Multichannel News back issues from July 2001:
Cash Crunch Curtails Carolina Broadband.(Carolina Broadband Inc.)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Start-up Carolina Broadband Inc. last week joined the list of competitive broadband-service providers that have significantly scaled back their ambitions. The company said it would let most of its employees go and suspend its plans to build a cable and telephone network in ...
Viewer-Data Collection Sparks Concern.
Jul 02, 2001; ... There are no good guns. There are no bad guns. Any gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a good person is no threat to anybody except bad people. " -- Charlton Heston No, cable operators and interactive-TV companies aren't comparing their lobbying ...
SUBTRACTING SPORTS.(Time Warner Cable to drop Los Angeles Dodgers and Anaheim Angels telecasts)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Licensing Hassles Lead to Cable Drops Two sports-programming licensing disputes came to a head last week, with no near-term resolution in sight. Fox Sports Net West has stepped up its anti-Time Warner Cable rhetoric, now that the MSO's Southern California systems have ...
Bresnan, Avalon, GCI Bid in AT&T Auction.(Bresnan Communications, Avalon Equity Partners, General Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... At least three companies have submitted bids for roughly 340,000 AT&T Broadband subscribers in Montana, Wyoming and parts of Colorado: cable legend Bill Bresnan, Alaskan cable and telecommunications company General Communications Inc. and private investor Avalon Equity Partners, sources ...
UFC is Back, on In Demand.(Ultimate Fighting Championship)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... After a three-year hiatus, the controversial Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit will return to cable pay-per-view in September. In Demand and new UFC owners Zuffa Sports Entertainment have reached a four-year, multievent agreement to distribute the mixed martial-arts show, ...
SET Steps In for Rainbow.(Showtime Event Television to distribute Don King's Aug. 4 heavyweight pay-per-view fight from China)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The topsy-turvy world of pay-per-view boxing continued its roller-coaster ride last week. Picking up the pieces left by Rainbow Media Group Inc., Showtime Event Television will now partner with boxing promoter Don King to distribute King's Aug. 4 heavyweight pay-per-view fight ...
AT&T Outsources Service in Atlanta.(AT and T Broadband announces layoffs)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... ATLANTA -- AT&T Broadband is laying off about 130 of its 400 call-center workers here, and has hired three outside companies to handle customer service, the company confirmed. As of June 29, AT&T said it will outsource most of its customer care in Atlanta. According to an AT&T ...
Court TV Adds Pittsburgh Systems.(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... PITTSBURGH -- Court TV will launch in several Pittsburgh area AT&T Broadband systems on July 6. The network will be in front of an additional 260,000 expanded-basic subscribers in the Beaver ...
Kids' Upfront Trudges Along.(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... NEW YORK -- The protracted kids' upfront continued to eke ahead ever so slowly last week, lost in the shadows of the concluding broadcast upfront. A Fox Family Worldwide executive said many agencies could close their kidvid buys this week. A Turner ...
Ex-Hughes CFO Named DirecTV President.(Hughes Electronics Corp., Roxanne Austin)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... DirecTV Inc. named former Hughes Electronics Corp. chief financial officer Roxanne Austin its new president last Tuesday, replacing Odie Donald, who joined the company in April 2000 after years in the telephone industry. Two days later, DirecTV hit a long-awaited milestone: the ...
Liberty Looks to Add German Subs.(Liberty Media Group Inc. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Just days after landing a deal Ito purchase cable operations in Germany with 3 million subscribers from Deutsche Telekom AG for a reported $4.7 billion, Liberty Media Group Inc. is rumored to be in negotiations with a German bank to secure another 1.7 million cable customers. ...
Cable Execs Expect Tough Upfront Talks.(cable television industry, contract negotiations)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... With the broadcast up-front largely wrapping up last week, industry executives expect negotiations on the cable side to pick up steam. "Some buyers will try to get done [this] week because they feel it's time," Lifetime Television executive vice president of ad sales Lynn Picard ...
Rock 'N Rollin' Dolan.
Jul 02, 2001; ... At a VH1 Save The Music Foundation event last Tuesday at a Newark, N.J. public school, Cablevision Systems Corp. president James Dolan - sharing the stage with the likes of former President Clinton and singer Mariah Carey - encouraged students to make the most of their music education. ...
