Multichannel News back issues from April 2005:
Betty Cohen in as Lifetime CEO.(Lifetime Entertainment Services)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- In a surprise choice, Cartoon Network founder and former president Betty Cohen has been named president and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services, replacing departing chief Carole Black. Cohen, who left Cartoon Network Worldwide in July 2001, officially starts at ...
Deadline drama: Dolan saga transcends dates.(Cablevision Systems Corp.)
Apr 04, 2005; ... March 31 was supposed to be the date when Cablevision Systems Corp. closed at least two chapters in an increasingly bizarre saga--the acceptance or denial of its $760 million bid for the Hudson Rail Yards in Manhattan and whether its struggling Rainbow DBS service would be shut down or ...
ITV time's coming--no, really.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Mark Hess likes to compare interactive television to the Loch Ness Monster. They've both generated a lot of hype over the years. And since few cable operators have rolled out interactive TV services, many U.S. viewers have had as good a chance of seeing an ITV application as they would the ...
Oxygen brands a VOD pair: spinoffs will serve viewers parenting advice, karaoke music.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Looking to build additional brands, Oxygen will launch two entirely new networks--a karaoke offering and a channel about parenting--on video-on-demand this summer. Air Karaoke and Oh! Baby will roll out on Time Warner Cable in June and Comcast Corp. later this year. Both VOD ...
SBC places big S-A order.(SBC Communications Inc., Scientific-Atlanta Inc.)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Scientific-Atlanta Inc. has secured a $195 million contract to provide SBC Communications Inc. with an Internet-protocol video operations center, two national IP video "super hubs" and 41 IP video hubs for its video rollout. Set-top boxes are not included: Telco SBC has not yet ...
Ailes hedges on timing for Fox business launch.(This Just In)(Roger Ailes, Fox News Network L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... NEW YORK -- Fox News Channel chairman and CEO Roger Ailes may be hedging his bets about the timing of a proposed Fox business-news channel launch. According to published reports, Ailes, speaking at a New-house School media breakfast here Thursday, said he would like for the ...
Fox News will offer money advice to Wal-Mart.(This Just In)(Fox News Network L.L.C, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... NEW YORK -- In a pact secured through Premier Retail Networks, Inc., Fox News Channel will now provide a monthly series of financial tips for the viewers of Wal-Mart Television Network and Sam's Club TV. Previously, Fox News had supplied breaking news segments in the ...
'Great Outdoor Games' going to Disney World.(This Just In)(Disney Sports Enterprises Inc., Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex here will be home to ESPN's Great Outdoor Games from July 7 to July 10. Network officials said coverage ...
Dan O'Brien goes to Gotuit: creating a flexible VOD solution path becomes a priority for the cable vet.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Gotuit Media Corp. has hired longtime cable executive Dan O'Brien as chairman and CEO with hopes of expanding sales of its video-on-demand navigation software. A veteran of Time Warner Cable and former CEO of Prime-Star Inc. and High SpeedAccess Corp., O'Brien had been CEO at ...
iO gets an interactive facelift.(Navigation)(Cablevision Systems Corp., Interactive Optimum)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Cablevision Systems Corp. has quietly begun to roll out a new guide to 1.5 million iO: Interactive Optimum customers, with vibrant colors and an easier navigation system to help wade through linear, video-on-demand and interactive choices. "Navigation is a critical element of a ...
No spring flings for you, Comcaster!(Through The Wire)
Apr 04, 2005; ... If you've seen fewer cable affiliates at Major League Baseball exhibition games in Florida and Arizona this spring, one reason is an ethics code that top MSO Comcast Corp. quietly implemented last fall. For cable programmers and other vendors hoping to impress affiliates, ...
Solomon is the new ace at Tennis net: Scripps vet takes channel's top post with an aim to boost carriage.(Ken Solomon)
Apr 04, 2005; ... When people lob the question "Tennis, anyone?" to Ken Solomon, he has always come out swinging. Part of a tennis family, Solomon--who once served as a ball boy for a Davis Cup match between the U.S. and Mexico--has been playing since his youth. At this point in his playing ...
