Seriously? OMG! WTF?

In an attempt to try to paint a negative situation into a positive, NBC Universal has announced a new initiative called "NBCU 2.0" that it contends will "drive growth across every business." But while the company tried to paint a rosy picture of how benefitical the changes will be, it is clear that they are being made simply to cut costs. While the company will get an initial savings bump from all the cost-cutting, what negative impact they will have on the company’s media businesses’ ability to compete are unknown. To achieve the "growth initiative," which will cut administrative and operating expenses by $750 million by the end of 2008, Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBCU said the company will cut about 700 jobs, about 5 percent of the company workforce. It will "streamline newsgathering operatings of MSNBC by closing its news and production facility in Secaucus, N.J., moving the cable news network’s operation in with CNBC in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and NBC News at the company’s headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City. And it will create a centralized news facility at its Burbank, California, offices, to support a number of its news operations at one locale, including Telemundo, its Hispanic network, and California stations KNBC, KVEA and KWHY. The company said it would save money doing this via "resource-sharing among newsgathering units." The company said it is reviewing similar resource-gathering plans at NBC News bureaus around the world. At Universal Studios, a number of jobs and facilities will be consolidated. NBCU did not specifically announced what impact this will have on television programming development, and whether less money would be spent on the number and cost of each TV pilot, but it did indicate that a new business strategy would be developed that "reduces NBCU’s dependence on traditional content distribution methods [television] and advertising models." The company indicated it would be relying more on "bringing content to consumers sooner on a variety of platforms, creating new windows or opportunities in the traditional syndication market, and developing alternative advertising metrics."

MediaWeek 

I don’t get how Jeff Zucker is still there when he turned the number 1 network into the fourth place one. I guess it is good to be boss.

Studio 60 is getting sacked by Friday Night Lights. At least temporarily. Sources confirm that NBC is handing Studio 60’s Monday/10 pm time-slot over to FNL on Oct. 30 for what I’m told is a one-night experiment. But, let’s face it, if FNL performs better than Studio 60 — and that bar has been set pretty darn low — we may be looking at the birth of a Monday night football franchise on NBC. All told, this is a great vote of confidence for FNL and an ominous bit of foreshadowing for Aaron Sorkin’s struggling drama.

Michael Ausiello

OK, so I blogged that last item without seeing this one! But back on point has anyone seen Friday Night Lights? I love Kyle Chandler and I am so bored out of mind watching that show. I just don’t get why NBC loves that show so much. Seriously I tried to fall asleep watching it and it was so boring even that it kept me awake.

UPDATE: NBC has ordered nine more scripts of Friday Night Lights in an apparent signal the network will stick with the modestly-performing rookie drama.

Broadcasting and Cable 

NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has decided to incorporate the real-life pregnancy of cast member Amanda Peet, who plays network exec Jordan, E! News reports. "I think it’s a good idea," costar Matthew Perry tells E! "It’s always smarter to incorporate real life stuff instead of trying to hide it. It’ll be fun to see Jordan pregnant." How will the pregnant pause come about? A Studio 60 producer says that when the show-within-a-show’s entire cast is getting B-12 shots, Jordan refuses, and after much pressuring, admits she’s in a family way. Minus the family.

TV Guide 

I wonder if we will see that episode because it keeps losing viewers every week. I like the show as long as Christine Lahti does not come back!

Due to its impressive ratings performance against newbies Shark and Six Degrees — falling just shy of the top spot when it doesn’t outright claim it — NBC’s ER won’t be put on midseason hiatus as originally planned. "ER is not going away until the spring," NBC Entertainment prez Kevin Reilly tells the New York Times. So rather that sit the 13-year-old medical drama from January to April, to turn over its time slot to The Black Donnellys, "We are going to keep ER [where it is] for at least 22 episodes," says Reilly. NBC may, in fact, even extend ER’s production schedule to 24 or 25 new outings this season. We are so going to need more suction.

TV Guide 

I just finished watching Thursday’s episode and it has been a lot better this year! Plus two words…John and Stamos is so helping the show!

NBC will return the hit drama "Medium" – starring Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette –to its primetime schedule on Wednesday, November 15 (10-11 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment. "We have been waiting for the right moment to bring back this excellent, chilling drama to our lineup and we know this will make the show’s legion of devoted fans very happy," said Reilly. "’Medium’ is an especially creative show, led by the vision of executive producer-creator Glenn Gordon Caron, that is ready to hit the ground running with its new season of thrilling episodes."

NBC

I am so glad that this show is coming back, I was so bummed when they took off it the lineup. 

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