Broadcasting & Cable back issues from March 2004:
Can ABC come back?(It'll Take More Than A Super Millionaire)(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)
Mar 01, 2004; ... ABC's problems can fill a book--and will one day. The network can't find a breakout hit. Ratings are at all-time lows. Of its target 18-49-year-old audience, 17% has gone elsewhere. What's at the heart of ABC's tumble? One industry complaint is that the network simply has too ...
The family business: it became a cultural phenomenon, but now The Sopranos is a money-making machine beyond Tony's wildest dreams.(Exclusive)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Talk on the street was a mob kidnapping conspiracy, and Tony Soprano was the target. HBO's Courteney Monroe was startled on a Century City sidewalk last month, overhearing three men plotting how to pry open the glass case of a nearby bus shelter. The goal: stealing a giant, ...
Danza Show is sure thing.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Los ANGELES -- Buena Vista can finally report The Tony Danza Show is a firm go. It will be broadcast live from New York starting next fall. The show was picked up by ...
McCain tackles kid food ads.(Breaking ...)(John McCain)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain is going after child obesity and ads said to foster it. On Tuesday, Victoria Rideout, head of the Kaiser Family Foundation's media and health programs, will testify at a hearing of McCain's Commerce Committee about a new study showing ...
Ricki Lake no more.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... LOS ANGELES -- Sony's Ricki Lake is calling it quits, though Sony Pictures Entertainment hasn't officially said so. The show held a wrap party last week in New York, and Lake moved permanently to Los Angeles, where she plans to pursue an acting career. She is already attached to a comedy ...
Assume the position: repentant broadcasters tell House committee they're cleaning up.(Top of the week)
Mar 01, 2004; ... These are red-letter days for foes of four-letter words. Three TV network chiefs and Clear Channel's president told Washington more of what it wanted to hear, outlining plans for greater self-regulation and agreeing with proposed new laws restricting indecency. Cable was also squarely in ...
How indecency became such a F***ing big issue.(Top of the Week)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Swearing on TV or radio will get a station hit with an indecency fine. The FCC will undoubtedly make a rule this week. How did this happen? There have been complaints for years about sex and violence that got lots of politicians to make bold statements, and lots of media ...
Feeling the network's pain.(Top of the Week; ABC Television)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Essential to an ABC comeback is mending fences with angry affiliates. But it seems the network is building barriers instead. Affiliate displeasure with ABC goes back to 2001, when the network killed Who Wants To Be a Millionaire by showing it four times a week. When America got ...
Hot seat: shareholders will weigh Eisner's future.(Disney Watch; Michael Eisner)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The odd thing about Disney annual meetings is that many shareholders bring their children. And the kiddies beseech Disney executives to autograph their annual reports. General Motors, this isn't. Fast forward to this week's annual meeting in Philadelphia, which promises to be a ...
Paging Lou Grant.(Station Break)(KSTP)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... MINNEAPOLIS -- Hubbard's ABC affiliate KSTP, the No. 3 news station in the market, has asked Minneapolis's most famous news director--Lou Grant--for help. Local ad shop Kruskopf Olson is producing a series of five ads promoting the station's news brand and featuring Ed Asner, who played a ...
WKRN.(People on the Move)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Young Broadcasting's ABC affiliate WKRN has tapped Vicki Montet as news director. She comes from Scripps Broadcasting corporate, where she recently directed coverage of the war in Iraq for Scripps stations and newspapers ....
KVVU.(People on the Move)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... LAS VEGAS -- Mark Neerman has been named news director for Meredith Broadcasting's ...
Mauldin on the mend.(Station Break)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... DALLAS -- Steve Mauldin, who oversees Viacom TV stations in Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas, and Oklahoma City, has been in Little Rock, Ark., receiving treatment for throat cancer. According to a spokeswoman for the stations, he is almost finished with his treatment, which is going ...
Correction.(Station Break)(Correction Notice)
Mar 01, 2004 ... In the Feb. 23 issue, kids personality Ray Rayner was incorrectly identified as the actor who played Bozo on WGN's long-running kids show Bozo's Circus. Rayner, who died last month, portayed Oliver O. ...
We break for shootings.(Station Break; TV news ethics)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... This wasn't your average car chase, even by Los Angeles standards. On Feb. 23, police fatally shot an armed-robbery suspect who took them on an erratic, high-speed chase. The suspect was shot after he reversed his car and headed toward the police. The scene unfolded as local station ...
Are the Rigases really robbers? As the family's fraud trial begins, Adelphia plans reorganization, recovery.(Top of the Week)
Mar 01, 2004; ... If accountants and bankers signed off on everything, how could it be criminal? That will be a central issue as the trial of fallen Adelphia Communications founder John Rigas commences this week. Opening arguments in the criminal trial were slated for Monday morning in a ...
