Broadcasting & Cable articles from March 2005

Broadcasting & Cable archives from March 2005

Where to be and what to watch ...(B&C Week)(television broadcasting industry)
March 7, 2005... Monday, March 7 They've been leading parallel lives in the hype lane for the past couple of months. Now it's time for the dueling premieres: the Sylvester Stallone/Mark Burnett-produced boxing reality series The Contender (NBC, 9:30 p.m....

Grumpy old news guys.(The Robins Report)(Dan Rather)
March 7, 2005... Last week. Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Andy Rooney and Don Hewitt paid tribute to Dan Rather in a manner all too typical of the CBS News culture. In a New Yorker profile pegged to his March 9 departure from CBS Evening News....

Martha Stewart gets 3 Emmy nods, Lucci none.(Fast Track)(Susan Lucci)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... ABC's All My Children leads the competition with 18 Daytime Emmy Award nominations. But for a change, Susan Lucci won't get a chance to lose; she wasn't nominated. The most buzz came from the three Emmy nominations that went to Martha...

Bye, bye Blue.(Fast Track)(television program ratings)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... ABC's NYPD Blue went out on top. After a dozen years, the critically acclaimed Stephen Bochco drama's last episode won its time period with a 5.2/13 in the key 18-49 demo, beating usual winner Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Blue was the...

Powell, Stern on same page.(Michael Powell)(Ted Stevens )(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... FCC Chairman Michael Powell told Fox News Channel Thursday that he thinks extending indecency regulation to cable, satellite and satellite radio, as Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) would like to do, is probably...

Big Apple boost.(Fast Track)(television programs ratings)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Start spreadin' the news: Ratings for some syndicated shows in the February sweeps came up huge--more than 30% boosts--in New York, according to the new local people meter (LPM) ratings system now in place there. Although the vast majority...

Tower of Babel, on demand: ad buyers are eager to exploit VOD advertising possibilities, but how?(Money Talks)
March 7, 2005... Cable systems have never made it easy for advertisers. Until recently, the process of ordering and verifying a local spot in a big city meant a mountain of paperwork and dealing with several cable operators. A new ad campaign for Comcast's...

The B&C: week of February 25-March 3.(News & Comment)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... THE B&C WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25-MARCH 3 THE B&C 10 WEEK YTD 1.3% -2.0% BROADCAST TV GROUPS WEEK YTD 1.3% -3.6% CABLE OPERATORS WEEK YTD -1.6% -0.9% RADIO WEEK YTD...

TiVo tumbles.(News & Comment)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... -9.4% Wasn't it great when TiVo rallied on rumors that Apple was planning to acquire the company? Well, never mind. Apple hasn't materialized (managing one group of fanatic customers is probably enough). TiVo's stock is right back down to...

Judge makes suit against Penn & Teller vanish.(Viacom Inc. cases)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Even though one half of Penn & Teller doesn't talk, the duo has just struck a blow for freedom of speech. A federal judge last week threw out a lawsuit, filed by a group that advocates the teaching of creationism in Cobb County, Ga., public...

Disney: prim, or just wily?(Walt Disney Studios)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The entire cable industry vowed to fight Congress following Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' recent call to impose broadcast indecency restrictions on cable nets. Well, almost the entire cable industry, anyway. A Disney executive tells B&C that, as the...

Better 'late' HD than never.(Flash!)(Late Show with David Letterman)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Letterman, Letterman everywhere. He kept popping up on the Flash! radar last week, from CBS uber-boss Les Moonves' contention in a Playboy magazine interview that his man would beat Jay Leno in the late-night ratings if Nielsen could just tally...

Sweeps finale: Fox is first, ABC's on second, CBS slides into third.(News & Comment)(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)
March 7, 2005... CBS ended February sweeps running repeats of some of its top-performing shows. The network decided to save fresh episodes of CSI, CSI: Miami and Everybody Loves Raymond until later in the season, betting Fox would place first no matter what the...

