National Dog Show 2009: Millions to watch on Thanksgiving Day
Filed Under: Television | By: Tony Lambert
Nov 26, 2009 | Comments 1
Thanksgiving to most people is all about tradition, a nice juicy turkey on the table, watching the parades with football thrown in; however the latest tradition, which only goes back to 2002, is the dog show.
Jon Miller, an NBC executive said “When I go out and talk to people, they’ll sometimes tell me how they remember watching the dog show with their parents on Thanksgiving.” Miller thought of it as a logical show for NBC to air after the Macy’s parade. Miller went on to line up a corporate sponsor, creating the title: “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina.”
The people at the network people weren’t so sure. Miller predicted five million viewers; however he got 20 million. It does help that the show follows the parade, which is a big family attraction. That’s from 9 a.m. to noon on both NBC and CBS. Miller said “after Thanksgiving starts big, NBC used to simply show a family movie; viewers switched to football. They’d watch the Cowboys game and whoever was beating the Lions that day.”
To read more on this story go to cincinnati.com. Do you watch the dog show? Let us know your thoughts.
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Dog shows are a bummer. I wish the folks caught up in breeding dogs would also devote some of their time, money, and \”love for animals\” on the unwanted pet problem we have in the United States. Four million cats and dogs — one every eight seconds —- are euthanized in U.S. shelters every year, according to the HSUS.
Meanwhile, how about if people like Tony Lambert focus some of their energy on educating the public about animals that are neglected, abandoned, and abused, instead of promoting the cause of breeders, who ultimately exploit animals for their own financial gain?