Safe to say ABC, CBS NBC and CW will be pre-empting tonight's entire lineup for coverage of #manhunt. Awaiting confirmation.
— Michael Ausiello (@MichaelAusiello) April 20, 2013
Correction: CW airing reg programming in most markets, NY -- which is running news -- among exceptions.
— Michael Ausiello (@MichaelAusiello) April 20, 2013
Figured this out a half hour ago.
ReplyDeleteWay to announce it during the pre emption. :P.
ReplyDeleteso i guess no grimm tonight?
ReplyDeleteThis is so stupid. People's fascination with this is boderline sick.
ReplyDeleteI shall be watching Netflix.
Once Happy Endings didn't start within 30 seconds it was pretty easy to figure out. Then I just checked all the other channels to see if it was the same thing. At least TNT is airing The Dark Knight to give me something to watch and at 9 one of the Showtime channels is airing the final 4 episodes of season 4 of Dexter.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's just frustrating when it constantly happens.
ReplyDeleteYeah, because it's 1 of the networks.
ReplyDeleteNikita? :O
ReplyDeleteI can't believe people are winging about their shows are not being shown, when an 8 year old, two women and a 28 year old cop are dead with almost 200 people injured. You don't have to be glued to the TV but please show respect. Think if it was your mother, your friend, your child. Would you want the world to go on, would you want people to watch Nikita or Family Guy like nothing ever happened? Please, you don't have to watch CNN 24/7 but please respect the people who are dead.
ReplyDeleteOne of the largest cities in the USA (20th I think?) has been on lock down for most of the day, yes it should be on TV instead of some meaningless TV show. If for no other reason to keep the people who are locked in their houses informed.
ReplyDeleteA real life news crisis should take place over entertainment every time. Period.
It aired the episode, I guess it's just the 3 networks.
ReplyDeleteexactly. totally agree
ReplyDeleteI understand and it's terrible to those people that were affected but they've now pre-empted Hannibal next week and will not air the episode cause it involves child serial killers, which has nothing to do with the bombings, nor does any of the programming on tonight. If people wanna watch the coverage, can't they just show it on news channels and let people watch normal television if they want.
ReplyDeleteMy comment was removed?
ReplyDeleteI disagree, there are ways around it. They could do periodic updates, in the Boston market they could make their own decision.. This comes down to nothing more than people's fascination with depressing things. Lots of people prefer NOT to watch that.
ReplyDeleteI dictate/caption phone calls all day for my job and so far I've had a call where people were making plans to go to a movie because their show was pre-empted and three other calls where they were discussing what might be on cable because they were either sick of hearing about it or wanted to avoid it because it's depressing.
At least The CW had regular programming. *Shrug*
I live in the Boston area and have been following this all day. I'm fine with the shows being preempted when there's news to cover, but Grimm is now not airing so that the newscasters can talk about how traffic is being redirected around the hospital where the shooter was brought, interviews with neighbors who saw nothing, and the latest is a detailed description of the plastic cover of the boat where the suspect was hiding.
ReplyDeleteIf my family died I would NOT want them to be the subject of a news story the whole world is watching and I'd much prefer them to watch Family Guy. It is not a matter of not respecting the dead. Sensationalized and exaggerated news reports are the OPPOSITE of respect.
ReplyDeleteI support pre-empting even my favorite TV shows when it's something of importance for the country. I was very much looking forward to watching Grimm but I can watch it later. Anyone know when that might be?
ReplyDeleteAt some point now that he is captured normal programming should resume. Agreed. Maybe everything could air 2 hours late?
ReplyDeleteI'm not for news coverage of neighbors in the streets clapping for police or traffic news either! XD
i totally agree
ReplyDeleteI am a news and politics watcher, but I have not been watching it too much honestly.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do find it interesting, I find it repetitive. I would rather watch a summary after the fact.
The issue is that even in our media hungry world, not everyone has cable. Some people only watch network TV and therefore the networks need to do certain things. Covering national new stories of this stature being one of those things.
People do not need to watch, but the coverage needs to be available for those that desire to, or need to watch since they were locked in their houses.