'Fat' is a fit: showtime chief talks about the promise of Kirstie Alley's new comedy for the network.(Showtime Networks Inc.)(Matthew C. Blank speaks about 'Fat Actress')(Interview)
March 7, 2005... At Showtime's Los Angeles high-rise headquarters last week, staffers scurried to ready the premium pay cable channel for its invitation-only, red-carpet Hollywood premiere of the new Kirstie Alley comedy, Fat Actress. The series' seven episodes...

File-sharers hail rights "Magna Carta".(Washington Watch)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Consumer activists and makers of digital recorders warned the Supreme Court that TV programmers and Hollywood are using the switch to digital technology as an excuse to trample longstanding home-recording rights. In briefs to the high...

Microsoft helps cable lobbying.(Washington Watch)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Microsoft has given cable operators a big helping hand in their fight to postpone a looming government restriction that would hamper their deployment of low-cost set-top boxes for digital TV. Microsoft has told the FCC it supports the cable...

Cable under attack: programmers could be forced to tone down content.(News & Comment)
March 7, 2005... A showdown is brewing between Congress and the cable industry now that two top lawmakers are vowing to bring the industry under the same indecency restrictions as broadcasters. "I think we can put restrictions on cable, and I intend to...

FCC spares 'Private Ryan'.(Federal Communications Commission, 'Saving Private Ryan')(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... ABC stations that aired the uncut version of World War II movie Saving Private Ryan won't be punished by the FCC. The network's Veterans Day broadcast stirred up a hubbub when scores of affiliates questioned whether the movie's profanity...

'Buster' ban: no second thoughts.(Postcards from Buster)(television program)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... PBS President Pat Mitchell said she has no regrets over nixing an episode of Postcards from Buster that featured the cartoon bunny's visit to a family headed, presumably, by a lesbian couple. "I wouldn't inject PBS stations into a culture...

Ratings: 2/14-20/05.(Syndication)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... RATINGS 2/14-20/05 Nielsen Media Research Top 25 Shows HOUSEHOLDS PROGRAM AA GAA 1 Wheel of Fortune 9.7 NA 2 Oprah Winfrey Show 8.2 8.4 3 Jeopardy! ...

Make a date: dating shows face tough challenges.(elimiDate)
March 7, 2005... Telepictures is still in the matchmaking game, at least for another season. The syndication arm of Warner Bros. has just renewed elimiDate, its half-hour reality/comedy strip that sets single people up on dates with four suitors. Three are...

Danza in progress.(The Tony Danza Show)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The Tony Danza Show, the low-rated freshman strip from Buena Vista, found a better time slot in Chicago for next fall. The show moves from 1:40 a.m. on ABC's WLS to noon on WMAQ. Danza also found a daytime slot in Los Angeles, moving from...

ET, Oprah get Oscar bounce.(Entertainment Tonight, The Oprah Winfrey Show)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Entertainment Tonight and The Oprah Winfrey Show scored big with the Oscars, recording impressive ratings on the day after the show. Both catered to a big appetite for news from Sunday night's ceremony. Paramount's ET pulled in a 7.9 household...

Affair returns.(Twentieth Television)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Twentieth Television says it will launch its revival of A Current Affair March 26 on Fox stations, covering 40% of the country. Show runner Peter Brennan wooed correspondent Michel James Bryant from access magazine Extra. Anchored by Tim Green,...

KMAX reaches out to Hispanic viewers.(Station To Station)
March 7, 2005... KMAX Sacramento, Calif., is dipping into Spanish-language broadcasting. For five hours each morning, the Viacom-owned UPN station interprets its successful morning show, Good Day Sacramento, for the market's Hispanic population, via the...

Hoopla! WLKY Louisville, Ky., latest to air NCAA on broadcast, digital.(News & Comment)(National College Athletics Association)
March 7, 2005... At last, basketball fans in Louisville, Ky., get a say in what they see during March Madness. When the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament tips off March 17, local CBS affiliate WLKY will carry several games rather than the single regional feed...

