Broadcasting & Cable back issues from May 2004:
Cable will eat the phone company's lunch ...
May 03, 2004; ... When Time Warner Cable launched a phone service in Portland, Maine, last May, the company guessed that only a few thousand customers would shell out $49.95 for unlimited local and long-distance service. Turns out, President Keith Berkley's predictions were wrong--way wrong. "We ...
Maybe it wasn't so goofy: what Comcast lost when it missed out on Disney.(Top of the Week)(Walt Disney Co.,Comcast Corp.)
May 03, 2004; ... Hardly anyone--particularly unhappy Comcast shareholders--feels that buying Walt Disney Co. is essential to the No. 1 cable operator's success. Comcast launched its hostile $66 billion bid primarily to exploit a point in time when Disney seemed vulnerable. But giving up on ...
Outdoor Channel in high def.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... TEMECULA, CALIF. -- The Outdoor Channel is spinning off a high-definition feed. Outdoor Channel 2 HD will debut in July, 2005. It will share some ...
Edwards ends on Morning Edition.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... WASHINGTON -- In a low-key way, Bob Edwards ended his 24 1/2 years as host of NPR's Morning Edition on April 30 by interviewing CBS News' Charles Osgood, who Edwards noted was the first ...
Held off on cable mergers: activists.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... WASHINGTON -- Public activists are asking the FCC to block mergers by Comcast and Time Warner, including for-sole Adelphia, until there's a new national cap on cable audience reach. Judges struck down the previous cap limiting one MSO's reach to 30% of pay-TV subscribers three years ago, ...
IRTS salutes the Donald, and more.(Breaking ...)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... NEW YORK -- The IRTS Foundation annual awards this year go to Nickelodeon Networks President Herb Scannell, Face the Nation anchor Bob Schieffer, Bravo series Queer Eye ...
Cox will pass on Adelphia.(Fast Track)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Cox CEO JIM ROBBINS rules out a bid for all of ADELPHIA COMMUNICATIONS, saying he would only buy systems that are well-clustered or fit his company's existing ...
Network Upfront Discussion Group.(Small Bites)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... The first meeting of the NETWORK UPFRONT DISCUSSION GROUP (NUDG)--formed to propose changes to make the upfront process easier--turned out to be its last. The group, composed of about 40 ...
After threatening to take networks like CNN and TNT off its system.(Small Bites)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... After threatening to take networks like CNN and TNT off its system, ...
ABC Cable.(People Mover)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... ABC FAMILY General Manager MARK SILVERMAN is moving up at ABC Cable to senior vice president and ...
Fox.(People Mover)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... SCOTT MATTHEWS has been named vice president of news for FOX's New York duopoly. He comes to WNYW ...
DAVID JACKSON has reunited with KCAL Los Angeles and former PRIME 9 NEWS co-anchor PAT HARVEY after a five-year stint at KABC Los Angeles.(People Mover)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... DAVID JACKSON has reunited with KCAL Los Angeles and former PRIME 9 NEWS co-anchor PAT HARVEY after a ...
CBS.(People Mover)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... LAVERNE MCKINNON is the new senior vice president of drama development at CBS, reporting to NINA TASSLER, the network's ...
The WB will launch new drama, Summerland, on Tuesday June 1 with a two-hour premiere.(WB Television Network)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... THE WB will launch new drama, Summer/and, on Tuesday June 1 with a two-hour premiere. The show, from SPELLING TELEVISION, stars LORI LOUGHLIN as a San Francisco fashion ...
ESPN and ESPN2 drew the biggest crowd in 25 years of NFL-draft coverage last weekend.(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... ESPN and ESPN2 drew the biggest crowd in 25 years of NFL-draft coverage last weekend. The ...
ABC has re-upped its reality franchise The Bachelor.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... ABC has re-upped its reality franchise The Bachelor The order is for two new installments, totalling 22 ...
Correction.(Fast Track)(Correction Notice)
May 03, 2004 ... Cable's Top 10 list in the April 26 edition should have said President Bush's ...
Mel to Stern bashers: butt out.(Sex Talk)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Viacom President and COO Mel Karmazin (above) defended his in-house bad boy Howard Stern, who works for Viacom's Infinity Radio, in a New York speech last week sponsored by Syracuse University. Karmaazin said "If it doesn't appeal to you, change ...
Cablevision's new visionaries: Time Warner vets tackle the restructured company.(Top of the Week)(Voom DBS service and Rainbow Media operations.)
May 03, 2004; ... It's not often that outsiders rise so high and so fast at Cablevision Systems. Now the company has two ex-Time Warner Cable executives in pivotal positions. Cablevision is promoting Tom Rutledge, president of its cable division, to the post of chief operating officer just two ...
