Multichannel News articles from February 2012

Multichannel News archives from February 2012

Canoe abandons interactive TV ship: cable's ad venture lays off 120 in shift to VOD advertising.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
February 27, 2012... THE CABLE INDUSTRY'S RIG IDEA OF MAKING national TV spots interactive just wasn't big enough--or simple enough--to click with Madison Avenue. Canoe Ventures last week shut down its interactive-TV advertising operations, closing its New York...

Comcast to Diddy, Magic: action!(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Sean P. Diddy Combs )(Earvin Magic Johnson)
February 27, 2012... NOW THAT COMCAST HAS UNVEILED AGREEMENTS with four minority-owned independent networks, the question is: Can they make it in the cold hard world of cable network newbies? Support from the largest cable operator in the U.S. will help. Comcast...

With TWC-MSG feud over, the 'Linsanity' heightens.(THROUGH The Wire)(MSG Network )
February 27, 2012... JEREMY LIN, THE NEW YORK KNICKS' OVERNIGHT point-guard sensation, continues to captivate the basketball world inside and outside of Madison Square Garden. Lin, the Harvard grad and erstwhile benchwarmer, has been lighting up the National...

Bill Murray interview? A 'Cinderella story' for Golf's Feherty.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Interview)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Neither of Golf Channel's Monday-night dream team appear to be staying up nights waiting for 3D golf coverage to become the norm. David Feherty and Hank Haney talked with reporters last week in advance of the new seasons of their Golf Channel...

Bright House will herd elephants at RNC in Tampa.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Bright House Networks L.L.C.)
February 27, 2012... Some 50,000 delegates, alternate delegates, media and other guests are expected to descend on the Tampa Bay area in late August for the Republican National Convention. Bright House Networks plans on being ready for Them--technologically...

Dish delivers blockbuster Q4: satellite firm gains subs in period, sets sights on ethnic markets, wireless.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Financial report)
February 27, 2012... DISH NETWORK, AFTER SEVERAL QUARTERS OF customer losses and declining prospects, appears to have turned the corner, reporting a net new customer gain in the fourth quarter and embarking on a strategy it says is focused on driving growth through...

Comcast's 'Streampix' takes aim at Netflix.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
February 27, 2012... COMCAST UNVEILED PLANS FOR XFINITY STREAMPIX last week, a new multiscreen subscription video service aimed squarely at Netflix that provides movies and full series of past-season TV shows. Comcast will include Streampix in several premium...

Advocacy groups try to block spectrum sale: AT&T/T-Mobile opponents want FCC to block SpectrumCo/Verizon deal.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Federal Communications Commission)
February 27, 2012... WASHINGTON -- Cable operators are facing much of the same opposition to their proposed sale of spectrum to Verizon Wireless that T-Mobile did in trying to combine with AT&T. Last week, at least 10 public-advocacy groups--including...

FCC backs industry-led cybersecurity regime.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Federal Communications Commission)
February 27, 2012... WASHINGTON -- Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski last week outlined a multistakeholder-driven model for ISP cybersecurity measures that lines up with what cable operators have long championed. Genachowski even...

Browser-based do-not-track is on track.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
February 27, 2012... WASHINGTON -- The White House came out with its recommendations on online data privacy, backing a voluntary privacy bill of rights (see box) and praising online advertising-industry efforts. "We applaud the administration for bringing...

Cutthroat cooks: how culinary contests are heating up ratings.(ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING)
February 27, 2012... THERE'S HEAT IN THE KITCHEN, RUT NO ONE wants to get out. More than ever before, cooking shows--more precisely, competitive cooking shows--are burning up the ratings chart these days, with viewers devouring the cutthroat culinary competition...

What's on tap: the spring 2012 collection.(ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING)(Table)(Calendar)
February 27, 2012... The following is a list of upcoming original cable programming from Feb. 27 through May 31, 2012. "Original programming" means brand-new premieres, no acquired shows or fare available via broadcast TV, home video or in movie theaters. Specials...

