Broadcasting & Cable articles from January 2003

Broadcasting & Cable archives from January 2003

Over our dead bodies: nets blast proposal for 25% prime time set-aside for indies.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Network executives are deriding an effort by independent producers, artist unions and at least one ad agency to revive "fin-syn" rules, calling it an unreasonable attempt to further fragment the TV business. "With literally hundreds upon...

NAB unveils duop plan: asks FCC to OK strong/weak TV combos.(National Association of Broadcasters )
January 6, 2003... The National Association of Broadcasters last week called for TV duopolies in small and medium-sized markets as a means of keeping "struggling" stations alive and well. NAB urged the FCC to permit common ownership of two TV stations in any...

Acme's got no debt; no cash flow either.(company's sale of TV stations sheds debt)(Company Profile)
January 6, 2003... With its deal to sell two TV stations to Tribune Broadcasting, the Acme station group will virtually eliminate its debt. But it also will pretty much eliminate its cash flow, likely pushing it back into the red next year. Tribune agreed to...

Layoffs: hang on in '03.(layoffs at media companies discussed)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... Media companies dramatically slowed the pace at which they axed employees as the economy slogged through 2002, but that doesn't mean your job is safe quite yet. TV and radio stations, networks, publishers and other media outlets laid off...

The NAB, sans the sands. (Fast Track).(meeting to be held at Las Vegas Convention Center)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Some shuffle-bus fans may be put out, but the NAB has decided to confine its confab (April 5-10) to THE LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER this year, rather than divide itself among the LVCC and Sands Expo Center as in the past.

Cable 2002, by the numbers. (Fast Track).(highest-rated cable network in 2002 was Lifetime Television )(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... LIFETIME TELEVISION ended 2002 as the highest-rated cable network, while ESPN claimed the lion's share of the year's top programs. Lifetime averaged a 2.0 household rating, according to TURNER BROADCAST analysis of NIELSEN MEDIA RESEARCH...

Joe and Jane sixpack, apply here. (Fast Track).(consumer advisory committee for for DTV broadband availability)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The average citizen will get a chance to advise FCC Chairman MICHAEL POWELL and his colleagues on the consumer impact of DTV broadband availability and low-power FM radio under a rechartered CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE. The panel also will...

Aaron around the world. (Fast Track).(CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown to be simulcast on CNN International)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... CNN is ready to share Aaron Brown's quirky prime time newscast with its international network. Beginning today, CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown, which airs weeknights at 10 p.m. ET, will be simulcast on CNN International. CNN already...

Twentieth Television. (Bottom Lines).(RICHARD DUMONT )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... RICHARD DUMONT is the new vice president of advertising and promotion at TWENTIETH TELEVISION, upped from executive director. He will oversee all print advertising and Twentieth's Web site....

A&E. (Bottom Lines).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A&E introduced a new Saturday-night lineup anchored by two acquired dramas, Crossing ordan and Third Watch, pairing them with its original forensic series, Cold Case Files. Both acquisitions are rich propositions for the network. A&E...

Infinity Broadcasting. (Bottom Lines).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... INFINITY BROADCASTING will face charges in early February--rought by the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD in an administrative court--hat two of its Detroit radio stations, WWJ(AM) and WXYT-FM, restricted union access to facilities for the...

Fox cooks up fix for DTV: claims new chipset developed with Philips and an Australian university solves indoor reception problem. (Top of the Week).
January 6, 2003... Fox, Philips Research and Australian National University have created a new digital TV reception chipset that they say solves many of the multipath reception problems that have plagued indoor reception of DTV signals--and also demonstrates the...

FCC report: cable subs slipping; though value-adding MSOs thrive; DBS services posting big gains. (Top of the Week).
January 6, 2003... After decades of nonstop growth, cable subscribership appears to be declining, the federal government noted last week. The prediction was included in the FCC'S 9th annual report on video competition, which tacked industry trends for fiscal...

FBI nabs alleged DirecTV hacker. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... WASHINGTON--The FBI has nailed a 19-year-old Russian college student accused of stealing documents detailing DirecTV's new encryption system and circulating those details among satellite hackers. Igor Serebryany was arrested in Los Angeles for...

Sweeney's new duties. (Breaking).(Anne Sweeney)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... LOS ANGELES--As part of a corporate reorganization, Anne Sweeney, president of Disney's Cable Networks Group, is taking over all kids TV programming and production at Disney, including kids blocks on ABC Network, ABC Family and international...

