Today’s Finales
HGTV: Windy City Rehab: Raise the Stakes at 8p and 9p

IN THE NEWS

Channing Dungey has been named Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group. She starts early next year, when Peter Roth steps down. Dungey most recently served as VP of Original Series at Netflix; before that, she was President of ABC Entertainment. “Channing is one of the most talented, visionary, creative and respected executives working in television today,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks. “She has impeccable taste, a breadth of experience covering all platforms and genres, incredible relationships across the creative community and a keen sense of what’s next and how best to get it to audiences. She’s a great choice to lead the Television Group as it continues to grow its production operations for HBO Max, while also maintaining its standing as the industry’s leading independent supplier of programming to all outlets.”

President Trump’s campaign is pushing back on the topics moderator Kristen Welker has chosen for the presidential candidate debate on Thursday, October 22. The focus of the event should be on foreign policy, argued Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates. Welker’s topics were fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership. As for allowing the NBC News moderator to turn off a candidate’s microphone, a move reportedly being considered after Trump’s repeated interruptions during the last debate, that would be “completely unacceptable,” said Stepien.

However that plays out, 60 Minutes is slated to feature interviews with both President Trump and Joe Biden this Sunday, October 25 – separately. Lesley Stahl landed the Trump sit-down, while Norah O’Donell scored the talk with Biden. The CBS newsmagazine will also include conversations with Mike Pence and Kamala Harris.

On Monday, Apple launched Apple Music TV, a 24-hour live stream of music videos and music-related content. The debut featured a countdown of the top 100 most-streamed songs on Apple Music. The service will celebrate the release of Bruce Springsteen’s “Letter to You” album with an “all day Bruce takeover” on Thursday, October 22. Apple Music TV is available in the US on the Apple Music and Apple TV apps.

The E.W. Scripps Company closed on its sale of Stitcher to SiriusXM for $325 million. The Stitcher company includes the Midroll advertising rep firm; owned-and-operated podcast networks including the comedy-focused Earwolf; and the Stitcher podcast listening platform. Scripps acquired Midroll in 2015 for $55 million and the Stitcher app in2016 for $4.5 million

Get the insider’s scoop on political media buying today at 1p ET – sign up here. Our roundtable of experts from Crossroads Media, Sage Media, New York Interconnect and Media Fortitude have both institutional knowledge and up-to-the-minute intelligence. Registration is free thanks to our sponsors at New York interconnect!

Spectrum has launched a new bilingual campaign for Hispanic consumers across Texas, showcasing Spectrum’s advanced broadband connectivity and TV services. The effort features musician Luis Coronel.

Mike “Doc” Emrick is retiring after a decades-long broadcasting career, most recently as the lead play-by-play voice for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NHL. “Things change over 50 years, but much of what I love is unchanged from then to now and into the years ahead,” said Emrick, winner of eight Sports Emmy Awards as Outstanding Sports Personality. “I still get chills seeing the Stanley Cup. I especially love when the horn sounds, and one team has won and another team hasn’t, all hostility can dissolve into the timeless great display of sportsmanship – the handshake line. I leave you with sincere thanks.”

Jeffrey Toobin, chief legal analyst at CNN, “has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted,” said the network. The move comes after Toobin was suspended from the New Yorker for exposing himself during a Zoom call with magazine staff and WNYC radio. “I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers,” said Toobin.

AMPLE Entertainment has partnered with actor/producer Samuel L. Jackson and his producer daughter Zoe Jackson for docu-series Life on the Edge, exploring marginalized communities and gang culture. The production team will use Deepfake technology and self-shot footage to capture the day-to-day life of individuals in the shadows of some of the most notoriously violent groups in the world.

Regina Hall (Black Monday) signed a first-look deal with Showtime, to develop and produce TV projects under her production company, Rh Negative. Already in development: A comedy special with Hall as star and EP.

HGTV announced a 2021 programming slate that includes 13 new series and three pilots. Among the upcoming series are Everything but the House (wt), with GMA’s Lara Spencer helping families declutter their homes; house-hunting series Self-Made Mansions (wt); 40-Year-Old Property Virgin (wt) focused on adult children living with their parents and looking for their first homes; and Life Under Renovation, following five families and the challenges of their renovations.

