Broadcasting & Cable articles from October 2008

Broadcasting & Cable archives from October 2008

Shaken and Stirred.(preparedness against earthquakes)
October 6, 2008... By Michael Malone July's earthquake in L.A. got California stations as ready as possible for The Big One Earthquakes have been part of KNBC Los Angeles VP/News Director Robert Long's life longer than they haven't. He experienced his...

Deals.
October 6, 2008... By BIA Financial Networks TV W25DX/Escanaba, Mich.; K13ZG/Abilene, K13ZF/Brownwood and K11WJ/Paris, Texas PRICE : $20,000 BUYER : Hispanic Christian Community Network(Antonio Cesar Guel, president) SELLER : Estate of...

Movers and Shockers.
October 6, 2008... By Michael Malone Wichita stations gear up for football High school football is heating up in Kansas, and stations are hustling to capture the gridiron goings-on. KSNW has a new Web partnership with the daily Wichita Eagle to share...

BC Beat.(National Broadcasting Company Inc. NBC Entertainment broadcast new show Nuts & More)(Interview)
October 6, 2008... Edited by Joel Topcik Hefner's New 'Girl Next Door': Sarah Palin? Joel Topcik For Hugh Hefner, this election year has been especially diverting. After all, the presidential campaign has played right to the Playboy magazine...

All In at Allbritton.(Politico.com, WJLA-TV (Washington, D.C.))(Statistical data)
October 6, 2008... By Michael Malone WJLA capitalizes on having 100 Politico wonks in its D.C. newsroom As the election season enters its final stanza, WJLA Washington, D.C., is enjoying a political perk that no other station in America can boast--the...

Hot Market for Business Channels.
October 6, 2008... By Robert Marich But sinking stock market a bad environment for financial advertisers Cable's business channels are attracting larger audiences because of the credit crisis, but unlike other networks enjoying a surge in viewers,...

Savidge Newscast Tackles World.(Interview)
October 6, 2008... Staff Former NBC News correspondent Martin Savidge steps to the anchor chair this week to front the nightly Worldfocus newscast on public television. Worldfocus debuts in 28 of the top 30 markets, replacing BBC World News in many of them....

LIN Stations Go Dark in Retrans Row.(Time Warner Inc.)(LIN Television Corp.)
October 6, 2008... By Michael Malone One of many fierce carriage battles shaping up LIN TV followed through on its threat to pull its signal at 15 stations, following failed negotiations with Time Warner Cable (TWC). It's the latest skirmish between...

Biden-Palin Debate Beats Their Bosses'.(Sarah Palin, Joseph R. Biden)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 6, 2008... By John Eggerton The first and only vice presidential debate on Oct. 2 between Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden averaged a 45 rating in Nielsen's 56 metered markets, blowing away the debate between candidates at the top of the...

AMC Developing new Mars Drama.(AMC Entertainment Inc.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By John Eggerton AMC is adding a sci-fi element to its programming development slate with Red Mars , about the first colony on Mars, based on a novel by Kim Stanley Robinson. The series joins two others in development, Ice , about New...

Senate Passes Child Safe TV Act.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By John Eggerton The Senate passed by unanimous consent a bill that would require the FCC to investigate content-blocking technologies that can help parents screen out inappropriate video content. Late on Oct. 3, the House passed a version...

USA Network is Q3 Ratings Champ.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Alex Weprin, P. J. Bednarski USA Network was the top-rated basic-cable network with viewers 18-49 for the third quarter, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research numbers that blended Nielsen Live +7 numbers with...

Fringe Element Gets Fox Nod.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 6, 2008... By Alex Weprin Fox picked up the back nine episodes of its rookie drama, Fringe . The show has averaged a 4.2 rating/11 share in the adult 18-49 demographic and 10.7 million viewers. Those numbers make Fringe the No. 1 new show of the...

Ion's Burgess Warns Of Credit Crisis.(Ion Media Networks)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By John Eggerton Brandon Burgess, chairman of Ion Media Networks, said last week that the current credit crisis could affect "the entire broadcasting industry." "I am not aware of any broadcaster out there that does not rely on the...

