Social Networking Sites and Privacy Concerns

Google is the latest monster internet company to come under attack, this time for alleged violation of consumers' rights to privacy. The complaint to federal regulators involves a Gmail addition of "Google Buzz" just last week, which creates circles of friends for users based on the people they frequently contact through their Gmail account.

Since the concerns were expressed, Google has changed the software to "suggest" friends instead of being created automatically - which is another hangup. You are able to "disable" the service, but the fact it is generated without one's approval in the first place is problematic.

Secondly, I've read the disclaimers about the Facebook app that allows one to "see who is spying on their facebook account." My understanding is this app does not provide page view information, only assembling an account of which people interact the most with one's status updates, etc. Has anyone experienced information to the contrary?

Super Bowl May Have Set Super Mark

Early Nielsen ratings show Sunday's Super Bowl may have eclipsed viewership for the most-watched television show of all time, the series finale of M*A*S*H, in 1983.

Overnight numbers estimate 106.5 million people tuned in for the New Orleans Saints win over the Indianapolis Colts, compared to the 105.97 million that watched M*A*S*H leave the airwaves. There is a margin of error with Nielsen estimates, but to be this close to the M*A*S*H precedent says a lot for the NFL broadcast. The share of households watching the game was still below the M*A*S*H number (77% to 68%).

Advertisers purchased more commercial minutes in this Super Bowl than any other super Sunday game, which should be a boom for next season.

Roanoke-Lynchburg Radio Ratings

The Fall 2009 Arbitron numbers are in, and 94.9 Star Country still holds the number one spot with listeners 12+. Narrowing the gap from Spring 2009 is Q99. K92, Jammin JJS, and ROV/Vibe 100 (tied) round out the top 5 in the market.

The biggest movers from Spring to Fall were Q99 and WSFF (Steve FM), while WROV, WFIR, and WZZI took the biggest tumbles in the area.

Arbitron ratings are used by stations to help set ad rates, so the better position you are in your demographic, the more flexibility you have in setting advertising fees. 12+ numbers are based on AQH, or the average number of listeners tuned in to a specific station during an average 15 minutes.

For full numbers you can visit www.arbitron.com .

Favorite Crime TV Show Of All Time

The last twenty years has seen a resurgence of the Crime series on television. Everyone has their favorite show or series. In the 80's, Magnum, PI was it for me. Maybe more a comedy than drama, it presented a great balance of storyline and one-liners, along with the running battle between characters Magnum and Higgins.

Over the years we've embraced Dragnet, Hill City Blues, NYPD Blue, the CSI series, Monk, a little series entitled Law & Order, and countless others. What is it that keeps us coming back for more? The characters themselves, the bad guys "getting theirs" in the end, the story, or something else? What is your favorite?

TV Coverage Of Tragedies

Many of you heard about the tragic shooting of eight people in Appomattox this past week. Some of you may have also heard about the media coverage that was present, and the usual critical comments that follow such a scene.

At least one poster to the local ABC affiliate website lamented that they were scooped by the affil in Richmond - a further distance to Appomattox than Lynchburg to Appomattox. I don't know if that was true or not, but shouldn't the number one priority of any reporting be to get the facts correct? Too often with past events the competition of local stations leads to "being first" as the main reason for coverage, instead of "being right."

As a viewer, I would rather a station present accurate facts the first time, instead of retracting over and over because they rushed to present the story "first." Also, is it necessary to hold news conferences about a tragedy hours apart, if the only "update" is to say you have no new information? Just some thoughts...

What TV Show Can't You Live Without?

You know the day of the week, the time, the network, and all the characters by name. You try to convince your friends it's THE best show on tv, and update them the following morning on what happened. It's the tv show you can't live without.

For me, it's half the weekly schedule. Chuck, American Idol, Psych, Burn Notice, 24, 24!, The Mentalist, Shark Tank - if these shows are on, I'm at home. They run our lives, dictate our daily schedules, decide if we make dinner or pick up something on the way home.

So, what is your can't-live-without-show, and why does it drive you insanely crazy if you miss it?

What Should Replace Jay Leno?

NBC has finally owned up to the fact America was not ready for Jay Leno in primetime. The question is, what IS America ready for now that the Peacock Network has failed on their promise to give Leno at least a year?

While the experiment was an attempt to cut operating costs in primetime, as well as giving Leno exposure in a comfy slot, NBC will need to fill five weeknights after the Olympics with an hour of programming each evening. Should the network re-work their original shows from those time slots BACK into their own evenings, or would you like to see something completely different? OR, for many, it doesn't matter what NBC does, you are not watching.