Cable nets pick up younger viewers: basic continues to narrow gap among ad-coveted group in Q1.
Apr 04, 2005; ... It's no secret basic cable has been regularly outdrawing broadcast networks relative to overall audience share. And ad-supported networks once again outperformed broadcasters during the first quarter of 2005. But cable also continues to siphon younger viewers away from the ...
Discovery adds two Hispanic networks: programmer adds Kids, travel Spanish services.(Discovery Kids)(Discovery Communications Inc.)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Hopping full force onto the Hispanic-TV bandwagon, Discovery Communications Inc. is launching two Spanish-language channels--a children's service and one on travel and lifestyle--officials said last week. Discovery Kids en Espanol and Discovery Travel & Living [Viajar y Vivar] ...
C-COR can deal--now, can it deliver? With a Baker's dozen or deals done, vendor shifts focus to new services.
Apr 04, 2005; ... STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- Tucked away in this tiny central Pennsylvania town--home of the Nittany Lion and Penn State football--C-COR Inc. has spent the past five years reinventing itself in a big way. Through 13 acquisitions--five in the past year alone--costing a total of about ...
Tiny N.C. telco takes on Time Warner: Lexcom has won video market share from an op eyeing the telephone biz.(North Carolina, Lexcom Communications)
Apr 04, 2005; ... LEXINGTON, N.C. -- Three cars were lined up at the drive-through window outside Lexcom Communications headquarters here recently, prompting a visitor to ask a woman counting cash behind a counter inside the building if Lexcom also ran a bank. "No, we don't own a bank. They're ...
Disney TV's Anne and George Show.(Q&A With Anne Sweeney & George Bodenheimer)
Apr 04, 2005 ... Anne Sweeney and George Bodenheimer hold the keys to The Walt Disney Co.'s TV kingdom. It's been roughly a year since Disney promoted both Sweeney and Bodenheimer, naming them co-chairs of the company's Media Networks unit. Sweeney retained responsibility for Disney's stable of ...
FitTV expanding regimen: net orders half-dozen series to move its repertoire beyond reps.
Apr 04, 2005; ... FitTV will continue to expand its lineup beyond exercise with more than a half-dozen new series this upcoming season, ranging from a reality program called The Gym to a show hosted by Gabrielle Reece. The six to eight new shows FitTV will serve up include Insider Training, which ...
Court TV brands a split decision.(Networks)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Court TV will create separate brands for its daytime and primetime programming to better differentiate between its news and entertainment content, executives said during an upfront presentation here last Tuesday. Later this spring or early summer, the network will label its ...
Sports tiers are striking out, nets say: subscribers balk at program packages that lack the genre's heavy hitters.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Sports tiers--conceived as a way to offset the high cost of basic-cable sports networks--haven't been the distribution home run that distributors and networks might have hoped for. With popular and high-priced services like ESPN and various regional sports networks refusing to ...
McSlarrow brings energy to the NCTA: Washington insider takes the reins, finds indecency squabble in his lap.(Q&A with Kyle McSlarrow)(National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Kyle McSlarrow )(Interview)
Apr 04, 2005; ... As the new president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Kyle McSlarrow didn't have much of a honeymoon. On March 1, McSlarrow's first day on the job, Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) declared his support for regulating indecent cable ...
Patient high-def approach pays for TNT: late to the HD fold, basic cable's top-rated net makes up for lost time.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Sometimes slow and steady will win the race. When HDTV euphoria hit several years ago, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. stayed on the sidelines, taking a more measured approach to launching high-definition iterations of its networks. Costs were high, carriage deals were uncertain ...
Voyeuristic viewing: 'docu-soaps' are finding homes on more cable networks.
Apr 04, 2005; ... When MTV: Music Television debuted The Osbournes in 2002, it ushered in new strain of the formidable reality-programming genre--one that focused the camera more squarely on the everyday lives of the quasi-famous in their real-life environments. Three years later, the concept has ...