Seven things that will change cable TV in 2004.(Top of the Week)
May 03, 2004; ... No industry in American business is rocked by change more than cable. And few other industries are whipsawed by such a complex array of forces: technology, Wail Street, government regulation, advertising, and the ever-changing tastes of an increasingly splintered audience. Cable ...
War stories.(In The Loop)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Sinclair Broadcasting just had its first war casualty. When the broadcaster condemned Nightline's reading of the Iraq war dead, a firestorm erupted. The response was swift and fierce. Sen. John McCain called the move "unpatriotic." (See Editorial page 104.) Advocacy group Free ...
Blowing smoke.(advertising in movies and television industry)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Any film that shows smoking "in a positive light" may soon come with an anti-smoking trailer, courtesy of The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). The push is tied to a Dartmouth study that linked film images with youth smoking, but the attorneys general could add ...
See Fox sell.(Fox Entertainment Group Inc. sell of programming schedule)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Can Fox sell its year-round programming schedule to advertisers? This year, Fox will debut six shows in June and possibly another unscripted show in late July. Although advertisers will see substantial clips, ad time was sold last year. Most of Fox's returning shows premiere in November, ...
What women want.(Lifetime Cable Network, new comedy program)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Freud asked. Lifetime answers: laughs. Which is why the network is rebuilding its off-net stock, closing in on what women want: comedy. The women's network is nearing a deal with Twentieth Television for cable rights to Reba for an estimated $200,000 per episode. The ...
Fox hunt: Shapiro heads TV studio; Grant goes independent.(Angela Shapiro appointed)(David Grant resigned)
May 03, 2004; ... When Angela Shapiro takes over as president of Fox Television Studios this week, the former president of ABC Family will be ahead of the game. First, she inherits a studio about to reap hundreds of millions of dollars for its corporate parent in syndication revenues. Second, her ...
B & C indices: week of April 23-29.(Broadcasting & Cable)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> WEEK OF APRIL 23-29 B&C INDICES The B&C 10 WEEK YTD -1.7%-5.6% BROADCAST TV GROUPS WEEK YTD -2.7%-5.8% CABLE TV MSO'S WEEK YTD 3.2%-5.8% RADIO WEEK YTD -4.0%-9.6% ...
Early edition.(survey of news watch )(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... MUNCIE, IND. -- It probably won't come as any surprise to local news directors, but a new Ball State study found that viewers are increasingly tuning into early news. The school's Center for Media Design directly observed the media consumption habits of 101 people and surveyed 750 others ....
'NBC 6' deep sixed.(National Broadcasting Company Inc., service discontinuation)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Charlotte, N.C.'s NBC affiliate has quietly dropped its "NBC 6" moniker, a move management believes will help the station dig out of its traditional third-place finish. WCNC, owned by Belo Corp., now ...
WOAI vs. USAA.(Clear Channel Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... SAN ANTONIO -- A WOAI investigative story on job outsourcing in San Antonio's largest private employer has landed the station in court. Insurance and financial-services giant USAA filed a lawsuit last week against Clear Channel Communications and reporter Tanji Patton, claiming Patton ...
Dish adds Duluth.(Station Break)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... DULUTH, MINN. -- EchoStar's Dish Network has added satellite feeds of local channels in the Duluth-Superior market: ABC affiliate WDIO, owned by ...
All in fun?(Station Break)(KCRA Experience)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... SACRAMENTO, CALIF. -- Viacom-owned UPN affiliate KMAX tossed some on-air barbs at competitor KCRA'S new shopping-mall-based noon newscast April 22. Good Day Sacramento co-host ...
Have your KAKE.(Station Break)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... WICHITA, KAN. -- Gray Television hopes that its investment in a new fiber-optics network for its ABC affiliate will help some Kansans have their KAKE and watch it, too. Several cable systems on the fringes of the Wichita market have not carried the station ...
Elder statesman: show airs its positive message nationwide.(Top of the Week)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004; ... Inspirational talker The Larry Elder Show, from Warner Bros., will replace King World's Living It Up! With Ali & Jack in September on CBS-owned stations in the top 12 television markets. "Larry's message is about personal responsibility, being positive, and doing things you need ...
Can we dish? Ergen and EchoStar lose credibility in Congress.(Top of the Week)(Charlie Ergen)
May 03, 2004; ... A half-dozen TV lobbyists trekked from their Washington offices to Capitol Hill recently to broker a deal with congressional and FCC staff. Topic A: renewing satellite companies' right to carry broadcast channels. EchoStar came out the loser. The negotiations focused ...
New threat to broadcasters: overhaul of Telecom Act will legislate station fare.(Top of the Week)
May 03, 2004; ... The TV industry has four words for the feds: Don't touch that dial. The Senate Commerce Committee just launched a drive to overhaul the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the law that ushered in a wave of consolidation in the broadcast and cable industries and kicked off the broad rollout of ...
