Upfronts, Idol Outs, and Survivors

I'm happy to welcome Rob Hutchens and his company Digital Blue as the sponsor for the podcasts of my weekly television talks with Aaron Barnhart, TV critic for the Kansas City Star.

You should call Digital Blue to get Dish Network or Direct TV installed in your home. With lots more HD channels than Charter Cable, you'll get better value for less money when you call Digital Blue at 314-664-0500. They offer all the specials from Dish Network and Direct TV, plus personal customer service and many years of experience and knowledge. As Rob told me it would when he put it in my house, this will change the way you watch TV!!

In today's podcast, I talked with Aaron about why he's not attending the network upfronts, and how the concept of the TV "season" has evolved into a year-round programming pursuit. That included a discussion of why there's so little original programming on Friday and Saturday nights, and whether the reduced viewership on those nights is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We also talked about David Archuleta's father being kicked out of the "American Idol" proceedings for being too much of a stage dad, and why I felt that Amanda should have won "Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites," instead of Parvati.

Listen.