I will never complain when a TV show is preempted for legitimate news. Real life will and should always take precedence over entertainment.
I would be ok with updates on every 15 minutes or something like you suggested, but I would also still want the shows to not air new episodes if they did that. If they cut into shows it would be better in my opinion to do it on reruns.
No Happy Endings tonight? OH, MAN! I guess I'll just have to suck it up and wait :(
ReplyDeleteDon't think the news channels are covering the story for the people, it's all $$$ and competition. 3 channels do not need to cover the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThere are news channels and radios to cover it and periodic updates. A night of reporters saying the same thing over and over is not necessary. State the facts, go on.
And if I were a person who'd lost a family member at the marathon I wouldn't want to have a constant visual reminder on TV.
they have now captured him i think
ReplyDeleteAgreed. And let's not forget the 14 now confirmed dead from the explosion in Texas, approximately 200 injured, 50 homes damaged, many homeless and unable to return to their homes, and yet it's not as sensationalistic as a manhunt so it's been hard to find any information RE how many remain missing, etc.
ReplyDeleteI agree, if something like this ever were to happen to my family I definitely wouldn't want the whole world watching my pain, things like this should be a private. I mean sure it can be reported and talked about, but not around the clock detailing EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteI agree
ReplyDeleteThey may bump it back a week, like they did with Revolution. Monday's ep was preempted, so they're just going to air it new on Monday.
ReplyDeleteHonestly... I have no idea how I would react if a loved one of mine was murdered in any way, much less in a terror event that was a national news story.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, even if I personally did not want to watch coverage on the story, I respect the decision of those that would want to watch the coverage - even to the point of obsession! That is their right. I would never make any comment to disparage anyone who is dealing with the loss,,, however hey chose to deal with it.
Norberto Barba (one of the executive producers and director) said on FB that it will air next week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
ReplyDelete*hit happens every day, and not just in this country, yet there isn't a 24 hour news coverage on every channel. We watch our shows as Africans starve and soldiers die in the Middle East. It's horrible what happened in Boston, but the bad guys are caught. The news needs to move on.
ReplyDelete:(
ReplyDeleteYep, revenge is more important than missing people because it is what is selling.
I don't watch news reports for very long. I sometimes go half a year without watching a report. I get news on online articles once in a while. 1.) It's depressing 2.) There's nothing I can do 3.) Media is biased and about the money.
It's online if you want to watch it, I guess it was pre empted in certain places or it got delayed.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I watched Nikita as I normally do and am now watching some random show on a random channel. I was channel surfing. I already got what I needed to know after watching 2 minutes of news.
ReplyDeletePlease, people die every day.
ReplyDeleteMy 6 month old cousin died a couple years ago and the world went on around my family.
The only reason people care about what happened in Boston is because it is on the news.
I think the reason this has gotten so much attention is because the Boston Marathon bombings had a very 9-11 feel to them. But even though this is a very big deal in Boston, it feels weird that all of the rest of you have to watch it too.
ReplyDeletePeople die every day, but the US doesn't get attacked by terrorists every day, and the Boston Marathon is a big deal. People follow it throughout the country, if not the world.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I was having a hard time finding the info on Google.
ReplyDeleteIf I can be honest I was kinda annoyed when I turned on ABC and Happy Endings wasn't on. I was watching CNN for the majority of the day I already knew what was going on. All I wanted to do was turn on what I think is currently the funniest show on TV and laugh for an hour.
ReplyDeleteI was annoyed too when it turned out Grimm wasn't on cause Revolution already got booted.
ReplyDeleteI understand. It's not like we don't care, it's just only so much can be said about it.
This comes off as very disrespectful to those hurt in the bombing. I am sorry for your family's loss. Yes, people die every day but in America, most of those people aren't killed in a terrorist attack. I pray that we never get to the point where bombings in America are just another news event. This bombing was a loss to all of us and if 3 networks want to cover part of the healing process then so be it. I don't want to ever come to a point where we are desensitized to terrorism and as such I can wait to watch a TV show, even if it was going to be the highlight of my week.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be. When I saw the images my stomach flipped. My problem is with the media.