Delays quiet Tremors. (Breaking).(Sci Fi Channel delays launch of original series)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... NEW YORK--Sci Fi Channel, coming off the success of Taken, is delaying the premiere of its latest original series, Tremors, until March because of special effects problems, a spokeswoman for Sci Fi said. Tremors was originally slated for a...

B&C Indices. (Top of the Week).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... WEEK OF DEC. 26-JAN. 2 B&C INDICES WEEK YTD THE B&C 10 -3.7% -1% BROADCAST TV GROUPS 2.5% 1.2% CABLE TV MSO'S 2.1% 1.5% RADIO 1.8% 0.2% ...

AOL/TW plays tough with Fox Sports: MSO refuses to pay higher rates in Fla., Minn.; Fox cuts them off. (Deals).
January 6, 2003... The annual year-end friction between cable operators and programmers has left two Fox Sports networks dark in the homes of close to 2 million AOL Time Warner and Advance/Newhouse subscribers. In Florida, Fox Sports' Sunshine Network cut its...

Stations mean business on retrans. (Cable).(retransmission content issues between stations and cable operators discussed)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... Cable operators and broadcast stations mostly dodged year-end bullets over retransmission consent, but one CBS affiliate in Macon, Ga., went dark on several local systems on New Year's Day. Mid-sized and small station groups are...

The long arm of KOB. (Station Break).(KOB-TV Albuquerque reporter helps capture suspect)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ALBUQUERQUE -- KOB-TV Albuquerque reporter Nell Simon helped police capture a Lebanon, Tenn., woman accused of the statutory rape and abduction of a 14-year-old boy she'd home-schooled. She was apprehended after she turned up in New Mexico as...

KIRO shares news wealth. (Station Break).(KSTW-TV signs with KIRO-TV for newscast)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... SEATTLE -- Viacom's KSTW-TV Seattle has contracted with local Cox-owned CBS affiliate KIRO-TV for a late-night newscast. Expected to premiere early this year, the newscast will be produced by KIRO-TV and use its anchors. The deal was announced...

Powell exits WHUT. (Station Break).(Adam Clayton Powell III resigns from WHUT-TV)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... WASHINGTON -- In a Surprise announcement, Adam Clayton Powell III said he was resigning as general manager of WHUT-TV Washington, effective Jan. 11. Powell said the hours had been difficult for him and that he hopes to spend more time with his...

Reporter nominated for labor secretary. (Station Break).(Conroy Chino )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... ALBUQUERQUE -- While a KOB-TV reporter was assisting police (see lead item), a former one was preparing to render government assistance of a different sort. Reporter Conroy Chino has been nominated by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be the...

KTLA comes up roses. (Station Break).(station gets good ratings for Tournament of Roses Parade)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Overnight ratings gave bragging rights to KTLA's coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day. Its show, hosted by Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards," delivered the largest audience with an 18/40 share, 2.5 times greater than...

Sinclair speeds centralcasting: group will add News Central to three stations already offering news. (Top of the Week).
January 6, 2003... Sinclair Broadcast Group plans to take its ambitious News Central on the road to its stations in Oklahoma City; Raleigh, N.C.; and Rochester, N.Y., during first quarter 2003. Since each of the stations already have news operations, the move...

Deliver us. (Programming).(Discovery plans marathon of live births)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Discovery Health's warm-and-fuzzy baby programming is getting up close and personal: a 10-hour marathon of live births, with camera crews set up in delivery rooms in at least three different hospitals waiting to take baby's first picture. ...

Like mother. (Jurisprudence).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The news that Liza Minelli and husband David Gest were suing Viacom-owned VH1 over a remark in a New York paper (New York Post) by an unnamed network executive regarding difficulties with their TV show (now cancelled) set off deja vu alarms...

It's a guy thing. (In the Loop).(more men watched National Football League games on networks)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The National Football League games on the broadcast nets drew a lot more men to the set this year than last. Fox had a 13% gain in men 18-34, and a 7% gain in men 18-49. Fox had an overall gain of 5%, with total viewership climbing to an...

May May exit NAB. (Washington).(Jim May in running for CEO position at Air Transportation Association)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Before this week is out, NAB may have to start thinking about a new No. 2 executive behind Eddie Fritts. Jim May, NAB's executive VP, government relations, for almost 15 years, is on the short list (two or three candidates) to replace Carol...