Dexter Season Premiere Kills.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 6, 2008... By Alex Weprin The third-season premiere of Showtime's Dexter drew 1.2 million viewers during its Sept. 28 9 p.m. debut, up 21% from last season's premiere and 20% from the season finale. The ratings made it the highest-rated drama...

Headlines from Multichannel News.(Cable television advertising)(NBC Olympics Inc.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Staff CAN CABLE WEATHER THE CRISIS? Cable stocks have bottomed out, but experts say the business is fundamentally sound. The continued sluggish housing market could cause some cable disconnects, but advertising is holding up. Cable may...

Election, Economy Only Primetime Hits.
October 6, 2008... By Ben Grossman New and returning shows fall short of even modest goals Few industry insiders were expecting great things from the ratings for the new fall season, but the one-two punch of an electric election season and a darkening...

Hill Hot Over DTV Education 'Gap'.(Digital television)
October 6, 2008... By John Eggerton Broadcasters counter that timing was right to refine message Congress is getting worried that its worst DTV nightmare could come true: that millions of constituents will lose some of their TV signals, thanks to the law...

Do We Have a Prayer?(Television broadcasting industry)(Column)
October 6, 2008... By Ben Grossman Last Monday night was the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, which was fitting because on that day, the stock market dropped faster than one of the wife's overcooked matzo balls. It's also fitting that many people in the...

Where to be & what to watch--.(women's empowerment)(cable television broadcasting industry)(Calendar)
October 6, 2008... By Michael Malone Monday, oct. 6 Just when you thought the convention season was long gone, Reinvention Convention goes down at Pier Sixty in Manhattan. The women's empowerment confab features a lunch panel moderated by Cybill...

'Main' Problem.(Cable television broadcasting industry)
October 6, 2008... Staff Help! That was the collective cry from Wall Street to Main Street last week as Congress took its sweet time about coming up with some kind of legislative aid package to an economy on life support. But "Help" also should have been...

Mad Men I Have Known.(Television programs)(Personal account)
October 6, 2008... By Kathy Worthington I have been bitten by the Mad Men bug, for which there is no cure. I'm completely besotted by the show--and not only by the character of Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, who was nominated for an Emmy as Best Actor in a...

A Drama Club President, Once and Forever.(John Shaffner of Academy of Television Arts and Sciences)
October 6, 2008... By Melissa Grego Shaffner's community-driven career leads to ATAS chairmanship Production designer John Shaffner was nominated for his first Emmy helping David Copperfield escape from Alcatraz (yes, he knows the illusionist's secrets;...

Daytime's DVR Threat.(digital video recorders)(Survey)
October 6, 2008... By Paige Albiniak No longer a fortress against time-shifting For the past few years, the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA) has been pitching advertisers that day-and-date syndicated programs hold on to more of their...

Web Movies Ready for Prime Time.(Video on demand)
October 6, 2008... By Glen Dickson With better picture quality and content, Vudu and Netflix compete with VOD Using the Internet to deliver movies to the living-room TV took another step closer to mass-market reality last week. With Vudu and Netflix...

BC Beat.(political campiagns)(Editorial)
October 13, 2008... Edited by Joel Topcik Cuban: Sen. McCain, You're No Maverick Joel Topcik Regardless of whom you like for president--or vice president--we're pretty sure most everyone would vote for a moratorium on the word "maverick." Unless, of...

Giving A Lift When Shows Take Off.(Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution)
October 13, 2008... By Paige Albiniak Studios are now providing needed marketing and promo power to stations when new shows launch. As they approached the Sept. 8 premiere date for The Bonnie Hunt Show , the folks at Warner Bros. Domestic Television...

The St. Louis News.(business strategy )
October 13, 2008... By Michael Malone VP hopefuls get No. 21 DMA buzzing It's been a busy few weeks in St. Louis. In mid-September, Tribune and Local TV announced they were co-locating their St. Louis stations in KPLR's facility, with KTVI boss Spencer...