One 'Wales' of a Goof.(term 'welshing' seen as slur against people of Welsh descent)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Super politically correct former FCC chairman William Kennard got into deep Cardiff with the head of a Welsh-American organization regarding his comments June 22 in response to the FCC's $16.8 billion court debacle against bankrupt wireless company NextWave Telecom Inc. In a ...
Dan York Sizzles.(In Demand to feature Ultimate Fighting Championship)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... On a Southern California beach on a hot June day, sultry actress Carmen Electra would obliterate any cable operator in a popularity contest. But last week at the ESPN Zone restaurant during an Ultimate Fighting Championship press conference, Electra received slightly less applause than In ...
Shaving on the Job.(Jim Sexton)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... HGTV.com's editorial director Jim Sexton is clearly a man who strongly believes in being cool on the job, as evidenced by a recent public display. When Sexton learned that more than a million subscribers had signed up for the new "HGTV Ideas" e-mail newsletter, he decided that ...
House Topic: What's on Capitol TV Sets.(limited cable television service available on Capitol Hill)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- The cable industry's multibillion-dollar upgrade has somehow bypassed Capitol Hill, which is served by a 36-channel cable system that leaves many lawmakers and staffers longing for more TV options during the long work week. Just about every television in the ...
Maggie Bellville to Run Incanta.(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Former Cox Communications Inc. executive vice president of operations Maggie Bellville has resurfaced at Incanta Inc., an Atlanta-based streaming provider founded in 1999 by two former Nortel Networks Inc. executives. For the past two years, Incanta has been developing Perimeter ...
Cox Breaks Ice, Offers One-Bill Option.(Cox Communications Inc. to offer various billing formats to customers in some locations)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Cox Communications Inc. customers in San Diego, Orange County, Calif., Omaha and New England will soon have more choice in billing options. In those systems, the MSO will experiment with allowing subscribers to customize the bills they receive. They can consolidate their ...
Slowdown May Hit CTAM Summit.(Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing plans meeting for late July 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... NEW YORK -- Pre-registered attendance for the upcoming CTAM Summit in San Francisco had started to trend down by late June, Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing officials said. Figures for the week ended June 22 were about 10 percent lower than pre-registration ...
Comcast Wins Court Pair.(Comcast Corp. wins two lawsuits, in Indiana and Alabama)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Comcast Corp. racked up two court victories late last month, fending off a potential class-action suit in Indiana and a $1-million claim for damages in a leased-access dispute in Alabama. The Alabama ruling ends almost nine years of legal wrangling between the operator's Mobile ...
Iowa Landlord's Case Goes to High Court.(Iowa Supreme Court to rule if landlord can provide cable services from one building to another)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The Iowa Supreme Court next month will hear oral arguments in the case of a Mason City landlord cited for offering cable service to his tenants in competition with the incumbent provider. In question is whether businessman Ed Kent, who owns two apartment buildings in the ...
Ex-Gore Aide Simon Will Lobby for Enron.(Greg Simon, hired by Enron Corp. to be lobbyist)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- Greg Simon, who spearheaded the cable open-access effort for America Online Inc. after leaving the Clinton White House, has signed up to lobby for Enron Corp., the Houston-based energy trading company with close political ties to the Bush Administration. Simon -- a ...
Cable Bureau Takes Lead on Open-Access Report.(within the Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- W. Kenneth Ferree, the new cable bureau chief at the Federal Communications Commission, has won an internal policy debate within the 2,000-person bureaucracy over control of the report on cable open access, according to sources. For months, the FCC has studied the ...
Union Gets Into Ex-TCI Systems.(Communications Workers of America becomes recognized at some operations acquired by AT and T Corp. from Tele-Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The Communications Workers of America has forged some inroads among workers at AT&T Corp.'s cable systems, unionizing 16 operations the company purchased from Tele-Communications Inc. TCI had aggressively opposed unionization, and some of that opposition has persisted under AT&T ...
Scripps Fine-Tuning Fine Living Net.(E .W. Scripps Co.)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... E .W. Scripps Co., looking to continue its success in the niche-programming arena, is preparing to launch its fourth basic cable network in early 2002. The Fine Living network hopes to follow in the footsteps of its successful Scripps Networks brethren -- Food Network, Home and ...
