It’s Official: Stephen Colbert to take Over Late Show Helm

CBS has officially named Stephen Colbert to succeed David Letterman as host of “The Late Show,” handing the reins of its flagship latenight program to a cable host who has found success in attracting young male viewers by playing a character, rather than himself.

According to Variety:

david-lettermanThe decision comes about a week after Letterman announced during a taping of his program that he would retire from the program – and the longest tenure as a late night host on broadcast TV – sometime in 2015. In doing so, Letterman will turn the time period over to an entirely new generation of hosts, severing TV’s last link to the days when Johnny Carson dominated the daypart. These days, latenight is a splintered environment, with three broadcast programs as well as wee-hours bastions in place on Viacom’s Comedy Central, Time Warner’s TBS and NBC Universal’s Bravo and E!

When Colbert sits behind the desk of the CBS program, as he is set to do at a currently undetermined date in 2015, he will likely do it with a new presentation –  not as the right-wing caricature he plays in his current perch on Comedy Central. CBS said creative elements, producers and even the location of the show will be announced at a later date. “He is not going to play that character,” said Nina Tassler, chairman of CBS Entertainment, in an interview.

And yet, it is Colbert’s inventiveness CBS is likely banking on to help it gain in the ongoing late-night wars. “It has usually been our policy that when you hire the right person, you let them be creative and let them do their job,” said Tassler. “We are extremely excited about what he’s going to bring to the time slot.”

Colbert will be the Eye’s entry into a race that has already started. Both ABC and NBC have already turned their latenight programming over to younger hosts – Jimmy Kimmel for the Alphabet and Jimmy Fallon at the Peacock. Colbert will have to hit the ground running, mastering a broadcast venue that demands mainstream appeal while trying to maintain the current fan base that has made his “Colbert Report” a mainstay for the Viacom-owned network.

But his appeal to younger viewers is hard to ignore. Viewers of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” had a median age of 41.9 in the last seven weeks, according  to Nielsen. Meantime, the median age of “Tonight Show” viewers since the Jimmy Fallon-led version has launched is 53.3, while that for viewers of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel” is 55.8. Colbert will have to build his base, however: In the last seven weeks,  “Colbert Report” attracted an average of 633,000 viewers between 18 and 49, the demographic most coveted by advertisers, according to Nielsen. Fallon’s “Tonight Show” lured an average of 2 million, while “Kimmel” attracted an average of 852,000 and Letterman’s “Late Show” notched an average of 710,000.

Tassler kept any thoughts what Colbert’s “Late Show” might look like to a minimum. “It’s really important he be given the opportunity to develop and create his show,” she said.

While one might think CBS would have had conversations with various Letterman replacements prior to the current “Late Show” host’s decision last week, Tassler said CBS only reached out to Colbert once the “starting gun” of Letterman’s desire to retire was clear. “One name just stood out above the rest,” said Tassler. She cited his background in the Second City improv comedy troupe and his “extraordinary intellect” as factors in his appeal to CBS executives.

“Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television,” said Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS, in a prepared statement. “David Letterman’s legacy and accomplishments are an incredible source of pride for all of us here, and today’s announcement speaks to our commitment of upholding what he established for CBS in late night.”

“Simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career,” said Colbert in a statement. “I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead.”

In a statement, Letterman blessed the succession: “Stephen has always been a real friend to me. I’m very excited for him, and I’m flattered that CBS chose him,” Letterman said. “I also happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses.”

The current incarnation of “The Late Show” is owned and produced by Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company, but ownership of the show and the name will be CBS’ once the transition is made, Tassler said.

She declined to speak in great detail about the potential future of Craig Ferguson, who has been holding forth at 12:37 a.m. after “The Late Show” since 2005.  CBS has been looking at its latenight schedule “one hour at a time,’” Tassler said. “We have a very good relationship with him. He’s our 12:30 guy.” She declined to comment on whether the host would stay with CBS or move on, given the Colbert decision.

According to people familiar with the situation, Ferguson’s discussions with CBS continue and he has not decided whether to stick with his show or leave. The host is supposed to tape two episodes of his show today and is likely to address the issue in the one set to air tonight, these people said. In a tweet, Ferguson congratulated Colbert and said, “Welcome to the CBS funhouse.”

