Topic: Cable Tv

David Ellison's Skydance Media has reportedly purchased Barry Weiss's "The Free Press" for up to $200 million, with plans to install her in a leadership role at CBS News. Ellison is also floating ideas to revitalize MTV by returning to music video programming and "tastemaker" status, though skeptics doubt the viability of reviving cable networks for Gen X and Boomer audiences.

Following an $8 billion deal to acquire Paramount, Skydance executives are looking for ways to cut costs while maintaining popular content. A point of contention is the high production cost of Tyler Perry's shows for BET, which can reach $7 million per episode. The hosts discuss the difficulty of maintaining cable relevance in a streaming-dominated market.

A Hollywood executive reported that securing a carriage deal for a new cable channel is nearly impossible in the current economic environment. Even a hypothetical channel featuring top-tier talent like Joe Rogan or Megyn Kelly would face rejection due to tightening budgets and the "death knell" of an aging cable demographic. The industry is moving away from adding channels as cord-cutting continues to accelerate.

The hosts explore the idea of launching a "Value for Value" cable TV network (V4VTV). They analyze a spreadsheet of cable carriage fees, noting that networks like ESPN receive over $10 per household, while smaller channels like Magnolia or the Food Network receive significantly less.

The hosts test new "In Search Of" (ISO) soundbites, including a clip of Richard Dreyfuss saying "they make me vomit." One host recounts a frustrating 20-minute ordeal trying to cancel Spectrum cable service, contrasting it with a positive, five-minute experience canceling a Verizon dongle. They criticize the "shameful" retention questionnaires used by cable companies.

In a recent address, President Joe Biden blamed "dangerous misinformation" on cable TV and social media for slowing vaccine uptake. He called on media personalities and companies to stop peddling lies, specifically targeting those he claims are profiting from pandemic-related skepticism.

The first Republican primary debate of the 2015 cycle drew 24 million viewers on Fox News, setting a record for a non-sporting event on cable television. While the figures were high for cable, they remained significantly lower than the 88 million viewers who watched the 1980 Reagan-Carter debate on broadcast networks.

The hosts warn that reclassifying the internet under Title II gives the FCC the same regulatory power it has over broadcast radio and television. They cite the lack of free speech on FCC-licensed Ham radio as a precedent for how the government might eventually restrict encryption and "subversive" content online.

A host recounts an appearance on Tom Merritt's Daily Tech News Show, which involved technical difficulties with Google Hangouts and Mac drivers. This leads to a discussion of the website "What You Pay For Sports," which exposes how cable subscribers pay nearly $80 a year for ESPN through carriage fees regardless of whether they watch sports.

The current net neutrality debate is compared to the historical evolution of cable television, where channels like HBO originally paid for carriage before gaining enough leverage to charge cable companies. Suspicions are raised regarding the recent performance degradation of Google services on Comcast networks, questioning whether it is due to intentional throttling or peering disputes. The "revolution" of the internet is lamented for having devolved into a platform primarily for Netflix and Facebook.

The show recognizes various donors and "knights" for their financial contributions to the program. Birthday wishes are extended to several listeners, including Katherine Anderson and Brian Vaughn. The hosts also encourage listeners to "cut the cable" to save money, citing the high costs of providers like Time Warner and Comcast compared to the value of independent media.

Nielsen reports a significant decline in television viewership hours per household for the first time in two decades. CNN faces a severe ratings crisis with average viewership dropping to approximately 100,000 people, drawing comparisons to the low numbers seen during the era of TechTV.

A listener reports canceling their cable TV subscription to save their children's minds, a move the hosts support. Another donor shares a story about a "palindrome" parking slip (02-21-12) and requests karma for a trip to Puerto Rico. The segment reinforces the show's community-driven nature through personal anecdotes and small-scale activism.

Adam Curry leads a game where Dvorak must guess the cable network based on show titles like "Dog the Bounty Hunter," "Mob Wives," and "I Cloned My Pet." The game highlights the "dumbing down" of cable television, where the History Channel and National Geographic air content unrelated to their original missions, such as "Killer Ants" and "Toddlers and Tiaras."

David Bohrman, formerly of CNN and MSNBC, is now running operations at Current TV. The hosts discuss the network's financial health, noting it generated an estimated $115 million in 2011. They critique the low production value of the network's election coverage, which featured CNN monitors in the background.

A segment from the cable show "Sports Soup" is played, featuring a montage of sports commentators' phrases edited to sound like sexual double entendres. The hosts find the "Out of Context" concept amusing and suggest a similar edit could be made for their own program.