31 Reasons Why the Mayans Were Wrong

The answers to B&C's annual news quiz

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/7/2013 12:01:00 AM

The answers to B&C's "31 Reasons Why the Mayans Were Wrong" quiz are bolded below. After tabulating your score, let us know how you did: Share your result in the comments section below, or tweet your score with the hashtag #B&CNewsQuiz.

1. Rupert Murdoch began a Twitter account at the end of  2011. What was his first tweet of 2012?
a. Happy New Year. Hope itsa clean one. #nopiesinfaceincourt
b. Already great 2012. Love mynew Nerf Vortex Blaster, tho I hit Wendi in eye with disk #inthedoghouse
c. Happy 2012. May itbe better than all experts predict. Has to be! Must change everything to create jobs for all, especiallyyoung
d. Amazing! Alexander Hamilton born (illegitimate) 40 miles away. Best man never elected president. At least, founded NY Post!

2. How many total viewers tuned in for Super Bowl XLVI, the most-watched TV show in history?
a. 99.8 million
b. 94.5 million
c. 111.3 million
d. 101.3 million

3. What did Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly ask commentator Karl Rove when Rove kept questioning the Ohio returns that effectively gave the election to Barack Obama?
a. "Do you know something we don't know? I mean, have you just returned to the present in your DeLorean with a message from Dr. Brown?"
b. "Am I going to have to hit you?"
c. "You do understand that this is a national television show with actual, reported, calculated election results, right?"
d. "Is this just math that you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better or is this real?"

4. Several programmers were involved in legal fights and carriage disputes with Charlie Ergen's Dish Network. Which network got back on the air when Dish agreed to pay $700 million to settle a lawsuit?
a. AMC
b. Big 10 Network
c. Fox Broadcasting
d. Nickelodeon

5. The 54th Annual Grammy Awards, which featured many tributes to the late Whitney Houston, who died the night before the ceremony, drew 39.9 million viewers, its best audience since what year?
a. 2002
b. 1984
c. 1998
d. 1975

6. What TV event did South Korean singer Psy, who became an Internet sensation with his song "Gangnam Style," perform at shortly after an anti-American protest song he made eight years ago was released?
a. Grammys
b. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
c. Christmas in Washington
d. Kennedy Center Honors

7. The fourth episode of TLC's reality hit Honey Boo Boo outdrew what high-profile TV event among adults 18-49? 
a. Democratic National Convention
b. The Olympics Opening Ceremonies
c. X Factor premiere
d. Republican National Convention

8. At the 2012 TCA Winter Press Tour, Nina Tassler, CBS Entertainment president, said she'd like to hear more jokes about:
a. Leslie Moonves
b. Vaginas
c. Irish Catholics
d. Rick Astley

9. Which syndicated talk show was canceled last year?
a. Katie
b. The Wendy Williams Show
c. Bethenny
d. Anderson

10. "I think anybody who is honest, who sits in a chair like mine, would have been a little skeptical about getting back into business...after what happened." Who said this, and in what context?
a. FX chief John Landgraf to B&C about making Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, prior to its June 28 premiere
b. President Obama talking to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show about negotiating with the Republican-led Congress in the weeks leading up to the election
c. Ann Curry about accepting a new assignment with NBC after being let go on the Today show
d. Current TV chief Al Gore on greenlighting Viewpoint With Eliot Spitzer

11. The London Olympics became the most-watched TV event in U.S. history. Approximately how many viewers tuned in over the 17 days?
a. 215 million
b. 300 million
c. 219 million
d. 175 million

12. What does the CALM Act do?
a. Ensures that political messages during election season retain a certain verifiable degree of truth
b. Prohibits companies from airing ads for products considered inappropriate for children during daytime hours
c. Guarantees that commercials are not too loud compared to regular programming
d. Limits airings of Honey Boo Boo to only four showings per week, including reruns