Friend of the family. (Regulation).(close relations between William Duhamel and new FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... William Duhamel, president of the Rapid City, S.D.-based Duhamel Broadcasting, hopes new FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein learned something about the needs of stations in small and rural markets during his formative years in South Dakota....

Killing VNS may be way to fix voter polling. (Top of the Week).(Voter News Service may be scrapped)
January 6, 2003... With two blown elections in a row, Voter News Service may soon be history. It's not a fait accompli, but there is a consensus among network news executives that scrapping VNS is the best way to insure that vote counting and exit polling go...

Syndicators roll out new talkers, formats. (Special Report: NATPE Buyers Guide).
January 6, 2003... After Dr. Phil showed in 2002 that smash hits still can happen on daytime TV, syndicators will escort several famous names to the sunlight hours in 2003 hoping it can happen again. Warner Bros. Domestic Television is developing a talk show...

Off-net shopping list is short for '03. (Special Report: NATPE Buyers Guide).(off-network television shows offered at NATPE)
January 6, 2003... The off-network field is a little thinner at this year's NATPE conference, reflective of the recent lack of mega-hit TV shows to draw on. Last year's big entry was Warner Bros.' Will & Grace, and that show has performed according to...

Sony seeks bidders for eBayTV. (Special Report: Sony Pictures Television).(Sony Pictures Television plans show based on partnership with eBay)
January 6, 2003... In an attempt to create a new genre for daytime television, Sony Pictures Television is developing eBayTV for fall 2003. "Shows that create a new genre and break new ground are the franchise," said John Weiser, executive vice president of...

Ellen takes another shot. (Special Report: Warner Bros. Domestic Television).(Ellen Degeneres plans variety/talk show)
January 6, 2003... Ellen DeGeneres is coming back to television with her own variety/talk strip that will highlight her comedy and her "everywoman" approach to life. "Ellen is a sensational talent who has spent the past twenty years preparing herself to do...

Daytime gets royal treatment. (Special Report: Universal).(new Universal Domestic Television show features Sarah Ferguson, duchess of York)
January 6, 2003... England's royal family meets daytime talk in Universal's new show, Fergie, starring Sarah Ferguson, duchess of York. "With this show, we are trying to present emotional stories, real stories of real people," says Steve Rosenberg, president...

Going for two in a row. (Special Report: King World).(King World to shop daytime variety/talk show at NATPE)
January 6, 2003... It doesn't happen often in the giant lotto game that is syndication, but King World is hoping it can launch a hit two years in a row. King World comes to NATPE with Dr. Phil to brag about and with its new daytime variety/talk show--Living it...

Hip mom wants to have a chat. (Special Report: Warner Bros. Domestic Television).(Sharon Osborne gets talk show)
January 6, 2003... Reality comes to daytime with Warner Bros.' new reality talk show starring Sharon Osbourne. Osbourne, the heart and soul of MTV's hit reality show The Osbournes, will bring her brand of straight talk to the new show. 'It's all about...

At NBC, real world grows up. (Special Report: NBC Enterprises).(NBC Enterprises brings reality shows to daytime)
January 6, 2003... With Starting Over, NBC Enterprises is bringing to daytime the type of reality programming that has become popular in prime time. From the producers of MTV's Real World and Road Rules, Starting Over will select six or seven women to live...

Second-year shows prepare to go nationwide. (Special Report).(television programs)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... Some shows on the NATPE slate this year will look familiar to regular NATPE attendees: Buena Vista's The Wayne Brady Show, Twentieth Television's ExTreme Dating and Twentieth's Good Day Live all had limited rollouts last year, but are headed...

Smaller distributors offer some goodies, too. (Special Report).(Litton Syndications offers tv show starring Rita Rudner)
January 6, 2003... If NATPE shoppers aren't interested in what the major studios have to offer, they have a few other places to look. If stations have a hole in late-night, South Carolina-based Litton Syndications is shopping Ask Rita, a...

For last time, NATPE goes to the big easy: syndies, major station groups will show, but it'll be less grand with most in hotel suites, again. (Programming).
January 6, 2003... After the industry suffered the shock of last year's declining NATPE, 2003 will be a year of transition for the venerable programming conference. The show will spend its last year in New Orleans, trying out some new ideas to replace the...

