Burn Notice -- the goose that is laying the golden eggs
Here's hoping that there is a resolution at tomorrow's City Commission Meeting to keep Burn Notice in Coconut Grove.I am receiving emails from people, mostly from politicians, who want Burn Notice gone, claiming that it is not very high in USA network's ratings and that it does not have a large audience.
First off, Burn Notice is not on the air presently. The new season starts June 4. That is why they are not in the ratings. I suggest that people who are responsible for killing the show in Coconut Grove, look up the facts before they act, because they don't seem to have a clue presently.
Secondly, the ratings are high, despite what many think. I'll get to that, but the subject here is jobs and money -- why would we send jobs to Louisiana if we don't have to? Why would we take $6 million a year and throw it away, I am told it is $18 million, so even if it is $10 millions, don't we want to keep it here? Don't we care about jobs in this terrible economy and the trickle down effect? And even if the ratings were bad, which they aren't, if the show wants to pump millions into our area, why tell them to go away?
Many of you may not follow the show, but it has a cult following and they know every detail about every scene and they know that the show is filmed mostly in Coconut Grove and they know all the locations seen on tv and what streets were used and what stores are in the background and they seek out Burn Notice as part of their vacation and travel plans. Above is the exterior of Michael Westen's loft (he's the title character) -- blown up in one episode, still part of the scene at the Expo Center filming location.
Now for ratings, Burn Notice actually draws more viewers on the USA network than many mainstream network tv shows do, it actually is one of the most popular shows on tv. This came from By the Numbers, published March 6:
Many of you may not follow the show, but it has a cult following and they know every detail about every scene and they know that the show is filmed mostly in Coconut Grove and they know all the locations seen on tv and what streets were used and what stores are in the background and they seek out Burn Notice as part of their vacation and travel plans. Above is the exterior of Michael Westen's loft (he's the title character) -- blown up in one episode, still part of the scene at the Expo Center filming location.
Now for ratings, Burn Notice actually draws more viewers on the USA network than many mainstream network tv shows do, it actually is one of the most popular shows on tv. This came from By the Numbers, published March 6:
The season two finale of Burn Notice burned very brightly last night.
The March 5 installment drew a series best 6.1 million viewers, with a 4.5 national rating, according to Nielsen Media Research data. The episode also scored a series best 2.74 million adults 18 to 49 and 3.07 million adults 25 to 54. Compared to the mid-season finale this summer, last night’s telecast was grew 33% among 18-to-49 viewers, 37% with the 25-to-54 set and 31% in total viewers.
Relative to the season finale, it was not only the biggest telecast on cable on March 5, but beat a number of broadcasters in the process. USA said the show ranked first on TV among men 18 to 34 in its 10 p.m. timeslot; topped an encore of ABC’s Private Practice in that hour among adults 18 to 49 by 55%, persons 25 to 54 by 44% and total viewers by 36%; and outperformed ABC’s entire primetime lineup, including a fresh Ugly Betty episode and a repeat of Grey’s Anatomy, with the aforementioned demos.
So for those of you who are concerned about the ratings. Don't worry about Burn Notice, it is doing quite well. It is showcasing Coconut Grove and Miami and bringing jobs and money into our area in the process.
And on that note, I have to go, Burn Notice is blowing up a car in my friend's backyard today and I wanna go watch . . .
posted by Tom Falco at 12:01 PM
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29 Comments:
But Grape, do folks in Omaha watch this show?
No, all 6.1 million were from the Grove.
Do they film Dexter in LA or Miami? I'm guessing LA.
We've had a few people visit who want to see Dexter's apartment building. Someday said that in season one they make a reference to him living in the Grove.
Why are our politicians in Miami so hard headed and inflexible? They all act like third world dictators and generalissimos. This is suppose to be a democracy, people rule, you only work for the people, you are their servants, not some sort of a authoritarian ruler working on your whims or special interest. Listen to the people, or they will kick you in the butt next election and for ever.
Well, as part of that "cult following" (on the USA boards), I can tell you the show has viewers all over this country and plenty of others, including Canada, the UK, Portugal, and Australia. Also, I think the final ratings numbers were 7.8M for the finale. I'm semi-local (Boynton) and I've come down to the Grove to watch filming, but others have scheduled entire Burn Notice vacations to come check things out. Sure hope they find a way to keep the show here.
It's funny. We are all walking around on tip-toes using the word politcians. The politician that wants this show out of town and the center torn down is Marc Sarnoff. This is the same politician that wanted to put a Times Square type electronic sign in the Center of the Grove. Go figure! The times are a changing!
Kudo's to Tom Falco for taking the time and interest to find the facts and figures of the viewing public for Burn-Notice.
Thank you Tom. Continue your quest to keep the Golden Goose in town!
To be fair to Marc Sarnoff, others have emailed me telling me that the show is nothing and that the ratings are low. They are pushing for the waterfront park.
Well, I am not from Miami. I have not wanted to visit Miami, but now I do...It is because of the way Burn Notice portraits your city. I would never have taken my hard earned dollars and invested unless I had seen that show...
