Not enough information on gambling story
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The long-awaited arrival of sports wagering took another step forward when it was announced on the local newscasts that a “soft launch” of online gambling would start today.
Two key parts of the story is that the “soft launch” will last for a week, and then it will be full speed ahead for online gambling. And that the soft launch will be limited to 750 players.
None of the stations, however, answered a key question — how are the 750 players going to be selected? And how would you get to be one of those 750.
It was an obvious angle to the story and no one reported it.
Another major story Monday was the report of a fire in an East Hartford apartment building that is the home of senior citizens and disabled people.
WTIC-TV61 and WTNH-TV8 went the extra mile with on-site coverage, including people who live in the building. The story deserved some in-depth coverage and Channels 8 and 61 provided it.
Gibbs is gone
For 18 seasons Mark Harmon was the heart and soul of “NCIS” — one of the most popular shows on TV. Harmon’s performance as Jethro Gibbs never earned him Emmy Award accolades, only a ton of money.
“NCIS,” however, is ready to start a new chapter — life without Gibbs.
In Monday’s episode, Gibbs said that he is staying in Alaska and is done with law enforcement.
It had been reported that Gibbs would no longer be a regular this season. But Deadline Television is reporting that Harmon won’t be back on “NCIS” for a while.
The show’s executive producer, Steve Binder, said Harmon will continue to be a key part of the show, even though he won’t be a regular. He will remain as executive producer.
So regarding the future of Gibbs, as long time fans may have noticed over the years ... never count Leroy Jethro Gibbs out.
Perhaps Harmon no longer is a regular, but he will probably be making guest appearances — every time “NCIS” needs a few extra ratings points.
Globes go on
There will be a Golden Globes ceremony early in 2022. There’s a good chance, however, that we won’t be able to see it.
The Hollywood Press Association, which runs the Globes, announced via press release that it still plans on having a ceremony.
NBC backed out of carrying the event a few months ago and hasn’t changed its mind — yet.
So that means the Globes are without a TV partner.
The HFPA has a couple options available, including streaming the telecast or getting a new network for 2023.
The Globes usually is a popular show because it’s the first major awards show of the year and honors both radio and television, making it good for a high Nielsen number.
There was an exception in 2021, when only 6.9 million tuned in. The pandemic, however, had a negative effect on most awards shows this year.
The fact that NBC has decided not to televise the 2022 event, however, has nothing to do with the pandemic and everything to do with the Foreign Press Associations policies. There are no black members in the organization.
NBC says if it can fix its policies, it would like to televise the 2023 event. Even if NBC comes back, it doesn’t mean that the viewers will.
Streak snapped
Matt Amodio’s time in the TV spotlight is over. He was defeated Monday on “Jeopardy,” ending his winning streak at 38 games. He is No. 2 on the all-time list behind Ken Jennings’ 74 straight wins.
Amodio, a former Yale student, might have been too distracted by Saturday’s upcoming Yale-UConn football game to fully concentrate. After all, when you win 38 matches in a row and $1.5 million, you need an excuse when you lose.