Affils irked by shifting practice: fear ABC is removing a powerful Sunday-night news lead-in. (Programming).(affiliates concerned about TV network's prime-time plans)
January 6, 2003... ABC's January efforts to bolster its prime time schedule has some affiliates worried that the network's speculative steps forward guarantee their affiliates will be taking steps backward. Specifically affiliates and news directors are...

When good press does little good. (Programming).(discussion of cable networks' approach to Television Critics Association tour)(Industry Overview)
January 6, 2003... Twice a year, cable networks catch a few precious moments to plug their latest wares to television critics visiting Los Angeles from all over the nation. Programmers painstakingly select shows, line up talent to draw jaded critics and plunk...

Ratings. (Programming).(top 25 television shows for 12/9-12/15/02)(Illustration)
January 6, 2003... RATINGS \ Dec. 9-15 Nielsen Media Research Top 25 Shows Adults 18-49 RANK/PROGRAM AA GAA 1 Frieds 5.4 6.3 2 Seinfeld 5.1 5.7 3 Seinfeld...

Inside edition's a quiet hit. (Strip).(show to start 15th season)
January 6, 2003... King World's Inside Edition will celebrate the beginning of its 15th season by dropping a small hint during a short segment on the Jan. 9 show. But even though the show isn't going to spend much time on-air crowing about its accomplishment, its...

ET weekend hates football. (Syndie Insider).(Entertainment Tonight Weekend hit by football preemptions)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Weekly hours got a ratings boost in the week ending Dec. 15, according to Nielsen Media Research's national ratings. Paramount's Entertainment Tonight Weekend jumped the most, leaping 94% from the prior week to score a 3.5, much closer to its...

Wheel of fortune loves football. (Syndie Insider).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... An online component will be launched to support "NFL Players Week" on the syndicated Wheel of Fortune game show. During the week of Jan. 6-10, NFL players will compete on the show to win money for their favorite charities. That same week,...

New Buena Vista exec taps new biz VP. (Syndie Insider).
January 6, 2003... Robert Kaplan has been named director of development for Buena Vista Productions, said Holly Jacobs, executive vice president of BVP last week. Kaplan will report to Karen Glass, BVP's vice president of development. Kaplan will take pitches for...

Ratings watch. (Programing).
January 6, 2003... RATINGS Dec. 23-29 WATCH abc Week 14 MONDAY 8.9/15 8:00 55. Monk 3.7/7 8:30 9:00 2. Monday Night 11.6/20 9:30 ...

AFTRA-NBC battle heats up. (Programming).(American Federation of Television and Radio Artists )(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has stepped up its campaign to unionize NBC's Chicago Telemundo station WSNS(TV), acquired when the companies merged last year. AFTRA is pressuring advertisers to boycott the station...

Scarred but positive. (Market Focus: Oklahoma City).
January 6, 2003... The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left for Americans memories so strong that the mere mention of the date is enough to conjure up a myriad of images. But the residents of Oklahoma City had been speaking in that kind of verbal shorthand since April...

Automakers drive ad sales again in '02: big three are within the top-five advertiser ranks. (TV Buyer).(Nielsen Media Research data)
January 6, 2003... With 10 months of data in (January-October), General Motors is on its way to repeat as the biggest advertiser spender of 2002. According to data supplied by Nielsen Media Research's ad tracking service Monitor-Plus, GM spent $1.8 billion in...

Local TV pleased by ADS growth. (EBB & Flow).(alternate delivery systems: direct broadcast satellite)(Nielsen Media Research data)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Direct-broadcast-satellite penetration levels continue to climb and that's making local broadcasters absolutely giddy. Nielsen Media Research recently issued data for November showing that wired cable penetration hit a six-year low, falling...

Ford goes interactive with spots: wink communications provides real-time play-by-plays. (Bowl Games).(Ford Motor Co. sponsors interactive portion of ABC's Bowl Championship Series)
January 6, 2003... The Ford Motor Co. underwrote a major expansion of the interactive-TV component of ABC's Bowl Championship Series Jan. 1 to Jan. 3. For the first time, Ford sponsored the entire interactive portion of the four-game series that decides the...

Celebrity endorsements. (Hot Spots).(most effective commercials and celebrities discussed)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Major celebrities accounted for 11 of the top 20 most-effective commercials in 2002, if you include GEOFFREY THE TALKING GIRAFFE, the TOYS R US pitchman. Excluding Geoffrey--who was featured in three of the top four ads-celebrities who actually...

