“American Idol” was easily the lead show last week during primetime in Atlanta, with 748,000 viewers checking out the finale May 20, compared to 394,000 for the “Dancing With the Stars” finale May 19.

And the NBA basketball playoffs dominated much of the rest of the top 10.

Here’s the top 20, according to Nielsen Media Research

1- “American Idol” results, Fox, 5/20 748,000
2- “American Idol” performance, Fox, 5/19 619,000
3- “Dancing With the Stars” results, ABC, 5/19, 394,000
4- “Dancing With the Stars” performance, ABC 5/18 356,000
5- NBA playoffs, TNT, 5/24, 318,000
6- “24″ finale, Fox, 5/18, 303,000
7- “Glee” debut, Fox 5/19, 291,000
8- NBA playoffs, ESPN, 5/21 278,000
9- NBA playoffs, TNT, 5/20, 276,000
10- NBA playoffs, TNT, 5/22, 273,000
11- “The Bachelorette” debut, ABC, 5/18, 252,000
12- “The Mentalist” finale, CBS, 5/19, 242,000
13- “NCIS” season finale, CBS 5/19, 220,000
14- NBA playoffs, ESPN, 5/19, 216,000
15- “Criminal Minds” season finale, CBS, 5/20, …

Continue reading 5/29: Idol dominated local ratings last week »

According to Allhiphop.com, T.I.’s long-time girlfriend Tameka “Tiny” Cottle has joined her friend Lil Wayne’s ex Antonio Toya Johnson-Carter on a reality show because really, who doesn’t have a reality show now?

Called “The Tiny & Toya Show,” this will be yet another show of this ilk cropping up based in Atlanta, after “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and BET’s “Keyshia Cole” show and the upcoming spinoff “Frankie & Neffe.”

BET, on its site:

…the ladies will be each starting their very own businesses.

The show will also chronicle how each copes with the legal woes of their respective baby daddies, and seeks to offer each woman an opportunity to define themselves outside of their high profile relationships.

Tiny is a former singer in the band Xscape. She has been engaged for years to T.I. and they have two children. T.I. entered prison for a year this week on a weapons charge.

BET will air a preview special June 15 at 10 p.m. followed by a sneak peek Sunday, June 28 after the …

Continue reading 5/28: T.I.’s gal Tameka “Tiny” Cottle signs on to BET reality show »

The travails of Jon & Kate drove their ratings into overdrive Monday night. TLC reported an incredible 9.8 million viewers Monday night, more than any primetime network show that day and easily the best ever on TLC. That’s a number NBC hardly ever gets even during the regular broadcast season.

The pop culture machine out there, from the tabloids to the tabloid newsmagazines to the blogs, have driven the Jon & Kate story and their crumbling marriage for weeks. This built up huge pentup demand on Memorial Day night when there was little competition on other networks.

The season four finale in March was watched by 4.6 million viewers. The New York Times notes that People and Us reported higher-than-average sales with Jon & Kate on the cover. And their book “Multiple Bles8ings” has sold 272,000 copies since last fall.

Continue reading 5/27: Jon & Kate Plus 8 ratings hit a record 9.8 million »

Local blogger Sandra Rose, who focuses on hip-hop culture, got into a Twitter battle this week with veteran V-103 night jock Greg Street. 

Street’s Twitter page started on Monday with a note that he had heard on the news that T.I.’s road manager Clay Evans had “slapped” Alex Gidewon, a party promoter, at the Velvet Room at his concert after-party Sunday. Clay felt “disrepected” when he wasn’t allowed into the club, according to another Tweet by Street. (T.I. entered prison today for a weapons charge.)

Rose wrote on her blog that this was a lie:

Not only was the statement untrue and reckless, but Street’s odd stunt involved two local businessmen (Gidewon and Evans) who contribute directly to his employer’s bottom line.

Street later backtracked with this Tweet:

Ok alex, clay said [he] didn’t slap you. He just put his hand n yo face 2 let you know what it really could. we show luv.

Then he said several things in Rose’s blog were wrong e.g. that the Hot 107.9 night show …

Continue reading 5/27: Strange spat between V-103’s Greg Street and blogger Sandra Rose (UPDATED 5/27) »

The move of Cindy and Ray (left) to mornings in late March has given Star a modest boost in the mornings so far, according to April Arbitron ratings covering April 2 to April 29.

Among 25 to 54 year olds, Star moved from a tie for 14th place in March to a tie for 11th place in April and a 20%-plus in listeners. Among 18 to 34 year olds, the show also showed comparable improvement, moving from tied 13th to 11th. They are performing better than the final weeks of the Morning Mess, who were canned in early March. (The Mess’ agent Norm Schrutt today told me they are within 14 days of accepting a deal in a top 15 market.)

Meanwhile, Star moving syndicated Ryan Seacrest to Cindy and Ray’s spot in the afternoons has been a mixed blessing early on, with numbers up among younger listeners and down among older ones.

