stephen.battaglio

The Biz: Fox News' Shepard Smith Heads to the Jersey Shore

Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith's reports on the government's failed response to Hurricane Katrina were a career-defining moment back in 2005. And he's still getting his boots muddy on behalf of natural disaster victims. On Monday he's taking his shows Studio B (3/2c) and The Fox Report (7/6c) to Seaside Heights, N.J., where Hurricane Sandy damaged 60 percent of the homes. Both programs will assess the cleanup and rebuilding efforts six months after the storm. The Biz checked in with the Holly Springs, Mississippi, native before he left and learned about his love for the Brooklyn Nets, his disdain for Twitter and why you'll never see him become a commentator.

Mon, Apr 1, 2013

The Biz: Fox News' Shepard Smith Heads to the Jersey Shore

The Biz: Matt Lauer Is Still Today's Man

Despite what you may have read, not everybody hates Matt Lauer. So says Today executive producer Don Nash, who recently sat in on a focus group of female morning-show viewers. When they were asked what would make them stop watching the NBC program, "every one of them said, 'If Matt Lauer were to leave,'" Nash says. "Their opinions didn't square with what we had been reading in the papers and on websites."

Mon, Apr 1, 2013

The Biz: Matt Lauer Is Still Today's Man

The Biz: The News about ABC's David Muir

Hardly a day passes at ABC News without a report from David Muir. From his popular "Made In America" segments to on-the-scene reporting from Cairo's Tahrir Square and the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, the 39-year-old journalist keeps getting more airtime. He's added 20/20 to his weekend evening news anchor duties and is considered the odds-on favorite by many in the TV news business to succeed Diane Sawyer at World News. Time to get to know him better.  

Tue, Mar 19, 2013

The Biz: The News about ABC's David Muir

The Biz: Jake Tapper Goes to The Lead for CNN

In today's increasingly niche media landscape, CNN's Jake Tapper is happy to be a generalist. Starting Monday, the former ABC News White House correspondent anchors a new daily program, The Lead With Jake Tapper, which he promises will be a smart, wide-ranging look at the world. You can expect some of the usual suspects from the Beltway to appear on the Washington-based show. But Tapper also plans to mix in some big names from pop culture and television. Stephen Colbert, Shonda Rhimes, the cast of Mad Men, Jimmy Kimmel, Game of Thrones executive producer David Benioff are all lined up for the first month. The Lead will be closely watched by the TV news industry, as it's the first new CNN show since Jeff Zucker took the helm as president. The Biz recently caught up with Tapper to get a preview.

Thu, Mar 14, 2013

The Biz: Jake Tapper Goes to The Lead for CNN

Late-Night Burning Questions

Here we go again. Jay Leno's contract with NBC's Tonight Show is up at the end of the 2013-14 season, leading to speculation that the network may put Late Night host Jimmy Fallon behind the desk at 11:35pm. Here are the hot topics bound to cause some network executives to lose sleep in the coming months...

Tue, Mar 12, 2013

What Did Stephen Battaglio Think of His Surprise Oscars Cameo?

So what did I really think?Yes, I was the byline on the faux Oscars review William Shatner showed to host Seth MacFarlane in the opening number on Sunday's telecast ("Seth MacFarlane Worst Oscar Host Ever").I didn't know it was coming. I was watching the show at home with my wife. Staring at the byline, it took a few seconds to absorb that it was being seen by an audience of one billion viewers — a nice jump over the 12.8 million people who see each issue of TV Guide Magazine. After my name appeared a second time, every electronic device in our apartment was ringing, buzzing, pinging or vibrating...

Mon, Feb 25, 2013

What Did Stephen Battaglio Think of His Surprise Oscars Cameo?

Robin Roberts Talks About Her Return to Good Morning America

Robin Roberts, who made an emotional return to her co-anchor chair at ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday, is taking it one day at a time. "My doctor is saying the test is tomorrow," Roberts said in an interview at ABC's Times Square studio after her first show back. "When I wake up am I going to want to come in and go to work?"