ReplyDeleteWhich is why the media jumped on it.
ReplyDeleteUnited States. What happens in Boston, happens in America.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why a death of someone in your community feels more important than the death of someone across the world, or why a murder at a community, public event gets more attention than a domestic murder in the privacy of a home, but it just does. It's not fair or just, but it just is. It's human nature.
ReplyDeleteUS media is a weird thing. We broadcast locally but our news gets picked up around the world. An act of terrorism in the US is huge locally because it affects Americans on a personal level. It shouldn't affect people across the world who have their own local terrorism, but then we hear those people are reading about it.
Who remembers the classic 'newsflash'? 9/11 killed that. Now we're obsessed with 'breaking news', spending hours at a time getting questionable information from stuttering newscasters going 'erm, erm, erm, we are just learning, that erm, something, is erm, happening.... erm'. I'd rather just tune into the polished report with slightly less dodgy facts at the usual news hour.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to sound insensitive, but news and sports should have their own channels, for this exact matter. Give me my TV shows! If I want to watch my TV shows, I'll watch my TV shows, if I want to watch sports, I'll change the channel to the sports, if I want to watch news, I'll change the channel to the news, don't try and MAKE me watch the news. This really annoys me. This isn't the first time networks pre-empt because of news/sports events and frankly, right now I could really use a pause from everyday life and just delve into my shows, but apparently these networks disagree.
ReplyDeleteDuring the actual terror-events, THAT'S when you should focus on the news. You could go all pre-emptive (is that a word?) then, I'm OK with that because that's informative, but now it's about the manhunt that follows. I understand it's still a big deal, but it's not about the actual terrorist attack anymore, it's about the people behind it, and frankly, I don't give a shit about them, I care about the tragic event and the poor people who lost their lives and those affected by it :( Don't go run a marathon about the damn person behind it, what the frack...
I'm not trying to sound insensitive or disrespectful, but tell me, do you care about every time the media reports about a death or explosion in countries where there are active wars?
ReplyDeleteThe fact is we live in a world where people care more about entertainment than they do about deaths, and yes, it's extremely tragic, but nevertheless, it's true. Go ask most people. They'd rather sit through an hour of comedy TV than an hour of military TV. In fact, most people wouldn't even want to see the military TV one, because it would be "too harsh, it would be too dramatic and they would get nightmares"....
Since when does the US have only one television network? Run the news on your own news network, run entertainment on their own networks? Who knows, maybe at least one singular person inside wants to watch a single show to calm the nerves down. Who are you to judge..? I hope that in the future all these pre-emptive situations are solved.
ReplyDeleteI have full respect for everybody who has died, but there's a borderline between where this affects my personal life and theirs. I live in Norway, all this is in Boston. People die every day, both due to natural causes, accidents, murders, etc. and if we all start to pre-empt our shows, stop what we are were doing at all times to respect the dead, then our lives couldn't proceed. Ever.
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened here is a horrible event, but we must move on. Some sooner than others. It's easier for me, knowing I live in Norway, and it's not even in my neighborhood. I'm ready to move on now. I don't mean move on so that I never think back. I think back all the time. The victims of the Boston bombings will always be in my heart and mind, but I cannot and will not stop watching my television shows to watch the manhunt unfold. I mean move on so that my daily life continues, but my mind and thoughts are with these victims at the same time. And that can't happen unless my TV shows return.
To answer your exact question:
People should be allowed to watch whatever the heck they want, Family Guy if that be, that doesn't mean the world stops turning, that doesn't mean they stop having respect, and that doesn't mean we don't care about the victims. It's just TV, Family Guy doesn't change our feelings, or our minds, it's just entertainment, a half-hour of fun, what's wrong with that?