Forecasts. (Hot Spots).(survey indicates economic recovery will continue through 2003)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The recovery will continue at a deliberate pace through 2003, according to a survey of 55 economists by THE WALL STREET JOURNAL last week. The widely held view of those economists is that corporations are expected to reinvest their recuperating...

Agency consolidation. (Hot Spots).(Colby & Partners absorbs most of D'arcy Masius Benton & Bowles office in Los Angeles, CA)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... COLBY & PARTNERS in Los Angeles will be picking up much of the Los Angeles office of D'ARCY MASIUS BENTON & BOWLES. The agreement in principle follows the recent PUBLICIS GROUPE decision to fold D'Arcy in the wake Publicis's acquisition of...

Sponsorships. (Hot Spots).(Toyota Motor Sales USA to advertise in National Geographic Channel's special)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA has bought the exclusive rights to advertise in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL's springtime special, Surviving Everest The two-hour special, set for April 27 at 8 p.m. features the climb up the mountain by the sons of SIR...

Profits later. (Hot Spots).(KPMG survey shows expectations of US auto sector)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... A survey released last week by KPMG indicates that the domestic auto industry doesn't expect a return to pre-recession profit levels until 2005, largely due to the slow pace of the recovery and consumer expectations for aggressive financing...

NAB pushes DTV 'flex time': says calendar dates should give way to penetration figures. (Washington).(National Association of Broadcasters wants digital television deadlines pushed back)
January 6, 2003... Broadcasters want more time to meet some of their critical DTV build-out obligations. In meetings with FCC officials, including Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy and Jonathan Adelstein and DTV task force chief Rick Chessen, the National...

Do call. (Capital Watch).(discussion of FCC's "do not call" rules)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Broadcasters and cable operators have asked the FCC for leniency in revised "do not call" rules the agency is crafting for telemarketers. The National Association of Broadcasters has asked that the FCC clarify that prerecorded messages...

Nets defend news study. (Capital Watch).(local news coverage by affiliates)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Big Four broadcast networks are jeering affiliates' complaints about an FCC study showing 0&Os offer more local news. In response to a filing two weeks ago by the Network Affiliated Stations Alliance and the NAB, the networks said the...

FTC slams padded breast claims. (Capital Watch).(Vital Dynamics)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... The Federal Trade Commission has settled with Vital Dynamics, a California company over the deceptive marketing--including extensive TV and radio ads--of the Isis "breast-enhancement" system. The complaint alleged that the company and...

Physician, wound thyself. (Capital Watch).(TV-Turnoff Week)
January 6, 2003... Anti-TV activists are asking the FCC to require stations to air messages urging parents to limit children's viewing time and warning them that excessive TV viewing has negative health, academic and other consequences. The TV-Turnoff Network...

Let's put it in Bayonne: New Jersey site may be new home for NYC's tower. (Technology).
January 6, 2003... It looks like a six-acre site in Bayonne, N.J., will be the home of a 2,000-foot transmission tower serving NewYork City broadcasters, but not until the broadcasters and the city get the blessing from the state of New Jersey. "We thought...

Maintaining server sanity. (Technology).
January 6, 2003... Since moving to server-based systems and a new 601 infrastructure WKYC-TV Cleveland has learned a simple lesson: Maintenance is more important than ever. "The biggest challenges with server-based technology are training and adjusting the...

VDS, STATS play ball. (Cutting Edge).(Video Design Software and STATS Inc. introduce STATS-GameTrak sports data service)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Video Design Software and STATS Inc. are offering STATS-GameTrak, an automated display of sports scores, game schedules and other data from the STATS data feeds. The turnkey system can be used with current character generators. Video Design is...

KQED automates with Harris. (Cutting Edge).(Harris Corp. sells a multi-channel automation control system to KQED (TV) in San Francisco)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... KQED(TV) San Francisco has purchased a new multi-channel automation control system from Harris Corporation valued at more than $1 million. It will be used to meet growing needs at the station as it launches additional digital children's and...

Newest digital stations. (Digital Ticker).(708 live Digital television stations)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 6, 2003... DIGITAL TICKER 708 Total Live DTV Stations Newest Digital Statinos WFTY-DT Smithtown, NY (TFA) WJAC-DT Jonstown, PA (NBC) WBOY-DT Clarksburg, WV (NBC) WACY-DT Appleton, WI (UPN) KOTA-DT ...