At a glance.(Market Eye)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... The Market DMA Rank 26 Population 2,960,000 TV homes 1,026,000 Income Per Capita $18,023 TV Revenue Rank 16 TV Revenue $322,700,000 Commercial TV...

Sea of change: San Diego sees shakeups, stays course.(Market Eye)
March 7, 2005... San Diego is best-known for sun and surf, but the local TV scene is shifting faster than the tide. Since November sweeps, three well-known anchors have found new TV homes. Market vet Michael Tuck, main anchor at CBS affiliate KFMB, defected to...

KSWB does mornings.(Market Eye)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... With help from sister station KTLA, Tribune Broadcasting's KSWB San Diego is now a player in the local-morning-news battle. On March 7, KSWB debuted its WB Morning News, a two-hour simulcast of KTLA's popular morning act, broadcast from 7 to 9...

The demos.(Market Eye)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... THE DEMOS SHARE OF WHO POPULATION INDEX * White 65% 115 Black 7% 59 Hispanic origin 24% 180 Asian 5% 197 ...

What a teen wants: how TV chases an elusive demo.(Cover Story)
March 7, 2005... A Pacific breeze blows across the Manhattan Beach set of The O.C., where calm has descended after the cast and crew scatter for lunch. But the teen drama's creator, Josh Schwartz, is pacing outside his office, staring at photos of women's...

What "Voice of God"? CBS Evening News is less anchor-dominated than it seems.(News Analysis)
March 7, 2005... With Dan Rather leaving the CBS Evening News on March 9, what format will eventually replace the show? On-the-record comments emanating from Black Rock are few. However, CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves dropped a confusing set of clues when he...

Top syndicated shows.(SNTA Media Planning Guide)(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... Top 50 Shows Aug. 30, 2004-Feb. 13, 2005 Households PROGRAM AA GAA 1 Wheel of Fortune 9.0 NA 2 Jeopardy! 7.1 NA 3 Oprah Winfrey Show ...

For syndicators, Burg is the man with a plan: he aims efforts at ad execs who map strategy, not just buyers.(SNTA Media Planning Guide)(Mitch Burg)(advertising executives)(Biography)
March 7, 2005... When syndicators felt like their product was getting short shrift in an ever-changing media world, they went out and found lifelong media planner and buyer Mitch Burg to do their selling for them. According to those who hired him as...

The secret success of syndication: top sales execs make their best pitches.(executives)(Panel Discussion)
March 7, 2005... Viewers of syndicated television can see four of comedy's biggest hits--The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond---every night of the week, at least once. It is home to TV's biggest star, Oprah Winfrey. Episodes of Law &...

Buyers' guide: how to reach the major syndicators and their showcase offerings.(SNTA Media Planning Guide)(Directory)
March 7, 2005... Buena Vista Television www.tvplex.com PROGRAMS: Ebert & Roeper Home Improvement Live With Regis and Kelly Movies from Disney, Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone and Miramax The Tony Danza Show Who Wants To...

With NHL frozen out, baseball, basketball score big: why St. Louis isn't so blue about losing its Blues.(Sports Special)(National Hockey League)
March 7, 2005... In St. Louis, there will be no playoff games for the National Hockey League's Blues this spring--but the baseball-crazed city will be perfectly content watching their National League baseball champion Cardinals play exhibition games. In...

Icing the trucks: NHL's lost season has chilling effect on the production side.(Sports Special)(National Hockey League)(Interview)
March 7, 2005... When the National Hockey League hung up its skates on the 2005 season, it left more than just hockey fans hurting. Freelance camera operators, the crews that work in the production trucks handling instant replays and graphics--and even the...

Storming the weather: new tracking devices safeguard reporters, improve news stories.(Technology)(WeatherData Inc. introduces Storm Hawk Reporter)
March 7, 2005... A new PDA from WeatherData could revolutionize the way reporters collect weather information and send it back to stations. Known as the Storm Hawk Reporter, the PDA uses a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and advanced...