Tao In as VH1 Continues To Shuffle Executive Deck.(VH1's programming division )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... VH1's programming division last week continued its rendition of musical chairs. As part of a restructuring, the music network named veteran programmer Steve Tao its senior vice president of programming, replacing VH1 veteran Lauren Zalaznick, who tendered her resignation. ...
Amazing But True: 'Chronicle' Fizzles.(Sci Fi Channel's newest original series)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The Chronicle, Sci Fi Channel's newest original series, has a solid concept to work from -- tabloid reporter uncovers truth behind paranormal stories. Alas, the finished product needs some editing. Chad Willett (The Cape) stars as Tucker Burns, a J-school grad who, ...
PEOPLE.(America Online Inc., Asbury Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... AOLTV America Online Inc. appointed JOSEPH A. CANTWELL vice president, partnerships and distribution. He had been executive VP, new media for the Bravo Networks. Asbury Communications Inc. MEL HARRISON was named vice president, business development. He had ...
Oxygen Inflates New-Biz Dreams.(Oxygen Media )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... For the second straight year, Oxygen will breathe life into three women's new-business dreams. This year, the women's network will double the funds available to the three chosen businesswomen in its "Oxygen's Build Your Own Business" national grant program to $10,000, said ...
Hughes Launches 'DirecWay' Brand.(Hughes Network Systems )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... NEW YORK -- Hughes Network Systems has selected a new name for its two-way broadband-over-satellite service: DirecWay. The company, which announced the change during a meeting with Wall Street analysts here two weeks ago, uses the DirecPC brand for its telephone return path ...
Time Warner Spots Up With FX NASCAR Promo.(Time Warner Cable Direct and FX )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Time Warner Cable Direct and FX recently steered down some new roads on course to a successful affiliate promotion. FX supported its "Winston Weekend Sweepstakes" promo with an unusual cash buy that covered 40 spot-cable markets -- a first for the network. And Time Warner ...
Set-Top Debate Puts FCC In the Middle.(Federal Communications Commission )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... These days, set-tops are the digital gateway to the home and the supposed central nervous system of new interactive-TV services. As a result, lots of companies have entered the set-top business or want in -- including big consumer-electronics makers and retail chains. But ...
Vogel Chairs a Reshuffled On Command.(On Command Corp. layoffs)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Battered by a soft economy that's led to a downturn in hotel-room occupancy, On Command Corp. said it would lay off about 16 percent of its work force and reduce its revenue and cash-flow projections for the year. On Command, which provides movies, high-speed Internet access, ...
Court Backs FCC on DSL Resale to ISPs.(United States Federal Communications Commission)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- Incumbent telephone carriers are not required to provide wholesale discounts on the digital subscriber line services they sell to Internet-service providers, a federal court here ruled last Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District Columbia Circuit ...
Cablevision Systems Corp.(New York Yankees Major League Baseball games )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... NEW YORK -- The loss of New York Yankees Major League Baseball games from its Madison Square Garden Network could cost Cablevision Systems Corp. $400 million in lost revenue over the next four years, according to ABN AMRO cable analyst John Martin. In a research report, Martin ...
Excite@Home Corp.(George Bell named CEO of Upromise Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001 ... BROOKLINE, MASS. -- Just two months after stepping down under fire as the chairman and CEO of Excite@Home Corp., George Bell has been named CEO of Upromise Inc., a start-up that has assembled consumer-products companies to offer rebates that can be used by parents for college savings. ...
Hotelevision Inc.(Hotelevision Inc. signs deal with Starz Encore Group LLC)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Hotelevision Inc. signed a multiyear licensing and distribution deal to add Starz Encore Group LLC's STARZI premium movie channel to its hotel "free-to-guest" programming lineup. The agreement enables ...
The Yankee Group.(The Yankee Group statistics on video-on-demand services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001 ... BOSTON -- Video-on-demand services could reach $1.98 billion in revenue by 2005, according to a recent study by The Yankee Group. With equipment costs, plant upgrades and digital set-top box penetration reaching critical mass, Yankee Group believes that VOD revenue could reach ...
