2014 in American television

In American television in 2014, notable events included television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and rebrandings; stations changing or adding their network affiliations; and information about changes of ownership of channels or stations, controversies and carriage disputes.

Events

January Date Event1Time Warner Cable President/COO Robert Marcus becomes the company's new CEO, succeeding the retiring Glenn Britt.Time Warner Cable's Next CEO Ready to Sell If Price Is Right Bloomberg Technology, December 6, 2013.One year to the day after being dropped from Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks systems, Ovation returns to the two providers, the result of Ovation's announced commitment to provide more original programming."Ovation Channel Returning to Time Warner Cable," from The Hollywood Reporter, October 16, 2013.Home shopping network ShopNBC rebrands as ShopHQ.Fox owned-and-operated station WJZY/Charlotte, North Carolina, launches its news department with the debut of an hour-long 10pm newscast. The program soft-launched on December 18, 2013, in the form of an online-only rehearsal newscast that was streamed on the station's website until WJZY's news share agreement with CBS affiliate WBTV to produce its primetime newscast ended.Join Us for Our Live Newscast , WJZY, December 18, 2013.Sinclair-controlled ABC affiliate WHAM-TV/Rochester begins producing morning and 10pm newscasts for its Fox-affiliated sister station WUHF. The setup comes after the termination of an eight-year shared services agreement at the end of 2013 with Nexstar-owned WROC-TV, which saw WROC produce news content for WUHF. Sinclair's duopoly partner, Deerfield Media, acquired WHAM-TV from Newport Television in December 2012.WROC out, 13WHAM in on Fox. Democrat & Chronicle, October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.2Hearst Corporation announces that David Barrett, CEO of its television station division, has ceded day-to-day oversight to the division's President/COO, Jordan Wertleib. Barrett remains on Hearst's board of trustees."Hearst's Barrett Passes Baton To Wertleib," from TVNewscheck, January 2, 2014.5The fourth-season premiere of Downton Abbey makes history for PBS, with more than 10.2 million viewers tuning in, making it the highest rated program in the network's 44-year history.‘Downton Abbey’ Premiere Draws Record 10.2 Million Viewers from Variety, January 6, 2014.6ABC begins limiting online access to day-after streaming of its series' new episodes to customers of participating cable providers, Hulu Plus, iTunes, and Amazon Video and restricting free access to recent episodes on its website and streaming app to other users eight days after an episode's original airdate."ABC To Erect A VOD Paywall On January 6," from Multichannel, December 31, 2013. Similar streaming restrictions are also put in place by sister cable channel ABC Family, which launched its "Watch ABC Family" authenticated streaming service on that same day.Disney To Expand Authenticated Streaming To ABC Family Shows , Deadline Hollywood, January 5, 2014.Doctor Television Channel (also known as DrTV), a new network dedicated to healthy-lifestyle programming, officially launches on several low-power television stations and on Roku."DTV America to Launch DrTV affiliates ". DTV America Press Release (December 20, 2013). Retrieved May 22, 2014.One year after adding the omg! to its name (the result of a partnership with Yahoo!'s similarly titled website), the CBS-syndicated entertainment/gossip program omg! Insider sees its title revert to just The Insider in line with omg!'s rebranding as Yahoo! Celebrity; the two entities continue to promote and share each other's content."OMG! No More, Just 'The Insider,'" from TVNewsCheck, January 3, 2014.11CBS Sports NFL analyst Dan Dierdorf calls his final game, an AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, ending a three-decade career as an analyst spent with CBS and ABC's Monday Night Football.Dan Dierdorf Enters Retirement from Broadcasting Career After Colts vs. Patriots from Bleacher Report, January 12, 2014.12NBC's telecast of the 71st Golden Globe Awards is watched by an estimated 20.9 million people, the event's best ratings in 10 years.Golden Globes ratings hit 10-year high CBS News, January 14, 2014.13A scene in this evening's episode of How I Met Your Mother features members of the all-white main cast in yellow face and depicting Asian stereotypes and accents. It proves to be a controversial scene, and prompts series creator/producer Carter Bays to apologize on Twitter on January 15, explaining that it was meant to pay homage to the Kung fu movies they grew up on.14DirecTV removes The Weather Channel due to an unresolved carriage dispute, with the carrier filling the void with a simulcast of digital broadcast network WeatherNation TV."DirecTV no longer carrying Weather Channel after