Idol nixes JVC, returns to Sony.(American Idol)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... American Idol's experiment with first-generation HDV technology came to an abrupt halt as Idol producers returned to the Sony DSR PD-150 standard-definition carncorder. The problem? The single-chip JVC HDV camcorder could not deliver quality...

WNET emergency system.(Geospatially-Aware Urban Approaches for Responding to Disasters)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... WNET New York gave a live demonstration of its emergency-responder system to government officials last week. The GUARD system (Geospatially-Aware Urban Approaches for Responding to Disasters) provides police, fire and sanitation workers with...

Harmonic acquires BTL.(Broadcast Technology Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Harmonic has paid about $8 million to acquire UK-based Broadcast Technology Ltd. and will integrate it into Harmonic's Convergent Systems Division. Harmonic's headend and edge-server systems already fully support BTL receivers, decoders and...

The master builder: sports vet launches Nat Geo and delivers ad, ratings success.(Laureen Ong)(National Geographic Channel)(Biography)
March 7, 2005... National Geographic Channel President Laureen Ong spent 15 years working in sports TV. There was just one problem: She hated sports. "I used to joke that it must have been my punishment for a previous life," she says. "It was a business for me....

Insight Communications.(Insight Communications Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... At Insight Communications: KEVIN DOWELL, VP, advertising sales, Insight Media, New York, promoted to senior VP; SCOTT COOLEY, senior VP, employee relations and development, Fishers, Ind., named senior VP, operations, West region, Fishers; SUE...

Time Warner Cable.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... At Time Warner Cable, Stamford, Conn.: MELINDA C. WITMER, VP/chief counsel, programming, named VP, programming; MICKEY CARTER, Law Office of Arthur M. Carter/VP, Taseis Media Group, New York, named director, programming.

ACME Television.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... JAMIE MCDOWELL, VP/director, promotion, ACME Television, Albuquerque, N.M., named creative services director, Northwest regional operating center, Tribune Broadcasting, KCPQ Tacoma, Wash., KTWB Seattle and KWBP Salem, Ore.

Comcast.(appointments)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... GREG DUDKIN, VP, technical operations, Greater Chicago region, Comcast, named regional senior VP, Michigan region.

Daystar Television Network.(appointment at Comcast system)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... DAVID TROXEL, VP, affiliate relations, Daystar Television Network, Dallas, appointed general manager, Comcast system, Florence, Ala.

The History Channel/VP.(appointment at A and E Television Networks)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... DR. LIBBY HAIGHT O'CONNELL, VP, historical alliances, and historian-in-residence, The History Channel/VP, community marketing, A&E Television Networks, New York, appointed chief historian/senior VP, corporate outreach, A&E Television Networks.

Univision Communications.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... At Univision Communications: ALINA FALCON, SVP/operating manager, TeleFutura, Miami, promoted to EVP/operating manager, Univision Network, Miami; BERT MEDINA, VP/GM, Univision WGBO Joliet, Ill., and TeleFutura WXFT Aurora, Ill., promoted to...

Nickelodeon Australia.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... CATHERINE NERAUER, GM, Nickelodeon Australia, promoted to SVP/GM, Nickelodeon Asia Pacific, Singapore and Hong Kong.

VH1.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... SANDY ALOUETE, senior director, music and talent, VH1, New York, promoted to VP, music and talent relations.

Cartoon Network Enterprises.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... LISA M. WEGER, VP, Latin America consumer products, off-channel commerce group, Cartoon Network, Burbank, Calif., named VP, U.S. and Latin America consumer products, Cartoon Network Enterprises, Burbank.

Nickelodeon Television.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... BROWN JOHNSON, EVE Nick Jr., promoted to executive creative director, preschool television, Nickelodeon Television, New York.

UPN.(appointment at United Paramount Network)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... JENNIFER ORME, consultant, America's Next Top Model, UPN, Los Angeles, joins the network as director, alternative programs.

