As an adjunct to the article that ran this morning about network television’s struggles to remain viable in a time of declining ratings and plummeting profits, the New York Times invited me, along with three other media experts, to comment on the topic as part of its Room for Debate blog. I was asked to provide a few quick thoughts on how older cultural touchstones such as The Rockford Files compare to other pop culture staples on cable TV and other forms of popular entertainment today. Is this the death knell for network programming as we know it today? What made Rockford different from current shows such as The Closer, The Sopranos, E/R and Lost, or is there any difference at all?
Read my comments, along with those of Christopher Rosen, Elayne Rapping, and my friend Bob Thompson by clicking on the link below:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/how-network-tv-brought-america-together/
Ed Robertson
Entertainment Journalist
Author, THIRTY YEARS OF THE ROCKFORD FILES
and other books on television
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurnerwww.tvconfidential.net
Tags: 2008 television season, cable programming, cbs, christopher rosen, classic television, classic tv characters, e/r, ed robertson, elayne rapping, frankie montiforte, future of network programming, future of network television, james gandofini, james garner, jim rockford, jj abrams, laugh-in, lost tv series, new york times, online blog, pop culture critic, robert thompson, rockford files, room for debate, star trek, stephen j. cannell, television commentary, television historian, television history, television shows 1970s, the magician, thirty years of the rockford files, tony soprano, tv commentary, tv confidential, tv history, tv programs, TV shows 1970s
March 20, 2009 at 9:56 am
Heyyy! GREAT POST!!