Lifetime: 'modern' means complex study takes pulse of women post-9/11.(Lifetime Television)
Apr 04, 2005; ... For any naive enough believe in the myth the "typical modern woman" to begin with, a cent study should dispel any such notions about singularly defining what 21st century women are all about. Conducted by New York-based Insight Research on behalf of Lifetime Television, Women ...
ABC Family grills up a summer slate: network enters drama fray with pair of series.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Looking to capitalize on its second most-viewed period, ABC Family will bow a diverse original programming slate this summer, encompassing two movies, two reality shows--and the network's first two scripted dramas. The Disney ABC Cable Networks Group outlet announced its slate ...
MTV, Hearst team on 'Project Seventeen'.(Music Television and Hearst Magazines team up )
Apr 04, 2005; ... MTV: Music Television and Hearst Magazines are teaming for a project that should be of interest to teens. Viacom Inc.'s music and youth culture network and Hearst, the publisher of Seventeen magazine, will begin production later this month on a new reality series, Project ...
Copps: let's revisit multicast vote: FCC member sees DTV must-carry as a potential boon to localism.(Michael Copps, Federal Communications Commission )
Apr 04, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission under Republican chairman Kevin Martin should reconsider the decision that banned TV stations from demanding that cable systems carry multiple DTV programming services, FCC Democrat Michael Copps said last Monday. "I would like ...
Comcast to challenge rate rollback.(Regulation)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Comcast Corp. officials said the MSO will appeal rate-rollback orders approved by local franchising authorities representing about 1 million of the operator's customers. The LFAs ordered the rollbacks based on an analysis of Comcast's 2004 national rate filings. The communities, ...
Some cable subs mean 'don't call us': do-not-call lists pose issues for MSOs--even when phoning's allowed.
Apr 04, 2005; ... Americans seem to have a love-hate relationship with their phones. Though we're buying more and more devices and taking advantage of new connectivity, we're also becoming more sensitive about who uses those lines to reach us, and when they are used. This might be why state and ...
Nielsen: VOD measurement on track.(Nielsen Media Research Inc. to measure viewership by video on demand)
Apr 04, 2005; ... NEW YORK -- Nielsen Media Research is on target to provide the TV industry with a plan to measure video-on-demand viewership by the ratings service's self-imposed 90-day deadline, officials said last week. In a March 29 letter to update clients, Nielsen president Susan Whiting ...
Knology sells Cerritos system.(WaveDivision Holdings Inc. to buy subscriber system )
Apr 04, 2005 ... WEST POINT, GA. -- WaveDivision Holdings LLC will buy Knology Inc.'s 8,000-subscriber system ill Cerritos, Calif., for $10 million in cash, Knology said last week. Orange Broadband Inc. had terminated an agreement to purchase the system from Knology in January. ...
DBS operators fight state Taxes.(Programming)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005; ... DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Comnmnications Corp. are jointly battling tax proposals that would levy taxes on their customers in Maine and Nevada. A 5% consumer tax on direct-broadcast satellite service was added to Maine's state budget March 20 in a EchoStar, DirecTV battle tax ...
Lifetime regains its touch in Nielsens: women's net rides telefilms to gains, eyes comedy series.(Programming)
Apr 04, 2005; ... A bumper crop of original movies has helped Lifetime Television system a two-year ratings drought, and the women's targeted network hopes to maintain its primetime momentum by green-lighting up to two scripted series from an aggressive slate of pilots. Rick Haskins, general ...
Behind the curtain: 10 years of 'Real Sports'.(television programs)
Apr 04, 2005; ... With its premiere episode in April 1995--a Frank Deford report on Augusta, Ga., home of The Masters golf tournament--Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel began looking into the sports world and the ways it affects and reflects society, fearlessly questioning the minds, hearts and behaviors of ...
Voom to share WealthTV with subs.(Programming Briefs)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... NEW YORK -- Voom isn't acting like an HD direct-broadcast satellite provider that barely survived the ax. The Rainbow DBS-owned service reached an agreement to add WealthTV, the lifestyle network dedicated to personal enrichment, to its lineup. "The addition of WealthTV in HD ...