So, how many resturants, waiters and waitresses, hotel workers, and other service personnel will be out of work if you decide to lose this show? Stupid decision in this economy.
Grape. After checking with Larry Spring, CFO, you will discover that THERE IS NO $MONEY$ for a waterfront part at this time.
Also here is a list of where Burn Notice is shown internationally:
Burn Notice is shown on the following channels internationally:
Argentina : FX, Telefé; the
series is entitled Operación
Miami ("Operation Miami")
Australia : Channel Ten
Brazil : FX Latin America
Canada : Super Channel
Colombia : FX
Chile : FX
Denmark : TV3+
France : W9
Ireland : FX
Israel : yes stars Action (Channel 13)
Italy : FOX; the series is entitled Duro A Morire ("Die-hard")
Japan : FOX CRIME; subtitled Kesareta Supai ("The Erased Spy")
Lithuania : TV3
Malaysia : 8TV
Mexico : FX
Netherlands : RTL5
New Zealand : TV3
Norway : Viasat 4
Panama : TVMax; the series is entitled Operación Miami ("Operation Miami")
Poland : TV Puls
Portugal : FOX; the series is entitled Espião fora de jogo ("Spy Out of the Game")
Puerto Rico : WAPA-TV
Russia : TV3-Russia
Singapore : FX
South Africa : M-Net Channel[8]
South Korea : Super Action
Spain : FOX; the series is entitled Ultimo aviso ("Last Warning")
Sweden : TV6
UK : FX
Venezuela : Televen; the series is entitled "Atrapado en miami" ("Trapped in Miami")
Somewhat of an impressive list don't you think!
Keep up the good work on this issue Tom, Sarnoff wasn't able to kill the Coconut Grove Peacocks, by God let's not let him kill this goose!
In 2008 BURN NOTICE was the #1 original scripted series in basic cable prime among P18-49 (2.76 million) (source: NBC Universal press release "USA takes 2008 ratings crown with best year in cable history", www.nbcumv.com). Everyone I know watches it & loves it. I'm off to email the Commissioners on their glaring oversight regarding this great show!
Coconut Grove and the city of Miami have become another "character" in this show --which is brilliantly written and has an amazing cast and crew. Take it from someone who writes about both sports and entertainment and was (just last week) visiting the Royal Pains set in New York -- people who work in TV production work 14, 15, 16 hour days to put these shows on the air. They work their tails off and they do it with a smile on their faces. The money they are pumping back into the economy is vital, but the jobs they hold (and thus the reason for being on locatoin so often) are also a key factor -- and if Burn Notice leaves lots of people are out of work. Yes, it is fair to say the show would suffer without Miami as it's "fifth character" -- but the real problem is the unemployment these folks are potentially staring in the face. The look and feel of Miami can probably be re-created via the magic of television -- but I guarantee they can't duplicate the dedication and hard work of the crew they have in place. These folks don't deserve to be collecting nickel and dime checks from Uncle Sam next year because somebody chose to knock over a building and sprinkle grass seed in its place.
Politicians are killing the Goose that lays golden eggs all over American and the ironic thing is that most people in the Grove fully support them.
Perfect example, we have a national politician in this country that ran on the platform of "change" who advocates raising taxes on the rich. If one steps back and looks at the U.S. economy, a majority of the jobs are created by small business owners that are categorized as "rich".
But, let's close our eyes to the reality because we feel morally superior when we vote for these people and isn't that what really matters?
I have never once in all my years living in Miami have ever since a park going up where a parking lot once was. Call me cynical about this immediate push for a park, with no funding carved out for it yet. Municipal projects don't grease pockets, but commercial one's do. Something is not sitting right with this. I think the park is a pre-tense for gaining support for the tear own, and then the politicians are going to say "ops, we don't have money to build a park, but this developer is willing to build shops, condos and a park!, yeah we all win!" Now that scenario, I have scene before.
Burn Notice did have an show that was seen by 6.1 mil. That is much better than many shows on the big three networks.
The free publicity Miami is getting is priceless.
RichieRich from Bklyn, NY watch's it every week more for the scenery
of Miami and the Grove than the show itself. It reminds me of how much I miss Miami, and makes me want to visit more!
I would like to add my thoughts to this topic. I am one of those millions who love this show and the way it protrays coconut grove/miami. i used to live there and when i watch the show i look for reminders of my life there. it has led me to want to move back but even if i dont i would love to come for a visit, which i have on many occasions. please leave burn notice there and let me be amazed by my old hometown.
Grape:
Which politicians, Sunshine law, everything out in the open. And then we can see what the real motivation is for the ruch.
I agree with ANON 6:29PM something smells fishy and names will help determine the extent of the fishiness!
