IF YOU SCORED...
0-5 Pathetic. That little gadget is called a remote control. Press one of the pretty buttons.
6-10 Ouch. Have you watched anything since the West Wing finale?
11-15 Getting half right is no way to go through life. Read more B&C.
16-20 True fan. Expect a call from a network rep if the strike doesn't end soon.
21-24 Connected. Ken Jennings? Ken Schmennings. Bring it on.
25-26 Champ! Your family called—they miss you.
Which character on The Sopranos did not get whacked during the final season?
A) Christopher Moltisanti
B) Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri
C) Paulie Walnuts
D) Phil Leotardo
According to estimates from Nielsen, industry analysts and major networks, what percentage of U.S. households watched high-definition programming as of November 2007?
A) 10%
B) 15%
C) 25%
D) 30%
Name the Cartoon Network series that guerilla marketers uniquely promoted last winter—an act that shut down Boston after the campaign was mistaken for terrorism.
A) Robot Chicken
B) Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
C) Aqua Teen Hunger Force
D) Squirrel Boy
What does “70/70” refer to?
A) Kiefer Sutherland’s blood alcohol level after a Fox party
B) A viewer-number threshold at which the FCC could theoretically increase its regulation over cable
C) A newly suggested mandatory retirement policy for Congress
D) President Bush’s answer, 10 months before the last presidential election, to the question, “What are the chances you’ll seek a second term?”
Which statement was not made recently by NCTA president Kyle McSlarrow about FCC Chairman Kevin Martin?
A) “If you look at what has been the agenda for the FCC under this chairman for the last three years…everything that could be conceived and proposed that would somehow hurt the cable industry has been pursued.”
B) “I find it almost impossible to believe that someone could be that biased and have that much of a vendetta toward an industry. And yet the facts are very clear.”
C) “He may look like he belongs on Kid Nation, but I'd prefer to see him on, say, UFC on Spike, maybe in a match against heavyweight champ Randy Couture. Yeah, I'd pay to see that.”
D) “It is apparent to me that this is a chairman who has 'trouble,' shall we say, with data.”
A History Channel series premiere in June brought in 3.4 million viewers, breaking the network's single-telecast ratings record previously held by Russia: Land of the Tsars, Part 1. What was the title of this blockbuster show?
A) Ice Road Truckers
B) Egypt: Behind the Tombs
C) Secrets of World War II
D) Deadliest Catch
Money spent on political TV advertising—for the presidential campaign or otherwise—is expected to hit what range in 2008 alone?
A) $500 million to $1 billion
B) $2 billion to $3 billion
C) $4 billion to $5 billion
D) More than $6 billion
In its ongoing battle with cable for subscribers, DirecTV came up with a significant business strategy for 2007. What was it?
A) Sending out 10,000 stress balls to customers with the words, “Ask me about DirecTV” on them
B) Adding 100 hi-def channels to its lineup during the year
C) Giving “NFL Sunday Ticket” away free for the first two weeks of the 2007 season
D) Offering 500 contest winners free pay-per-view vouchers for the premiere showing of Eddie Murphy's laugh-a-minute classic, Norbit
Out of about 780 stations that currently produce local news, how many are broadcasting at least part of their newscasts in high-definition?
A) 50
B) 60
C) 70
D) 80
What was the first show cancelled during the 2007-08 television season?
A) Fox's Nashville
B) CBS's Viva Laughlin
C) CW's Online Nation
D) ABC's Cavemen
Fox Business Network launched in October as a competitor to incumbent CNBC, which is beamed to more than 90 million subscribers. But FBN is at a considerable disadvantage in terms of carriage. In about how many homes is the new network available?
A) 30 million
B) 27.5 million
C) 50 million
D) 10 million
In 2007, virtually every broadcast network announced an online strategy. Hulu, NBC and News Corp.'s response to YouTube, ironically translates to what in Swahili?
A) Of poor quality
B) Panhandler
C) Cease and desist
D) To read a book
Rosie O'Donnell's final clash with View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck began with what issue?
A) O'Donnell's refusal to wear anything on the air but baggy, ill-fitting pantsuits.
B) Hasselbeck's annoying habit of putting her fingers in her ears and humming “I'm not listeniiiing” whenever Rosie spoke.
C) O'Donnell's treatment of Hasselbeck on her blog Rosie.com.
D) A long-simmering disagreement about the war in Iraq.
Which is not a locally produced show on a MyNetworkTV station?
A) My Dating Place
B) My Ding-a-Ling
C) Not My Type
D) My Teen Star
Don Imus was fired from MSNBC after his scandal this year. With his return to radio, Imus' show is now simulcast on which decidedly smaller network?
A) Versus
B) Ovation TV
C) RFD-TV
D) G4
Which flagship station scrapped its iconic 5 p.m. newscast—switching it instead to 7 p.m. in response to changing viewer habits—this past September?
A) WNBC New York
B) WLS Chicago
C) KCBS Los Angeles
D) WABC New York
Which two companies decided to split up their respective media assets in 2007?
A) Gannett and Media General
B) E.W. Scripps and Meredith
C) Belo Corp. and Gannett
D) E.W. Scripps and Belo Corp.
Which longtime ABC News producer—who was widely credited with turning around Good Morning America—was hired to remake CBS' struggling Early Show?
A) Rick Kaplan
B) Ben Sherwood
C) Tom Touchet
D) Shelley Ross
During the week of Nov. 20, Oxygen's average primetime viewership was about 297,000 people. How much in financial assets did NBC Universal pay to purchase the network during that same week?
A) $875 million
B) $925 million
C) $650 million
D) $1.1 billion
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather filed a lawsuit against the network for making him a scapegoat in a 60 Minutes II report about President Bush's National Guard service. How much is he suing for?
A) $25 million
B) $70 million
C) $1 million
D) $300 million
CourtTV is rebranding itself as TruTV next year. What is the slogan for the new network?
A) Tru to Life
B) We Cannot Tell a Lie
C) Not Reality. Actuality
D) Truthiness in Television
On what date is the government supposed to begin issuing $40 digital-to-analogconverter-box coupons to eligible consumers?
A) Feb. 17, 2009
B) Jan. 1, 2009
C) Jan. 1, 2008
D) It began on July 1, 2007
U.S. news organizations spend a disproportionate amount of their yearly budgets to operate in Iraq. Much of the cost comes from hiring heavily armed security to protect personnel and bureaus. About how much are security guards paid each day in Iraq?
A) $10,000-$15,000
B) $100-$200
C) $1,000-$1,200
D) $30-$40
Whom did Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone not have a falling-out with this year?
A) Tom Cruise
B) Tom Freston
C) Shari Redstone
D) Lindsay Lohan
Complaining to Congress about product integration, an issue the FCC is preparing to investigate, Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal specifically cited aSeventh Heaven plot line in which:
A) The Rev. Eric Camden used Necco wafers during Communion
B) Bottles of Glenoak wine were featured and later hawked on the network's Website
C) An engagement ring was buried in an Oreo cookie, which also got several other name mentions in the show
D) In a discussion with a friend about ridding oneself of bad habits, the Rev. Camden suggested the man could start “chewing Nicorette gum”
BONUS: When did the writers' strike begin?
A) Oct. 3
B) Oct. 24
C) Nov. 5
D) Nov. 16
Click here for the answer key.