Miami Hot and Bothered by LPMs.
October 13, 2008... By Michael Malone Local People Meter rollout puts station ratings on South Beach Diet It's one of television's most bankable truisms--each new market adopting Nielsen's Local People Meters leaves a bunch of broadcasters crying foul....

'SNL' In Talks for New Video Site.
October 13, 2008... By Alex Weprin On-demand slate would feature classic and never-seen clips NBC and Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels are in talks to develop a new on-demand video Website that would feature an array of comedy clips...

CW's '90210,' Early Launch: OMG.(Interview)
October 13, 2008... Ben Grossman If this was going to be a make-or-break season for The CW, it got off to an ideal start when 90210 opened nicely and Gossip Girl came back strong. That combination may have quieted--at least for now--all the scuttlebutt that...

Newport Sails Into HD News With JVC.
October 13, 2008... By Glen Dickson Station group to standardize on ProHD camcorders Newport Television, the 56-station group controlled by private equity firm Providence Equity Partners and run by broadcast veteran Sandy DiPasquale, is making a large...

Group to FCC: Lay Off Product Plugs.
October 13, 2008... By John Eggerton Broadcasters, advertisers fighting disclosure rules The FCC is considering imposing new regulations on product placement disclosure just as broadcasters and advertisers say they need innovative new marketing tools to...

The Grating Debates.
October 13, 2008... By David Bianculli Nov. 6, 2005: A maverick Republican senator and a charismatic minority-group Democrat go after one another in a televised presidential debate. The broadcast is live, but isn't for real: It's Alan Alda playing Sen. Arnold...

Where to be & what to watch--.(Calendar)
October 13, 2008... By Michael Malone Monday, Oct. 13 The election is top of mind for everyone--even the kiddies, it appears. Yes, Nickelodeon is throwing its splat into the political ring--their metaphor, not ours--with some presidential coverage....

Fates & Fortunes.
October 13, 2008... Staff PROGRAMMING Staff PETER GAFFNEY , VP of scheduling and acquisitions, The History Channel, has been promoted to senior VP of scheduling and acquisitions. MARGE DEAN , VP of animation, Technicolor, has joined W!ldBrain as...

Max Kellerman's Ever-Growing Canvas.
October 13, 2008... By Ben Grossman HBO boxing expert has come a long way from local-access TV Many successful sportscasters have one thing in common: When they were teenagers, they used to turn down the sound on the TV during a game and practice by...

Getting to God Online.
October 13, 2008... By Kevin Downey As Web videos grow up, televangelists feel the powerful presence of a new market In the late 1990s, Christian televangelist Bill Keller sat down with a bunch of Internet porn publishers. He wasn't there to convert...

Joel Osteen Now Among Mega-Church Ministers Fighting White-Spaces.
October 13, 2008... By John Eggerton Add mega-church pastor Joel Osteen to the list of clerics concerned about the broadcast industry's white-spaces issue, saying the wrong decision by the FCC could cause "immeasurable damage" to his ministry. The FCC is...

NATPE Expands for '09.(National Association of Television Program Executives )
October 13, 2008... By Paige Albiniak Feldman signs on for three more years The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) is doubling the size of the show floor in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center this January, and the organization...

NBC: AFD Is Ready to Go.(Advanced Format Description technology)(High definition television)(National Broadcasting Company Inc.)
October 13, 2008... By Glen Dickson Successfully tests DTV downconversion with cable, satellite operators While HDTV programming continues to take off and consumers keep buying widescreen HDTV sets, one of the realities of the digital TV transition is...

'Kimmel' Cashes In With Live Spots.
October 13, 2008... By Claire Atkinson Already nearly sold out through end of year ABC has pocketed close to $4 million in new revenue thanks to the huge success of a slew of live commercials ad-libbed personally by late night host Jimmy Kimmel--and the...

