Four DVRs, no waiting

TD Club events this week; Jerry Springer opines about Oprah

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:07:32 -0600

This is my 20th Thanksgiving Day week in Houston, and one of the constants of that time has been the annual Touchdown Club luncheons previewing the Texas-Texas A&M game, the Houston-Rice game or, as is the case this year, both....

Potpourri for $200, Alex: Kashmere, Bud, Horned Frogs and Earl

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:13 -0600

I'm back from a five-day jaunt to Fort Worth and Nashville, so let's catch up on a few sports and non-sports items: I attended a preview screening at the Angelika on Tuesday night for Thunder Soul, a documentary about the...

Jimmy the Greek's rise and fall makes for effective ESPN film

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:14:34 -0600

I've always had a knack for asking insightful, probing questions. When I was a freshman in college, I accompanied the Internationally Famous Tyler Junior College Apache Band and Apache Belles (I was in the band, wise guys) to New Orleans...

Ratings and new DVDs

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:06:57 -0600

In case you think that this world has run dry of quixotic absurdity, five words: The Essential Weird Al Yankovic. Completely worth it, if nothing else, for Polkas on 45. Having managed to disgress in the first paragraph, let's move...

SEC thoughts, radio homers, radio ratings and TV numbers

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:05:44 -0600

Greetings again from Birmingham. I think the LSU fans booked up all the early flights back to Houston before I got assignment to come here for LSU-Alabama, so I'm on a late flight. So, while I listen to the Texans...

Greetings from SEC country

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:20:23 -0600

Greetings from Birmingham, Ala. I'm making my annual excursion into SEC territory for the Saturday afternoon game between LSU and Alabama at Tuscaloosa. I'm thinking that I owe it to you guys while I'm here to make a stop at...

Stephen Colbert, fans to sponsor USA Speedskating. Really.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:35:22 -0600

Truthiness has come to speedskating. Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, has signed on as a sponsor of the USA Speedskating long track and short track teams. The agreement was announced on Colbert's show Monday night, and...

Documentary Without Bias, of course, is not

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:31 -0600

As is frequently the case with those who die young, Len Bias' talent has been romanticized in death to a degree that he would have struggled to attain in life. The latest expansion on the Bias myth unfolds in Without...

Houston 55th of 56th for World Series ratings

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:04:37 -0600

Through four games, Houston continues to rank near the bottom for World Series ratings, with a an average 6.7 Nielsen household rating on KRIV (Channel 26). That ranks 55th among the 56 major markets, leading only Knoxville, Tenn., at 5.6....

Texans' ratings slump; explanation for no HD on USC-Oregon

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:39:03 -0600

I was surprised this Monday morning when the weekend Nielsen ratings revealed that the Texans' potentially significant win Sunday over the Bills registered the lowest Nielsen rating of the year — only 13.1 with a 29 share on KHOU (Channel...

Good numbers for Game 2, except here; week's most-watched shows

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:47:42 -0600

Game 2 of the World Series, indeed, dropped a little bit from Game 1 in the Nielsens, but not by much. Thursday night's broadcast registered an 11.7 Nielsen household rating with a 19 share and an average audience of 18.9...

Program updates; 103.7 FM to air Texas-Oklahoma State

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:32:52 -0600

The World Series starts Wednesday night. Should be interesting to see if the Yankees and Phillies can outdraw CSI: New York or Law & Order: SVU in Houston, which hasn't exactly been entranced by baseball during the playoffs. Scheduling updates:...

Extra! Extra! Aggies on TV! Alas, so are Houston 'pill mills'

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:09:54 -0600

Texas A&M football actually returns to that newfangled contraption called TV on Nov. 7, although most fans won't be able to see it unless they want to cough up a few bucks. A&M's game at Colorado will air at 12:30...

A&M-Tech highlights on FS Houston; '29 Crash on PBS (Updated)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:53:48 -0600

We begin with two program notes that I suppose you could link together if you're of a certain mindset. The first concerns football. Texas A&M's win Saturday night over Texas Tech in Lubbock was not televised, but highlights will air...

Last week's most-watched shows; R.I.P., Soupy Sales

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:23:51 -0600

I am so old that I remember crying at the conclusion of the last episode of Howdy Doody and laughing and wanting to throw pies at my younger sisters after watching every episode of Soupy Sales, the onetime king of...