Comedy Central is expected to take some time to devise a replacement for “Colbert Report,” which, given its focus on a character originated by its host, cannot continue. According to a person familar with the situation. a bevy of options are up for consideration, including creating a new program with talent from “The Daily Show,” the 11 p.m. mainstay that precedes “Colbert Report,”  giving the slot to “@midnight,” the new program hosted by Chris Hardwick recently launched at 12 a.m.; or something new entirely.

“Comedy Central is proud that the incredibly talented Stephen Colbert has been part of our family for nearly two decades,” the network said in a statement. “We look forward to the next eight months of the ground-breaking Colbert Report and wish Stephen the very best.”

In his perch on Comedy Central, Colbert has proven more willing to embrace advertisers than many of his peers, devoting minutes-long segments to discussions of PepsiCo’s Doritos or Mondelez International’s Wheat Thins. At the same time, he makes fun of the products, and not always in a good-natured way. Will CBS let the practice continue? “That’s a bridge we’ll cross at some later point,” said Tassler.

_______________________________________

So what do you think? Will you watch the new Late Show? Are you happy with the choice? Let us know in the comments below!

How I Met Your Mother: A Bitter End?

If you don’t want to speculate (or be spoiled if this is true) don’t read this article.

After last nights episode, it appears we may now know how this story ends, and it isn’t so sweet. It would however be a great ending to this long running show.

This speculation has been around for awhile, with little innuendos throughout the story. However, after last nights episode, it seems inevitable how this story may come to a close. For years, people have wondered why Ted was telling this long story to his children about how he met his mother. Well, it looks like the reason may be because she died.

The shows creators have never deviated, in it’s long history, about how this show would end. It’s not like Friends, who filmed multiple endings to the show, or for goodness sake St. Elsewhere (who could forget that crazy ending?) The creators and writers knew all along how this story was going to end they say, and the show has been filled with innuendo to this end. Such as in an episode in Season 8, Ted runs to his future wife’s apartment and makes a speech about how they will be together in 45 days… He says ““Exactly 45 days from now, you and I are going to meet. We’re going to fall in love and we’re going to get married, and we’re going to have two kids. We’re going to love them and each other so much. All that is 45 days away, but I’m here now, I guess because I want those extra 45 days with you. I want each one of them … I am always going to love you. Until the end of my days and beyond.”

Now of course this could be just an expression of his undying love for her, but it appears that he just wants more time with her than he will get.

The mother wasn’t cast until recently, however they also never refer to her, show her, in future seasons. Yes, this could be because she was not cast yet, but there are things unspoken that says a lot more. Like in one scene, flashing forward many years, Ted supposedly high on a sandwich says “Where’s my wife?” His friends standing around say nothing.

Fast forward to last night’s episode. If you haven’t seen it yet, prepare for spoilers. In this flash forward episode, Ted and his wife return to the Inn where Barney and Robin get married to spend time which one another away from the kids. In this episode, Ted tells the stories about Barney and Robins wedding, ending with Robin’s mother showing up for the event (which Robin thought she wouldn’t.) Ted’s wife then asks “How is that a surprise? What mother wouldn’t show up for their daughter’s wedding?” This is when Ted begins to cry. She says “Oh hey… ” and distracts him from the topic with another story. The episode ends with Bob Dylan’s song “If You See Her, Say Hello.”

Now of course this is all speculation. If this is so, it is sure to be a very emotional ending to a great run. We could of course spin it positively, that she WILL show up to her daughter’s wedding, but after last night, I’m not real optimistic of that. Maybe she does have a serious illness, but beats it? Maybe the reason he starts the story is because she is in and out of the hospital at those times? Who knows, maybe there is a happy ending.

Personally though, as sad as it is, as depressing as it is, it may just be the perfect end to the perfect story. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Survivor: The Yak’s Interview with Caleb Bankston

Caleb_BankstonToday the Yak interviewed Caleb Bankston the 26 year old post office manager/ farmer from Collinsville, Alabama. Caleb is engaged to returning player Colton Cumbie from Survivor One World. Previously this Yak interviewed Colton when he exited Survivor One World and found him to be hilarious, witty, extremely intelligent and quite charming. Although Jeff Probst questioned Caleb on the show as to how this mellow, laid back, easy going man could possibly have anything in common with the high strung, seemingly high maintenance Colton, I see them as the perfect yin and yang. As Caleb said on Survivor, “opposites attract.”

YAK: Congratulations Caleb on making it 30 days in the game although I have to say I’m a tad disappointed because I had you in the finals with Hayden.

Caleb: Thank you! It was a good run. Me, Hayden and Ciera were my final 3.