Fighting words.(In the loop: behind the scenes / before the fact)(Turner Advertising and Marketing)((Levy, David))(CBS Inc.)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... "We're not broadcast-bashing," says Turner ad-sales chief David Levy. Don't you believe it. At the upfront, ad agencies got a twist on the usual video pitch, Turner's rewritten version of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It." Lyrics reference CBS research chief David ...
Trial by boredom.(In the loop: behind the scenes / before the fact)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Lawyers say you win a trial by picking the right jury. Rule No. 1: Keep them awake. Potential jurors hearing the case against Adelphia Communications founder John Rigas (left) were grilled on a 25-page questionnaire they had filled out earlier. (Did they know the defendants? Did they have ...
Do the Bart-Man.(In the loop: behind the scenes / before the fact)("Simpsons" live theater)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Can Bart Simpson go on the road? The producers of The Simpsons have been quietly approached by interested parties about live public performances. Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), and friends have done table readings of scripts in the ...
Knee-jerk reaction.(In the loop: behind the scenes / before the fact)(McCain, John)(Superbowl scandal)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Poor Mel Karmazin. The Viacom COO can't put the Super Bowl halftime disaster behind him. He was raked over the coals about the crotch-grabbing and breast exposure at a House indecency hearing. Last week, Sen. John McCain ragged him about it during a talk at New York's Museum of Radio and ...
On the comeback trail: under Reynolds and Swanson, CBS and UPN turn up the heat on big-market rivals.(Dynamic 12: Viacom station group: a special series on leading cable operators and TV-station groups)(Fred Reynolds, Dennis Swanson)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Viacom's CBS O&Os are finally off the couch and back in the game. When you're the back-of-the-pack station group, though, there's tough competition and a long way to go. In fact, the aggregate revenues for Viacom's owned-and-operated CBS stations in the top three markets--New ...
Big Apple fix: WNBC ex-pats Leone, Doctor try to repair CBS's broken flagship.(Dynamic 12: Viacom station group: a special series on leading cable operators and TV-station groups)(Lew Leone; Dianne Doctor)
Mar 01, 2004; ... In the station wars, New York is still the biggest single prize. It was no surprise, then, that Dennis Swanson's first hires at Viacom were a general manager and a news director for WCBS. Both Lew Leone and Dianne Doctor were snatched away from market leader WNBC. For Leone, who ...
The Swanson Method: in Chicago, Ahern is turning around WBBM with a new antenna, high-profile hires, and lots of parades.(Dynamic 12: Viacom station group: a special series on leading cable operators and TV-station groups)(Joe Ahern)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The No. 3 market may be the No. 1 test of the Swanson Method. Relying on big-name talent, big-time community outreach, and market-savvy executives, General Manager Joe Ahern is following Dennis Swanson's lead in reviving WBBM Chicago. Ahern was station manager when then-GM ...
Station lineup.(Dynamic 12: Viacom station group: a special series on leading cable operators and TV-station groups)(Directory)
Mar 01, 2004 ... NEW YORK (1) WCBS 2, CBS 524 West 57th St. New York, NY 10019 212-975-4321 TOP EXECUTIVE: Lew Leone LOS ANGELES (2) KCBS 2, CBS * 6121 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 ...
The sporting life: ESPN keeps shows edgy, learns from Playmakers mistakes.(Programming)(NFL Media)(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Who's in charge? ESPN. It may look like the NFL called the shots on Playmakers, but looks are deceiving. "If we were under the thumb of the NFL, we never would have launched Playmakers," says Mark Shapiro, the 34-year-old wunderkind who heads ESPN originals. "We did what was best for us." ...
Kid friendly: Cartoon, WB launch 9 original animated, live-action shows.(Programming)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Calling all robots, superheroes, and imaginary friends. Cartoon Network will introduce six original shows this year. And corporate cousin Kids WB! is adding three, two animated and one live-action. Make room for the zany and the brainy. Meet Cartoon's Megas XLR, a 20-year-old ...
Ratings: Feb. 9-15.(Syndication Watch)(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004 ... <Pre> RATINGS | Feb. 9-15 Nielsen Media Research Top 25 Shows Households RANK PROGRAM AAGAA1Wheel of Fortune9.6NA 2Oprah Winfrey Show 8.0 8.1 3Joepardy7.6NA ...