After dry spell, rainmakers' relief: sixteen dealmakers who've led the way in a revitalized market.(MONEY ALL-STAR)
February 27, 2012... AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE A LONG HIATUS IN THE wake of the overall economic meltdown of2008, the deal market has been revitalized. Major transactions--like the $37.5 billion NBCUniversal joint venture between Comcast and General Electric (which...

GMC takes the stage: gospel plays add drama to network's schedule.(CONTENT)
February 27, 2012... GMC is taking the GOOD WORD FROM the stage to the screen. The network plans this year to offer at least eight original gospel plays--a genre made famous by Tyler Perry's Madea-themed stage productions, which travel to theaters in urban...

TBS: we're with coco through 2014.(QUICK HITS: PROGRAMMING)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Los Angeles -- TBS has extended its late-night talker Conan through April 2014. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The deal extends Conan O'Brien's run on the basic-cable channel for two more years, even as his talk show has been somewhat of a...

CNN wins Houston funeral coverage.(QUICK HITS: PROGRAMMING)(Cable News Network )(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Atlanta -- Most viewers tuning to coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral on Feb, 18 watched the proceedings on CNN, as the cable news channel averaged 5 million total viewers from 12:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. By comparison, Fox News Channel and CNN...

Oscar-tapped shorts coming to VOD.(QUICK HITS: PROGRAMMING)
February 27, 2012... New York -- Just in time for the 84th Academy Awards, ShortsHD and InDemand are making a collection of Oscar-nominated films available to cable and satellite subscribers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Working with Movies on Demand, ShortsHD, the...

Google going over the top? Analyst sees Iowa data center as a video content launchpad.(RULES)
February 27, 2012... Washington -- Google continues to prep its broadband service test bed in Kansas City, Kan., for what appears to be an over-the-top video delivery service, with one top analyst predicting a filing for a cable-TV license there "very soon." Two...

LightSquared's Immarsat payment comes due.(RULES)
February 27, 2012... Washington -- LightSquared's mobile broadband network plans may be on indefinite hold here, but the company must still account for all the business deals it made in anticipation of final Federal Communications Commission approval that did not...

Diversity--FCC style.(RULES)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Washington -- The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may have sent the Federal Communications Commission to the woodshed over its failure to justify some ownership diversity decisions in its media-ownership rules last July--and the agency has...

Romney PAC makes national cable buy.(RULES)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Washington -- National cable got a major-league media buy from the "Restore Our Future" Super PAC, according to the latest figures from Sunlight Foundation. The PAC, which has spent $20,553,200.15 (the Federal Election Commission tracks it...

AMC Networks.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Meg Bogdan, Aileen Brophy and Madhu Goel at American Movie Classics Company L.L.C.)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... AMC Networks has advanced a trio of executives in its legal department: Meg Bogdan to vice president, legal and business affairs; Aileen Brophy to vice president, legal, affiliate sales; and Madhu Goel Southworth to vice president, legal and...

Bravo Media.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Maria Laino DeLuca)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Maria Laino DeLuca was elevated to vice president trade marketing at Bravo Media. She had been senior director, ad-sales marketing.

Comcast.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Cathy Avgiris)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Comcast Cable has promoted Cathy Avgiris to executive vice president and general manager of data and communications services, adding responsibility for the MSO's new marketing arrangement with Verizon Wireless.

Discovery.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Courtney Menzel at Discovery Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Courtney Menzel was named senior vice president, domestic distribution, at Discovery Communications. She comes from Current Media, where she led affiliate sales and partner marketing initiatives. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Elemental.(PEOPLE)(appointment of David Godfrey at Elemental Technologies)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Elemental Technologies, a supplier of video solutions for multiscreen content delivery, has named David Godfrey as vice president, Asia, based in Hong Kong. He had been chief sales officer and co-founder of ImaginAsia. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ESPN.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Jamie Horowitz)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Jamie Horowitz was promoted to president, original programming and production at ESPN. He had been a coordinating producer in the network's studio and event production department. DID YOU KNOW? Jamie Horowitz is the co-creator of ESPN2's...

Fox News Channel.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Irena Briganti at FOX News Network L.L.C. FOX News Channel)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Irena Briganti has been promoted to group senior vice president, media relations, Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. She had been senior VP at the networks.