INDUSTRY STOCKS.(Convergys Corp. share listings)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001 ... CONVERGYS CORP. (NYSE - CVG) Shares in Convergys Corp. fell more than 9 percent after an analyst downgrade -- and amid investor concern that the sluggish economy could dampen demand for the biller's services. Convergys dropped as low as $27.80 on June 26 -- a new 52-week low -- ...
Big-Four Telcos Feeding On CLEC DSL Leftovers.(telecommunication industry, competitive local exchange carriers, digital subscriber line)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The demise of competitive local-exchange carriers such as Flashcom Inc., Jato Communications Corp., NorthPoint Communications Inc, Vectris and a host of others has been a definite boon for well-heeled and deep-pocketed incumbents that provide digital-subscriber-line service. In ...
Internet Content Lives On: Streaming Show Proves It.(new online initiatives being introduced)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... LONG BEACH, CALIF. -- The dot-coin implosion has killed off most Internet content ideas, but executives from major media companies gathered for the recent Streaming Media West conference here said it would be a mistake to abandon the medium. And officials from Walt Disney ...
Wave 18 Brings Few Surprises.(Cable Television Laboratories Inc. )(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Cable Television Laboratories Inc. has wrapped up certification wave 18, granting approval to 17 cable modems for the 1.0 version of the interoperable Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. Modems from three vendors -- Hitron Technology Inc., Infinite and U.S. Robotics ...
'The Sopranos' Is On. You're Being Robbed.(cable operators offer home networking)(Brief Article)(Column)
Jul 02, 2001; ... As if the industry doesn't have enough new technology to sort out, a growing legion of vendors and engineers is now touting home networking. Home networking involves some good technology concepts and -- as those who project billions of dollars in revenue indicate -- it may be a ...
iVAST.(iVast Inc. third round financing)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... SANTA CLARA, CALIF. -- iVAST has landed a third round of financing, netting $25 million. Leading the new investor group are Softbank Venture Capital, two new supporters -- Sun Microsystems Inc. and Macrovision Corp. -- and the start-up's original financial backers: BCE Capital, Centennial ...
MetroCast Cablevision.(MetroCast Cablevision to use Core Networks Inc.'s service)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA -- MetroCast Cablevision, an MSO that serves 27 communities in Maine and New Hampshire, will deploy Core Networks Inc.'s Core OS Broadband Provisioning and Management System to manage its high-speed cable Internet services and help boost its cable-modem subscriber base ...
News Press and Gazette Cable Inc.(contract with ICTV Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001 ... Los GATOS, CALIF. -- News Press and Gazette Cable Inc. said its St Joseph Cablevision system in Missouri has become the first operator to commercially launch ICTV Inc.'s headend-centric, digital interactive-television platform. St. Joseph Cablevision has leveraged ICTV's analog ...
AT&T Labs.(Excite@Home Corp., Chris Hjelm appointment)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... REDWOOD CITY, CALIF. -- Excite@Home Corp. last week named Chris Hjelm executive vice president of broadband network services. Hjelm, who will report directly to company chairman and CEO Patti Hart, will be responsible for the performance of Excite@Home's network, including ...
Zoom Telephonics Inc.(approval to sell modems)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... BOSTON -- Excite@Home Corp. has granted level-two approval to Zoom Telephonics Inc.'s external Model 5011 cable modem, giving Zoom the okay to sell the model to the high-speed ISP's cable operator affiliates. Excite@Home affiliates include AT&T Broadband, Charter ...
OpenTV and ACTV Inc.(announce technology integration agreement)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... NEW YORK -- OpenTV and ACTV Inc. said last week ACTV's interactive-TV technology has been integrated into OpenTV's TV platform. OpenTV's middleware is expected to include ...
Court Acts to Speed DBS Must-Carry Case.(direct-broadcast satellite)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... WASHINGTON -- After losing the first round of must-carry litigation to broadcasters, the direct-broadcast satellite industry finally got some good news on the lawsuit front. On June 22, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Va., agreed to give expedited ...
CNN's Johnson Steps Down.(Cable News Network chairman, Tom Johnson)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001; ... Cable News Network chairman and CEO Tom Johnson announced his retirement Thursday, telling staffers in a memo that he wanted to spend more time with his family in California. CNN, which didn't name a successor, will be run by CNN News Group chief news executive Eason Jordan and ...