13. What moniker did Fox file a trademark for as the name of its rumored all-sports cable network?
a. Sports on Fox
b. Fox Sports 1
c. The Cletus the Fox Sports Robot Network
d. Fox-y Sports

14. On election night 2012, which of the following broadcast networks streamed their primetime election coverage live?
a. ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Univision and Telemundo
b. CBS, NBC and PBS
c. ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS
d. ABC, PBS, Telemundo and Univision

15. What company beat out Starz for exclusive pay-TV rights to new Disney films starting with the studio's 2016 theatrical slate?
a. Showtime
b. Google
c. Netflix
d. HBO

16. Which two networks reached an agreement in May 2012 to launch a 24/7 English-language TV news, information and lifestyle network for English-dominant and bilingual Hispanics set to launch in summer 2013?
a. ABC and Estrella TV
b. ABC News and Univision
c. CBS News and Univision
d. CBS and Azteca America

17. In April 2012, ABC's Good Morning America officially broke Today's winning streak as the leading morning show by 31,000 total viewers. How long was Today's reign as the top morning show?
a. 10 years
b. 16 years
c. 12 years
d. 17 years

18. Which senator largely led the charge to gain more access to the FCC's LightSquared documents, going so far as to place a hold on the FCC nominations of Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel?
a. Sen. Jay Rockefeller
b. Sen. Joe Lieberman
c. Sen. Jim DeMint
d. Sen. Charles Grassley

19. Which Primetime Emmy category did Showtime's Homeland not win in 2012?
a. Outstanding drama series
b. Outstanding writing in a drama series
c. Outstanding lead actress in a drama series
d. Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

20. Which cable series delivered more adults 18-49 than any broadcast entertainment show this season?
a. FX's Sons of Anarchy
b. AMC's The Walking Dead
c. A&E's Duck Dynasty
d. FX's American Horror Story

21. After NBC removed Ann Curry as Today show coanchor in June, what new title did she assume?
a. Correspondent-at-large, Rock Center With Brian Williams
b. Anchor, Dateline
c. National/international correspondent, NBC News
d. Host, Ann Curry Reports, MSNBC

22. What action did the FCC take on retransmission-consent reform proposals it made last year?
a. Clarified what constitutes good-faith bargaining
b. Decided to waive the syndicated exclusivity rules during retrans impasses
c. Planned to designate an administrative law judge to oversee negotiations
d. Nothing

23. Former New York Giant and current Fox NFL commentator Michael Strahan joined Kelly Ripa on Disney/ABC's Live on Sept. 4. Who else did the show consider for the job?
a. Nick Lachey
b. Jerry O'Connell
c. Josh Groban
d. All of the above

24. The executive producer of a syndicated daytime talk show in 2012 was named the new head of CNN Worldwide. Who is it?
a. Dr. Phil McGraw
b. Andy Lassner
c. Jeff Zucker
d. Rachel Consiglio Wilkos

25. The FCC in September 2012 proposed a framework for incentive auctions. What will the proceeds be used for?
a. To pay broadcasters' moving expenses
b. To compensate broadcasters for their spectrum
c. To fund a national, interoperable, emergency broadband communications network
d. All of the above

26. The FCC has still not closed the Title II docket. What the heck is the Title II docket?
a. The proposal to re-title the Communications Act the "Open and Innovative Broadband Access Act"
b. A retransmission-consent proposal to better clarify good faith negotiations
c. An FCC crackdown on the illegal retitling of pirated online TV shows, an action that Silicon Valley has branded an attempt to eviscerate fair-use protections
d. The proposal to classify Internet access as a common-carrier service subject to mandatory access requirements

27. What was the first fall 2012 show to be canceled?
a. Fox's Mob Doctor
b. CBS' Made in Jersey
c. ABC's 666 Park Avenue
d. The CW's Emily Owens M.D.

