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Day 26: WGA's Strike; TV One January Highlights

It is day 26 of the strike, and the strike will continue until at least Tuesday for sure because they are not going back to the tables until then. Late yesterday the AMPTP unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. While the AMPTP strongly preferred to continue discussions, they respect and understand the WGA's desire to review the proposals. They will resume talks on Tuesday, December 4.
So that was last night, this morning the WGA rejected that proposal, calling it a "bad deal." So it is back to square one in discussions. Talks resume Tuesday. Let's hope they can settle this next week or at least before Christmas.
NBC continues to announce schedule details. NBC will wrap up low rated new drama Journeyman after 13 episodes. Episode 11 airs Monday, December 10 at 10pm (this coming week we have a special episode of Life after the finale of Heroes). Episode 12 airs Dec. 17 and the final episode will air on a special night, Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 10pm. The Singing Bee will return to the schedule, this time as one-hour installments, for two Fridays, on Friday, Dec. 21 and Friday, Dec. 28 from 8-9pm. Deal or No Deal is expected to come back to Wednesdays at 8 soon. Due to the strike, NBC will overload on reality shows starting in January. Tuesdays 8-10pm starting Jan. 1 will be yet another season of The Biggest Loser...the current season ends Dec. 18, so the series will return after just a week off. We already said Celebrity Apprentice will air Thursdays at 9 starting Jan. 3 (the lead-in will be mixed sitcom repeats). Game show 1 vs. 100 returns Friday, Jan. 4 in its old 8pm timeslot, which means The Singing Bee is just for two weeks. Deal or No Deal will be Wednesdays at 8 only. The updated version of American Gladiators will launch with a two-hour premiere Sunday, January 6 from 8-10pm before moving into its regular Monday 8pm time slot on Jan. 7, head to head vs. ABC's Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann. So, NBC's new drama Chuck will be benched for awhile, though as we mentioned it has been renewed for the full season.

TV One January will finally see the launch of the short lived sitcom Good News. On Sunday, January 13, TV One celebrates "the gospel” with an all day festival of spirited comedy and specials, including the season premiere of a brand new season of TV One's gospel music series, The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors and the TV One premiere of the church-based sitcom Good News, starring David Ramsay as a young minister who takes over the pulpit at a church full of crazy characters. Good News marathon airs from 2PM to 8PM. Good News settles into a regular time slot Sundays at 7-8PM the following week.
As for other schedule changes, weekdays 6-7AM Roc will replace 227, which means 227 will be off the line-up. weekdays at 2PM, comedian Wanda Sykes sitcom Wanda At Large replaces All About The Andersons. It will also air at 4AM replacing a Good Times airing. Overnights have been slightly rearranged. Martin will once again air back-to-back at 3AM and 3:30AM, followed by as we mentioned Wanda At Large at 4AM, and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper at 4:30AM.
On Thursdays at 10PM, New York Undercover returns on a regular basis for an additional primetime airing per week. It now airs regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays in primetime at 10PM, with a repeat at 1AM. On Fridays at 11AM and 12PM, in place of the daily mid-day movie, TV One will be airing back-to-back episodes of A Man Called Hawk, the critically acclaimed but short-lived crime series starring Avery Brooks. On Saturday early evenings, Cedric the Entertainer Presents joins the Saturday lineup at 6PM and The PJs at 7PM. Saturdays from 5-8PM now features Martin Lawrence (Martin), Cedric the Entertainer, and Eddie Murphy (The PJs) – TV One's own 'kings' of comedy block.
Other stunts:
On Saturday, January 19, beginning at 12PM, get ready for an invasion – as TV One presents an "Attack of the Old School Stars" marathon of Parent'hood sitcom. It'll be classic guest stars galore, including LaWanda Page, Nancy Wilson, Coolio, Kym Whitley, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Antonio Fargas, Peabo Bryson, the O'Jays, Gary Coleman, Dawnn Lewis, and Ernest Thomas all the way until 10PM, leading into the series premiere of TV One's brand new stand-up comedy series, Laff Wit It, Rock Wit It.
On Martin Luther King, Jr Day (Monday, Jan. 21), beginning at 9AM, TV One features a mix of films and series episodes that address the issues of race in America, including the movies Nothing But A Man, American Blackout, and Murder in Mississippi, and poignant episodes of Boston Public, New York Undercover, Good Times, All Of Us, Roc, and Parent'hood through 8PM.

We will return with more news, if anything.