John F. Cooke.(appointed executive director of Screen Actors Guild)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... LOS ANGELES - Former Disney Channel executive John F. Cooke was selected last week as chief executive officer and national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild. The cable veteran took the helm as the actors' union was racing to craft a new contract with studios. At ...
AOL Time Warner Inc.(announces AOL Time Warner Opportunity Investment Fund)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... NEW YORK - AOL Time Warner Inc. last week announced the AOL Time Warner Opportunity Investment Fund, an initiative that will invest some $100 million over a three-year period in companies owned or managed by minorities and women. Rachel Lam, previously a principal ...
Mediacom Communications Corp.(completes debt and equity offerings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001 ... MIDDETOWN, N.Y. - Mediacom Communications Corp. last week said it had completed debt and equity offerings in excess of $1 billion. The proceeds from this latest flurry of deals will help fund Mediacom's $2.2 billion purchase of systems from AT&T Corp. The latest round came on ...
ABC Television Network.(AOL Time Warner Inc., Patricia Fili-Krushel appointment)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... NEW YORK - AOL Time Warner Inc. last week appointed Patricia Fili-Krushel its executive vice president, administration, effective July 30. Currently chief executive officer of WebMD Health and The former president of the ABC Television Network, Fili-Krushel will work closely ...
Time Warner Cable.(advertising sales management appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... STAMFORD, CONN. - Time Warner Cable president of ad sales Robert Sherman last week restructured the MSO's ad-sales-management team. Larry Fischer, previously president of Time Warner CityCable, has been named to the new position of executive vice president of operations at Time ...
ACTV Inc.(announces OpenTV Corp. agreement)(Brief Article)
Jul 02, 2001 ... MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. - ACTV Inc. will integrate its interactive-TV technology into OpenTV Corp.'s interactive-TV platform, the companies announced last week. Open TV's middleware is expected to include support for SpotOn, the targeted advertising solution that is jointly ...
NTL Will Activate Its Cable-Box Modems.(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... As one domestic MSO plots interactive-television plans for millions of legacy, thin-client set-tops, another operator across the pond will plow full steam ahead with a thicker box that includes an embedded cable modem. U.K.-based MSO NTL Inc. said it plans to eventually offer ...
100M Need Free Over-Air TV.(Gary Chapman surveys says 100 million television receivers are not hooked up to cable or satellite services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 02, 2001; ... The leader of the 25th-largest TV-station group said last week that 100 million sets in the United States remain totally reliant upon free, over-the-air broadcasting. "The majority of viewing in cable or satellite households after the initial set is over the air," said Gary ...
CLARIFICATION.(Correction Notice)
Jul 02, 2001 ... On the cover of the June 18 issue, a photo of a Com2l Inc. cable modem appeared next to a reference line about 3Com Corp.'s decision to scrap its line of consumer broadband modems. The photo, which appeared again on page 61, was accompanied by a caption that clearly stated that 3Com's ...
Cable Nets Tee Up Pricier Rights Fees.(NCAA and PGA broadcasting)
Jul 09, 2001; ... With one major deal announced last week and another likely to be done this week, the cost of sports rights continues to escalate for cable networks. ESPN last week inked a $200 million, 11-year deal for 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship events, highlighted ...
VULTURES CIRCLING.(Romulus Holdings Inc. and Cerberus Partners Inc.)
Jul 09, 2001; ... Investor Duo Eyes Classic, Galaxy Debt A pair of "vulture investors" who have already acquired the debt of OpTel Inc. are said to have their eyes on two rural MSOs -- Galaxy Telecom Inc. and Classic Communications Inc. -- in hopes of combining assets to launch a direct to-home ...
Lifetime Edges USA for Ratings Victory.(cable network ratings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 09, 2001; ... STEVE DONOHUE Lifetime Television's primetime ratings streak continued -- but just barely. The women's-skewing network averaged a 1.9 household rating during primetime in the second quarter to edge USA Network's 1.8 rating -- an average boosted by several late June ...
NUE-TV's Painful Waiting Game.(layoffs at New Urban Entertainment)(Brief Article)
Jul 09, 2001; ... Even though it has let most of its executive staff go, New Urban Entertainment officials said the company is still in business as it pursues a major financial investment. African-American targeted cable network NUE-TV laid off nearly all of its executives on June 29 in a move ...