The usual suspects: networks' development slate is rife with star turns.(Top of the Week)
May 03, 2004; ... If a show branded "risky" succeeds, it's a double triumph. Creating a hit is hard; parlaying no-name talent into stars is a feat. Which may explain why networks feel safer with presold talent. This year's development slate is chock full of A-list names. (For a full list, see ...
Extreme Discovery: cable empire gives its digital networks a makeover full of original fare.(Top of the Week)
May 03, 2004; ... What's in a name? Ask Billy Campbell. Discovery Networks U.S.'s boss was so troubled by the Discovery Home & Leisure Channel slug he ordered a redesign. "Leisure" made him think of 1970s suits, Travel & Leisure magazine, and pastimes like bowling. He worried that viewers were equally lost ....
TLC forges ahead.(Top of the Week)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004; ... Success is a fickle mistress. While Discovery's digital networks hunt for their first breakout shows, sister TLC is coping with life after one. Its Trading Spaces, once a cable sizzler, is now on simmer. The show still averages more than 2 million viewers--solid for any cable show--but 4 ...
The final frontier: 6 steps to digital cable success.(Programming)
May 03, 2004; ... Call it cable's rite of spring. At the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's annual gathering, wannabe cable networks pitch--hard. But few will turn up on your cable listings. Hype is the easy part, says one cable vet: "Until you get funded, you are not a network." New channels ...
Lights! Camera! Promo! TV networks and movie studios profit from integrated marketing opportunities.(Programming)
May 03, 2004; ... Movies have a new ally: TV. Universal Pictures and USA Networks started the lovefest with a 10-minute sneak preview of Dawn of the Dead. Now ABC and Fox are mining their corporate synergies with movie-marketing tactics. The network lineups add zing; the studios reach millions of potential ...
Network hopefuls.(Programming)(Directory)
May 03, 2004 ... On their way ANIME NETWORK: Japanese animation CSTV: Broad swath of college-sports events, as well as news and information FOX SPORTS DIGITAL NETWORKS: Three channels culled from Fox Sports regional networks' programming FUEL: Fox Sports' ...
NCTA highlights: new shows, networks to be showcased in New Orleans.(Programming)
May 03, 2004; ... More than 17,000 attendees are expected to turn out in New Orleans this week for the cable industry's mardi gras: the National Cable & Telecommunications Association annual convention. Here's a first look at some of the programming news they can expect: Real Women Watch TV ...
The outer limits: gay shows score in heartland and with advertisers.(Programming)
May 03, 2004; ... Most Americans may not be ready to accept gay marriage, but consider this: Not only does NBC's Will & Grace play in Peoria, it plays 20% better in the Illinois city than it does nationwide. The same holds true for other gay-themed shows that conventional wisdom claimed wouldn't fly in the ...
Ratings: April 12-18.(Syndication Watch)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> RATINGS | April 12-18 Nielsen Media Research Top 25 Shows Households RANKPROGRAM AA GAA1 Wheel of Fortune 8.6 NA 2 Jeopardy 7.1 NA 3 Oprah Winfrey Show...
Dating hell.(Syndication Watch)
May 03, 2004; ... Dating is tough. Ex-treme Dating is even tougher. Which is why it appears the show won't return this fall. Host Jillian Barberie said it was over on On Air With Ryan Seacrest last week, although the syndicator says that's still to be decided. "We are currently out of production," says a ...
Changing times.(Syndie Insider)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Nicole Ari Parker will host NBC Enterprises' A Change Is Gonna Come: Brown vs. Board of Education, the first of two 30-minute specials in The Remarkable Journey series, hosted by NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. The show has been sold in more than 85% of the country for stations to use April ...
Mother of invention.(Syndie Insider)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... NBC Enterprises renewed daytime syndicated reality show Starting Over for a second season in 86% of the country. Renewals include NBC-owned WNBC New York, KNBC Los Angeles, and Fox-owned WPWR Chicago. The show, produced by Bunim-Murray Productions, is moving to Los Angeles ...
Talk shop.(Syndie Insider)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Most syndies rallied in the week ended April 18, snapping back after being depressed in the previous week. Oprah surged 19% to 6.9, ...
Court in session.(Syndie Insider)
May 03, 2004 ... surged All seven courtroom strips were up for the week ended April 18. Still, Twentieth's Divorce Court lost sole possession of third place. The show gained 4% to 2.4. Both Warner Bros.' Judge Greg Mathis ...
The prime time race.(Programming)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> THE PRIME TIME RACE Top 10 Basic Cable Shows April 19-25 Total Households (in millions) PROGRAM DATENET HHS 1. WWE Raw 10p 4/19SPK 3.5 2. NFL Draft4/24ESPN3.4 3. Fairly OddParents 10a ...