HBO limited series The White Lotus begins production this month on location in Hawaii, filming under strict COVID-19 guidelines.The six-episode social satire following the exploits of guests and employees at an exclusive resort will be available on HBO and HBO Max.

Dark Side of the Ring was renewed for season three by Vice TV. The wrestling docu-series nabbed an order for 14 episodes, up from 10 for season two and six for its first go-round.

Rick Howe has renewed his distribution agreement for The Friday Fireside with Tracy Swedlow’s TV of Tomorrow Show. The Friday morning online series features conversations with media execs.

There has been A LOT of discussion about the best metrics to use in cross platform measurement. The media ecosystem is evolving and this panel of execs from CBS, AMC and McCann will discuss how measurement must evolve with it at Cynopsis’ Measurement & Data Conference next month. Don’t delay – rates increase in 1 week! Register here.

NEW SERIES

Here’s something to be thankful for: HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant has a launch date – Thursday, November 26. The limited series, starring and exec produced by Kaley Cuoco (Big Bang Theory), is based on the Chris Bohjalian novel.

Represent the Vote: Our Voice, Our Future, a three-part series of virtual town halls focused on issues impacting Black female voters, premieres Thursday, October 22 at 12p on TV One and Cleo TV.

Love Nature announced new digital series Nature of the Beast, launching across the brand’s platforms throughout the fall. The series offers a view of animals and nature from the perspective of wildlife filmmaker Julian “Julz” Braatvedt.

MeTV Network is launching new original morning show Toon In With Me in January. The weekday one-hour series, hosted by comedian Bill Leff, will feature original comedy sketches, special guests, interviews, games and more, produced to lead into classic cartoon shorts. “Toon In With Me will evoke the hosted children’s shows of decades past, blending nostalgia, fun, charm, comedy and cartoons, reimagined with new, original, live-action characters,” said Neal Sabin, Vice Chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co.

TECH TALK

Innovid and Peacock are partnering to set a new standard in VAST ad serving for the industry. Using Innovid’s CTV ad management platform, Peacock advertisers are guaranteed a 95% creative acceptance rate. “Our latest technology innovation addresses one of the more nuanced (see: less sexy), but nonetheless most important components of digital ad-serving today – creative quality,” said Innovid CTO and Co-Founder Tal Chalozin in a blog post. “We know how critical it is to maintain the same quality in AVOD that viewers have come to expect from linear TV and our hope is that this new reliability standard will be adopted by the wider industry.”

COMING UP

Stephen Colbert will host a live election night special, Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020. The one-hour special airs Tuesday, November 3 at 11p on Showtime.

Virus Hunters follows experts working to uncover how the world can head off the next pandemic. The one-hour special premieres Sunday, November 1 at 9p.

Phil Mickelson will partner with Charles Barkley for the third round of The Match, airing Friday, November 27 at 3p on TNT. Last year’s winner (paired with Tiger Woods), Peyton Manning, will be back, this time with NBA’s Stephen Curry. “While we may need a handicap for Chuck, I’m looking forward to playing with Peyton and Stephen and to help raise money for another important cause,” said Mickelson of the charity match, which will benefit Historically Black Colleges.

Antenna TV is adding Norman Lear sitcoms The Jeffersons (1975-85) and the original One Day at a Time (1975-84) to its slate beginning in January.

Halloween-related programming will air on AccuWeather Network and AccuWeather.com from October 26-31, including discussions of Halloween through a COVID lens and the creative way people are adapting, as well as related weather forecast information.

A cold case involving two missing little girls heats up in ID special Who Killed the Lyon Sisters?, premiering Saturday, November 28 at 9p. The reinvestigation includes reporting from bestelling author Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down).

The Grand Ole Opry is teaming with Susan G. Komen and Komen Central Tennessee for the Opry’s 12th annual Opry Goes Pink show, in the fight against breast cancer. Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, and Rita Wilson with Victoria Shaw and Erin Kinsey are scheduled to perform on the broadcast airing Saturday, October 24 at 7p Central on Circle and Gray TV sations, as well as Dish Studio Channel 102, Sling TV nd other TV affiliates.

Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story debuts Wednesday, October 28 at 7p on HBO. The film follows a family and the residents of Ventura, County, CA after one of the largest wildfires in state history.

On Thursday, October 22, Vice TV will air a special on President Trump’s photo opp at St. John’s Episcopal Church, including the decisions that led to the use of force on Black Lives Matter protesters. The special begins at 7:30p – right before the presidential debate.

The winning movie from BET’s nationwide competition Project CRE8, a contest that gave an undiscovered filmmaker the opportunity to have their feature film script produced, premieres Thursday, October 22 at 10p. The film, Alieu the Dreamer, takes place in a world where mankind hasn’t dreamed for three decades, until a government agent discovers a young man in the projects, who has suddenly started dreaming.

STREAMING SCOOP

Apple TV+ has teamed up with WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions, to become the home for Peanuts, including new original series and specials, along with classic specials. New animated Peanuts originals coming to Apple TV+ include a second season of Snoopy in Space, and a slate of new specials marking Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve and Back to School, to be produced by WildBrain’s animation studio.

Tubi has entered a content deal with Chinese film and television studio Wanda Pictures. The partnership will launch with original and exclusive English-dubbed versions of Detective Chinatown 2. The deal also includes an anime film set in the esports world, The King’s Avatar: For the Glory. Tubi is a division of Fox Entertainment.

ADVERTISING

The majority of presidential campaign ad spend since September 1 has been from ads backing Democratic candidate Joe Biden – $581 million, or 62% of all ad dollars, reports Kantar. Ads backing President Trump during this time total $352 million. Of note: There has been over $24 million spent in Florida on Spanish-language broadcast TV from January 2019 through Election Day 2020, which is being used to reach the Puerto Rican, Cuban and Haitian populations in the state. Orlando has seen nearly $5 million spent on Spanish-language broadcast TV during this time, compared to less than $1 million during the entire 2016 presidential election cycle. Many ads this term have been focused on Puerto Rican immigrants, many of whom relocated there after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Pet insurance provider Petplan is partnering with animal brand The Dodo for the creation of pet wellness brand Fetch by the Dodo. “This partnership joins our superior coverage and customer service with the reach, engagement and storytelling brilliance of The Dodo,” said Paul Guyardo, President & CEO of Petplan North America. “Together we’ll create a world of wellness benefits for pets.” The brand will launch in 2021.

GOING GLOBAL

ITV employees were told of an impending restructuring that will include the creation of a media and entertainment division made up of a broadcast and online components. The new unit will be headed by Kevin Lygo, who will become ITV’s Managing Director of Media and Entertainment. The restructure will mean increased online commissioning, as well as “leaner” operations and job cuts. “Our new media and entertainment division will enable ITV to continue to deliver mass, live audiences while investing in the future to create the sort of content and viewing experience that younger, and other harder to reach viewers want,” said Carolyn McCall, ITV CEO.

MTV UK has greenlit a new season of Celebs on the Farm, the competition format that first found success on VCN UK’S digital channel, 5STAR. Stephen Bailey will return to host the new run on MTV. GooWoo Media is on board to continue producing the series.

Boat Rocker Studios struck new deals for Remy & Boo, including with Australia’s ABC Me and New Zealand’sTVNZ; Tiny Pop in the UK; France Télévisions; YLE in Finland; RTL in The Netherlands; DSmart in Turkey; TV2 in Hungary; Disney in Russia; Cartoon Network in Korea; in the Middle East with Discovery Kids; and in French Canada with SRC.

French animation studio Xilam Animation is partnering with Alibaba Group’s video streaming platform, Youku, to co-produce its new 2D and 3D animated preschool series Lupin’s Tales, set to launch in 2021.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
On which sitcom did Jay Leno, Julie Andrews and Florence Henderson guest star as themselves? Caroline in the City (1995-99). Kudos to: Albert Acosta-Endeavor/Beverly Hills, Rev. Mark Wajda/Clermont, FL, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Charles Lore/NYC, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, David Garber-Loyola Marymount University/Playa Vista, CA, Jerry Jones/Walnut Creek, CA

Today’s Trivia Question
Who played Ruth’s second husband in Six Feet Under (2001-2005)? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)