Hubbard.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Jim Barnum at Hubbard Broadcasting Inc.)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Hubbard Broadcasting has elevated Jim Barnum to vice president, deputy general counsel. The 20-year veteran has been associate general counsel and deputy general

Katz Direct.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Kevin Kugelmas)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Kevin Kugelmas was upped to account executive in Katz Direct's New York office. He was a sales coordinator.

Nat Geo.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Germaine Deagan Sweet at National Geographic Channels International)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Germaine Deagan Sweet was promoted to senior vice president, global content sales at National Geographic Channels International, She was VP, content sales.

News Corp.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Hamish McLennan)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Hamish McLennan has joined News Corp. as executive vice president, office of the chairman. He had been chairman and CEO of ad agency Young & Rubicam.

Nickelodeon.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Sal Maniaci at MTV Networks Inc. Nickelodeon)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Sal Maniaci was named senior vice president, event and original programming, at Nickelodeon Group. He had been senior VP, development and original programming, at TV Land. DID YOU KNOW? While at TV Land, Sal Maniaci received two Emmy Award...

Sencore.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Thomas Stingley and John Suranyi)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Sencore has promoted Thomas Stingley to president, responsible for day-to-day operations at the signaltransmission solutions provider. He had served as executive VP of the company. Also, departing president and CEO John Suranyi was named...

Starz.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Glenn Curtis)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Glenn Curtis has been upped to president and chief financial officer at Starz. He was executive VP and CFO.

Viamedia.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Brendan Gleeson)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Brendan Gleeson has joined Lexington, Ky.-based cable rep firm Viamedia as chief financial officer. He comes from Double O Radio, where he served as chief operating officer of the 32-station radio group.

Zoomermedia.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Beverley Shenken)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Zoomermedia's Television Division has tapped Beverley Shenken as vice president, programming, for its stable of cable networks in Canada. She had formerly served in the role of director, acquisitions.

Calendar.(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 27, 2012... For more listings, visit multichannel.com/event. FEB. 29 Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable, Advanced Advertising event, New York. Contact: Sandy Friedman, (917) 281-4718 or sfriedman@nbmedia.com. MARCH 7-8 Broadcasting &...

Hugie Williams of Time Warner Cable, Jerome Erickson of Orbitel Communications and Ron Pint of Cox.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... Hugie Williams (l.) of Time Warner Cable, Jerome Erickson of Orbitel Communications and Ron Pint of Cox were inducted into the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Association's Pioneer Hall of Fame. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CSN Chicago president Jim Corno presents former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Tony Esposito with the network's.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CSN Chicago president Jim Corno (l.) presents former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Tony Esposito with the network's "Lifetime Achievement" awards at the network's 24th annual Sports Awards ceremony and benefit for the...

At the grand opening of Comcast's Sunnyvale (Calif.) Service Center: Corrine Harradine, director of client services, NBCUniversal.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... At the grand opening of Comcast's Sunnyvale (Calif.) Service Center (l. to. r): Corrine Harradine, director of client services, NBCUniversal; Elaine Barden, regional SVP, sales and marketing, Comcast; and Crash, Host of mun2's 18 and Over. ...

At Cartoon Network's Hall of Game Awards in Los Angeles: "Icon Award" winner David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... At Cartoon Network's Hall of Game Awards in Los Angeles (l. to r): Icon Award" winner David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy: Cartoon COO Stuart Snyder; and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Also at Comcast's Sunnyvale Service Center opening: Rachelle Chong, regional VP, government affairs, Comcast California.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Also at Comcast's Sunnyvale Service Center opening (l. to r.): Rachelle Chong, regional VP, government affairs, Comcast California; California Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino); and Lennies Gutierrez, director,...

At USA Network and The Moth's "Characters Unite" storytelling event in West Hollywood, Calif.: Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber, USA Network.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... At USA Network and The Moth's "Characters Unite" storytelling event in West Hollywood, Calif. (l. or r.): Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber, USA Network; Octavia Spencer; Bonnie Hammer, chairman, NBCU Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios; and...

