Broadcasting & Cable back issues from April 1993:
FCC mandates equal access: vertically integrated programers will have to sell shows to wireless, DBS with same terms as those given to cable.
Apr 05, 1993; ... Vertically integrated programers will have to sell shows to wireless, DBS with same terms as those given to cable Although the rate cuts will be an immediate hit to cable's bottom line, in the long-term the FCC's tougher-than-expected program access rules could prove even more ...
The FCC's summary of its new cable rate regulations. (Federal Communications Commission)
Apr 05, 1993 ... The official order detailing the new regulations will not be out for several weeks. Until then, the FCC summary - released after last Thursday's vote and reprinted here in full - is the most complete recitation of what the commission did. Not included are the formulas for establishing the ...
Freshman 'Deep Space Nine' records stellar sweep debut. (first-run syndicated program scores high in February ratings sweepstakes)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Spin-off is second only to proud parent |Star Trek: The Next Generation'; |Wheel of Fortune' keeps on rolling; |Oprah' tops talk; Caped Crusader craptures kids Paramount's Star Trek spin-off, Deep Space Nine, had one of the best first sweeps of any first-run program in recent ...
Westwood sells KQLZ for $40 million. (Westwood One sells Los Angeles FM station to Viacom International)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Viacom doubles up in Los Angeles but will sell KIKK-AM-FM Houston Westwood One last week officially put an end to its once-ambitious plan to build a station group by selling its last station, KQLZ-FM Los Angeles, to Viacom International for $40 million. In announcing ...
USA to make first TV network buy. (USA Network)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Move is part of $3 million-$5 million image campaign to include local stations, theaters USA Network for the first time will purchase commercial advertising on national network television, nationally syndicated programs, local television stations and in movie theaters as part of a ...
Bill requiring alcohol ad warnings introduced.
Apr 05, 1993; ... Measure has bipartisan support; ad groups view current version as most dangerous yet A bipartisan bill that would require TV, radio and print alcohol advertisements to include health and safety warnings was introduced last Tuesday amid strong protest from advertisers. ...
Cable set back, networks set free. (new regulations governing cable rates, financial interest and syndication, program access) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Last Thursday (April 1), in dramatic actions that stunned both the broadcasting and cable industries and the media world at large, a short-handed, holdover FCC led by an interim chairman took three actions that could fundamentally change the economics and nature of the telecommunications ...
Quello makes his mark. (James Quello, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, sums up agency's accomplishments during his tenure) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Jim Quello's chairmanship of the FCC could last only weeks or months - his February appointment is good only until President Clinton gets around to appointing a permanent chairman. But when his time is up and he returns to a commissioner's role, he'll be able to boast that his commission ...
Cable fear and loathing on Wall St. (new regulations cause slump in cable stock prices) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Even with recent warnings from Wall Street securities analysts that MSO stocks would be under pressure come April 1, owners were still caught off guard by the extent of the FCC's rules and sold those stocks across the board late last week. By Friday afternoon cable stocks were off 20% from ...
ESPN enters PPV arena. (cable sports network will offer pay-per-view services) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... It's official - ESPN declared last week that it is now in the pay-per-view business. The ESPN PPV activities will fall under the purview of the recently formed subsidiary ESPN Enterprises, headed by Dick Glover. Enterprises, formed last November, is charged with the task of developing new ...
USA forms film unit. (USA Networks forms production unit, USA Pictures) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Cable net to team with overseas production partners USA Networks is forming a new movie production unit that will develop and produce films overseas partners. Kay Koplovitz, the company's president and chief executive officer, said the unit, USA Pictures, was formed to produce ...
Rae returns to 'Affair.' (Ken Chandler tapped to head New York Post; Ian Rae will replace him as executive producer of 'A Current Affair') (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Following his 11th-hour repurchase of the New York Post, News Corp. and Fox Inc. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, has decided to name former Boston Herald editor Ken Chandler to head up the paper. Chandler had been appointed executive producer of Fox's syndicated A Current Affair strip little more ...
