Quick Hitters

Would you like Wi-Fi with that?
I read in Telecompetitor today that shipments of Wi-Fi enabled devices will nearly double in 2012. Over 1.5 Billion (with a 'B') devices shipped worldwide shows how far access to wireless Internet has grown into our everyday lives. TVs, Tablets, Mobile Devices, Blu-Ray Players, and hundreds of other devices all now connect to and use your in-home wireless network and they would no no where as useful without that connectivity.

The difficulty that growth can cause users comes from managing your in-home network and making sure each device 'plays' nicely. Mitchell Telecom can help with that headache with our Router Support & Care Plan. For less than $4/month we'll assist in router and security set up and help you connect devices to the network.

Sound interesting / want to learn more? Email our sales team - sales@mitchelltelecom.com and we'll take care of you.

Fo'get about it...
From the Not a Shocker file, I read this week that 'Made In Jersey' was the first casualty amongst the TV Series to premiere in 2012. To make matters worse, they only aired two episodes  - OUCH!

Not to toot our horn too loudly, but you'll recall we pegged Jersey as a Loser in our 2012 New Series Preview last month.

Winter Broadcast Schedule
We have received a more than a few requests for our winter schedule for broadcasts on Channel 90. I have our MHS and DWU coverage positioned and ready to go. We've also confirmed carriage for our basketball classics we've covered the past couple years. The final piece of the puzzle is an official schedule for Mitchell Marlins (Boys & Girls) Hockey. I'm told that will happen in the next week and with it we'll be able to round out the schedule.

Handicapping Series Premieres 2012

Every fall brings a new batch of shows looking to gain mass appeal and through that first year a number of those series get cancelled. I suppose that is how the sausage gets made in some respects - throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. As a fan though, how depressing is it see a new show that you invest time in, get cancelled?

I've also developed a bit of a success meter for sniffing out the likely winners and losers of each year's crop - don't kid yourself, it's very much a talent. So, with the season upon us this month, here's how I'll handicap the changes of series premieres in 2012.

Feel free to agree or disagree and please drop in a comment below if you do!

Revolution (Mondays NBC)

-          The Show:  The US goes dark and every single piece of technology is rendered useless. A family struggles to reunite amid chaos against a militia that kidnaps their brother.

-          Gut Reaction: Cool looking show that for some reason reminds me of Heroes right down to the same channel and night. I’m guessing this one starts fast and has some success early while trying to avoid a quick flame out. It seems like you should have a chance if you have JJ Abrams and Jon Favreau on the team, but I’m not wow’d by the cast (too pretty for the apocalypse). -

-           The Guess: Count them in for a second season w/ some big changes for the cast in year two.

Go On (Tuesdays NBC)

-          The Show: Matthew Perry is a sports talk radio host and recently became widower. He wants to get back to work after the loss of his wife, but his boss forces him to join a support group to deal with the loss.

-          Gut Reaction: I’ve always liked Matthew Perry, so there is that. AND, I’ve actually watch the pilot and it made me laugh a couple of times – the group dynamic was fun. BUT, my assessment is that there is not enough here to get laughs every week for 20+ episodes a year.

-          The Guess: Find something else to do at 8pm Tuesday. I’d be surprised if it didn’t make it through year one, but shocked if it went beyond that.

Vegas (Tuesdays CBS)

-          The Show:  Inspired by the true story of former Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher tasked with bringing order to Las Vegas in the 1960s. Lamb wants to be left in peace to run his ranch, but Las Vegas is now swelling with outsiders and corruption which are intruding on his simple life.

-          Gut Reaction: This seems like the perfect match of idea and network. I don’t think Vegas is a show that I’ll watch each week, but it seems to speak to the same core group that tune in for other CBS staples (CSI Franchise, NCIS, Blue Bloods, Hawaii 50, etc).

-          The Guess: Chalk it up, this one is the biggest ‘hit’ of the new season.

Animal Practice (Wednesdays NBC)

-          The Show: "Animal Practice" is a new comedy centering on Dr. George Coleman, a top veterinarian with an impressive list of famous animal patients at the Crane Animal Hospital - a bustling New York City veterinary practice where it often seems as if the patients are running the place. Despite his unorthodox style, George has an undeniable gift with animals of all kinds - except the human kind.

-          Gut Reaction: I really like the main character (Justin Kirk) on “Weeds,” so I was holding out hope, but I don’t see how this could be a winner. If the show is going to focus on the animals (as the title would have us to believe) then how long before those story lines get old?

-          The Guess: I’m going to put another one in the loss column for NBC who seems to have too many there already.

Elementary (Thursdays CBS)

-          The Show:  A modern-day spin on Sherlock Holmes who teams up with Dr. Watson to form a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance.

-          Gut Reaction: To be honest, I have little to no read on this show. Part of me thinks they are trying to cash in on the Holmes resurgence and the other part thinks it’s a way to capitalize on the goofy crime fighter phenomenon (a la The Mentalist, Psych, etc).

-          The Guess: I’ll watch the pilot, but I’m not hopeful. If forced to wager, I’d guess this is a loser.

Nashville (Wednesdays ABC)

-          The Show: A legendary queen of country music struggles to maintain her place in the spotlight while dealing with an ambitious rising pop-country vixen who wants to knock her off the throne.