YAK: Have you always been a Survivor fan or only because Colton was on Survivor?

Caleb: I’ve caught several seasons of the show. I’ve never been as loyal as Colton. Colton has never really missed an episode. Growing up on a farm you know if you get home at 7:00 (back then it was on a Thursday night) you got to watch it, if not you just missed it. That’s kind of how it was. If I was home and was able to watch it, I watched it.

YAK: How did you really feel about Colton quitting?

Caleb: I was actually shocked about it but you know when Jeff (Probst) was grilling him I wanted to jump in but I didn’t want to disrespect Jeff at all. I knew what Jeff was going to say but it didn’t really matter what he was going to say. Nothing that Jeff pointed out or said would actually change my opinion about Colton. When Colton wanted to quit he made the comment that he’s changed and he’s grown since One World. There is definitely a different person than that. I understood. I got it. I really didn’t want him to be broken when we got home. I didn’t want him to stick it out in the game and go against who he wanted to be. That was my whole thing. As long as he stayed true to himself I wanted him to do whatever he wanted to do.

YAK: Who did you enjoy getting to know the most out there?

Caleb: I was really a Tyson fan since Tocantins. His kind of humor; to say whatever is on his mind. Colton is kind of similar to that.

YAK: You mean sarcastic and witty?

Caleb: (laughs) Yes I kind of gravitate towards that. I really enjoyed getting to know Vytas, Ciera, Hayden and John. John was a cool guy. Marissa and Rachel I wish I had gotten to know them more but they weren’t out there enough for me to get to know them. I felt like I got pretty close to John. Me and Vytas and Hayden were thick as thieves until the tribe swap happened and threw Vytas to the other side. Then we had to grab hold of Ciera and pull her in close.

YAK: What did you find the most challenging?

Caleb: I guess getting over those challenge jitters. You know you go into those challenges and the veterans have a little bit of an edge on you because they’ve walked up on day 1. They’ve been to their first challenge, their first tribal council. They kind of know what to expect. I think that’s why the first few weeks the “loved ones” tribe, we were ahead and then we just kind of lost it at the end. I think it was the jitters. I think it was the nervousness, everything getting to us and not knowing what to expect. Being there in the element and that feeling of euphoria.

YAK: Who do you think is playing the best game so far?

Caleb: Right now I think Tyson is playing the best game. I loved Hayden’s performance at that last tribal council. His back was against the wall and he came out swinging. I was loving it. That was my first tribal council as a jury member and that was a great first one!

YAK: During that last tribal council you jury members were laughing at some of the things being said.

Caleb: Yeah, Gervase should keep his mouth shut more at tribal council. He tends to step all over himself when he tries to talk and ends up burning a few bridges. That was pretty good. If they hadn’t have gone to rocks and Tyson had switched and voted Monica just to kind of avoid putting himself in danger, Ciera would have been the power player of the season. Since that didn’t work out and she tried to pull a move and it didn’t work, I think Tyson is running the show and he’s in a good spot to go to the end and win. Who knows?

YAK: What are you most proud of regarding how you played the game?

Caleb: I don’t know. I didn’t think the Brad Culpepper tribal council was that big of a thing. I was just feeling that way and I just went with it. I wasn’t thinking this will be a big move or anything. My thing was staying true and not letting anything bother me. Being able to let things go and separate the game from real life. Realizing that people who voted me out or did something, or flipped on me, it’s just a game and I don’t hold that against them at all.

YAK: That’s probably one of the reasons that you are well liked by fans and the other players, however you don’t think that announcing at tribal, “I’m voting for Brad” was a big move? It was pretty cool.Colton-Cumbie-Caleb-Bankston

Caleb: Watching it back, I did because Colton being such a big fan of the show explained to me why that was such a big move and he respected it a lot. That meant a lot to me that he was so proud of it. I left and I was all smiles because I actually had done something to help my alliance I felt. It wasn’t I’ve got to do this to make a big move. It was I’ve got to do this to secure my spot.

YAK: Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers or clarify, that was maybe lost in the edit?

Caleb: I’ve probably got more fans than Colton does out there. But for the fans, go easy on him. He’s not the bad guy, he’s really sweet. If you got to know him you’d all love him. I couldn’t make it to the end to get the million, but vote for me for Fan Favorite!

YAK: You and Colton have been together a long time now, when are you getting married?