Horowitz named GGP president. (Bob Horowitz to head Golden Gaters Productions) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Corte Madera, Calif.-based producer/distributor GGP has named Bob Horowitz president of the privately held company, succeeding David Peterson, who has been named chairman and founder. Horowitz, who had served as vice president and general manager since 1977, joined the company in 1975 when ...
Ad revenues up at A&E. (Arts & Entertainment Network) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... A&E reported a 35% boost in ad revenue in the first quarter of 1993 compared with the same period last year. The network began the 1992-93 season with a 50% ...
TVN signs home dish deal. (TVN Entertainment Corporation will provide Showtime Satellite Networks programming to home-dish subscribers) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... TVN Entertainment Corporation has reached a deal with Showtime Satellite Networks Inc. to provide TVN's 11-channel pay-per-view programing ...
Landau to leave Unistar. (David Landau will resign as president of Unistar Radio Networks) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... David Landau plans to step down as president, sales, Unistar Radio Networks, after a decade as one of the network's top sales executives. Unistar President Bill Hogan says Landau's departure, effective April 15, is "totally voluntary. " Landau and Hogan made joint sales calls to clients ...
Premiere earnings. (Premiere Radio Networks) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Premiere Radio Networks reported 1992 earnings of $1.16 million, up 33% over 1991, and total revenues of $ 10.1 million, up 5.4%. Earnings per share were constant at $0.44. "The company had its most profitable year ever, continuing the upward ...
Television station revenue: more than meets the eye. (statistics for February 1993) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Television station revenues declined in February, but the numbers were better than they looked. According to the monthly time survey issued by the Television Bureau of Advertising, local advertising was strong, while national advertising continued to be weak. Although the ...
Capcities/ABC's bearish investment. (in ad-time-for equity swap with YES! Entertainment, a manufacturer of interactive toys) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Capital Cities Capital says it completed its first ad-time-for-equity swap with an advertiser last week. The Capital Cities/ABC unit said it would become the largest outside investor in YES! Entertainment, a Pleasanton, Calif., startup company, in exchange for giving d ABC TV network ...
A channel, or more, divides black from non-black TV viewing. (BBDO Worldwide survey on viewing habits of black viewers) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Advertisers seeking to reach black households will not necessarily find them watching the shows with highest total household numbers. In fact, according to a study by advertising agency BBDO, the difference in viewing tastes between black and non-black viewers is wide and, at least over ...
Advertising interactively. (role of advertising in interactive TV explored at seminar) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... The role of advertising in the interactive TV era was debated at a "multimedia" seminar in New York. Judy Black, senior vice president of strategic planning, Bozell Inc., said at the Kagan Seminars Inc. session "Interactive Multimedia investments" that the interactive demonstrations ...
Jim Packer. (appointed VP/general sales manager of Buena Vista Television) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Jim Packer, VP, eastern regional manager, Buena Vista Television, ...
Michael Russo. (appointed VP/general sales manager of ITC Distribution) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Michael Russo, VP, western division, ITC Distribution, ...
Jim Behling. (appointed president, general manager of Michiana Telecasting) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Jim Behling, VP/GM, KTNV-TV Las Vegas, joins Michiana ...
Lyn Andrews. (appointed senior VP of sales, marketing for ABC Radio Networks) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Lyn Andrews, senior partner, Veritas, Ltd., New York, joins ABC ...
Lee Heffernan. (named senior VP of marketing for Turner Broadcasting Sales) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Lee Heffernan, VP, marketing, Turner Broadcasting ...
Patricia Benton. (named VP/general manager of COMSAT World Systems) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Patricia Benton, VP, finance, administration, COMSAT World ...
Cable pioneer John Walson dies. (Obituary)
Apr 05, 1993; ... John Walson, 78, recognized as one of the grandfathers of cable (Broadcasting, May 17, 1974), died March 27 of liver cancer, at Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown, Pa. In 1948 Walson (born John Walsonavich) was the owner of a General Electric distributorship in Mahonoy City, Pa., when he ...