CBS Tops the Night on Thursday.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Marisa Guthrie CBS had a strong showing on Thursday, Oct. 9, buoyed by Survivor with a 4.3 rating/12 share in the 18-49 demo and 13.3 million viewers, and the season premiere of CSI with a 7 rating/17 share and 23 million viewers,...

USA Network Renews Burn Notice, Psych.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Alex Weprin USA Network says it's bringing Burn Notice back for a third season, and Psych back for a fourth, each with 16-episode orders. Burn Notice delivered 2.76 million viewers in the 18-49 demo this summer while Psych attracted...

Kantor Gets Bump-Up At Warner Bros.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Paige Albiniak Susan Kantor has been promoted to executive VP of marketing at Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Telepictures Productions, says Ken Werner, president of WBDTD. Kantor will manage a restructured unified...

O'Boyle Gets Sales Promotion at NBCU.(Sean O'Boyle has been appointed )(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Paige Albiniak Sean O'Boyle has been named executive VP and general sales manager at NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, says company president Barry Wallach. In his new position, O'Boyle will continue to oversee all...

Viacom Adjusts Earnings Downward.(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Staff Viacom updated its 2008 full-year business outlook based on "continuing difficult economic conditions." The company says it now expects to deliver growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share in a range of mid-single to lower...

Cable Helps NBCU Q3 Profits Jump.(NBC Universal Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Staff Despite taking a loss on the Olympics for the quarter, NBC Universal saw a 10% bump in third-quarter profit, according to parent company General Electric's third quarter earnings announcement on Friday. Net income for the...

Headlines from Multichannel News.(Report)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Staff Cable Installers: Pets And Other Perils Cable installers run into all sorts of roadblocks--from monkeys to iguanas--that make the average home cable installation anything but average. Maligned in The Cable Guy , some of these...

New SES Americom Bird goes Operational.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Glen Dickson SES Americom's newest satellite, AMC-21, is now fully operational and delivering both video and data for broadcasters and broadband service providers, including anchor tenant PBS. PBS has shifted its complete...

Fujitsu Bows Upgraded MPEG-4 Encoder.(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... By Glen Dickson Fujitsu is introducing a new version of its IP-9500e MPEG-4 AVC encoder that has been optimized for HD satellite newsgathering (SNG) applications. The low-latency Fujitsu encoder, which was already used by CBS to transmit...

Herzog on Comedy Central's 'Olympic Year'.(Doug Herzog)(Interview)
October 20, 2008... Marisa Guthrie The 2008 election has been good for Doug Herzog . As president of MTV Networks Entertainment Group , Herzog oversees a programming stable that includes cable networks Spike and TV Land . But in this long, strange election...

Future Stock.
October 20, 2008... Staff B&C's new Hall of Fame inductees take on 2009 armed with lessons of the past Members of the B&C Hall of Fame class of 2008 come from every walk of elite media life. The group is an inspired mix of station and network execs,...

Bringing Their 'A' Game.(WBZ-TV (Boston, Massachusetts))
October 20, 2008... By Michael Malone Boston teams--and stations--play at elite level Like the sculls carving through the river in the famed Head of the Charles regatta last weekend, Boston stations are giving their all to nose ahead in the news race....

Hef: A Man of Many Appetites.(Reality television programs)
October 20, 2008... By Melissa Grego TV's ultimate Playboy tells us what we don't know about Girls Next Door--and why life is better with extra butter The Dish : I received my first invitation to the Playboy Mansion last month and thought I knew what to...

Comcast Eyeing Co-Production Deals.
October 20, 2008... By Marisa Guthrie DirecTV landed Friday Night Lights, but cable giant eager to partner with networks Comcast COO Steve Burke wants to battle DirecTV on a new front: He wants co-production deals like the satellite company's arrangement...

LIN, Fox Partner on Station Sites.(Fox Interactive Media )
October 20, 2008... By Michael Malone Fox Interactive Media to provide platform LIN, meet FIM. The 29-station LIN TV is partnering with Fox Interactive Media (FIM) to relaunch LIN's station sites nationwide. Two sites, representing WPRI Providence and...