Sony Pictures Television.(appointments)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... CHRIS VAN AMBURG, television packaging, William Morris Agency, Los Angeles, joins Sony Pictures Television, Culver City, Calif., as director, DVD marketing.

Fox News Channel.(promotions)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... At Fox News Channel, New York: DAVID BROWN, senior producer, The O'Reilly Factor, promoted to senior producer, weekend prime time program ruing; HOLLY CERELLI, senior producer, Fox News Live, named senior producer, weekend daytime programming;...

ABC News.(appointments)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... LIZ MARLANTES, national political reporter, The Christian Science Monitor, Washington, named general assignment correspondent, ABC News, Washington bureau.

Jones Media America.(appointments)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... DAVE SIMON, senior account executive, Continental TV Sales, Chicago, named national account manager, Midwest territory, Jones MediaAmerica, Chicago.

Datebook.
March 7, 2005... THIS WEEK MARCH 8 THE JOHN A. REISENBACH FOUNDATION 13TH ANNUAL GALA TRIBUTE FOR A SAFER AND BETTER NEW YORK The Harmonie Club, New York. Contact: Ronny Venable 212-935-1840 or ronnyvenable@aol.com MARCH 9 THE...

The prime time race.(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... THE PRIME TIME RACE Top 10 Basic Cable Shows Feb. 21-27 Total Household (in millions) PROGRAM DATE NET HNS 1. WWE Raw 10p 2/21 SPIK 3.7 2. SpongeBob SqrPants 9:30a ...

Nielsen ratings: Feb. 21-27.(Illustration)
March 7, 2005... NIELSEN FEB. 21-27 RATINGS abc Week 23 MONDAY 5.9/9 8:00 60. Extreme Makeover Home Ed: 8:30 How'd They Do That? 5.2/8 9:00 44. The Bachelorette ...

More on Martha.(Martha Stewart's new syndicated daily hour lifestyle show gets clearance)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Martha Stewart's new syndicated daily hour lifestyle/talker has been cleared in 85% of the country for fall, according to NBC Universal. In addition to the already announced clearances on NBC-owned stations (almost 40% of the country), the...

FCC asks high court to ignore activists.(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... A variety of industry and activist groups have asked the Supreme Court to overrule a lower-court decision that would force the FCC to rewrite most of its broadcast-ownership rules. Last week, the FCC asked the high court to ignore them all. ...

'CSI target of non-complaint.(Crime Scene Investigation)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Speakspeak.org--a Web site launched one month ago to fight back against the FCC's indecency crackdown has set up an online form on its opening page for surfers to submit a letter of "non-complaint" to the commission to counter a Parents...

TNT, TBS unveil new shows.(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... Two Turner networks each unveiled a variety of shows for the summer and fall. Drama-focused TNT lured top talent to expand its thematic repertoire, developing six recurring dramas, plus Nightmares & Dreamseapes, a limited series based on...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
March 7, 2005... The Sony HD XDCAM to be unveiled at NAB (Technology, 2/28, page 20) will be a demo model. Sony has yet to determine how many models will be released and at what price points when the products go on the market in 2006. Estimates of a price point...

Dolan family feud.(Chuck Dolan takes strict actions to keep DBS service Voom alive)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... The war between the Dolans grew nastier as Cablevision Chairman Chuck Dolan ousted three directors who opposed his plan to keep DBS service Voom alive. CEO Jim Dolan has pushed to shut down Voom before it cost the company the $1 billion-plus it...

'Nip/Tuck' OK with FCC.(Federal Communications Commission dismisses obscenity complaints against FX Networks L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2005... FX program Nip/Tuck won't be getting into trouble with the FCC. The agency Friday dismissed numerous complaints over the racy dark comedy about plastic surgeons and their patients. A variety of complainants had insisted that FX be fined on...

The sold-out crowd.(controlling obscenity in broadcasting media)(Editorial)
March 7, 2005... Now cable and satellite-delivered content finds itself in the crosshairs as Congressional leaders take new and frighteningly broader aim at indecency, with a foolhardy assist from broadcasters. As is too often the case, when dollars are...

