http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/ TV Worth Blogging from WILL en dthiel@uiuc.edu Copyright (C) 2009 University of Illinois 2009-11-23T15:47:14+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/bill-moyers-retires/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/bill-moyers-retires/#When:15:47:14Z PBS veteran Bill Moyers has announced his retirement from weekly television. As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere, Moyers will end his Friday night PBS series Bill Moyers' Journal on April 30, 2010. That same evening, the public affairs weekly Now on PBS will also end, having been cancelled by the Public Broadcasting Service. 2009-11-23T15:47:14+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/sesamet-street-turns-40/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/sesamet-street-turns-40/#When:16:52:13Z I would be remiss if I failed to note the 40th birthday of Sesame Street. When the show premiered on November 10, 1969, I was five years old and therefore not part of the intended preschool audience. Which does not mean that I didn't watch it. I know that I'm by no means alone in visiting Sesame Street long after leaving its recommended demographic. The humor, the media parodies, the celebrity guests and, of course, the lovably furry Muppets keep us coming back. 2009-11-09T16:52:13+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/new-yankee-workshop-closed/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/new-yankee-workshop-closed/#When:15:04:59Z Last Friday afternoon brought news that long-running PBS how-to series The New Yankee Workshop has ceased production of new episodes. This announcement wasn't much of a surprise to me; I'd suspected as much ever since the previous season turned out to be all repeats. However, I expect it will be a blow to woodworking fans who've faithfully followed along with Norm Abram for 21 seasons. 2009-10-19T15:04:59+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-tops-in-news/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-tops-in-news/#When:14:42:14Z On the heels of Sunday's big wins for "Little Dorrit" at the Primetime Emmy Awards comes word that PBS carried the night at Monday's News & Documentary Emmys ceremony. Public television took home six statues, more than any other broadcast or cable entity. The list of winners after the jump! 2009-09-23T14:42:14+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-primetime-emmy-winners/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-primetime-emmy-winners/#When:23:58:43Z Masterpiece Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton had much to be happy about after "Little Dorrit" hit it big at the Primetime Emmy Awards. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences gave the Charles Dickens drama a total of seven statues including one for Outstanding Miniseries. "Dorrit" screenwriter Andrew Davies and director Dearbhla Walsh were also honored during Sunday's televised event. 2009-09-22T23:58:43+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/jay-leno-and-the-end-of-network-tv/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/jay-leno-and-the-end-of-network-tv/#When:17:17:16Z The Jay Leno Show begins its history-making run September 14 on NBC. That’s right, without having seen a single episode, I can confidently claim that it will make history. When future pop cultural anthropologists penetrate the Miley-Britney Stratum and begin to excavate our era, they will wisely look at each other and cluck (yes, chickens will rule the future) “This day was the beginning of the end of network television.” That’s because today is the first time an American commercial television network has turned over five hours of prime-time to a talk show. Big deal, right? Actually, yes. 2009-09-14T17:17:16+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-tops-daytime-emmys/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-tops-daytime-emmys/#When:14:57:55Z Public television won 16 Daytime Emmys in last weekend's awards ceremonies conducted by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Sesame Street took home four, not including a special Lifetime Achievement Award for their 40 years of service. The latter was promptly eaten by Cookie Monster, who declared it to "taste even better than Latin Grammy." Kevin Clash ("Elmo") won Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for the fifth time. Public television's tally was second only to ABC's 17 awards, and doubled the number won by the other closest competitors, CBS and Nickelodeon. Children's series Between the Lions, WordWorld and From the Top at Carnegie Hall all won top honors, as did This Old House. Read on for the complete list of public TV winners! 2009-09-03T14:57:55+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-at-2009-tca-tour/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-at-2009-tca-tour/#When:16:25:35Z Alright, I'll admit it, I'll take any excuse to get a photo of Doctor Who's David Tennant on the WILL home page. Tennant, the new host for Masterpiece Contemporary when it returns this October, was one of many guests representing PBS at the Television Critics' Association Press Tour in Los Angeles. But the soon-to-be-former Doctor, who will also star in a TV adaptation of his acclaimed stage portrayal of Hamlet next year on Great Performances, wasn't the only news out of L.A. 2009-08-06T16:25:35+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/henry-louis-gates-jr-arrest-addressed/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/henry-louis-gates-jr-arrest-addressed/#When:15:31:27Z As a public television program director, it's not the sort of headline you want to see: a notable PBS host arrested. But when the person in question is Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a prominent African-American scholar, the story becomes larger and stranger. And that was before President Obama weighed in. 2009-07-23T15:31:27+00:00 http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-scores-emmy-nominations/ http://will.illinois.edu/tvworthblogging/entry/pbs-scores-emmy-nominations/#When:17:19:59Z This week, PBS was recognized with 67 Emmy nominations by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Twenty-six were for so-called "primetime" programs, with another 41 in news and documentary categories. Top honorees included the Masterpiece presentation of "Little Dorrit" with 11 nods, and the documentary series P.O.V. with ten. 2009-07-16T17:19:59+00:00