Neda Ulaby

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

Neda Ulaby — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:44:00 +0000

Arrested Development returning via Netflix? Just another old-media brand reviving itself on new media.

The TV show, which originally ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and unveils new episodes on Netflix next weekend, finds itself in splendid company. Radiohead, Louis C.K., Veronica Mars — all found their audiences with promotion and distribution from big studios and networks. Radiohead was signed to a major music label. Louis C.K. enjoyed HBO specials and TV shows.

Show Abandonment: When Once Popular Shows Nose Dive In The Ratings

Neda Ulaby — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:06:00 +0000

What happens when fans stop talking about a show that used to be their favorite? Take American Idol, for example. Last week's finale was way down from last year's finale. It was the first time a finale did not reach the 20-million mark.

Working Women On Television: A Mixed Bag At Best

Neda Ulaby — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

When actress Geena Davis was watching children's shows with her daughter a few years ago, she became so troubled by the lack of female representation, she started a think tank on gender in the media. The Geena Davis Institute recently partnered with University of Southern California professors to conduct a study analyzing gender roles and jobs on screen.

The good news?

Video Streaming Firms Attract Customers With Exclusive Shows

Neda Ulaby — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now online streaming is playing a bigger and bigger role in news events. Many people listened and watched the Boston bombing coverage on their laptops. And on Friday as the manhunt came to a close, tens of thousands of people were listening to police dispatches live online. In the entertainment world, video streaming is also having a big impact.

Try this. It's estimated that Netflix alone takes up a third of U.S. bandwidth between 9:00 PM and midnight. That's a lot.

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

Neda Ulaby — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:47:00 +0000

In film and TV, pop culture references are meant to give a knowing nod to those in the audience who understand the joke. But in an increasingly segmented and diverse country, those jokes may be pulling in fewer laughs. This story originally aired on Morning Edition on Jan. 18, 2013.

As Audiences Shift To Cable, TV Programming Changes, Too

Neda Ulaby — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:18:00 +0000

Mad Men comes back for its sixth season Sunday at an opportune moment for basic cable. Last weekend, 25 million viewers combined watched The Bible and The Walking Dead on basic cable channels. That's more than triple the audience for The Good Wife on CBS that same night.

So are we looking at a convergence between scripted shows on broadcast and cable? It's hard not to wonder, when you see broadcast networks rushing to replicate gruesome death scenes like the ones relished by The Walking Dead's enviably sizable audience.

FCC Chairman Had Trouble Pleasing Interest Groups, Industry

Neda Ulaby — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The head of the Federal Communications Commission gathered his staff this morning, 1,700 people, to tell them this...

JULIUS GENACHOWSKI: I'm announcing that I'll be stepping down as chairman of the FCC in the coming weeks.

BLOCK: The FCC regulates your cell phone, your television and the companies that bring you the Internet.

2013 Pritzker Winner Toyo Ito Finds Inspiration In Air, Wind And Water

Neda Ulaby — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Toyo Ito, a 71-year-old architect based in Japan, is the winner of the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The jury honored Ito for his more than four-decade career, in which he has created architecture that "projects an air of optimism, lightness and joy ... infused with both a sense of uniqueness and universality."

On the phone from his offices in Tokyo — the most densely populated city in the world — Ito says "air and wind and water," are the forces that drive him aesthetically.

From Louisiana To Versailles, Funding 'Vital Stories, Artfully Told'

Neda Ulaby — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:34:00 +0000

The movie Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fairy tale of a film. It might not seem to have much in common with documentaries about evangelical Christians in Uganda or the billionaire Koch brothers. But these films were all funded by a not-for-profit group called Cinereach. It was started by a couple of film school graduates who are still in their 20s.

Toy Fair: Markers That Don't Blot Walls, Sand Without The Mess

Neda Ulaby — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000

Toy Fair 2013 in New York started Sunday and runs until Wednesday. NPR's Neda Ulaby had the tough assignment of sizing up the acres of fun offerings. She brings us this report:

The venerable industry convention Toy Fair celebrates its 110^th anniversary this week. But it might as well be the 1970s or '80s within the great glassy expanse of New York City's Javits Center.

Vast acres of displays baldly appeal to the nostalgia of today's 30-to 40-something parents.

Reg Presley, The Voice Of 'Wild Thing,' Dies

Neda Ulaby — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:48:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DVJE_bhVU

Competition, High Bills Hurt Cable Companies

Neda Ulaby — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:27:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK. In the next few days, cable companies announce how they did financially in 2012. Most industry watchers expect some negative trends to continue. More people are canceling their cable subscriptions. They are called cord cutters, because they are getting TV from the Internet and over the air, not their cable cords. But they're not the only problem the cable industry needs to worry about. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: Meet Comcast's worst nightmare.

JOE GOULD: Hi.

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

Neda Ulaby — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:41:00 +0000

On a recent episode of Saturday Night Live when the comedian Louis C.K. played host, one skit parodied his eponymous show on F/X. It riffed on the theme song and the discursive style of his comedy.

But here's the thing: Fewer than 2 million people watch Louie. About 7 million watch Saturday Night Live. That means even optimistically, at least two-thirds of the audience is missing the joke.

Decades ago, Saturday Night Live skewered topics most people in the country knew about: Mister Rogers, Dirty Dancing, who shot J.R.?

Woman Behind 'Dear Abby' Guided Readers Through Personal Crises

Neda Ulaby — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:57:00 +0000

Pauline Phillips, better known as the columnist "Dear Abby," died Wednesday at the age of 94.

'Adventure Hour' Is A New Take On Old-Time Radio

Neda Ulaby — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:52:00 +0000

The creators of The Thrilling Adventure Hour proudly call it "fake radio." It's less an homage to old-time radio and more of a clever update. A live monthly performance at Largo, a 200-seat, scruffy-chic Hollywood nightclub is also available as a popular podcast through Nerdist.

One of the show's episodic heroes is a kind of mashup of Buck Rogers and the Lone Ranger, called Sparks Nevada, Marshal of Mars.