Finishing this long speech of mine with a rest in peace to the victims: R.I.P <3
TBH, I'm a little surprised you were getting so much coverage in Norway. It sounds like the issue is that you watch a US network, rather than a locally-based network, so you're going to get US-centric programming decisions. If the networks decide to preempt a show in the US, they're going to do it everywhere because US ad dollars pay for the show.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm watching it right now :D
ReplyDeleteThe issue is that this is NOT an everyday event in the US so when it happens in the US it is a big deal to US citizens. If a bomb exploded in another country where this does not usually happen, then yes I would expect that country to pre-empt its programming to show news about the bombing there. Since you are from Norway, I can see how a bombing in Boston may not be as pressing for you and I would not expect Norway to change its domestic programming because of it. However, Grimm is a US-based show so if something significant happens in the US, I expect it to be pre-empted. That sucks double for international fans used to downloading or watching it through other means (except you still can this time due to the Canadian viewing). If God forbid a terrorist act took place in Norway, I would not fault the Norwegian media from pulling its programs to cover the event. I think the same leeway should be applied to US networks.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people want to be entertained and I certainly do not like when my shows are being pre-empted but there are times when something is of enough national interest that I understand pre-emption. I agree with the networks covering the manhunt and aftermath because they are significant in helping people overcome their grief and anxiety associated with this terrorist act. Also contrary to popular belief, not everyone has cable or the internet at home. I work in a relatively poor rural community and some people there simply cannot afford them. They have the right to see what is going on in Boston as much as people with online news sources. Our news media has first responsibility to inform people of major breaking stories in the US. If they determine this is best done by pre-emption so is their right. Now I am not naive enough to believe that the networks did this out of a genuine desire to inform and help the nation instead of ratings but sometime the two motives collide and I believe this is one of those cases. I think we need to be flexible. If a show I watch from Britain was pre-empted because of a disaster or attack, I would not like it but I would respect the decision because obviously the interests of the nation are more important to those networks than my displeasure as an international viewer.
US networks make decisions based on US interests just like every other country makes decisions based on the interests of their own people. I would never presume to know what was best for the country of Norway nor think that my viewing preferences should make a difference in what is aired there. No one was forced to watch the manhunt and people can always watch a repeat of the shows they like best while waiting for their shows to return. The Boston Marathon bombing and the resulting violence in the manhunt is a big deal simply because that is NOT the norm in the United States. I certainly hope that we never get to a point where it is the norm and therefore the media stops making a big deal out of it.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't constantly happen. That's why it was such a big deal. Except for weather issues where exemptions are local, I can count on one hand the amount of news that was considered so pressing that they pre-empted new episodes at the last minute to devote time to it in the last few years. It's not like shows are being nationally pre-empted every month to watch kittens being rescued.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
ReplyDeleteExactly. This has been my point as well. It's not an every day occurrence here in the US. and we shouldn't want it to be, which is why it's important to take time out and feel/show respect for those who's lives have forever been changed, as now we might have to ask ourselves more hard questions in terms of attempting to prevent more events like this.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very strange for people to be THIS upset about not being able to view a TV show for a week, or whenever...
There were plenty of cable networks that had alternative programming available. People were free to watch any of those if they had cable. If networks want the channels that are free and open to all US citizens to show actual news of an important event to the people of the US, then they should be free to do it. A lot of people who were tired of hearing about the events in Boston were complaining because they had already watched it all day on CNN or other cable news stations. Unfortunately, not everyone gets cable or has access to the internet. That doesn't mean that they should not be able to see what is going on. The US is not like some other countries in that there is no free, national news network. All of the "all news all the time" channels have to be paid for. People who wanted to watch something non-news related were free to pull out their DVDs, watch the CW, go to Netflix or Hulu, pull something from their DVR, watch cable, or see repeats online. This really isn't about people not having a choice to seek other forms of entertainment. There are plenty of other options. It is about how I can't watch the new episode I want to watch right now. It doesn't happen very often and it's not like people won't be able to watch it in 7 days or less. Sometimes we just have to be patient.
ReplyDeleteI would expect other countries to pre-empt their own programming if a terrorist attack happened in their country too. US networks are responsible to US citizens so if the event is significant to a large portion of the US then they have the right to preempt regular programming to show it. I am not a fan of US news either but that doesn't mean my preferences outweigh those of the general populace. I understand if international viewers or domestic viewers who chose to watch cable news all day felt over-saturated but the fact is that what US networks show is based on US considerations not international and the vast majority of Americans were working during the day, not watching cable.