28. The Supreme Court held that the FCC's indecency rules were:
a. Unconstitutional on their face
b. Vague as applied without "fair notice"
c. Unfair and deceptive
d. Appropriately applied and constitutional

29. Following its acquisition, which station group no longer exists?
a. Newport Television
b. New Vision Television
c. Freedom Broadcasting
d. All of the above

30. How much was spent on political ads on local TV during the 2012 election?
a. $2.9 billion
b. $3.1 billion
c. $2.5 billion
d. $1.5 gazillion
(SOURCE: Analysis of Kantar Media's CMAG data by Wells Fargo)

31. Which show didn't have its series finale this year?
a. Desperate Housewives
b. Gossip Girl
c. Private Practice
d. House
 

Bonus Round: How did you do on our 2012 news quiz in the magazine? See if you can continue your momentum-or redeem yourself-with these extra-credit questions.

1. Who was the first cable operator to sign a new carriage agreement with Disney in 2012?
a. Comcast
b. Time Warner Cable
c. Cablevision
d. Cox

2. Due to prolonged negotiations with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, the AMC series had been off the air for how long before its fifth season premiered in March?
a. 365 days
b. 478 days
c. 672 days
d. 525 days

3. According to B&C research, of the Big Four stations in the top 100 markets, what percentage of station general managers are women?
a. 38.8%
b. 20%
c. 15.2%
d. 8.9%

4. WCBS New York closed on a unique duopoly in 2012. How much did it pay for Long Island's WLNY?
a. $55 million
b. $155 million
c. $25 million
d. $200 million and lunch with Chris Wragge

5. During summer TCA, who did Fox Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly call on his cellphone from the stage?
a. Jennifer Lopez
b. Nicki Minaj
c. Christina Aguilera
d. Mariah Carey

6. How much did cable networks take in during the 2012-13 upfront?
a. $8.2 billion
b. $4.3 billion
c. $9.8 billion
d. $10.7 billion

7. Who replaced Rick Feldman as president and CEO of NATPE?
a. John Nogawski
b. Rod Perth
c. Hilary Estey McLoughlin
d. Jeff Zucker

8. "It's either going to be a big hit or a huge f---ing bomb." Who said this about what?
a. Britney Spears, talking about the reconfigured version of The X Factor
b. The late Larry Hagman, who died months later, on Nov. 23, speaking at the upfronts about the Dallas remake
c. Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, talking about Snooki's impending motherhood
d. Chuck Lorre, assessing the premiere of the Charlie Sheen series Anger Management

9. After originally airing on ABC, Cougar Town was acquired by which network to air in 2013?
a. TBS
b. TNT
c. TV Land
D) truTV

10. Which rival executive defended NBC's decision to tape-delay popular Olympic events to air in primetime?
a. Rupert Murdoch
b. Robert Iger
c. Mark Cuban
D) Leslie Moonves 

11. Ad sales were slow in 2012, but which media company exceeded some analysts' expectations when its ad sales declined only 6% in the third quarter of the calendar year?
A) AMC Networks
b. Viacom
c. NBCUniversal
D) Discovery Communications

12. According to Twitter, election night 2012 produced how many tweets?
a.  31 million
b. 123 million
c. 15 million
d. 42 million

13. Who wrote and performed the new theme song for CTD's Entertainment Tonight?
a. Jeff Probst
b. Gwen Stefani
c. L.M.F.A.O.
d. Will.i.am

14. What is one thing NCTA president (and former FCC chairman) Michael Powell did not say at a Paley Center luncheon in June 2012?
a. That each FCC chairman hands a list of items "to stay the hell out of" to his successor
b. That in its current form, the remote control "truly sucks"
c. That he would love to guest on his favorite show, Pawn Stars, because he is totally convinced he could get "great prices from Rick" on some rare items he has at home
d. That television is just about the greatest thing in the history of mankind

15. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski recently revealed that he was a DJ on a college radio station in New York. What was his on-air handle?
a. The Midnight Rambler
b. Gen and Tonic (his show featured barbershop quartet music.
c. Orange [NJ] Julius
d. The Mad Hatter