So far, Q100 is doing just fine, with the Bert Show beating V-103’s Frank & Wanda and ranking No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds for the first time under the new people meter …

Continue reading 5/26: April ratings smile on Cindy & Ray, the Bert Show, Mara Davis; tough month for V-103, the Beat »

In the fifth season debut of “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ on TLC Monday night, Jon Gosselin denies cheating on Kate with a teacher, but she makes veiled comments that imply there has been something going on. And the future of the couple as a couple looks grim.

Kate cries. “Parents of multiples have triple the divorce rate,” she said. “I thought we could beat that. I don’t know if I can say that anymore. Very swiftly, we became very different people. It’s just hard. I tried six months to figure out what the problem is or remedy the problem. I don’t know. It’s so complicated. It’s just difficult.”

At the end of the episode, Jon pretty much says they’re separated: “We’re going two different directions right now.”

Early in the episode, they note the papparazzi camp outside their house all the time.

“I did not sign up fro the public scrutiny and everything,” Jon says wearily. “And neither did Kate. People get paid off to say whatever you want to say. If I gave you $25,000, who knows what …

Continue reading 5/26: Jon & Kate Plus 8 return with controversy »

With broadcast TV throwing out shows that didn’t make the cut during the regular season, cable networks are bringing back some of their big guns this week.

A & E returns with “Intervention” Monday and “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Wednesday.

TBS’s “Meet the Browns” on Thursday starts a full season after its 10-episode test run earlier this year was a success while History Channel’s biggest show “Ice Road Truckers” comes back for a third season Sunday.

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But brace yourself Monday at 9 p.m. for the big one: Jon and Kate Gosselin, who star in “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ on TLC. They are embroiled in a major tabloid frenzy. Recently, the show has been pulling in 4 million-plus viewers and might break some TLC records with all the …

Continue reading 5/25: TV best bets: “Jon & Kate,” “Ice Road Truckers,” “Wipeout,” “Meet the Browns” come back »

According to newsblues.com, a subscription-based Web site that follows broadcast news, WGCL-TV’s Bill Gaines abruptly quit the TV station Wednesday, no explanation.

Gaines, who came from Raleigh, N.C., was at the CBS affiliate for two and a half years anchoring the 4, 6 and 11 p.m. shows. The 11 p.m. news show, co-hosted with Stephany Fisher, was competitive with WAGA and WXIA, thanks partly to a strong 10 p.m. CBS lineup. Most other dayparts, though, WGCL’s news shows are usually in fourth.

Gaines is no longer on the WGCL Web site.

The number I have for Gaines no longer works but I’ll post something if I can track him down. News director Steve Schwaid texted me tonight, writing, “he retired.”

Here was his bio on the WGCL page:

Bill Gaines co-anchors CBS Atlanta News at 4, 6 and 11 p.m. weekday newscasts.
Gaines joined CBS Atlanta from Raleigh, North Carolina where he anchored the evening news for six years at WNCN-TV. He is an award winning journalist, with three Emmy …

Continue reading 5/23: WGCL-TV anchor Bill Gaines abruptly quits »

As usual, people are watching more TV — just less broadcast TV.

The only broadcast network this past season which saw its audience grow was CBS, according to the Hollywood Reporter, based on the broadcast season which ended Wednesday.

Overall, the big four (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC) saw their audience drop 4 percent among 18 to 49 year olds and in totality.

CBS won overall audience (11.8 million viewers) and 25 to 54 year olds. Credit growth in many of its shows and freshman hit “The Mentalist.”

Fox won among 18 to 49 year old viewers for the fifth year in a row but saw the biggest falloff. It lost 13 percent of viewers and 16 percent among 18 to 49 year olds. Some of that was due to the lack of the Super Bowl and a dropoff on “Idol.”

ABC, at 8.9 million, lost about 400K viewers as its big shows lost steam. And NBC lost about 400,000 viewers as well, averaging 7.8 million viewers (aided by the Super Bowl.) Wednesdays and Fridays took the biggest hits for them.

Here’s an ABC …

Continue reading 5/23: Another tough year for broadcast TV »

Rashan Ali, the mid-day host at Hot 107.9, was let go Thursday afternoon, she informed me at her fundraiser for her charity Sporty Girls tonight at the Loft in Castleberry Hill. Q from the R&B group 112 performed.

Ali was a morning host for many years at Hot and headed the “A” Team until last summer, when Hot went with syndicated Rickey Smiley. She was moved to mid days, partly because she was still under contract. But she was making morning show money and Hot, like other radio stations, is in serious cost cutting mode.

Her contract was up in February but her agent Career Sports and Management got her a three month extension. Hot, she said, did not negotiate with her. Her contract is up May 31 but they decided to let her go a week early. She has a three-month noncompete clause, she said, so she is free to look for other radio employment in Atlanta in September.

Continue reading 5/22: Rashan Ali leaves Hot 107.9 »