Catch a star rising.(talk show)(The Ellen DeGeneres Show)
Mar 01, 2004; ... For a quick study of how a syndicated talk strip needs time to find its audience, look at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It's primed to pop in season two with upgrades in two dozen markets. That's an impressive achievement in a genre littered with failures. "In success, people come ...
Sea change.(Syndie Insider)(On Air With Ryan Seacrest)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Twentieth's On Air With Ryan Seacrest (above) is changing digs in New York and Chicago. In both markets, the show is cleared on the Fox duopoly. In New York, the show is going from UPN station WWOR at 5 p.m. to Fox station WNYW at 3 p.m. On Air will replace a one-hour block of Tribune game ...
Family affair.(Syndie Insider)(Tribune Broadcasting Co.)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Tribune's Family Feud has scored two major upgrades in New York and Phoenix, and the game show is cleared in 87% of the country for its sixth season. In New York, an hour block of Feud, syndication's No. 4-rated game show, is moving to 4 p.m. from 3 p.m. on ...
Home front.(Syndie Insider)(Universal Domestic Television)(Tribune Entertainment Co.)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Universal's Home Delivery has been cleared in 80% of the country for next fall, including 45 of the top 50 markets, Universal reports. The company also recently added Post-Newsweek's ...
The prime time race.(Programming)(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004 ... <Pre> THE PRIME TIME RACE Top 10 Basic Cable Shows Feb. 16-22 Total Households (in millions) PROGRAM DATE NETHHS 1. Fairly OddParents 8p 2/16 NICK 3.7 1. Fairly OddParents 10a2/22 NICK 3.7 3. SpongeBob Sqr 9:30a 2/22 ...
Nielsen ratings: Feb. 16-22.(Programming)(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004; ... <Pre> NIELSEN | Feb. 16-22 | RATINGS Week 22 abc MONDAY 6.9/10 8:00 73. ABC Movie of the 8:30 Week--Jurassic 9:00 Park III 9:30 10:00 13. Primetime 11.2/17 10:30 ...
At a glance.(Market focus: Des Moines)(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004 ... <Pre> AT A GLANCE The Market DMA rank 73 Population1,022,000 TV homes405,000 Income per capita $17,342 TV revenue rank 68 TV revenue $58,400,000 Commercial TV Stations RANK * CH. AFFIL. ...
Corn-fed no more.(Market focus)(Des Moines, Iowa)
Mar 01, 2004 ... Every four years, Des Moines, Iowa, is guaranteed a place in the national sun. The state's political caucuses attract the keen eye of publicity to this bucolic area--and dump a ton of ad money into the market. "We have had some very good political revenue, starting way back in ...
The demos.(Market focus: Des Moines)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
Mar 01, 2004 ... THE DEMOS Not a lot of ethnic diversity here. The population is 95% white. Iowans like their outdoor activities, particularly fishing and camping. Surfing, the Internet kind, hasn't caught on: Only 10% of households have a broadband connection. <Pre> WHO ...
By design: ABC bets on extreme home show in prime time.(Lifestyle programming: special report)(American Broadcasting Companies)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Set out the good china. When ABC puts a home-redecorating show in prime time, it's clear lifestyle programming--a thriving genre on cable--has earned a seat at the table. ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition follows the success of TLC's Trading Spaces and countless HGTV shows. The ...
Power play: Turner says what it has to sell deserves top dollar.(TV Buyer)(Turner Broadcasting Europe)(TNT)(TBS)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Going into the upfront season, Turner Broadcasting is preaching a new message: The industry is now a "one-television world," and viewers don't see a difference between cable and broadcast. Turner ad-sales execs hope the advertising community gets with the program. As they prep ...
Cable inches up.(TV Buyer)(TBS)(TNT)
Mar 01, 2004; ... The tide is turning, albeit slowly. In the 2003 upfront, TBS and TNT brought in an estimated $760 million to $800 million in revenue. Ad-supported cable networks commanded a 50.3 share of prime time viewing, leaving the seven broadcast networks a 44.6 share. But the battle between Turner ...
Spring spark likely in spot.(EBB & Flow)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... Super Tuesday still looms, but results are in on local political spending. So far, it's a loser. There could be a spring spending surge, though. As the Democratic race heats up, the Republicans are kicking off an early effort to prop up President Bush's sagging approval ratings ...
What if Kerry wins? A Democratic victory could jeopardize Comcast's Disney bid.(Washington)((Bush, George W.))((Kerry, John F.))
Mar 01, 2004; ... George W. Bush shouldn't be the only one concerned about John Kerry's White House run. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts should be worried, too. A Democratic takeover of the White House up his $66 billion bid to buy Disney. If Disney shareholders take Roberts up on his offer, approval ...