What I love about Grove neighbors is that intuitavely they know what is good for our community. The little aspects we have managed to preserve... we owe to every one of you who take the time to stay inform and voice your opinions. Keeping Burn Notice fiming for anther season is the right thing to do for the City, the economy and the fans. I do not know why Commissioner Marc Sarnoff has reverse himself on this issue? Everyone knows if the the exhibit building goes down... the
developers will come courting. I thank the grove blog for doing souch a good job in keeping us infmrmed. And encourage folks to come by the Commissioners meeting and show their support for this issue, as well as oppose the building of the oversized, unwanted Grove Harbour Marina Building.
Let's set the record straight, the only people who want Burn Notice to stay are the people making money from them. I have to laugh when I see statements that say Miami and Coconut Grove are sooo beautiful. That's because they don't show the ugly monstrosity called the convention center that blocks our bay view. Imagine how much prettier Coconut Grove would be if we had a world class waterfront (sailing center, etc.).
And please stop telling me that Burn Notice is so highly rated, check the February (when Burn Notice was first run) Nielson ratings. It came in third on USA's weekly ratings. Behind WWE Raw and Monk...behind MONK for heaven sakes. It actually came in fourth the week Psych was first run. Can we stop comparing it to Miami Vice mow?
Thank you Mr. Sarnoff for remembering that the 99.9% of the people in the Grove that don't make money from the show, deserve a beautiful family waterfront while our children are young enough to enjoy it.
That's cute, Anonymous May 27, 2009 10:55 PM. We don't usually check ratings on programs that are in reruns. Burn Notice is a summer-season program. Though coming in 3rd when all they're showing is reruns isn't half bad! I guess the show is more successful than I thought.
Grape your opinion please. Sarnoff wants to delay today's vote to get the 'community's input'. With you doing a great public service by bringning this issue out into the 'sunshine' don't you think we have gotten the 'community's input'? What more does he want?
Again thank you for your service reference this sensitive issue.
The bottom line is dollars - the economy.
Burn Notice hires around 300 people to produce the show, most of them local professionals. And the city wants to take away the income from these professionals and their families during a recession? Burn Notice also pumps millions into the economy supporting local businesses and hotels. On top of that there is the millions in free advertising.
If Burn Notice is forced out, the show itself will do just fine. It is quite desirable and other places want it. By the time Season 2 ended in mid-March it had the largest cable following ever despite a highly competitive 10 PM Thursday night time slot (Nielsen's gave Burn Notice updated numbers well over 7 million). Other shows that left Miami, CSI Miami and Dexter, did not miss a beat.
It will be Miami that will be left with the consequences: the unemployed and a bad reputation, both hard to overcome and costly.
You are right, the economy is the bottom line. So tell me, how many businesses will need to close if Burn Notice leaves? How much more will we have to pay in taxes? I believe the answer is '0' to both. You say 300 local people hired, I assume you mean from Miami, because if they aren't from Miami, what is the benefit? So let's say the population of Miami is 410k, that makes 300 people what .07% of our population. That's a real good reason to screw the other 99.93% out of the utilizing our waterfront.
Any why is your vision of Miami so wrapped up in this show. It is the 3rd ranked USA network show on a basic cable network. If there is actually a tourist out there who decides Miami isn't good enough to visit because Burn Notice isn't filming here any more, then I will eat a Burn Notice DVD.
And no, I don't want Burn Notice to leave Miami, just out convention center. Build them a stage downtown, or the design district, I hear there is some really cheap land in Liberty City, and they actually could use the money. For all I care anyone who wants them in the Grove and rent out their spare bedrooms to the production. But PLEASE, stop making this show the savior of Miami, anyone with a little common sense can see it doesn't make one bit of difference if the show is here or not. However, for the long term goals of the Grove, a world class waterfront will pay dividends lone after this show is gone and forgotten.
And please, stop quoting individual rating numbers, look at the weekly or monthly trends. Despite everyone on this site thinking Burn Notice was the best show since Petticoat Junction, there is no guarantee it will be around in the years to come.
ANON 1:22 with that much to say you should not be ANON. Say who you are or keep your non popular opinion to yourself. What are you getting out of tearing down the Convention center? You must be getting something?
I love that the person telling me to post my name signed in as Anonymous. Anyway, I choose not sign my name on an open blog (too many crazies out there). But if you want statistics, I live in center Grove, work as a telecom engineer and will gain absolutley nothing from the destruction of the convention center (other that the waterfront view). Friends know my opinion and some of theirs differ from mine, hey that's okay, they are my friends because they are good honest people whom I trust and respect, not because they agree with every one of my opinions.
And trust me, I am not hard to find, if you know where to look.
OK then I know you good!
Thanks
to anon at 1:22 - Just like the world forgot that Miami Vice (20 years ago)was shot in Miami!! Why don't we stop paying for all tourist promotion of Miamiin magazines, tv, etc. Hell, people can find us on a map! We don't need convention bureaus, c of c, etc. Why are we paying their salaries when a map is readily available for FREE on mapquest. ?
sorry -my previous posting was directed to anon at 1:22
Hi, as an avid Burn Notice viewer from the UK I'd just like to say that the show gives a very positive view of Miami and the state of Florida. Long may it continue to be made where it's set!
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