At the American International Toy Fair in New York: Bob Chapek, president, Disney Consumer Products.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At the American International Toy Fair in New York (l. to r.): Bob Chapek, president, Disney Consumer Products; Sharon Osborne; David Arquette; and Nancy Kanter. SVR original programming and GM, Disney Junior Worldwide.

Rob Van Winkle (l.), host of The Vanilla Ice Project.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rob Van Winkle (l.), host of The Vanilla Ice Project, and DIY Network SVP and Gm Ross Babbitt at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla.

Celebrating 150 episodes of Dog Whisperer: Janet Han Vissering, SVP, development and production, Nat Geo Wild.(FREEZE FRAME)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Celebrating 150 episodes of Dog Whisperer (l. to r.): Janet Han Vissering, SVP, development and production, Nat Geo Wild; Cesar Millan; and Kelly Cline, senior VP of business and legal affairs; Fox Cable Networks.

At Evolution Digital and American Support's party at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference in Austin, Texas.(FREEZE FRAME)(Conference news)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At Evolution Digital and American Support's party at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference in Austin, Texas (l. to r.): Matt Zemon, American Support; Rich Fickle. NCTC; Marc Cohen, Evolution Digital; and Peter Smith...

What will the 'Rutledge Effect' be? Analysts wonder how Cablevision, Charter will fare after exec's move.(FINANCE)(Cablevision Systems Corp.)(Charter Communications Inc.)
February 27, 2012... CABLE ANALYSTS AND INVESTORS ARE HOPING TO get a little insight into the "Rutledge Effect" later this week. That's Rutledge as in Tom Rutledge, the former Cablevision Systems chief operating officer who left the MSO in December to become CEO...

Wave broadband tests deal waters.(FINANCE)(Waller Capital Partners)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... WAVE BROADBAND is dipping its toes in the deal waters once again, seeking out a financial partner that could invest as much as $1 billion in the Northwest centered MSO. Sources confirmed a late January Bloomberg News report that Wave...

Multichannel news index.(FINANCE)(Statistical table)
February 27, 2012... INDEX (MNI) (Weekly) 749.05 8.29 1.12% 2/22/12 2/15/12 1/23/12 Week Ago Month Ago MSOs Cablevision Systems 15.07 14.87 14.77 Charter...

In focus: Madison Square Garden (NASDAQ: MSG).(FINANCE)
February 27, 2012... MSG, thanks to the end of the NBA lockout, breakout New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin and the resolution of its carriage dispute with Time M Warner Cable, saw its stock rise 17.4% in the past 12 months and 13.4% since December SOURCE:...

WWE gets slammed.(TIP SHEET)(World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... As it ponders its own wrestling network--a move CEO Vince McMahon said would be transformative--WWE reported disappointing results in Q4. Revenue fell 7.8% to $112.9 million with an operating loss of $13.1 million. McMahon said the declines were...

Broadband drives Liberty Global.(TIP SHEET)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Liberty Global lost a few more video customers than analysts expected in Q4 (122,000P compared to expectations of around 73,000), but broadband and voice growth, especially in eastern Europe, helped drive RGU growth above expectations. The...

HBO punches 'TV everywhere' buttons: service comes to Samsung TVs, but not for Comcast or Time Warner Cable.(PLATFORMS)(Home Box Office Inc.)
February 27, 2012... CABLE OPERATORS AND PROGRAMMERS MAY GENERALLY agree that authenticated "TV Everywhere" services are the best way to keep people paying for TV. But the parties don't always see eye to eye when it comes to how viewers log in on specific...

On leaps and DASHes.(TRANSLATION PLEASE)(Dynamic Adaptive Streaming Over)
February 27, 2012... THIS BEING THE WEEK OF LEAP YEAR, IT seems timely to check in on DASH, the standards subset of the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) focused on making a one-size-fits-all way to do adaptive bit-rate video streaming. Refresher: Adaptive...