Spreading the money.(Washington)(Comcast Corp.)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004; ... For years, Comcast's Roberts clan supported the Democrats. As the company has grown and faced increasing scrutiny, it has been careful to give to Republicans as well. According to the Center for Public Integrity, 75% of Comcast's $147,000 in soft-dollar contributions in 2000 ...
Winner take all.(Capital Watch)((Eid, Susan))((Jackson, Paul))(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... News Corp. owner Rupert Murdoch has hired two former FCC aides only months after their former boss did the company a big favor. Susan Eid, ex-media adviser to FCC Chairman Michael Powell, was picked to run the government-affairs shop for DirecTV and Hughes, replacing longtime ...
Eligible receivers.(Capital Watch)(digital channel coverage)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... EchoStar just got a boost in its fight to carry more digital channels from network superstations and exclude local affiliates. Last week, the feds' top copyright official said the government's measuring stick for deciding when viewers get a good local signal won't work for digital. ...
Mixed messages.(Capital Watch)((Powell, Michael))(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... FCC Chairman Michael Powell is pulling a fast one to help Fox, CBS, Paxson, and Sinclair keep giant station groups intact, charge FCC Democrats. Commissioners Michael Copps (above, left) and Jonathan Adelstein (right) derided Powell's plan to review the "UHF discount" as a ruse to persuade ...
Fuzzy math.(Capital Watch)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... The White House budget isn't clear on the issue, but Bush telecom policy chief Michael Gallagher confirms that a little noticed provision would hit broadcasters with a new tax. Sorry, we mean fee. The White House is proposing a user fee on unauctioned spectrum that would begin ...
Flash to the future: Panasonic says camcorder line pays for itself.(Technology)
Mar 01, 2004; ... If you don't want moving parts in your electronic-newsgathering gear, you'll need big bucks in your ENG media budget. At least for now. When Panasonic introduces its DVCPRO P2 lineup in May, the recording media will cost roughly 10% of the price of the camcorder. The camcorder ...
Animated spirit: Schwartz mixes business savvy with intuition.(The Fifth Estater)(Sander Schwartz)(Biography)
Mar 01, 2004; ... He keeps singular company. While most entertainment presidents in Hollywood spend their days negotiating with agents, Warner Bros. Animation President Sander Schwartz hangs with Batman, Pokemon, the Justice League, and the Japanese heroes from Xaolin Showdown. "Animation is a ...
WDWB.(Broadcast TV)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... KEN MURPHY, director, sales, WXXA Albany, N.Y., ...
Time Warner Cable.(Cable TV)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... At Time Warner Cable, New York: JOHN BROWN III, manager, engineering, Hudson Valley region, promoted to director; RUTH ANN WYNTER, manager, ...
TV Land and Nick at Nite.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... LARRY W. JONES, executive VP, TV Land and ...
TVG Network.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... RYAN O'HARA, senior VP, business development and strategic ...
Comcast SportsNet.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... BOB AYARS, VP, operations, Comcast SportsNet, ...
Sony Pictures Television International.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... JAMIE WEISSENBORN, consultant, sales, marketing and revenue, International Networks group, ...
TV One.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... At TV One, Lanham, Md.: MICHELLE RICE, northeast regional VP, affiliate relations and national accounts, InDemand, New York, named VP, distribution strategy and operations; JOHN FANT, director, ...
National Geographic Channel.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... At National Geographic Channel, Washington: LAURA GALIETTA, VP, strategic partnerships and promotions, Turner Broadcasting/Turner Classic Movies, New York, joins as VP, consumer marketing; BRIDGET ...
TV Guide.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... RICHARD CUSICK, VP, business development and ...
New England Sports Network.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... BILL BORSON, senior VP, production, Fox Sports Net, Los Angeles, ...
Fox Sports Net South.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... At Fox Sports Net South, Atlanta: JON COHEN, local sales manager, named ...
NY1 News.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... GUNN ISARANKURA, chief engineer, technical ...
ABC News Digital Media Group.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... BERNARD GERSHON, VP/general manager, ABCNews.com, New York, named ...
CBS News/CBS Newspath.(Journalism)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... KELLY COBIELLA, freelance reporter, CBS News/CBS Newspath, ...
Southern Sports Report.(Journalism)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... LAURA OKMIN, sideline announcer, college football and the Atlanta Hawks, part-time anchor, Southern ...
KSTP.(Journalism)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... ANNE HUTCHINSON, sports reporter/anchor, WFTS Tampa, ...
Turner Broadcasting System Inc.(Advertising/Marketing/PR)(Brief Article)
Mar 01, 2004 ... BARBARA GRIFFIN, VP, image management group, Turner ...