SoapNet delves again into stars' soap roots.(Programming Briefs)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... BURBANK, CALIF. -- SoapNet is slated to bow the fourth installment of its They Started on Soaps special on April 7. They Started on Soaps 4, premiering at 11 p.m. that day, will delve into the soap-opera roots of Desperate Housewives stars Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Nicollete ...
Turner South series sets women-powered renovation.(programming briefs)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... ATLANTA -- Regional network Turner South will launch a daily home-improvement show featuring an all-woman renovation crew of contractors, designers and carpenters. Shot on location at a dilapidated home in NoDa, an historic neighborhood in Charlotte, N.C., the Home Makers ...
Science special to probe Albert Einstein's mind.(Science Channel to pay tribute to Albert Einstein in its television program)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- The Science Channel on April 17 will pay tribute to one of the world's greatest minds with a pair of one-hour specials about Albert Einstein. Airing at 9 p.m. that night, Exploring Einstein: Life of a Genius goes beyond his theories that led to the creation ...
BBCA's 'Wire in the Blood' takes a stateside trip.(BBC America to air televsion drama in United States)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... SILVER SPRING, MD. -- BBC America will bring the first season of psychological drama Wire in the Blood to U.S. soil on April 11 at 9 p.m. (ET). Starring Robson Green (Touching Evil, ...
Disney, ESPN prep new VOD strategy.(On Demand)
Apr 04, 2005; ... The programming networks inside The Walt Disney Co. are overhauling their video-on-demand strategies and developing a cross-brand programming initiative that combines content from ESPN, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, SoapNet, Jetix, ABC Family, Radio Disney and ABC. "We're ...
Rainbow expands VOD vision: AMC and WE ready to roll out new brand extensions.(video on demand, )
Apr 04, 2005; ... Rainbow Programming made a name for itself a few years ago when it launched cable's first original VOD service, Mag Rack. Now, it s putting increased onus on video on demand with new VOD plans for three programming brands. Both AMC and WE: Women's Entertainment will launch VOD services ...
Cablevision revs up auto VOD classifieds: rate card in the offing after successful soft launch.(On Demand)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Cablevision Systems Corp. is off to a flying start with its interactive/on-demand Optimum Auto classified advertising service, where its iO: Interactive Optimum digital subscribers can scan through 48,000 cars for sale from more than 300 dealers in the New York area. The service ...
The evolution of VOD: on demand must round some major bases before it's a home run.(video on demand)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Sometimes, you work really hard to create a new service or technology, spending years on development, testing, then marketing and refining the product, and it takes off like a rocket. For those of you who worked on high-speed Internet access, take a bow. Sometimes, you work ...
Starz adds an early bird special: one lure of many in Starz' next-generation SVOD strategy.(on demand)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Starz Entertainment Group debuted its next-generation on-demand platform April 1. The new platform includes a new blue-screen-based navigation guide, an early premiere section and two-minute branded introductions to subscription VOD movies. "The name of the game early on was ...
ESPN Broadband goes 360.(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network revamps its programming)
Apr 04, 2005; ... ESPN has overhauled its former ESPN Broadband product, renaming it ESPN 360 and bolstering it with a lineup that included 22 live events over a 22-day span in March. "We're very excited we have content in lot of different genres," said Tanya Van Court, vice president and general ...
Fuse infuses VOD content with trivia: links contests and prizes to high-speed portals, localizing the product for operators.(Fuse Cable Network plans to bring video on demand to its content)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Fuse on Demand is planning to bring some of the same interactive trivia elements from its linear programming to its video-on-demand content. The Fuse cable network buries interactive clues inside music videos, providing a call to action for viewers to visit the company's Web ...
First-run VOD: April movies.(video on demand)(Illustration)
Apr 04, 2005 ... <Pre> APRIL MOVIES First=Run VOD The following tables list the first-run and continuing movies in the video-on-demand window from the major studios that supply product to cable operators: Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, ...
HDTV in April.(On Demand)(Illustration)
Apr 04, 2005 ... <Pre> HDTV IN APRIL HDTV The following chart lists prominent national HDTV programming for this month from cable's major HD programmers, including primetime and premiere fare, plus live events, and is meant to provide a sampling of what these networks offer. All listings for 8 ...
