TelevisionWeek back issues from January 2008:
Media; Media planner: the names, stats and insight you will need for the coming year in marketing.(Media Planner)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Downsizing: Jeff Bewkes' big idea could be to think small. Mr. Bewkes, who succeeded Richard Parsons as Time Warner CEO Jan. 1, is widely expected to reboot the sprawling conglomerate with a sale or spinoff of some major assets. Time Warner since 1995 has been the largest company on Ad ...
Agencies; Media planner: the names, stats and insight you will need for the coming year in marketing.(rankings of advertising agencies)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... From the top: Forget advertising's Big Four. It's really the Big Two and the other two. Full-year 2007 results aren't in yet, but revenue for the first nine months shows how the ranking is tightening up. No. 2 WPP Group ($8.75 billion through September) isn't far behind Omnicom Group ...
Roving Eye.
Jan 07, 2008 ... 1. TBS' Phil Kent, left, Time Warner's Richard Parsons, Turner Entertainment Networks' Mark Lazarus and executive producer George Stevens Jr. enjoy the reception for TNT's "Christmas in Washington" Dec. 8 at the National Building Museum. 2. "One Tree Hill" creator/executive ...
First-Timers Push Perennial Faves Off Syndie List; With Six Series on Air, Producer Bruckheimer Joins Tally as Banks, 'Seinfeld,' Newsmagazines Disappear From Their Usual Spots.(Special Report: Road to NATPE: Most Bankable Stars)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Chris Pursell In an industry that thrives on stability, syndication's most bankable stars all bring a comforting sense of familiarity to the table, even the rookies. What is unfamiliar, however, is the number of "firsts" we find on the 2008 "Most Bankable Stars of ...
Weekly Prime-Time Ratings, Week of Dec. 17-Dec. 23.(Ratings Wizard)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Monday, Dec. 17-Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007 TV Season Week No. 13 NBC won the week in adults 18 to 49 with a 2.5/8. CBS won in total viewers with 8.6 million. Top Shows For the Week Adults 18 to 49: ...
Weekly Prime-Time Ratings, Week of Dec. 24-Dec. 30.(Ratings Wizard)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Monday, Dec. 24-Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007 TV Season Week No. 14 NBC won the week in adults 18 to 49 with a 2.7/8. CBS won in total viewers with 8.5 million. Top Shows For the Week Adults 18 to 49: ...
This year's panelists.(panelists in choosing the ten most bankable stars for 2008)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: CHRIS PURSELL TelevisionWeek asked seven industry insiders to help select syndication's 10 most bankable stars for 2008. Here's a glance at the panel of experts. Bill Carroll Bill Carroll is VP and director of programming for the Katz Television ...
Dropping Out From Last Year's List.(Special Report: Most Bankable)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Dropping Out From Last Year's List (With 2007 rank): Jerry Seinfeld (10) Tyra Banks (7) Mary Hart (8) Cast of "Everybody ...
Evolution of a Multimedia Firm; New Division Will Focus on Varied Platforms.(Evolution Film and Tape's transformation and management)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Chris Pursell With an eye toward the future, "The Real Housewives of Orange County'' producer Evolution Film & Tape has refocused company objectives, renaming the organization Evolution Media as it marks its 20th anniversary. In addition, Evolution Media will ...
Price Survey: Cost of Web Video Ads; CPMs, Advertising Options Vary Widely in Different Media Outlets.(Media&Tech)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney What does it cost to advertise in the Web video medium? The answers vary as wildly as the range of Web video content itself. This compilation documents the current asking rates for different kinds of ads connected to Web video. ...
Experts' Tips Good Guide to Better TV Ads; Over the Years Industry Vets Found Simplicity, Research Best Practices.(Media Planner)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Adam Armbruster Special to TelevisionWeek Do you really want to improve your television marketing skills in 2008? Then let the best of the best in the television advertising profession help you. What follows are our 10 best tips for television ...
Digital dealmakers; In focus: Philip John.
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney The Player: Philip John, CEO of Clippz, a United Kingdom-based mobile entertainment company. The play: Clippz.com is a Web site and service that lets users optimize video clips for mobile devices and also transfer those videos for viewing on ...
'Access Hollywood' Ups Its Game.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney NBC Universal will relaunch the Web site for syndicated entertainment newsmagazine "Access Hollywood'' at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, the latest indication of the weight Hollywood studios are placing on the electronics extravaganza that kicks ...
Clicks; All About SuperTrons.(consumers)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... SuperTrons A new term for consumers who are the heaviest users of new-media services and equipment. A SuperTron must have two or more of the following services: DVR, HDTV programming, a video iPod or Slingbox and satellite radio. 4x: The likelihood that SuperTrons ...
Cox Tries Texting in Ads; Cable Giant Adds Mobile Marketing.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney Cox is rolling out a mobile advertising component for its marketers starting this month, in a new initiative that should reach most of its footprint by year end. The mobile capability builds on a handful of experiments Cox conducted in the fall ...