Is Disney ready to inch by Nick? Mouse House poised to seize 2-11 total day crown.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Disney Channel)(Nickelodeon )
February 27, 2012... AFTER NARROWING THE GAP CONSIDERABLY over the past year, Disney Channel could finally edge Nickelodeon in total-day ratings among kids 2 to 11 in February, putting an end to a 16-year run by the Viacom-owned service. Going in to the final days...

Liberty Interactive plans two new trackers.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Denver -- Liberty Interactive said last week that it will split into two separate tracking stocks--Liberty Interactive and Liberty Ventures--in an effort to unlock further value in the assets. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Liberty Interactive...

CMT renews 'Bayou Billionaires,' Redneck Vacation'.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(Country Music Television Inc.)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... Nashville, Tenn. -- CMT has renewed its Saturday-night series Bayou Billionaires and My Big Redneck Vacation for second seasons to premiere in June. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bayou Billionaires, produced by Magilla Entertainment, follows the...

Media buyers: long live advanced ads!(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Canoe Ventures)
February 27, 2012... DESPITE CANOE VENTURES' DECISION TO leave the interactive-advertising business, advanced advertising is far from dead, media buyers said last week. Advanced advertising has been moving forward in fits and starts and there was hope that Canoe,...

MCN buzz meter by Trendrr[R].(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Multichannel News)(Statistical data)
February 27, 2012... The social TV charts below rank shows by volume of activity (mentions, tags, links, likes, etc) across all public profiles on Twitter, Facebonk, GetGlue and Miso. Sentiment is a reflection of a positive score based on positive, negative or...

The death knell for ITV ads?(BIT RATE)(interactive television)
February 27, 2012... The decision by Canoe's board to deep-six its interactive TV business will, inevitably, be seen as a deadly blow to the whole concept of clickable TV spots (see page 2). There's obviously some appetite among big-spending marketers to harness...

The revolution will be measured.(ACCESS)
February 27, 2012... SPECULATION ABOUNDS AS TO HOW APPLE plans to get into the TV market. The company first launched Apple TV in 2007, releasing a second generation of its digital media receiver last year. Given Apple's success in transforming other media, it is...

Facebook's first movie debuts Feb. 20.(VOICES: AS I WAS SAYING)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... What is it about new media's proclivity for disaster movies? The original Poseidon Adventure debuted the same year (1972) as HBOT and it became a staple of the new premium network's programming lineup. That historical tidbit came to mind when I...

MCM'S most read.(COMMUNITY)
February 27, 2012... TOP ATICLES ON MULTICHANNEL.COM, DATE-DATE 1. Cable Nets Line Up to Telecast Houston Funeral 2. Exclusive: Canoe to Shutter Interactive TV Ad Business 3. HBO Go Now Playing on Samsung TVs, But Not for Comcast, TWC 4. Comcast Takes...

Numbers.(COMMUNITY)(smart phones consumption increased)(Brief article)
February 27, 2012... 42% Percentage of all U.S. mobile subscribers now using smart phones to consume mobile media. SOURCE: comScore, 2012 Mobile Future in Focus-Repon, Feb. 23

The Syria problem.(THIS WEEK ON broadcastingcable.com)
February 27, 2012... In the aftermath of multiple journalists dying on the scene, news execs outline the challenges of covering the high-stakes story.

Auctioning the future.(THIS WEEK ON broadcastingcable.com)
February 27, 2012... A second digital transition may be coming. Here's what we mean, and what you need to know.

Quality could give cable an over-the-top edge.(TALKBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 27, 2012... (RE: "Comcast Takes Aim at Netflix With 'Streampix,'" Feb. 21): "I think that Comcast's Streampix demonstrates how [over-the-top] providers like Netflix and Hutu, as well as new internet streaming services from companies like Boxee and Aereo,...

No 'Mas' for DirecTV: a marketing misstep.(TALKBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 27, 2012... (RE: "DirecTV: No 'Mas' for Hispanic Brand," Feb. 18): "This will prove to be a mistake. Even with the Mas Hispanic campaigns, DirecTV is falling behind in mindshare, if not actual subscribers, among my Hispanic customers--even though they...