An Avid reader of the TV market: Schleifer brings cuffing-edge IT technology to the newsroom. (The Fifth Estater).(David Schleifer)(includes related article on David Schleifer)(Biography)
January 6, 2003... In 1995, Avid Technology was looking for a way to reconfigure its nonlinear editing system, popular among production houses, into a practical product for TV newsrooms. Its solution was to buy BASYS, then a leading supplier of computer-based...

Broadcast TV. (Fates & Fortunes).(television industry appointments and promotions)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... TERRY COLE, president/GM, WJHG-TV, Panama City, Fla., promoted to president/GM, KOLD-TV Reno, Nev. BOB SMITH, VP/GM, WMTV(TV), Madison, Wis., promoted to regional VP, Gray Television, Madison. At WBOC-TV Salisbury, Md.: DAN PANICHELLA,...

Cable TV. (Fates & Fortunes).(cable industry executive announcements)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... JIM O'BRIEN, president/CEO, The Cable Center, Denver, will step down January 2003. At Comcast Cable: BARBARA A. GEHRIG, regional VP, Maryland/Delaware region, promoted to regional senior VP; MIKE TAYLOR, VP/GM, New Castle, Del., appointed...

Media. (Fates & Fortunes).(WHYY in Philadelphia names Susan M. Poglinco as executive director of children's services)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... SUSAN M. POGLINCO, project director, Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, named executive director, children's services, WHYY, Philadelphia.

Programming. (Fates & Fortunes).(television programming personnel announcements)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... SCOTT GREGG, VP, sales operations, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, Los Angeles, promoted to senior VP. RICHARD DUMONT, executive director, advertising and promotion, Twentieth Television, Los Angeles, promoted to VP. At...

Journalism. (Fates & Fortunes).(television news personality personnel announcements)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... MATT JAMES, station manager, KHSL-TV/KNVN(TV) Chico, Calif., named news director, KOLO-TV Reno, Nev. PAMELA JOHNSTON, assistant news director, WLVI-TV Boston, promoted to news director. JAMES HANNING, GM/director, sales,...

Radio. (Fates & Fortunes).(radio personality awards)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... At the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame: The following have been made members: MORT CROWLEY, veteran of KXOK-FM; RUSS DAVID, music director, KSD(FM) and host of Playhouse Party; RON ELZ, announcer, WRTH(AM); JOE GARAGIOLA, Cardinals' play-by-play...

Advertising/Marketing/PR. (Fates & Fortunes).(Michael S. Raymond)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... MICHAEL S. RAYMOND, media director, Marketing Magic, Hollywood, Calif., promoted to VP/media director.

Technology. (Fates & Fortunes).(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... At Microwave Radio Communications, North Billerica, Mass.: MICHAEL PAYNE, director, operations, promoted to VP; ROBERT LUNGO, controller, promoted to VP, finance.

Obituaries.(Brief Article)(Obituary)(Biography)
January 6, 2003... Actor, producer and TV executive WILLIAM T. ORR died at the age of 85 at his home in Los Angeles on Christmas Day. Orr is probably best known for his work as executive producer in the 1950s and 1960s on a string of Warner Bros. television...

Maggiolo gets hackes award. (Facetime).(photo caption; Vito Maggiolo)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Caption: CNN Assignment Editor VITO MAGGIOLO was the 2002 recipient of RTNDA-DC's Hackes Award, which is given annually to someone who is both outstanding in the broadcast field and contributes to the community. Maggiolo is the first person in...

Good times at Kennedy. (Facetime).(honors)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... PRESIDENT BUSH and the FIRST LADY enjoyed a good laugh, along with actor JAMES EARL JONES and dancer/actress CHITA RIVERA, at The 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts broadcast on CBS on Dec. 27, a...

Historical meeting redux. (Facetime).(photo caption)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... Caption: NBC CEO BOB WRIGHT was the speaker at the opening of the New York Historical Society's Freedom: A History of U.S. exhibit. With Wright: RICHARD GILDER, chairman, GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY; KENNETH T. JACKSON,...

TVB keys in Russert. (Facetime).(Television Bureau of Advertising, Tim Russert to speak)(Brief Article)
January 6, 2003... TIM RUSSERT, NBC NEWS Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of Meet the Press, will make the keynote speech at the TELEVISION BUREAU OF ADVERTISING'S upcoming marketing conference in April. CHRIS ROHRS, president of the New York-based ad...