Before, during and after the premiere of "Madigan Men" the following clubs will be hosting online chats (starting at 9pm eastern time and expected to run for at least 5 Hours):

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/abcmadiganmen

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gabrielbyrne

...with thanks to shamrock72

October 5, 2000

Some ABC affiliates ran a promotional segment on "Madigan Men" on their local news shows today. See a Quicktime excerpt here!

September 25, 2000

Gabriel Byrne is a scheduled guest on "The View" Wednesday, Oct 4th at 11:00 am on ABC
....with thanks to Rebecca of the Warm Words on a Cold Evening Society

September 21, 2000

ABC has put a new, official Madigan Men site online at http://www.abc.go.com/fall2000_lineup/fallseason_madigan.html

If you have Realplayer, there's even a video clip from the upcoming pilot at: http://www.abc.go.com/fall2000_lineup/fallseason_sneak_video.html

Not to mention video clips of Gabriel Byrne speaking out on 'Irish Stereotypes,' and 'Sons vs. Fathers'

September 14, 2000

Watch for Gabriel Byrne to guest on an upcoming episode of "Late Show with David Letterman" on September 27th at 11:35pm eastern standard time on CBS. For ticket information, go to: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/clubhouse/tickets/ ...with thanks to Sonja Marie of the Yahoo! Club abcmadiganmen

New Cast Members

LOS ANGELES (Zap2It.com) - Margaret Colin, who played John Goodman's wife on last season's sci-fi series "Now and Again," has found a new man -- or men. Colin has joined the cast of the new ABC comedy series "Madigan Men" where she will be playing the role of Gabriel Byrne's ex-wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Colin's film credits include "Independence Day," "The Devil's Own" and "Pretty in Pink." She has also starred in the TV series "The Wright Verdicts" and "Leg Work."

Former "Sports Nite" star Sabrina Lloyd has been added to the cast. She will play star Gabriel Byrne's assistant on the show. Science fiction fans will remember her fondly as 'Wade Welles' from the series "Sliders."

Network Awareness

Networks are sharing survey statistics -- "awareness" and "intent-to-view" studies -- as the new season approaches.

According to research data obtained by Daily Variety, such audience awareness of upcoming new shows has nearly doubled this summer, particularly at CBS and ABC, owing to Survivor and Millionaire. NBC expects a similar bump from their Olympics programming in September.

Madigan Men still needs recognition aid, according to the surveys. Let's hope ABC will successfully promote and improve these awareness statistics. But there is still one more hurdle -- "intent-to-view." NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier calls intent-to-view an "interesting statistic to know. It's certainly more quantifiable than program research." Viewers have long lamented the network's dependence on the Nielsen ratings process. Now it appears an audience sample's reaction to a promotional campaign has become the next best 'barometer' of success.

{Editorial comment: When the broadcast networks are finally able to perfectly predict what will succeed, the resulting programming will be so predictable, no one will need to watch."}

August 29, 2000

Kinder Words

Mention was made of Gabriel Byrne's "Madigan Men" in an MSNBC interveiw with Newsweek columnist Sarah Pettit on August 29th. Here's what she had to say in the latest issue:

Newsweek September 4 --"Listening to critics trying to handicap the fall entertainment season is a little like watching pundits try to read the tea leaves on the November elections. There's just too much that no one can foresee. "

Specifically Madigan Men is described thusly... "Gabriel Byrne didn't get his name in the title, but he's still starring as a charming architect in "Madigan Men." It features Roy Dotrice as Byrne's father, a crafty Irishman with a cheesy Celtic saying for every occasion."

August 17, 2000

Studio Tickets Going Fast

According to Audiences Unlimited "We have already booked up all of the September dates and are currently accepting reservations for Oct., Nov., and Dec."

Fridays
Oct. 6, 13 and 27
Nov. 3, 9 (a Thursday) and 17
Dec. 1 and 8

All performances are at 7:00pm
First come, first seated at the Kaufman Astoria Studio.

To make reservations for shows not yet available via their website at Madigan Men Tickets, you can phone (212) 539-3070 ..or e-mail Dana at Audiences Unlimited at: dana@audiencesunlimited. ...Info thanks (again) to Kay Fleitz.