Viacom's KIKK-AM-FM Houston. (acquisition price could total $50 million) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Viacom's KIKK-AM-FM Houston, which went on the block last week (see page 33), could sell for as much as $50 million, with in-market Gannett Broadcasting a possible buyer, according to industry sources. Media broker Charles Giddens of Media Venture Partners says KIKK-FM bills ...
Roper: public likes broadcast TV. (Roper Study) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... As if the cable industry didn't get enough bad news last week, the latest Roper Study measuring public attitudes toward television concludes that three-quarters of those viewers who make a special effort to watch programs said their favorite shows are on ABC, CBS or NBC. The ...
KEZQ-FM Little Rock, Ark., was sold. (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... KEZQ-FM Little Rock, Ark., was sold by Omni Communications to GHB Broadcasting, headed by George H. Buck, for $1.3 million. GHB also owns KURB-AM-FM Little Rock, forming a duopoly operation there; it is the licensee of 14 AM's and 2 FM's. Broker: Bergner & Co. CBS was the most ...
Proxy statement released by CBS. (salaries for top executives at CBS Entertainment, Capital Cities/ABC) (Brief Article)
Apr 05, 1993 ... Proxy statement released by CBS shows that CBS/Entertainment President Jeff Sagansky received $3.6 million in annual compensation last year, plus $2.5 million in "adjustments" to prior years' amounts. and options on 2,200 shares of stock. Howard Stringer, CBS/Broadcast Group president, ...
FCC hits cable with rate rollbacks. (Federal Communications Commission; includes related article) (Cover Story)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Congress spoke, the FCC listened, and cable lost big. In what is estimated to be at least a $1.5 billion loss in subscriber and equipment revenues to the cable industry this year alone, the commission voted 3-0 (with Commissioner Sherrie Marshall recusing herself) to cut cable ...
Networks victorious in fin-syn fight. (new financial interest and syndication rules)
Apr 05, 1993; ... FCC opens door to rerun business for big three, but consent decrees still block way The FCC gutted its two-year-old financial interest and syndication rules last Thursday, putting the big three broadcast networks on the verge of entering the lucrative network rerun business, much ...
Malone calls cable engine of multimedia. (Tele-Communications head John Malone says his company plans converter equipped with computer)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Says TCI has plans for converter with built-in computer; Microsoft's Gates says his company wants to provide software for next-generation box Tele-Communication Inc.'s ambitious' upgrade plans stole the limelight at the keynote panel of a gathering of 10,000-plus people ...
L.A. stations brace for King verdict. (Los Angeles VHF stations vow to air uncensored footage)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Most of the seven VHF stations are steadfast about airing |uncensored' footage; some field crews will have security escorts and flak jackets for protection Not quite 11 months ago, the extended TV coverage of the four-day riots in Los Angeles left a montage of video images ...
First-quarter ratings: 1993 vs. 1992. (ratings for cable TV networks)
Apr 05, 1993; ... USA Network ranked as the highest-rated basic cable network in prime time during the first quarter of 1993 (Monday-Sunday 8 p.m.-11 p.m., 12/28/92-3/21/93), according to A.C. Nielsen Co. ratings data supplied by various cable networks. Although USA's numbers were down slightly ...
Evergreen files initial public offering. (Evergreen Media Corp.)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Estimates stock price at $14-$16 per share; hopes to raise $64 million Evergreen Media Corp., the quickly growing group with 11 stations in seven markets, has announced plans for an initial public offering to raise as much as $64 million. In a prospectus filed with the ...
Telco entry bill back on Hill calendar: legislation allowing telcos to own cable systems in their service areas reintroduced. (includes related article)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Legislation allowing telcos to own cable systems in their service areas reintroduced Confident of administration support, House Telecommunications Subcommittee members Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Michael Oxley (R-Ohio) last week reintroduced legislation lifting the ban against ...
Home shopping defends must-carry status.
Apr 05, 1993; ... Broadcast affiliates say stations serve public interest, advance interactive technology The Home Shopping Network and its broadcast affiliates last week defended their right to exist and to receive mandatory must-carry status, telling the FCC their format serves the public as much ...