-          Gut Reaction: As much as I love Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights, I can’t get on board with Nashville. I’m guessing too much bad music and drama filled story lines that I won’t care about. That said, I truly believe there is an audience for this show between Hayden Panettiere bringing teeny-boppers or Desperate Housewife’s fans looking for a new show.

-          The Guess: This has guilty pleasure all over it – the show will find an audience and stick in the schedule.

666 Park Avenue (Sundays ABC)

-          The Show:  Welcome to The Drake, Park Avenue's most devilish address, where evil, obsession, and supernatural occurrences are all included in the rent.

-          Gut Reaction: The guy from Lost + Vanessa Williams + Creepy Things + Weird Hotel = Big Time Loser. The previews seem to be a mess for me and I don’t get how this show could become successful.

-          The Guess: The show finds no audience and gets cancelled before the end of the season.

Quick Hitters –

Guys with Kids – probably would have been good in 1999 (Loser)

The New Normal – any show with NeNe Leakes can‘t be good, which sucks because I like Justin Bartha in National Treasure and The Hangover (Loser)

The Mindy Project – Liked the pilot, but hate the bad accent – Fingers Crossed (Winner)

The Mob Doctor – seems like they should do it as a comedy (Loser)

Last Resort – This could be interesting for a month, then nothing (Loser)

Made in Jersey – Sorry, full up on lawyer shows; try again next year (Loser)

Partners – Good lead in gives it a chance, plus I like the guy from Numbers/10 Things I Hate About You (Winner)

New Channels Coming Tuesday!

Our next batch of HD channels are currently being tested and will be available to customers on Tuesday, September 4th. I know some customers have already seen the channel numbers pop up in the guide, but here is the full list -

HD Channel (#)
WGN (615)
Hallmark (619)
CNN (622)
FOX News (624)
MSNBC (625)
Headline News (626)
Tru TV (643)
Biography (626)
TBS (659)
Turner Classic Movies (662)
RFD TV (683)
Oxygen (687)
Toon (688)
TV Land (689)

The 14 new channels brings our HD lineup to over 65 channels.

Four Things I'm Looking Forward to in September

1. NFL Football - Even with the Vikes promising to be at or near their outhouse-level performance from a year ago it's hard for me not to get jazzed up for the start of the football season. My rookie of the year from last season (NFL RedZone) will be back in all it's glory starting week 1. For those of you that don't subscribe, you should - email info@mitchelltelecom.com to make that happen. The season pass is $50.

2. TV is BACK! - The NFL Season isn't the only thing to kick off in September, I feel bad for our poor DVRs consuming so much new content. Here's a handful of the biggies for me...

 - The final season of The Office starts Sept. 20th and I'll probably shed a tear.
 - The same night (9/20), Park & Recreation offers you a Tom Haverford fix.
 - Sons of Anarchy picks back up Sept. 11th.
 - The Mentalist moves to Sundays starting Sept. 30th.
 - Criminal Minds is back on the case Sept. 26th
 - I'll stop there...

3. Handicapping New Shows - One skill I've honed over the years is determining which shows have a chance of sticking around over those doomed to die quick deaths. Look for another post on this topic in the very near future.

4. OktoBEERfest - Part beer tasting, part brat tasting, part musical show - ALL fun. The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 29th at the Highland Conference Center and this year's OktoBEERfest features samples of over 50 craft brews along with a brat bar and the musical styling of Chris Miller. Join Time at the Table and The Network between 4pm and 7pm that day for what promises to be a great time.

Tickets are just $25 each and can be purchased at www.oktobeerfest.net, County Fair or The Chamber of Commerce in Mitchell. Special props to Porter Distributing for sponsoring the event.

How did I miss this?

I was searching the guide for the weekend DVR round up (True Blood, 60 Minutes, Newsroom, Longmire, etc) and stumbled across a new episode for Bar Rescue. I'm guessing your level of shock and amazement mirrored mine at the time. What!? It's Back!? Jon Taffer the most arrogance and awesomeness you can stuff in a suit coat (no tie - of course) is BACK! Sunday can't get here fast enough!

Not enough exclamation points for you, yet? What if I told you we already missed the double-episode season premiere! Yep, we're two episodes in already!

Don't sweat it too much, we can get through this together. Luckily, Spike doesn't have a ton of original programming so you can catch last week's episodes about a half dozen times over the weekend. OR, check 'em out online at www.spike.com.

- Watch the Tiki Curse episode here: http://www.spike.com/full-episodes/jyqaiq/bar-rescue-tiki-curse-season-2-ep-202

 - Watch the Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Dumb (no joke a Pirate Bar) here: http://www.spike.com/full-episodes/81jluh/bar-rescue-yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-dumb-season-2-ep-201


If you've read this far and still don't know what Bar Rescue is, well I owe you some 'splainin. The show features struggling bars around the country and tasks bar expert, Jon Taffer, with finding a solution. If you've seen Restaurant Impossible or Kitchen Nightmares (both fantastic by the way) think about doing that, just in a bar. AND, since it's on Spike you can expect it to be a little more racy.

Sound fun? Check it out on Spike TV at 8pm Sunday.

Jon Taffer doesn't embrace excuses, he embraces solutions...