"Breaking News" (2002) TV series

Creators:

Rhonda L. Moore
Gardner Stern

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

17 July 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The story of the news team at I24, a 24-hour cable news network. Bill Dunne is the anchor of the network's flagship news hour...

Cast

Tony Alcantar	...	Dino (6 episodes, 2002)
Jason Schombing	...	Martin Peltz (5 episodes, 2002)
Patricia Wettig	...	Alison Dunne (5 episodes, 2002)
Max Martini	...	Nate Natleson (4 episodes, 2002)
Omega Kayne	...	Policeman (3 episodes, 2002)
Beverley Breuer	...	Karen Pilote (2 episodes, 2002)
Rob Bruner	...	Bob (2 episodes, 2002)
Jano Frandsen	...	Jeff Pilote (2 episodes, 2002)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Lougheed Mall, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

New Line Television

A Bad break for a Great Show

I really love this show, Breaking News.

Unfortunately.

It features terrific writing, a strong talented cast--I especially love the witty chemistry between Clancy Brown's decent and ambitious I-24 broadcast president/news director Peter Kozyck and Lisa Ann Walter's driven, wryly ascerbic producer, Rachel Glass--striking production values, and a crisp, brisk "pay attention or you'll miss something significant" pace. It's a truly well made television show.

So of course it follows that the network that poured a reported $20 million into its creation-- that's Turner Network Television for those of you out there who still don't know-- would ultimately trash it and sell it for scrap.

Welcome one and all to the brave new world of Corporate American television! (Abandon hope all ye who enter...)

TNT's unforgivably cynical and shabby mishandling of "Breaking News" and its talented cast and crew was bad enough.

But what are we to make of the Powers That Be at the Bravo channel, who rescued "Breaking News," from near oblivion, vaguely assuring its devoted viewers that the show would be continued "if it was a hit" only to decide to dump it almost as unceremoniously as TNT had earlier done?

"Breaking News" would be continued "if it was a hit"? Well, what does that mean, Bravo? What in your estimation comprises "a hit"? "The Sopranos"? "Friends"? "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"? Were you just blowing smoke about re-newing BN or were you serious?

Then why debut "Breaking News" smack in the middle of SUMMER, a time of the year when many if not most of us are out and about doing any and everything BUT tv-watching?

And what precisely was the thinking behind pairing BN with, Oh Yeah, That Other TV Show About News, "Deadline"? What genius considered that kind of scheduling an effective strategy for audience-building for "Breaking News"? Were we viewers supposed to like these two shows interchangeably or something?

Hey guys, excuse my naivete, but whatever happened to giving what you know is a good new show time to find an audience and vice-versa? ("The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Hill Street Blues," "Cheers," or "Seinfeld," anyone?)

Just curious TNT, Bravo, et al: Is a high school diploma still a requirement for a career in broadcast programming, or was that waived at the start of the Go-Go Nineties?