Spanish-Language TV's Wall St. Woes.(Financial report)
October 20, 2008... By Claire Atkinson Sector with perennial growth is now especially vulnerable The economic downturn that has slowed or reversed the fortunes of even the soundest sectors is expected to bring declines to one of the industry's strongest...

MPEG-4 Rules HD World.
October 20, 2008... By Glen Dickson New encoders drive hi-def growth MPEG-4 advanced compression was a hot topic at the HD World show in New York last week, as an increasing number of broadcasters, cable programmers and satellite operators are taking...

Where to be & what to watch--.
October 20, 2008... By Michael Malone Monday, Oct. 20 Nickelodeon says kids have correctly picked four of the last five presidents. Find out who the moppets prefer when Kids Pick the President , hosted by Linda Ellerbee , reveals voting results at 8 p.m....

Mailing It In.
October 20, 2008... By Ben Grossman It's always unfortunate when a columnist decides to devote an entire piece to printing and responding toe-mails or letters that have (allegedly) come in. It shows a combination of an inflated ego, lack of new column ideas...

Spaced Out?(Federal Communications Commission)
October 20, 2008... Staff The FCC last week released its "white space" report on its tests of prototype unlicensed mobile devices, like laptops, that would use the spaces between digital TV channels for wireless broadband or home networking. One application,...

What Happened to the Fair Press?
October 20, 2008... By Patrick D. Maines Name a national news organization that commands the respect of Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. Can't do it? Neither can I, but as the head of The Media Institute and as a citizen, I wish I could....

Have CNBC's Graphics Scared Investors?(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)
October 20, 2008... Staff I am a retired communications professional who worked in financial direct marketing for many years. During the past several weeks, I have noticed that CNBC is flashing a warning graphic, "Is Your Money Safe?" multiple times a day....

Star Anchors Network Like Nobody's Business.(Fox News Network L.L.C. Fox Business Network)
October 20, 2008... By Marisa Guthrie Hard work, dogged persistence and a friendly persona have paid off for FBN's Liz Claman Liz Claman is running on adrenaline--and Ensure. The Fox Business Network anchor is spending a lot of time at the office...

Bright Side of Dark Days.
October 20, 2008... By Paige Albiniak Less daylight helps syndie While TV viewers dread the arrival of shorter, colder, darker days, TV distributors herald the end of Daylight Saving Time like kids greeting Christmas morning. That's because darker days...

WTVT Heats Up Weather With Baron.(WTVT-TV (Tampa, Florida))(Baron Services Inc.)
October 20, 2008... By Glen Dickson Tampa station is first to adopt Omni 3D system WTVT, the Fox O&O station in Tampa, Fla., is the first broadcaster to install Omni, the next-generation weather display system from Baron Services that renders 3D graphics...

Roger Ailes.(Fox News Network L.L.C.)(Occupation overview)
October 20, 2008... Marisa Guthrie Clever, combative, competitive, and his Fox News is a cable winner In April 1970 Roger Ailes was sent on a secret military transport to Hawaii. As President Richard Nixon's television coordinator, Ailes was dispatched to...

David J. Barrett.(Hearst-Argyle Television Inc.)(Occupation overview)
October 20, 2008... Michael Malone For Hearst-Argyle rivals and colleagues alike, he's broadcasting's gold standard With the nation choosing a new leader in the coming weeks, Hearst-Argyle President/CEO David J. Barrett is pleased to be running a...

Matthew C. Blank.(Home Box Office Inc.)
October 20, 2008... Marisa Guthrie An outstanding executive turns Showtime into a bona fide premium brand Matthew C. Blank's business philosophy is defined by risk--the calculated risk of knowing when to leave a sure thing for something that is a long...

Glenn A. Britt.(Time Warner Cable Inc.)(Occupation overview)
October 20, 2008... Robert Marich Time Warner Cable's leader is admired for his broad, well-reasoned view of the future of cable As a young M.B.A. student at Dartmouth College's Amos Tuck School of Business perused the job board years ago, he figured that...

