebrate the occasion.
Continue reading ""Office" finale rocks; Ch.2 headed to sweeps win" »
May 15, 2013 - 7:55 AM
By Alan Pergament
I probably watch Eyewitness News much less than I watch Channel 7's rivals, primarily because the newscast usually gives me less of a reason to watch because of its smaller staff.
However, there are times when you just need some relief from the measured earnestness and upbeat happy talk of Channel 2's anchor team of Scott Levin and Maryalice Demler even if the station does a better job of covering the news.
As one of my readers humorously put it recently, Channel 2's slogan "2 On Your Side" should be changed occasionally to "2 on Your Nerves."
Continue reading "Radford's tribute to Kahle is almost magical " »
May 13, 2013 - 7:32 AM
By Alan Pergament
A few weeks ago, I sat down with Channel 4 General Manager Chris Musial to interview him about the news department's fall from No.1 and his plans to take back the lead from Channel 2.
Like Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier, Musial sounded like a guy ready to fix the problems created during his lengthy reign as GM.
That's what made the timing of the news Friday that Musial is retiring from the station at the end of the month so surprising.
Continue reading "Timing of Musial's departure is surprising" »
May 10, 2013 - 7:58 AM
By Alan Pergament
As the broadcast networks start introducing the new series they plan to premiere in the fall and in midseason of 2014, I'm more than a little worried about their futures.
That’s because Western New York, which has been traditionally one of the stronger markets for series carried by the Big Four of CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox, seems to be losing interest in network prime time shows at an alarming rate.
On Wednesday night, a Final 3 episode of "American Idol" didn’t even get a 5 rating on WUTV, the local Fox affiliate. "Idol" averaged four times that rating in its prime. Now even judge Randy Jackson has seen the handwriting on the wall and has announced he is leaving next season.
Alan Pergament has continued to blog about television topics since retiring in 2010 as The News' television writer after 28 years on the beat. From local on-air personalities to ratings to the latest on network and cable programming, he keeps you informed.