Caleb: It’s four years now. We are getting married on October 11th in Connecticut. I’m really excited about it!

Being an outdoorsman Caleb really enjoyed his time on Survivor and would definitely do it again.

Thanks for talking with us today Caleb and congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!

______________________________________

 

What do you think about what Caleb had to say? Will you miss him on Survivor? Let us know in the comments below! Then, come on in and join us in the FORUM where we are discussing all your favorite shows and more!

Survivor: The Yak’s Interview with Vytas Baskauskas

survivor_vytas1We spoke with Vytas Baskauskas the 33 year old Yoga instructor/ Math professor from Santa Monica, CA on his elimination on Wednesday night’s episode of Survivor Blood vs. Water. Vytas is the brother of Aras Baskauskas (31) the winner of Survivor Panama.

YAK: Hi Vytas, thanks for talking with us today at The Yak TV and Reality News! Congratulations on making it this far on Survivor.
Vytas: I would have actually liked to make it further but thank you.
YAK: What strategy of yours are you most proud of in the game?
Vytas: I think that when the tribes swapped about 10 days into the game and I found myself on a tribe of all women and I was able to navigate through that minefield it was a very fortunate game play on my part. I didn’t play a perfect game obviously. I’m on the jury and I didn’t win but I had some good moments and I think that was probably one of my best moments. It was how I played since the beginning. If I ignored Katie from the beginning then as soon as we swap then Katie is going to go to her Mom and say Vytas ignored me. But, being in the majority alliance I made sure to stay friends with those in the minority alliance. I kept pulling Katie aside saying “Hey, even though you’re not with us, I’m with you and I’m going to keep you safe.” That really paid off in the end when the tribes swapped.
YAK: Then in Tina you had a big fan.
Vytas: Yes, then in Tina I had a big fan, because Tina’s big love is her daughter and Tina wants nothing more than her daughter to have children so that she can be a grandmother.
YAK: You were really well liked by the other contestants. In fact some have interviewed that if you made it to the end they would vote for you because they liked your story and generally enjoyed you. How hard is that knowing that if you had made Final 3 you really had a strong shot at the million dollars?
Vytas: I mean getting eliminated from the game is hard either way. I don’t think it makes it any easier knowing that I would have had a chance to win at the end but it’s tough. I had so much more game left in me when I got eliminated. I didn’t go into this game just trying to make it far; I went in wanting to win. Anything short of that would be a disappointment and it is a bit disappointing. I tried my best, I made some mistakes. In the end what can you do but just be grateful for the experience, because it was a fricken amazing experience.
YAK: Well now you and Aras are the only brothers ever to play Survivor?
Vytas: Yes, we are the only brothers to play Survivor, it’s so lucky.
YAK: Who did you trust the most besides your brother?
Vytas: You know in the beginning we had this guys alliance, besides Aras in the beginning I really trusted Brad. Brad and Hayden, these are guys that I knew were going to be honest with me. I really wanted to go deep in the game with them because Hayden was a big threat because he won Big Brother and Brad was a huge threat just being an NFL player. So these were guys who even though I knew I was going to have a big target on my back, I knew they were going to have a big target as well so I figured we should link up together. Then when the tribes swapped all of a sudden I didn’t get to work with them. Then I really got to work on a relationship with Katie and her mom. I really trusted Tina and Katie as well. They’re great people I really had fun getting to know them. Tina’s a great person, Katie’s an awesome friend and even Monica who I got to work with. Recently I went to Tampa and I got to see Monica and Brad. They have such a great family and I love them too. It’s really an experience where I made some good friendships that will last for a long time.
YAK: Would you have voted Aras out as we’ve seen Ciera do to her Mom?
Vytas: Probably not. It would have been much more as a last resort. I think Ciera had some better options before voting her Mom out. Ciera has been playing a good game though. She’s made it far and has made some big moves. That was a huge move to vote her Mom out. I’m happy that at least this has happened once during Blood vs. Water. You never know if it’s going to happen again. I don’t know if I would have been that quick to vote out Aras. It really shows other people that you’re willing to vote out your strongest alliance which makes people leery of forming an alliance with you.
YAK: Is there anything that you want to clarify or want the viewers to know that maybe we didn’t see or was edited out?
Vytas: No, I mean, there is so much we don’t see in the show. I just want everyone to know that I had a blast playing the game. I appreciate everyone’s support and the warm reception I’ve gotten from fans has made this experience so much better. It’s been really fabulous.
YAK: What do you think about Laura B. telling you that you were going home? Did you think that it could possibly be her kiss of death? She seemed so sincere and she liked you so much I felt actually bad for her.
Vytas: I did feel bad for Laura, because I like Laura. Laura is a woman who probably lives in the shadow of Rupert a lot and she probably doesn’t let herself out like that. I felt bad. She put herself out there and it kind of got thrown at her but that’s Survivor. When she was telling that to me I already had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. What was I going to say “no, you’re wrong, that’s not who’s going to go.”? I mean we signed up for this game that’s sociopathic and her feelings were hurt I’m sure and I felt bad that I kind of had to be the one to do it.
YAK: What was the hardest thing for you out there?
survivor_vytasVytas: When Aras was voted out it was really hard. Not so much, it didn’t make me sad I was blown away. I’m sitting there with immunity feeling really comfortable and all of a sudden my brother gets voted out. I was completely blown away by that. Otherwise it wasn’t that physically demanding or rigorous. It didn’t rain and we had a beach with a bounty of fish and trees with fruit on them so we didn’t really starve that bad. I think for me what was hard was the emotion that came up. Like when I gave my brother a cheap shot, I was surprised I did that. Or when I cried when I hugged my brother, I’m surprised that happened. When I cussed out the whole tribe at tribal council while feeling protective of my brother, these are just authentic emotional experiences that are a little bit more raw because of the setting.
YAK: How has this experience affected your relationship with your brother are you closer?
Vytas: Yes we’re definitely closer after this. It’s been a long mend for our relationship. There were a lot of years where we didn’t get along at all. We’re less than 2 years apart so this was a big step forward for us, to be able to mend some things and grow closer. We’re never going to be perfect. All I know is that I love my brother a lot; he loves me and even though we will always have a healthy rivalry and we’ll fight from time to time, this is something that we can always share and a memory we can always look back on.
YAK: Sounds like you loved this experience would you do it again?
Vytas: I love Survivor. I’ve been a fan from the beginning. I’d like to go out there and see what it would be like without Aras, just on my own.
Thanks for talking with us today Vytas and come and visit us at The Yak TV and Reality News!