contract dispute," from Los Angeles Times, January 14, 2014. The dispute runs until April 8, when DirecTV and The Weather Channel reach a new carriage deal. The channel, in a trade-off to regain carriage, agrees to pare down its weekday reality content and devote more of its daytime schedule to forecasts and weather reportage.The Weather Channel Returns to DIRECTV Yahoo! Finance, April 8, 2014.15On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) retires from the NYPD, leaving Detective/Sergeant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) as the only remaining character who has appeared on the series for its entire fifteen-season run.'Law & Order: SVU's' Captain Cragen exits with the perfect 10-4 Zap 2 It, January 16, 2014.18Sasheer Zamata joins the cast of Saturday Night Live, becoming the show's first black female cast member in six years.Sasheer Zamata joins 'Saturday Night Live,' its first black woman in 6 years CNN, January 6, 2014. Zamata's hiring, along with the addition of two other black women to its writing staff (Leslie Jones and LaKendra Tookes),"'Saturday Night Live' Adds Two Black Female Staff Writers," from Deadline, January 8, 2014. come after SNL had received criticism in 2013 for a lack of African-American women among its cast."'SNL' recap: Host Kerry Washington smartly handles heavy diversity mantle," from Entertainment Weekly, November 3, 2013.26NBC airs the 2014 NFL Pro Bowl, likely the last Pro Bowl game to air on broadcast television for the next few years. ESPN will take over exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl and Monday Night Football from 2015 through 2022.Molloy, Tim and Lucas Shaw (September 8, 2011). 'Monday Night Football' to Remain on ESPN Through 2021 . The Wrap. Retrieved September 9, 2011.The 56th Annual Grammy Awards airs on CBS. It is the first time the ceremony has been held in January (in part to avoid scheduling conflicts with the 2014 Winter Olympics in February)Jon Weisman, Grammy Awards Set for Jan. 26, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2013. and is marked by major wins for Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Lorde. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor later blasted the producers and CBS on Twitter for cutting off the band's closing performance featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham."NIN Frontman Trent Reznor to Grammys: ‘F*CK YOU’" from Variety, January 26, 2014. 27How I Met Your Mother marks its 200th episode with a twist: rather than being told from Ted Mosby's point of view, it is instead told from the perspective of "The Mother" (Cristin Milioti), whose eight years prior to meeting Ted are recalled in a story complete with special opening credits."How I Met Your Mother Turns 200 with the Mother of All Episodes," from TV Guide, January 26, 2014.NBC Sports hires Lindsey Vonn as their correspondent for the network's coverage of the 2014 Winter Games and as a contributor on Today during its broadcast from Sochi. The skier was supposed to compete in the events, but a series of injuries resulted in Vonn withdrawing from the Games earlier this month."Lindsey Vonn Joins ‘Today’ and NBC Sports as Olympic Correspondent" from The Wrap, January 27, 2014.28For the first time ever, four different televised Republican responses followed the State of the Union Address by Democratic President Barack Obama."Multiple GOP responses to State of the Union: Are they a sign of party division?" from The Washington Post, January 28, 2014.Moments after the State of the Union Address was completed, United States Congressman Michael Grimm (R-New York's 11th), threatened NY1 reporter Michael Scotto by attacking him and telling Scotto that he'll throw him off the balcony of the United States Capitol building after Scotto approached the Tea Party-backed representative to ask about a continuing federal investigation into his campaign fund-raising while the cameras were still rolling (Grimm would later be indicted in April)."Rep. Grimm Threatens NY1 Reporter Following State of the Union Address" from NY1, January 28, 2014. Grimm later apologized to his district and to NY1 for his actions."After ‘I'll Break You in Half,’ Grimm Apologizes" from The New York Times, January 29, 2014.During a live remote from the College of Charleston, a man lunges at The Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore, who fends off the attacker with a knee to the groin and finishes his report.Weatherman Jim Cantore wards off on-air ambush NBC News, January 29, 2014.29For the first time in 19 years, Bob Saget, John Stamos and Dave Coulier reprise their Full House roles and appear on Late Night to give Jimmy Fallon a sappy, heartfelt speech to calm his anxiety about hosting The Tonight Show."Full House" stars reunite on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" CBS News, January 30, 2014.

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