Nielsen ratings: April 19-25.(Programming)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> NIELSEN | April 12-18 | RATINGS abc MONDAY Week 31 4.5/7# 8:00 64. ABC Monday Movie of the Week--What Lies Beneath 4.5/7 8:30 64. ABC Monday Movie of the Week--What ...
At a glance.(Market focus: Boston)(cable viewers)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> The Market DMA rank6 Population 6,155,000 TV homes2,392,000 Income per capita $23,258 TV revenue rank 7 TV revenue $611,100,000 Commercial TV Stations RANK *CH....
Revolutionary spirit.(Market focus: Boston)
May 03, 2004 ... Boston is rife with history. The cradle of the American Revolution evokes John Adams and Paul Revere--and it's home to Kennedys, Kerrys, and Fenway Park. The double whammy of politics and sports helped drive a solid 13% first-quarter revenue gain for Boston's TV stations. Mike ...
The demos.(Market focus: Boston)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
May 03, 2004 ... <Pre> THE DEMOS There is old money in Boston--and a lot of it. Bostonians tend to be older, more educated, and considerably wealthier than the U.S. average. And when they "pahk the cah," it's more likely to be a Mercedes than a Mercury. SHARE OF ...
First course: food's new chief talks about challenges facing the network.(Programming)
May 03, 2004; ... Think of the hire as a fine, aged cognac. Brooke Johnson, a one-time A&E and History Channel exec, is running a cable network again. After taking time off to be with her children, she joined Food Network last year as senior vice president and general manager. When former President Judy ...
Spot by the year: TVB wants to help stations sell local time in annual packages.(Advertising)
May 03, 2004; ... TV stations are experimenting with a new way to sell spot advertising through the Television Bureau of Advertising. The strategy is simple: sell local advertising time in the same way that advertising is sold in the national upfront market Individual stations now typically hawk ...
Scatter stronger in daytime, news.(EBB & Flow)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004; ... Agency buyers are reporting a relatively soft second-quarter market for broadcast scatter. But weakness in prime time appears to be tempered by strength in other dayparts, such as daytime and news. Overall, "I see the second quarter 85% sold," notes one buyer. "But it's still ...
The loyalty factor: new CAB study says cable viewers give ad buyers an advantage.(The Upfronts)
May 03, 2004; ... The upfront posturing by broadcast and cable has begun. Broadcasters shot first, launching a network-backed print ad that mocked the meager viewer reach of cable advertising. This week, the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau is firing back. It has statistics it says prove that ...
How we watch TV.(The Upfronts)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Answers to some of the questions asked in the How People Use TV study <Pre> HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S ON TV EVERY NIGHT? 33%Electronic program guide 23%Flipping channels 20%TV Guide magazine 20%Other printed listings 14%TV commercials THE FIRST ...
A cable sampler: networks are trotting out their wares to tempt buyers.(The Upfronts)
May 03, 2004; ... With 56 cable networks now getting Nielsen ratings, upfront presentations--the way broadcast networks do them--would take nearly two months and result in some party-weary ad buyers. But several basic networks have been trumpeting their coming attractions and strategies for ...
Our big, fat list of pilots: more than 125 projects vie for prime time glory.(The Upfronts)
May 03, 2004; ... Hawaii is popular this year. With upfront presentations just two weeks away and the broadcast networks racing to the finish line on pilot season, perhaps this year's focus on a sunny, sexy island suggests where all those cooped-up network executives would rather be. But there ...
Stations' rights: FCC may give affiliates more preemption control.(Washington)
May 03, 2004; ... When Mike Scott, general manager of Springfield, Mo., heard about an upcoming episode of NBC's Fear Factor, he felt sick. And he thought viewers in his city of 400,000 households would feel the same way. So he nixed the Jan. 6, 2003, program, in which contestants are horse rectums. ...
Look who's squawking.(Capital Watch)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Apparently, it's not just cable subscribers who think their fees are being jacked up. Cable operators think the bills they pay to the FCC are going up way too fast. The NCTA is complaining that cable operators' annual regulatory fees will go up 6%, versus an average of 1.5% for all telecom ...
Stealing time.(Capital Watch)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Pay-TV operators shouldn't drag their feet chasing down programming pirates. KingVision, a provider of sports and other closed-circuit programming to bars, learned that lesson the hard way. The U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia last week told that the company it couldn't ...
Boning up on biohazards.(Capital Watch)(RTNDA's new guide)(Brief Article)
May 03, 2004 ... Let's hope broadcast journalists never need an emergency refresher on marburg, glanders, and rickettsiae. A new communications-law firm? No, just some of the deadly biological agents described in the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation's newly updated guide to biological-weapons ...