August 17, 2000

Salt Lake City Weekly arts & entertainment
Fall Skeds 2000 II
Workin' for the weekend... almost. by Bill Frost

Madigan Men (ABC), starring Gabriel Byrne as a widower raising his son and getting back into dating, has kind of a reverse-Lifetime thing going for itÑif Meredith Baxter-Birney gets cast as a regular, look out.

August 11, 2000

Try, Try Again

July 28, 2000 Irvine, CA -- Jesse Crowe, president of Voice Mail Broadcasting, the company that was planning to send the those somewhat infamous voicemail telemarketing messages, apparently hasn't given up on the deal with ABC. According to a DMNews.com report by Senior Editor, Mark Hamstra: "The Telephone Consumer Protection Act places some restrictions on the use of prerecorded telemarketing calls, but Crowe said the campaign ABC had planned was clearly permitted under the law. While ABC is evaluating its options, Crowe said he is seeking to enlist the help of consumers in persuading ABC to run the campaign.

"I'm asking various fan clubs to express their opinion and go back to ABC and go back to the media and say, 'Hey, I think it would be really cool to get a message from a star that I follow and be able to share it with a friend,'" Crowe said. "That's the whole nature of it. We're not doing a high-pressure sales message at dinnertime."

August 11, 2000

Family Can be Everything

Did you know that ABC, a subsidiary of Disney, 'owns' 50% of Madigan Men? You've probably noticed that Madigan Men is a 'Touchstone Television Production" which is also a Disney subsidiary, but did you know that MM's associative producer 'ATG' stands for the "Artists Television Group?" Michael Ovitz, former exec at Disney, created the Artists Television Group one year ago as an outgrowth of his young, but highly successful, talent management firm (where actor Billy Baldwin just signed a $1.5-million deal). Madigan Men is one of a record seven shows ATG has self-financed and sold to networks this season.

Other ATG shows debuting this fall: 
     * "Cursed," NBC, comedy: With the network as a 50% partner, 
       this sitcom based on Steven Weber's sophomoric humor won 
       a coveted Thursday night time slot after "Friends." 
     * "Grosse Point," WB, comedy: The biting parody of 
       "Beverly Hills, 90210" created by Darren Star, the red-hot 
        writer-producer of HBO's "Sex in the City," follows 
       "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Friday nights. 
     * "The $treet," Fox, drama: The one-hour evening soap opera, 
        another Darren Star creation, focuses on the lives of 
        young Wall Street investment bankers. 

ATG shows debuting in January: 
     * "The Michael Crichton project," Fox, drama: The network is 
          paying a rich licensing fee for a yet-to-be deter-mined 
          hourlong show from the creator of "ER." 
     * "The New Ellen Show," CBS, comedy: A sitcom about the making 
          of a variety show from comedian Ellen DeGeneres, whose 
          "Ellen" ran on ABC from 1994 to 1998. 
     * "Off the Hook," UPN, comedy: A late-night sketch comedy for 
          urban ethnic audiences that has been compared to "In Living Color." 

Source: Sallie Hofmeitster, staff writer for the LA TIMES in her article
Taking Major Risks, Ovitz Tries for Prime Time Again

August 10, 2000

Rainy Forecasts

Here's a look at what advertisers are projecting for the upcoming 
season's Friday night ratings shares. 

FRIDAY

ABC
Two Guys & A Girl	10.0
People/Fear	9.5
Norm	9.0
Madigan Men	8.5
20/20	11.7

CBS
The Fugitive	9.7
C.S.I.	12.7
Nash Bridges	13.5

NBC
Providence	17.2
Dateline	15.2
Law & Order: SVU	14.8

FOX
Freakylinks	8.0
Night Visions	7.8

UPN
Freedom	4.3
Level 9	3.0

WB
Sabrina	5.0
Grosse Pointe	4.0
Popular	4.0 

Source: Averages compiled from estimates by advertising agencies 
and media-buying companies by "Advertising Age." (With thanks to 'alfornos' 
of the alt.tv.x-files.analys newsgroup.) 

August 1, 2000

Madigan Men will begin filming at the
Kaufman Astoria Studios September 1st.