_______________________________________________

So what do you think? Miss Vytas already? Leave us a comment below and be sure to come visit us in the forum HERE!

 

“Survivor: Blood vs. Water” Cast Includes Former Winners, a Big Brother Alum, and Fan Favorite

CBS has finally revealed the 20 contestants who will participate in the upcoming 27th season of the hit show, “Survivor.” The “Blood vs. Water” season will feature past Survivor contestants paired with a family member. The twist is that these former contestants will ultimately be playing AGAINST their own blood. There will only be one SOLE Survivor.

CBS boasts that this edition of Survivor will feature the return of Redemption Island, where castaways who have been eliminated have another shot at returning into the game for the million dollar prize! But there’s yet another twist! Loved ones will be forced to choose whether to “save” their partner on Redemption Island and switch places with them, thus allowing their loved one to immediately re-enter the game, or leave them in exile to survive on their own.

“Survivor: Blood vs Water” premieres Sept 18 with a special 90-minute premiere at 8/7c! Check out the cast below and be sure to catch the video!

DATING
Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Tocantins, 2nd Jury member; Heroes vs. Villains, 6th Voted Out) & Rachel Foulger

BROTHERS
Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama – Exile Island, Winner) & Vytas Baskauskas

MARRIED
Rupert Boneham (Survivor: Pearl Island, 2nd Jury member; All Stars, 6th Jury member, Winner Fan-Favorite; Heroes vs. Villains, 7th Jury member) & Laura Boneham

MARRIED
Candice Cody (Survivor: Cook Islands, 5th Jury Member; Heroes vs. Villains, 5th Jury Member) & John Cody

MARRIED
Monica Culpepper (Survivor: One World, 5th Voted Out) & Brad Culpepper

ENGAGED
Colton Cumbie (Survivor: One World, 6th Out – Medically Evacuated) & Caleb Bankston

DATING
Kat Edorsson (Survivor: One World, 6th Jury Member) & Hayden Moss

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
Laura Morett (Survivor: Samoa, 3rd Jury Member) & Ciera Eastin

UNCLE AND NIECE
Gervase Peterson (Survivor: Borneo, 3rd Jury Member) & Marissa Peterson

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
Tina Wesson (Survivor: Australia, Winner; All Stars, 1st Voted Out) & Katie Collins

[slider_pro id=”24″]


 

Flashback Friday? Time Warner Cable vs. CBS

Update (Aug 4, 2013): CBS has released a new official statement regarding negotiations with TWC

There are no negotiations taking place at this time between CBS and Time Warner Cable. Before the
deadline on Friday we asked TWC to continue the negotiation while our programming was still on the air
in consideration for our viewers. They rejected this request and told us that they’d have more leverage
against us if they took us off their service. This is hardly a sign that they care about their customers as
they claim. We remain ready to negotiate in good faith when they are.