SVOD lineup: April's premium.(subscription video on demand )
Apr 04, 2005 ... <Pre> APRIL'S PREMIUM SVOD Lineup Highlights from the month's subscription video-on-demaed offerings from Home Box Office, Showtime Networks Inc., Starz Encore Group LLC, Here TV!, Playboy TV, Uncensored On Demand, World Picks on Demand and WWE 24/7. Home Box Office ...
A different jacket for WE: cable network in deal to publish book based on 'Full Frontal Fashion' series.(Women's Entertainment signs deal with Plume Books)
Apr 04, 2005; ... For WE: Women's Entertainment, this summer will see full frontal publishing. The Rainbow Entertainment Services distaff-targeted network has inked a deal with Plume Books, a division of Penguin Group, for a title based on its Full Frontal Fashion series. Full Frontal Fashion: ...
VOD service Mag Rack turns on new campaign.(video on demand)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005; ... Mag Rack is stepping up the marketing effort behind its niche video-on-demand service, with plans to run a new series of cross-channel spots this week featuring testimonials from subscribers. The Rainbow Media Holdings Inc.-owned company, which kicked off its first marketing ...
New CSTV campaign finds school spirit.(CSTV: College Sports Television contracts Taxi for advertising campaign)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005; ... In concert with its two-year anniversary and with the eyes of the sports world focused on college basketball's Final Four, CSTV tipped off a new branding campaign this past weekend. The campaign, from ad agency Taxi, features four spots running on CSTV, cross-channel avails and ...
Cable Television Pioneers 2005: new members of pioneers group add a new layer of legends.(A Special Advertising Supplement)(Advertisement)
Apr 04, 2005; ... In 1948, a patchwork of small, rural communities in Arkansas, Oregon and Pennsylvania began receiving TV signals via miles of cable strung from telephone poles to select local residents. It was the dawning of the cable industry, a fledgling technology and concept fraught with risks and ...
Beauty.(Beauty & Fasion Channel appoints Jim Morison)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... JIM MORRISON was named general manager of the Beauty & ...
Bravo.(appoints Tony Cardinale)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... Bravo has added TONY CARDINALE as vice president, program research. He comes ...
Coaxsys.(appoints Gary Hoffman)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... Coaxsys Inc. has named GARY HOFFMAN vice president of business ...
CTAM.(Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing appoints Patrick D. Dougherty and Linda A. Gatti)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... PATRICK D. DOUGHERTY has joined the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing as director of meetings. He comes from the American Legislative Exchange Council in Washington, D.C., where he was ...
DayPort.(appoints Andy Ioannou)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... DayPort has added ANDY IOANNOU as vice president, business ...
Discovery.(Discovery Networks U.S. promotes Victoria Lowell and Patrick Lafferty)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... Discovery Networks U.S. has elevated VICTORIA LOWELL to senior vice president, marketing, responsible for Animal Planet, Discovery Health Channel and FitTV .She was VP, marketing of Discovery Health and FitTV. Also, ...
Fox.(Fox Filmed Entertainment appoints Matthew Glotzer)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... MATTHEW GLOTZER was named vice president, digital media at Fox Filmed ...
GSN.(Dennis Johnson appointed)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... DENNIS JOHNSON has joined GSN as executive director, publicity and corporate ...
Hallmark.(Hallmark Channel promotes Scott Anderson and Jess Aguirre)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... SCOTT ANDERSON was elevated to senior vice president, programming and acquisitions at Hallmark Channel. He was VP. ...
Media Distributors.(appoints Kheley Ridlon and Jeff Goldstein)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... KHELEY RIDLON was named account manager, outside sales, New York region at Media ...
Events.(Calendar)
Apr 04, 2005 ... April 5 National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, Annual Awards Breakfast, Yuerba Buena Ballroom, Marriot San Francisco. Contact: (714) 371-4077 or info@namic.com. 7-10 Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing ...
Miranda.(Miranda Technologies appoints John McCluskey)(Brief Article)
Apr 04, 2005 ... Miranda Technologies has tapped JOHN McCLUSKEY as Southwest regional ...