MeTV outperforms CNN, and other news from "Around the Dial"

You like that headline? It comes from the body of this story, covered at Television Obscurities a couple of weeks ago, talking about the rise of classic TV digital networks.  According to the source, TVNewsCheck, MeTV ranks "19th among all national cable networks in adults 25-54, outperforming brands like CNN, TLC, Bravo and 79 other outlets, per Nielsen data.ranks."  This does not surprise me at all.

Over at Christmas TV History, Joanna is once again giving us Christmas in July, this year consisting of TV bloggers sharing their Christmas favorites.  Yours truly will be on the docket later this month (don't worry, I'll let you know when), but don't wait for me - make it a point to check out a new memory every day.

Besides giving me a kind shout-out, there's a very good reason you should be reading Cult TV Blog this week - an introduction to the use of allegory in The Prisoner.  If I can borrow a bit of Brit-speak, this should be an absolutely cracking discussion, and I can't wait to see what the Prisoner heresy is!

Here's another story that a nerd like me would appreciate - a history of NBC logos, as linked to at the University of Maryland's Special Collection.  We're in a really static age of network logos nowadays - except for embellishments, I don't think that either CBS, ABC or Fox have changed in a long time, and NBC has been fairly stable lately.  I loved that "snake" logo of theirs; it's what I grew up with.  And the old color peacock was terrific - much better than the stylized one they use nowadays.

I greatly enjoy Kliph Nesteroff's interviews with classic entertainment stars, and he's back at Classic Television Showbiz with another one this week - part two of his fascinating chat with Orson Bean.  (You can read part one here.)  I've always liked Bean, even before he did such a great job as the voice of Bilbo (and later Frodo) in the animated Hobbit stories - which, personal opinion, is better than the overblown movie version.

My friend Andrew Lee Fielding at Lucky Strike Papers mentions his recent radio interview with author Julian David Stone, and links to Stone's novel about early television, The Strange Birth, Short Life, and Sudden Death of Justice Girl.  Now, a book with a title like that has to be read, but even more so with Andrew's recommendation, so it's going on my list.

And that's about it for this week.  If you're reading this life, I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July tomorrow; if you're reading later over the weekend, I trust that your Fourth was indeed a good one! I'll be back on Saturday, as usual, with another great TV Guide.

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