Wed, Feb 20, 2013

Robin Roberts Talks About Her Return to Good Morning America

The Biz: Do Reality Fans Hate the Fakery?

For reality-TV fans, the revelation that not every aspect of a show is legit is like learning there's no Santa Claus. They move on and enjoy the presents. But the curtain on "reality" is getting pulled back more and more. Last spring, HGTV acknowledged that the home viewings on House Hunters are done for the cameras after buyers have already chosen their properties. In his recent wrongful-dismissal suit, former Storage Wars star David Hester charged producers with planting valuable items in the bins up for...

Wed, Feb 20, 2013

The Biz: Do Reality Fans Hate the Fakery?

The Biz: Cards Stacks the Deck with Real Journalists

TV shows and movies set in Washington, D.C., often cast real-life members of the media to report on fictional proceedings. But the new Netflix political drama House of Cards takes that to a new level.  ABC's George Stephanopoulos plays himself in the series' second hour, interviewing a Secretary of State nominee on his This Week set. No spoilers, but it's a tough grilling that provides a turning point in the story...

Tue, Feb 12, 2013

The Biz: Cards Stacks the Deck with Real Journalists

The Biz: Can These Shows Be Saved?

When the networks decide which programs to pick up for fall and which ones to ax, it's not only about the Nielsen numbers. "There is more financial analysis going on than ratings analysis," says one executive. Here are the prognoses for a few series fighting for survival. Happy EndingsFinding a home for Happy Endings since it moved from Wednesday and away from its strong lead-in Modern Family has been tough (it now airs on Tuesday, a night full of comedies). And its scheduling options are limited, since ABC still...

Tue, Feb 5, 2013

The Biz: Was The Writers' Strike Worth It?

Watching New Girl or Homeland on your computer, mobile phone or Xbox has become so second nature to viewers, it's hard to recall that new technology once brought Hollywood to a standstill. But how writers were paid for the digital distribution of their work was at the core of a 100-day work stoppage that put primetime TV viewers on a strict diet of reality and reruns in 2007 and early 2008. Daily Variety deputy editor Cynthia Littleton, who chronicles the battle and its lasting impact in her new book TV On Strike: Why Hollywood Went to War over the Internet (Syracuse University Press), says while many writers took a financial beating from the walkout, they had little choice but to take a hard line. The emergence of Netflix, Hulu and other services since the strike has proven online viewing is a robust business. We asked her about the strike's aftermath and what's ahead...

Thu, Jan 31, 2013

The Biz: Was The Writers' Strike Worth It?

The Biz: Jon Lovett Returns To The Beltway In 1600 Penn

Just when Jon Lovett thought he was out of politics, they pulled him back in. The 30-year-old former stand-up comic toiled over speeches for President Obama for three years before he quit in September 2011 to pursue comedy writing in Hollywood. "The one thing I didn't want to do was a show about the White House," he says. "I was too close to it." But on January 9, Lovett...

Wed, Jan 16, 2013

The Biz: Jon Lovett Returns To The Beltway In 1600 Penn

2013's Burning TV Questions Answered

With a new year comes a fresh set of challenges for some of TV's biggest names, shows and networks. Here are some developments we'll be watching closely.

Thu, Jan 3, 2013

The Biz: CNN's Piers Morgan Targets Guns

Every cable news anchor gets his or her share of hostile tweets. But CNN's Piers Morgan might be the first to spark a petition to the White House demanding deportation. More than 80,000 signatures have been gathered from pro-gun activists angry over the British journalist's repeated calls for an assault-weapons ban in the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children dead. They can sign all they want — but he's not backing down.

Thu, Jan 3, 2013

The Biz: CNN's Piers Morgan Targets Guns

The Biz: Coming Soon to a TV Near You

This may go down as the year movie studios discovered that there's no place like home for watching some first-run films.In Demand, a major distributor of video-on-demand services for cable systems, says 2012 saw a 21 percent increase in the number of movies it offered subscribers on the same day or before they played in theaters. Thirteen distributors now supply new films to VOD and online streaming services, more than double the number in 2010, when indie distributors like IFC and Magnolia were leading the trend.