Twitterati.(COMMUNITY)(Quotation)
February 27, 2012... "Canoe folds ITV commercials business. The TV/cable biz has been trying ITV for 35 years, always fails. Someday..." @jbemoff. Joshua Bernoff, Forrester analyst and author of Groundswell on Feb. 22. "Now that Comcast has given cable channels...

Tuned in.(Cartoon)
February 27, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Comcast sub losses fall for fifth straight quarter: MSO sheds only 17,000 basic-video customers in Q4.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Financial report)
February 20, 2012... COMCAST'S FIFTH CONSECUTIVE QUARTER of basic-customer improvement sparked talk on a largely taboo topic in the cable sector in recent years--positive video-customer growth. Comcast blew analysts' predictions out of the water in the fourth...

Aereo tunes Web TV with legal angle: micro-antenna startup expected to cite cablevision RS-DVR ruling.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
February 20, 2012... WILL AEREO FLY? The startup, whose backers include media mogul Barry Diller, is launching a subscription service in New York next month that provides live broadcast TV channels and network-based DVR over the Internet for $12 per month. ...

Scripps Got Help in 2010 Dispute from Power Base: Wealthy Women
February 20, 2012... SCRIPPS NETWORKS INTERACTIVE OFFICIALS say talks with affiliates for new deals are going well, including at newest acquisition Travel Channel. Deals with both satellite-TV providers DirecTV and Dish Network lapse in 2012, Travel Channel Media...

Suddenlink surprise: cable tech nabbed for 1993 U.K. heist.(THROUGH The Wire)(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... Secrets are never safe when sons get chatty. The New York Times last Tuesday (Feb. 14) ran a front-page piece about Edward "Fast Eddie" Maher, recently arrested in Ozark, Mo., after 19 years on the run. Maher allegedly robbed an armored car...

NCTC in winter: Austin gathering eyes net gains.(THROUGH The Wire)
February 20, 2012... The National Cable Television Cooperative's Winter Educational Conference in Austin, Texas, this week (Feb. 20-21) expects to feel quite busy. The programming and purchasing collective told The Wire attendance is up over last year, with 215...

TV going to the dogs.(THROUGH The Wire)
February 20, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A startup channel in San Diego, Calif., on Cox (channel 2635) and Time Warner Cable (on-demand on channel 148) is called Dog TV. It's designed for home-alone dogs to watch during the day. Programming (also at Dogtv.com)...

FCC: cable ops must report VoIP outages.(QUICK HITS: WASHINGTON)(Federal Communications Commission)(voiceover-Internet protocol )(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission's vote last week to require cable operators to report voiceover-Internet protocol outages was a split decision for the cable industry. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association...

FCC turns out light on LightSquared.(QUICK HITS: WASHINGTON)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... WASHINGTON -- It looks like cable operators won't have LightSquared as either a potential partner or competitor in the wireless space. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Federal Communications Commission last week moved to revoke LightSquared's...

FCC wants to extend cable's viewability mandates.(QUICK HITS: WASHINGTON)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... WASHINGTON -- In a notice of proposed rulemaking last week, the Federal Communications Commission suggested it needed to extend its cable analog-carriage mandate for another three years, and more definitively proposed extending its waiver of the...

Spectrum bill is cable-friendly.(QUICK HITS: WASHINGTON)(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... WASHINGTON -- Cable operators have a rooting interest in spectrum incentive auction legislation that passed in Congress last week. The proposed $1.75 billion transition fund for the broadcasters not taking a buyout, who will be moved to make...

DirecTV Sees Slow Growth in the Stars: Satellite Provider Will Shift Its Focus Growth, CEO Says
February 20, 2012... PERHAPS DIRECTV HAS SEEN ITS FUTURE in the stars, because the nation's No. 1 satellite-TV service provider is now preparing for slower growth. The satellite giant-it has 19 million customers, making it the second largest multichannel-video...

Discovery profits jump in Q4.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Discovery Communications Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 20, 2012... DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS REPORTED sharply higher earnings as advertising revenues showed a double-digit increase. Net income was $336 million, or 86 cents a share, up 75% from $191 million, or 45 cents a share, a year ago. Revenues rose 11%...