Don Browne.(Donald Browne)(Telemundo Communications Group Inc.)
October 20, 2008... Allison Romano He took Telemundo from a second-tier Hispanic network to a worldwide program producer It may throw some people off that the president of Telemundo is a man named Donald Browne who speaks only a bit of Spanish. But those...

Bob Cook.(Twentieth Television)
October 20, 2008... Paige Albiniak A reliable player in syndication's tough bargaining arena Syndication is a tough business that's only getting tougher, but don't tell that to Bob Cook, Twentieth Television's president and COO. "He just sticks to it...

Herb A. Granath.(ESPN Inc.)(Sports networks (Television) services)
October 20, 2008... Alex Weprin Creating television networks is his life's passion and great achievement When you can say that you were there for the development of the largest and most successful sports network on two continents, you know you must have...

Peggy Green.(Zenith Media)(Occupation overview)
October 20, 2008... David Goetzl A pioneering ad buyer who has bought billions of dollars in television time for Zenith Media Last April, the Advertising Women of New York honored Peggy Green's late father, Harry Meyers, for his commitment to mentoring...

Matt Lauer.(National Broadcasting Company Inc. NBC News)
October 20, 2008... Allison Romano From "extreme underemployment" to the top of the morning at Today On weekday mornings, when Matt Lauer signs on to NBC News' Today show, his confidence radiates from the screen. But even after 11 years as co-anchor, the...

Pat Mitchell.(Public Broadcasting Service )(Occupation overview)
October 20, 2008... Stuart Miller Paley Center's leader took an adventurous route through the TV business to reach toward the top rung Once upon a time, in a small town in the South, there lived a little girl who wanted to escape and see the world. Maybe...

Joshua Sapan.(Rainbow Media Holdings Inc.)
October 20, 2008... Annie Becker Taking Rainbow Media to new places, "in a Zen-like fashion" Rainbow Media Holdings President/CEO Joshua Sapan has mined his love of independent programming--and found cutting-edge ways to distribute it--for much of his...

60 Minutes.(CBS Inc. CBS News)
October 20, 2008... Robert Edelstein Forty years into a historic run, CBS's timeless newsmagazine continues to strive and thrive Given the unprecedented success and startling Nielsen track record of 60 Minutes , it's easy to forget that the show--now...

Fates & Fortunes.(briefs)(ComSouth)
October 20, 2008... Staff BROADCAST ROB TUCK , executive VP of sales and planning, The CW, has been promoted to executive VP, national sales. CABLE SCOTT OBERT-THORN , controller, ComSouth Advanced Communications Solutions and Environments, has...

Cotton Cheers New Anti-Piracy Law.(Rick Cotton)
October 20, 2008... By John Eggerton NBCU exec lauds measure as critical to industry's economic growth In a bad economy, the U.S. can't afford to give away creative property. So says Rick Cotton , NBC executive VP and general counsel. NBC Universal...

For D.L. Hughley, CNN's His Stage.(Cable News Network)(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... By Marisa Guthrie Comic D.L Hughley launches his own CNN comedy program, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News , airing on Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET, starting Oct. 25 (with repeats Sundays at the same time). He doesn't hide the fact that he supports...

Tom Calderone Named VH1 President.(MTV Networks Inc. VH1)(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... By Alex Weprin Tom Calderone, executive VP and GM of VH1 since 2005, was promoted to president of the network. VH1 has posted 23 consecutive quarters of growth in total viewers and seen a dramatic increase in viewers within the 18-49 demo...

Glenn Beck Joining Fox News.(Fox News Network L.L.C. Fox News Channel)(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... By Alex Weprin CNN Headline News host and radio personality Glenn Beck is joining Fox News Channel. Beginning next spring, Beck will host Fox News' 5 p.m. weekday program, as well as a weekend show. Beck's eponymous Headline News...