Free tickets are now available from Audiences Unlimited for live studio performances there on the following dates:

Sept. 1, 8, 15 and 29
Oct. 6, 13 and 27
Nov. 3, 9 and 17
Dec. 1 and 8

To order: Madigan Men Tickets

All performances are at 7:00pm (with warnings that one should be at least an hour early) on Friday evening, (except for November 9, which is a Thursday). ..Info in part with thanks from Kay Fleitz and Betina Jakobsen at Gabriel Byrne's Domain Message Board.

July 2000

July 2000

Getting Acquainted

Critics who viewed Madigan Men's pilot (directed by veteran
James Burrows) on July 17th (during the annual Television
Critics Association Press Tour) have been skeptical of its
premise-- originally a "'Sex and the City' for guys" that has
since evolved into an inter-generational sitcom.

"The only door likely to be opened by this show is the one
marked 'exit,' since it focuses more on father-son angst and
Irish proverbs ('A windy day is not the day for thatching') than
giving women tips on the male psyche and how to tame it."
lamented Maureen Dowd in an op-ed piece for the New York Times 

(which has since made its way into THE MOSCOW TIMES under the title, 

"LOVE & DEATH: U.S. TV Obsessed With Men, Sex and the City").

Actually, none of the 32 primetime series scheduled to debut in
the fall will be a 'hit' according to a July 12th report that
quantifies all the new series' chances of success (OMD USA Media
Research Group).

Being in the right place at the right time...

MEDIAWEEK's Marc Berman, in "Scheduling Picks and Pans: The Best
and Worst of Fall 2000," considered the show's Friday night at
9:30 scheduling, the season's "Second Worst Scheduling Move."
However, in an interview confirming that Barbara Walters had
agreed to stay on for another season of "20/20," she told USA
Today that "her main concern was having stronger Friday shows
replace 'children's programs, 'TGIF,' which had really run its
course' - and said she had "high hopes" for "Madigan Men," which
will directly precede '20/20.'"

Madigan Men will be up against NBC's "Dateline" and 
CBS'investigative drama "CSI." That programming may attract 
males in the audience, but among female viewers, 
"WB's 'Popular' has a good shot," says Stacey
Lynn Koerner, an analyst with TN Media. "The only thing that
works against them is that teens may not be home." 

Getting the Word Out

ABC obviously disagrees with both critics and pundits. In the
wake of their game show "Millionaire's" continuing success, the
network is confident, electing to keep five new series on the shelf, 
also tabling yet another game show "Mastermind" for the time being
...while lavishing promotion dollars on "The Geena Davis Show,"
"Gideon's Crossing," "The Trouble with Normal" and "Madigan Men."

"We have the luxury of an incredibly strong schedule,"
"Millionaire's" hefty drawing power gives the new shows a better
shot at succeeding. ABC Entertainment co-chairman Lloyd Braun
added,"...We felt that we were in a unique position to change
the way we did business."

One unique way they considered was to use voice mail
broadcasting technology to call viewers at home (in the 10
largest television markets) leaving messages about ABC's four
new sitcoms on Friday nights. The messages would have been
prerecorded by actors, Norm MacDonald, for his series, "Norm,"
and Gabriel Byrne for "Madigan Men."

"Our plans for the fall include a lot of unusual media forms to
get buzz for some of our shows," Alan Cohen, executive vice
president for marketing, advertising and promotion at ABC, 
said in a telephone interview with Stuart Elliott 
of the NYTimes July 21st.  "But the reaction (during the press
tour) caused us to think about the possible downside. Maybe
people would think it's a little bit intrusive. ...Maybe people
would get alarmed," Mr. Cohen said, "and we do respect our
viewers. So if there's any risk associated with these
alternative media forms, it's something we're not going to do."
The possibility of 'telespam' running afoul of the FCC might
also have been a factor.

Other elements of this new, but traditionally yellow,
"Definitely ABC" campaign are a tie-in with KFC restaurants
--with seven million ads wrapped around as many buckets of fried
chicken-- plus floor ads in supermarkets and on ATM machines. Surely 
the most original plan is for restroom panels featuring a
picture of Norm Macdonald over thousands of urinals in New York
and Los Angeles. Reportedly to be accompanied by a sensor that
sets off a recording of the comedian saying, "Hey, watch your
shoes!'' Hopefully, this creates the hoped for buzz for Madigan
Men's lead-in show.

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