Operation Gadget

Category: TV Programs

  • How Cool Was The NHL Winter Classic?

    Reading Time: 2 minutesKathleen, Jimmy, and I watched the 2008 NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins that took place at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. I have to officiate tomorrow afternoon in New Jersey, so we watched the game on NBC from our living…

  • Gadget Links: Snow Fun Edition

    Reading Time: 2 minutesBills return to Buffalo by bus after loss in Cleveland, The Associated Press on ESPN.com: “Mother Nature sure had it in for the Buffalo Bills this weekend.” “Bad enough that a blizzard contributed to Buffalo’s loss at Cleveland on Sunday, ending the team’s playoff chances. Then, following an unscheduled overnight stay because…

  • “NHL On The Fly: Final” Helps Me Keep Up with the Stanley Cup Playoffs

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. I can’t see every minute of each game because I’m busy at work, and when I get home I need to spend some time with my family. This means watching at least part of some of the appointment shows that are recorded on…

  • NHL and NBC Agree to Extend Broadcast Pact and Add Flexible Schedule

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteYesterday, the NHL and NBC announced that they were extending their national broadcast contract for an additional season. This means that the NHL on NBC will air again during the 2007-08 season. According to the announcement, the NHL and NBC have agreed to introduce schedule flexibility for next season: “The NHL…

  • Review of Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1

    Reading Time: 2 minutesI recently received a copy of Sesame Street – Old School, Volume 1 (1969-1974) for my birthday. Kathleen, Jimmy, and I are watching it together, and we’re reliving some of Mommy and Daddy’s childhoods while showing Jimmy some parts of Sesame Street that are consigned to history. I’m not sure how much…

  • iTunes Purchases May Be As Much of an Influence on Network Programmers as Nielsen Data

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteVerne Gay of Newsday.com wrote a column called How iTunes saved ‘The Office’ that I’ve been meaning to point out. Kathleen has fallen in love with The Office in the past few months, but if there’s truth to what Verne Gay is saying, the program wouldn’t have lasted on NBC’s schedule…

  • Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1 Brings Back Moments From My Childhood

    Reading Time: 2 minutesMy sister Julie Howson pointed the latest installment of Rob Owen’s Tuned In Journal from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette where Owen talks about the strange disclaimer that appears at the beginning of “Sesame Street – Old School Volume 1”. The disclaimer is presented by an animated character, who says: Welcome to ‘Sesame Street…

  • ABC and ESPN Hammered by Some Long-Time Soccer Fans for Americanizing Coverage of The 2006 World Cup

    Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Wall Street Journal reports that ABC and ESPN are being criticized by some hard core soccer fans for “Americanizing” its coverage of The World Cup. This criticism comes amid mounting evidence that ABC and ESPN are succeeding in attracting more English-speaking American viewers to The World Cup than ever before. According…

  • NBC Trying to Develop an Action Sports Tour Along the Lines of Golf and Auto Racing

    Reading Time: < 1 minuteLast week The Washington Post published an article that talked about NBC’s effort to start an action sports tour as a source of programming to intrigue a younger audience. The Dew Action Sports Tour is in its second year of existence. It’s co-owned by NBC and Live Nation, Clear Channel Communication’s…