Mon, Dec 24, 2012

The Biz: Christiane Amanpour Goes Back to the Beginning

The sight of Christiane Amanpour reporting from conflict zones in the Middle East is one of the most familiar images in television news. So it will be a real change of pace for viewers when she's seen as a relaxed traveler — and mother — in Back to the Beginning, a two-part special airing Dec. 21 and 28 (9/8c, ABC). Amanpour and her son Darius hit the road earlier this year to explore the ancient sites depicted in "the oldest stories ever told," as she puts it. They take an archeological tour through Turkey and the Middle East to examine the sites of biblical tales that unite rather than divide the followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Amanpour talked to The Biz about the special and her new boss at CNN, Jeff Zucker.

Thu, Dec 20, 2012

The Biz: Christiane Amanpour Goes Back to the Beginning

The Biz: Why Shark Tank Is Bigger Than Ever

American workers haven't had it easy these days, as they deal with high unemployment rates and home foreclosures. What better way for them to escape their economic woes than to watch a reality show where the stars are a bunch of one-percenters? That's why they're tuning in to ABC's Shark Tank, which has quietly grown into a hit with close to 7 million viewers each week. The show...

Thu, Nov 29, 2012

The Biz: Why Shark Tank Is Bigger Than Ever

The Biz: King David: Inside the Life of a Showbiz Giant

Entertainment mogul David Geffen was pleased that the prestigious PBS documentary series American Masters wanted to feature him as a subject — until executive producer Susan Lacy told him he had to be interviewed on camera. Geffen likes to talk, but apparently not...

Mon, Nov 19, 2012

The Biz: King David: Inside the Life of a Showbiz Giant

Mid-Season Burning Questions

The broadcast networks haven't been feeling the love from viewers this fall, and it won't be getting any easier. Here are some big challenges they face as they try to sway hearts, minds and remotes in the second half of the season. Will high-flying NBC falter when Sunday Night Football ends and Revolution and The Voice take a break?"It's going to be different," admits NBC's scheduling guru Jeff Bader. "But we have faith in The Biggest Loser on Monday." He also believes Deception, a serialized murder mystery that will replace Revolution starting Jan. 7 and follow Loser, will appeal to...

Mon, Nov 19, 2012

Fall Scorecard: Grading the Networks

It's hard out there for a broadcast network. Basic cable shows like The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy are scoring big ratings, while Showtime's Homeland is the toast of the water-cooler crowd. "We seem to be coming to a point where there are enough series to watch without coming to broadcast television," says one network veteran. The networks are also competing with themselves, as viewers in nearly half the country now use DVRs — which has helped big hits such as Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory grow even bigger but made it tougher for new shows to get a foothold. As a result...

Tue, Nov 6, 2012

The Biz: Governor Mitt Romney Reveals His Favorite TV Shows

The electorate may be deeply divided, but the two candidates running for president share common ground on their favorite TV show. Both President Barack Obama and his opponent Governor Mitt Romney told TV Guide Magazine that Modern Family is the show they most enjoy watching with their wives. President Obama told us about his TV preferences and pop culture habits...

Tue, Oct 30, 2012

The Biz: Governor Mitt Romney Reveals His Favorite TV Shows

The Biz: President Barack Obama Reveals His Favorite TV Shows

As Election Day approaches, President Barack Obama agreed to share with us his favorite television series and provide insight into some of his other pop-culture habits. TV Guide Magazine: Mr. President, what is your favorite television show?Obama: I am a big fan of Homeland and Boardwalk Empire, and I think The Wire is one of the greatest shows of all time — and I confess I am an...

Tue, Oct 30, 2012

The Biz: President Barack Obama Reveals His Favorite TV Shows