As many Time Warner Cable customers already know, especially those who watch Big Brother and for the past few episodes, have seen the scroll at the bottom that you might lose your CBS channel, TWC and CBS are currently in the struggle of re-negotiation of their fees. Specifically, CBS is asking for a new contract with higher re-transmission fees for Time Warner Cable to broadcast their content.

Why a “Flashback Friday”? Because how many times have we seen this happen? Eventually it does resolve itself, the loser ALWAYS the TV Subscriber no matter which side gets their way really. Higher fees always means higher fees for YOU, not for the cable company. No negotiation means we lose our channels and somehow, still get a higher cable bill? (That one I haven’t quite figured out yet.)

Now, I’m not going to take sides between CBS/Time Warner Cable. Really, you can insert anyone in that equation. FOX/Comcast. Viacom/Dish. You get the picture. It’s constant and the only losers are us. We lose in price or we lose our favorite channel. It sucks quite frankly.

Now I used to, in another life, work for the cable company. Yes, I took your calls that the broadcaster told you to make to “tell us to keep” their channel, or of course the calls the Cable Company told you to make to “Not give in to their demands!” I remember specifically the fight between Fox and Time Warner Cable. We had to be staffed on New Years Eve of all things to take those calls. Why? Because the contract was going to run out at midnight. You have NO IDEA how much fun it is to answer the phone right before Midnight on New Years Eve to someone yelling at you (as if you are in on the negotiations) to keep their Fox on the air. Really, it’s kind of a joke. Do these callers really think we have any say? Do they not understand that whatever the cable company bends to on price just gets passed on to the consumer? Sigh.

It’s okay to make the call and let them know you prefer to keep/discard the network, but PLEASE realize the person you are talking to has no control over it and be human… And please, please, please find something else to do on New Years Eve.

But I digress… back to the reason I am writing this.

Another thing those callers don’t realize… In all the uproar over CBS maybe pulling their channel, or Fox, or NBC, or ABC etc. etc. Those channels are FREE OVER THE AIR CHANNELS. Yes, you do NOT need Cable, Dish, DirecTv, FIOS, etc. to see these. You just need a trusty antenna that you can purchase, or better yet, make your own for REALLY cheap! You may also need a converter box ONLY if your TV is older. And by older, I mean grandma’s TV… Ok, maybe mom’s TV or that weird retro Uncle you have that lives in a friends basement. Basically, if you have a digital ready Television, you can get those channels free. If you purchased your Television after 2004, more than likely it’s digital ready. If you purchased your TV after 2007, then it HAS to be digital ready by law, so no box needed.

ku-xlargeAnyway, I thought I would pass this info on about the ALMOST FREE antenna that you can make yourself. You know, DIY. Even if you have cable, satellite, fios or what not, it’s actually kind of a nice thing to have anyway. There are SO MANY over the air digital channels that you aren’t getting with these companies, and why shouldn’t you? They’re FREE. If you have a Tivo, you can even record from them. Many are in a really crisp HD too. So whether you are a cord cutter or a full fledged subscriber, why not give this a shot? Did I say free? (Well, almost free anyway. At least it’s without the monthly cost.)

Now some say that this DIY antenna is actually better than some of the more costly purchased ones. I will leave that up to you. Also note, I can’t take credit for this… this is someone else’s love child, I’m just sharing the wealth. This one was adopted from someone else (who she credits) by Holly Mann (and made pretty with paint to make it wall hang-able, if that’s such a word) and is reported to work really well. To view the instructions on how to make this, go HERE.

While you’re at it, you can also check out what channels should come in for you OTA (Over the Air) by your Zip Code HERE. (Keep in mind that many of these channels have more than one channel included. Meaning you may see one channel as “4-1” but there may also be a “4-2” and “4-3”. The last time I checked in my area there were at least 8 different PBS channels each broadcasting something different.