ReplyDeleteEach network makes the decision for its own audience not based on what every other network is doing. It is a business and you do what you think the majority of your clientele want. I think it would be far more annoying if a new episode of a TV show I like were interrupted in the middle for updates than just postponed a week. Just out of curiosity, are you from the US?
ReplyDeleteI probably also would not want to watch coverage if one of my family members had died but then again I wouldn't probably be watching TV at all given all the arrangements that would need to be made. I also wouldn't be worrying about watching a new episode then. If I really needed a TV break, I would put in a favorite DVD and watch a comfort episode. People also had other choices if they did not want to watch the news coverage. It's a two-way street and I think the majority of Americans were not upset that their shows were preempted because it rarely happens on the national level and it was a news story with a "happy" ending of sorts if you can say anything about this situation is happy.
There is a big difference psychologically between a horrible accident and a deliberate terrorist attack. While I feel bad for the people in Texas, I don't have to worry about a perpetrator or copycat trying to attack again in the Texas situation. A terrorist was still on the loose in Boston and his brother had already shown that he was willing to kill more people after the bombing. That made it an ongoing threat instead of the aftermath of a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. We can feel bad for the people in Texas without having to worry about if the situation was going to bring even more tragedy and it is unlikely that another building would explode because of it. Boston was an ongoing situation that could have resulted in another bombing and more people being hurt. A deliberate attack affects people more psychologically than a tragic accident, especially when the attacks may not be over. We can mourn for both but in the end, the Boston Marathon is seen as an attack on America so all Americans are somewhat affected by it.
ReplyDeleteDoes Norway not have their own TV shows that are never preempted by what happens in the US? No one is making you watch US news and US TV works for what US citizens presumably watch. There are far too many sports going on in the US for one station to follow them all. Heck you can't even show all the games for one sport on one channel much less for all the sports that have seasons at the same time. That's why we have a kazillion cable channels as it is.
ReplyDeleteThe bottomline is that TV is a business and at this time international viewers don't matter one jot to the networks because they don't bring in the money. US television is run off of US advertiser money and all those advertisers care about is how many US eyeballs are watching their ads. International syndication brings money to the producers not necessarily to the networks and not as much money as domestic anyway.
But all this focuses on the bombings gives these terrorist exactly what they want a big effect and terrified people if the media just ignored terrorists wouldnt really have mch to gain from bombings
ReplyDeleteIt is when terrorist attacks on the US do not become more important than airing a TV show on American networks that we should be upset. That would mean it was becoming commonplace. I wonder how many people, if their country heaven forbid was attacked unexpectedly, would really question their local networks preempting what was scheduled to show coverage of capturing the person who did it. It is a big deal and deserves attention. A TV show, even one I've been looking forward to all week, can wait a few days.
ReplyDeleteI think we don't know that for sure with out knowing what the actual motive is. IMO it's the fact that we have shown a 'celebratory' side, in some cases CNN news broadcaster (not Anderson Cooper) called this a "victory", the reaction to not being able to watch a TV show (lack of empathy), and the fact that the president has stated we will not live in terror and we will prevail, when Watertown was put on lock down for a day, all point out a "competitive" attitude towards these events, when that should not be the point at all, as it's not about being defeated or being undefeated, this isn't a game, it's about saving lives, people doing their jobs, and US citizens realizing the kind of world we might start living in, if we don't take these life changing events more seriously. In some cases the terrorists want us to look like we don't care, because so many times (not necessarily in this case) the younger recruiters come from places, raised in ideologies where our first world life style doesn't exist for them and/or view as immorally wrong, because we appear to not have any grace or shame.
ReplyDelete@DqMSpTV:disqus & @Dahne1:disqus Agreed.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Again, agreed.
ReplyDeleteAs of yesterday 60 people were still missing,it was on the news last night. It wasn't hard,it was on the news as well.
ReplyDelete@DarthLocke4:disqus @Dahne1:disqus & @DqMSpTV:disqus Nicely said,thanks and i wholeheartedly agree!
ReplyDelete