Broadcasters, cable clash over sports siphoning.
Apr 05, 1993; ... Cable programers have not been siphoning sports away from broadcasters, but rather, broadcasters have abandoned sports, cable operators including Time Warner told the FCC last week. The professional and college sports leagues also sided with cable. The National Hockey League ...
Pa. governor wants HDTV job creation. (Robert Casey says high definition TV standard should be linked to job creation)
Apr 05, 1993; ... Writes President supporting making U.S. jobs factor in picking broadcast standard Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey has weighed in on the future of high-definition television in the United States. After touring a Thomson Consumer Electronics picture tube plant in ...
Proposed 900-number ad rules worry advertisers.
Apr 05, 1993; ... FTC would require disclaimers and prohibit running of spots in kids programing Broadcasters who rely for revenue on 900-number advertisements, particularly during children's programing, may have to look elsewhere. The Federal Trade Commission, acting on congressional ...
"Americans with Disabilities Act requires all stations to be accessible to the disabled." (broadcast stations)
Apr 05, 1993; ... A blind listener arrives at your station and asks to inspect your public file. Must your staff assist him in reading the documents? An account executive on your station's 50-person staff is confined to a wheelchair after an accident. She can no longer use the stairs to your second-floor ...
Cokie Roberts. (ABC News correspondent profiled)
Apr 05, 1993 ... There aren't many people who would risk offending the President of the United States leaving the dinner table early. But for ABC's Cokie Roberts (Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs Roberts is the unabridged version), seated beside President Clinton at a correspondents' dinner, ...
TBS buyout by TCI and Time Warner rumored. (Turner Broadcasting System, Tele-Communications Inc.)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Rumors were flying last week that Turner Broadcasting System investors Tele-Communications Inc., Time Warner and cable maverick Ted Turner were orchestrating a plan to break up the assets of the $6 billion media giant. The parties involved were not commenting on the rumors, ...
Appeals court upholds FCC's must-carry rules. (Federal Communications Commission)
Apr 12, 1993 ... A split panel of the U.S. District Court in Washington last Thursday affirmed the FCC's new must carry rules, rejecting First Amendment challenges of cable operators and programmers. The 2-1 decision has the effect of also upholding retransmission consent. Had must carry fallen, ...
TCI to map out digital highway. (Tele-Communications Inc.) (Brief Article)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Top MSO Tele-Communications Inc. plans to release details today (April 12) of an electronic superhighway that the company says will place it ahead of the telcos on the development curve. TCI will also be emphasizing perceived consumer benefits associated with the four-year, ...
Cable execs rate the rollback. (cable TV rates)
Apr 12, 1993 ... As the industry last week prepared for rate rollbacks that could cost more than $1 billion, some determinedly optimistic cable executives spoke with Broadcasting & Cable about how the industry plans to adapt to the new rules. There will likely be some changes in the relationships between ...
Perplexity replaces panic over cable TV stocks. (effect of rate rollback)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Investors find it difficult to trust their instincts after being blindsided by the FCC's rate rollback One of the biggest investors in cable industry stocks summed up the recent market panic: "There were three things the market didn't anticipate: the rate regulation of the ...
First-run sanguine on fin-syn fallout. (first-run syndicators of TV programs, financial interest & syndication rules) (Brief Article)
Apr 12, 1993; ... The FCC's repeal of the financial interest and syndication rules was expected to send shockwaves through the major studios and independent producers. While the networks' victory was viewed as a massive temblor by the studios, first-run syndicated program suppliers were more sanguine about ...
HDTV hits the links. (closed-circuit high definition TV coverage of US Masters golf tournament)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Augusta Golf Club pleased with closed-circuit-coverage experiment of the Masters by Tokyo Broadcasting System What can HDTV do for golf? Figuring it was time to find out, the Augusta (Ga.) Natioanal Golf Club, along with the Tokyo Broadcasting System, last week provided ...