So good luck! If you decide to make one of these nifty things (which I will do soon too and will update with how it goes) let us know below in the comments how it turned out! Did it work? Did it fizzle out? Did you do something different that made it better? Keep us updated!

Oh and, of course, join us in the FORUM one of these days. You will be glad you did!

 

 

CBS Announces Premieres for “Big Brother 15,” “Unforgettable” Return & “Under The Dome”

cp_cbs_yak_logoDuring Saturday’s session for the TCA 2013 conference, CBS announced their summer plans in front of the television critics. Summer is starting early on CBS this year, as evident by the premiere dates for the sophomore season of the recently resurrected Unforgettable, an expanded 15th season of summer staple Big Brother and Stephen King’s mini-series Under the Dome.

King’s series will kick off June 24 at 10/9c. CBS President Nina Tassler touted her hopes of the event becoming a “big summer event.” “What we heard was this extraordinary vision for 13 episodes and beyond, we have a unique opportunity here to do a big summer event and to do a script to series. [During the] summer, you have to make some noise, and we really wanted to this summer. We’ve got a lot of fresh, great content.”

The network also announced that “Unforgettable” will premiere its second season on Sunday July 28 at 9/8c and reality show The Great British Bake Off kicks off May 29 at 8/7c. “Big Brother 15”, which will be getting an expanded season, kicks off Wednesday June 26 at 9/8c. The show will air Sundays at 8/7c (starting June 30), Tuesdays at 9/8c (starting July 2) and live evictions on Wednesdays at 9/8c (starting July 3). Effective July 2, NCIS: LA will air encores at 10/9c to make way for Big Brother. Also, note that Big Brother 15 will shift to 8/7c on Wednesdays beginning July 17.

The Glass House vs. Big Brother: The Off-Screen Drama Continues!

The Glass House and Big Brother concluded their seasons months ago, but the drama has not ended off screen just yet. But this time, it’s the ex-Big Brother employees, Corie Henson, Michael O’Sullivan, and executive producer Kenny Rosen now working for The Glass House, who have chosen to fire back, claiming that CBS is using “litigation equivalent of war.” CBS has abandoned the lawsuit, but the three producers are asking the court to stop the network from arbitrating its claims. According to the filing,

“CBS made these allegations as part of its campaign to prevent, or at the very least, disrupt and harass, the production of a new reality show ‘The Glass House,’ which CBS regarded as competitive with its reality show ‘Big Brother.’ Plaintiffs had previously worked on ‘Big Brother’ and then took jobs on ‘The Glass House.’ CBS intended to send a message that former CBS employees who later dared to work for a competing show would be punished.”

The producers claim that CBS knew their nondisclosures while working on Big Brother included arbitration clauses but that CBS neglected that when they sued ABC and The Glass House earlier this summer. When CBS dropped the suit in August, they cited low ratings by the ABC competition. The complaint from the producers goes on to say

“But CBS was not done harassing plaintiffs. On the same day that CBS dropped the plaintiffs from its federal case, it belatedly attempted to invoke the previously ignored arbitration provision in the non-disclosure agreements. CBS’s arbitration demand involves exactly the same claims and same facts upon which CBS sought to build a case in federal court. Moreover, the arbitration demand refers expressly to discovery CBS obtained during the court action.”

It is important to note that ABC, as a network, isn’t included in on this complaint, but rather Rosen and O’Sullivan, as producers of TGH, and Henson, ABC’s president of alternative programming.

Yak’s Guide to Holiday Programming: November/December 2012 Premieres, Finales & Specials

‘Tis the season to prepare to clear your DVR after November sweeps to prep it for a holiday marathon of goodness. As but a mere (and awesome, if you ask us) supplement, we’ve prepared your holiday themed guide for TV premieres, finales, specials and more for the remainder of 2012. You’re going to want to bookmark this page, as we will constantly be updating it as more dates are announced. ABC Family’s Countdown to Christmas and 25 Days of Christmas would fill this calendar past max capacity, so be sure to check out our full listing (click here) for all ABC Family has to offer! So if you want to know when your favorite classic movies, new network game show events, reality competition finales, new holiday specials & more air … check it out below!

Related | NBC Announced Christmas Specials, Plus Supersized Voice Finale

Related | Fox Announced Original Thanksgiving Plans, plus Holiday Themed Programming

We’ve got you covered here at the Yak! Don’t forget to check back for special previews from some of your favorite shows during sweeps!

[table id=13 /]