Support, with an asterisk.(controlling obscenity through amendments)
March 7, 2005... In the children's game called Telephone, a word or phrase whispered into an ear at one end of a line often comes out the other end with results injurious to the original meaning. I fear that may have happened in my exchange with Broadcasting &...

News study pulled no punches.(Letter to the Editor)
March 7, 2005... Editor: In an editorial ("An Incomplete Guide," 2/21, page 44) that calls into question the very competence of its authors, the editors of this trade publication attacked a research report on local television coverage of politics that I helped...

Let TV go to the circus: the public wants and deserves to see Jacko's trial.(Michael Jackson's child molestation trial)
March 7, 2005... California is among 47 states that allow trials to be televised. Yet no TV camera is allowed in the courtroom as Michael Jackson faces child molestation charges in coastal Santa Maria. The reason? Presiding Superior Court Judge Rodney S....

Where to be and what to watch ...(B&C Week)(broadcasting news)
March 14, 2005... Monday, March 14 A panel discussion called "The Other Side of News: Journalism in the Age of Terrorism" at the Foreign Press Center in New York today might actually turn kinda feisty, given that the participants include lefty journo Amy...

'Nightline' a go go.(The Robins Report)(ABC News Inc.)
March 14, 2005... I may have seen the future of network news, and it includes an ersatz smoky-nightclub set complete with a live jazz quintet, two thirtysomething co-hosts and a comedian. All those elements were part of a super-secret pilot that ABC News shot as...

Pols take porn money.(Fast Track)(public campaigns against pornography)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... An activist group is labeling 15 members of Congress as hypocrites for waging public campaigns against pornography while taking campaign contributions from cable companies, hotel chains and phone companies that profit from X-rated...

New front moves in at weather.(Fast Track)(Weather Channel Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... The Weather Channel unveiled a new logo and marketing campaign, "Bringing Weather to Life," aimed at what President Patrick Scott calls "vitalists," defined as a cross between viewers who are actively interested in weather and "planners" who...

Scripps sets new sales strategy.(Fast Track)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Scripps Networks will sell all of its cable networks together as it enters this year's upfront advertising market. In the past, the programmer's sales operation pitched its networks in pairs. HGTV and DIY sold together, and Food Network was...

Rather exits with "Courage".(Fast Track)(Dan Rather, CBS Inc.'s television show)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... An obviously emotional Dan Rather signed off from the CBS Evening News With Dan Rather on March 9, 24 years to the day after he began. He resurrected his one-time trademark sign-off, "Courage," but expanded it to address military men in harm's...

Going private, getting ready: the bullet behind the Insight deal.(Money Talks)
March 14, 2005... Insight Communications' decision last week to go private will end the frustration that comes with being a public company buffeted by Wall Street's short-term demands. But the company's move won't do anything to head off a deal drama lurking in...

The B&C: week of March 4-10.(News & Comment)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... THE B&C 10 WEEK -0.8% YTD -2.8% BROADCAST TV GROUPS WEEK -0.8% YTD -4.4% CABLE OPERATORS WEEK 3.2% YTD 4.1% RADIO WEEK -0.9% YTD -2.3% ...

Mediacom jumps.(News & Comment)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... +15% Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso is thanking Insight Communications for the pop in his stock. When insight's management proposed going private, investors rallied around Mediacom, expecting that Commisso might follow suit and sending...

Norman steps to MTV in Viacom Waltz.(Flash)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... All further speculation that Christina Norman will jump to BET can stop. The VH1 president is expected to move to a much bigger job: running MTV. She is being tapped to become president of MTV and MTV2, the division's hottest networks. ...

Logo draws fresh face.(Flash)
March 14, 2005... In a rare move, MTV Networks is bringing in an outsider to run startup gay network, Logo, which is scheduled to launch in June. The programmer has picked ad-agency executive Lisa Sherman to serve as SVP/GM. She is currently an SVP at Hill,...