Fox considers giving back hour. (Fox Broadcasting will give back one hour of Sunday evening programing to affiliates ) (Brief Article)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Ironically, less than two weeks after the financial interest and syndication rules were disposed of, freeing Fox from the 15-hour-a-week restriction, the network is considering an affiliate request to return the Sunday 10-11 p.m. time period to stations. The request was repeated to Fox ...
CBS's Andrew Lack to head NBC News.
Apr 12, 1993; ... Successor to Michael Gartner at troubled division is executive producer of |Street Stories' As word spread last Wednesday through NBC News of the appointment of Andrew Lack, plucked from the executive producer slot at CBS News's Street Stories, as news division president, ...
Quantel's tale of the tape-less: company hopes to replace tape with optical disk clip collector/editor.
Apr 12, 1993; ... Company hopes to replace tape with optical disk clip collector/editor The future of television broadcasting may have arrived, at least if UK-based Quantel has anything to say about it. At a press conference April 5, the company unveiled the new Clipbox, a tapeless ...
Networks serve up heavy dose of reality. (Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Despite early predictions that genre would come and go, viewers remain addicted Since the first crop of reality shows first debuted on the networks, observers have been predicting a time when the audience would reach a saturation point for the genre and the demand would begin to ...
Ratings are reality for off-net. (Fox Broadcasting's 'Cops' is first off-network reality show to achieve ratings success)(Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Success of |Cops' has spurred others, like |Rescue 911' shot at prime access As a network programing vehicle, Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Cops is considered in some TV industry circles the pioneer in a new era of "real life" documentary series clones. Now it appears that ...
The economics of first-run reality. (Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Growth of news magazines has been somewhat arrested by cop and rescue series; weeklies form strategic partnerships, target specialized demographics Out of the most recent February sweeps, all of the syndicated news magazines remained flat or showed some year-to-year ratings ...
Home is where the video is. ('America's Funniest Home Videos' is one of TV's most successful reality shows)(Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... It does not recreate crimes or trail along after cops or firefighters, but America's Funniest Home Videos, now in its fourth season and soon to be renewed, is one of the most successful of the reality shows. Although George Schlatter's Real People, which debuted in 1979, was among the ...
What is reality? The thin and blurring line. (Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... TV executives talk about dangers of mixing fact and fiction Is there a television market among the top-50 where at least one station (and probably more than one) hasn't found a local news angle to tie in to a so-called "fact-based" movie of the week (MOW) or docudrama during the ...
Tabloid tip sheet has the fax: seven-month-old company lines up clients for hard-to-find headline service. (Industry R&D) (Special Report: Reality TV)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Seven-month-old company lines up clients for hard-to-find headline service News directors and made-for-TV movie producers need longer scour the nation's newspapers, syndicated TV news magazines or The National Enquirer for tommorow's sensational story. Industry R&D, a ...
Don Ohlmeyer and the second coming of network TV. (head of NBC's West Coast operations profiled) (Cover Story)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Don Ohlmeyer says he didn't take over the top job at NBC on the West Coast to "be airlifted to the Titanic just before it hit the iceberg." Along with his mandate to return NBC to number one, Ohlmeyer brings with him an enthusiasm that he hopes will reenergize an entertainment staff that ...
ICN expands language services. (International Channel Network)
Apr 12, 1993; ... Plans handful of new services, including in Japanese, Korean and Hindi The latest programer looking to meet the increased channel demand of the digitally compressed cable system of tomorrow is International Channel Network (ICN). The national cable network plans to roll out of ...
Nick News to launch on stations. (Viacom Enterprises clears children's news program on 100 TV stations) (Brief Article)
Apr 12, 1993 ... Capitalizing on TV station needs for children's programs that meet stringent new FCC requirements, Viacom has quietly launched and cleared Nick News on more than 100 television stations in over 70% of the country. The weekly half-hour program has been picked up by WCBS-TV New York, WPWR-TV ...
A&E likely to unveil history channel plans. (Arts & Entertainment Network) (Brief Article)
Apr 12, 1993; ... A&E has scheduled a press conference at the New York Historical Society today (April 12) to unveil what are likely to be details on the company's planned history network. A&E executives last week would say only that the press conference would be tied to a major new business ...