Best of blog.(TVWeek.com)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Weather Tests M&A Climate Landmark Communications President-CEO Decker Anstrom confirmed a report that appeared in the New York Times Jan. 3 that the company has retained JPMorgan Chase to sell the Weather Channel and Lehman Brothers to handle Landmark's other holdings, which ...
CES After NATPE's Mantle; With the Support of Sony and NBC, Market Embraces Content.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Chris Pursell The International Consumer Electronics Show gets into full swing today in Las Vegas, officially launching the Consumer Electronics Association's all-out attempt to seize the crown as the leading content market for its hardware regulars. Under ...
Rodriguez Off to an 'Early' Start; Weekend Co-Anchor Gaining Her Bearings.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Michele Greppi Maggie Rodriguez has worked her way up in the television news business from associate producer to the newest co-anchor of "The Early Show'' and contributor to "The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric.'' She was discovered by CBS News and Sports ...
Pol Ads Stoke Broadcasters; Fox Lands Rare National Presidential Spot.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz Rudy Giuliani's campaign has made the first network TV ad buy for the presidential contest in at least 12 years and maybe the first network TV buy ever in a presidential primary race. The buy-a 60-second spot that ran on "Fox News Sunday'' Dec ....
News briefs.
Jan 07, 2008 ... College Sports TV Nets Folded Into CBS Sports CBS is folding College Sports Television Networks into the operations of CBS Sports, the company said Thursday. Tony Petitti, executive VP and executive producer of CBS Sports, will oversee day-to-day operations of CSTV, replacing ...
Previous years' most bankable stars.(Special Report: Most Bankable)(List)
Jan 07, 2008 ... 2007 Oprah Winfrey Dr. Phil McGraw Judge Judy Sheindlin Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa Rachael Ray Ellen DeGeneres Tyra Banks Mary Hart Ray Romano Jerry Seinfeld ...
NBC's Eggs All in One Basket; Multitude of Branded Platforms on Parade at Electronics Show.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Michele Greppi NBC Universal's role as the first official broadcast partner of the International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas "makes a statement about who we are,'' said NBC News Digital Media VP Mark Lukasiewicz. It also makes a statement ...
Digital TVs in 50% of U.S. Households.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz Congressmen may be complaining about the lack of government promotion of the 2009 transition from analog to digital television, but consumers appear to be marching out on their own to buy digital TV sets. The Consumer Electronics Association said ...
Viral video pick of the week; TVWeek's pick: Take it easy.(Viral Video)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: DAISY WHITNEY The setup: New Year's resolutions never work anyway, right? So why not pick the things that are easy to accomplish-such as hitting the snooze button on the alarm each day, or eating a value meal once a week? Those are some of the suggestions proffered in ...
CBS Pinning Hopes on 'Early' Changes; 3rd-Place Morning Show Regains Half-Hour From Affiliates.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Michele Greppi "The Early Show'' senior executive producer Shelley Ross is the latest in a very long line of CBS News producers to attempt the Sisyphean task of rolling the morning show up the ratings hill. It's had five decades of languishing in the cellar under a ...
Quicktakes.(Press Room)(David Letterman and Jay Leno)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Stephanie Robbins Would you rather watch Letterman with writers or Leno without? "Without taking anything away from the writing staffs, the talents of David Letterman and Jay Leno have been honed over enough decades of comic professionalism that we watch the ...
TV Guide Finishes Content Makeover; Switches to Entertainment Amid Behind-the-Scenes Drama.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette TV Guide Network is launching new programming during the first quarter, but most of the channel's drama is going on behind the scenes. The network is owned by Gemstar, which in December agreed to be acquired by Macrovision for $2.8 billion in ...
Hearst-Argyle Sends Carter to Head Orlando Duopoly; Biz briefs.(Deals)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: michele greppi Hearst-Argyle Television has named James J. Carter president and general manager of its WESH-TV, an NBC affiliate, and WKCF-TV, a CW affiliate. Both stations serve the Orlando-Daytona-Melbourne market in Florida. Mr. Carter has been president ...
Weather Channel on the Sales Block; Landmark Wants $5 Billion for Network, Web Site.(Deals)(Website overview)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Andrew Hampp Advertising Age The Weather Channel is on the block. Norfolk, Va.-based Landmark Communications last week said it intends to sell the Weather Channel and its Web site, Weather.com, for an estimated $5 billion. Also potentially for sale ...
Blink.
Jan 07, 2008 ... WB Throws Its Weight Behind Blu-Ray If you received an HD DVD player for Christmas, at this point you might want to ask for the receipt. Warner Bros., the only studio that has maintained staunch bipartisanship in the high-definition home video format battle, has decided to ...
She Who Laughs Late ...(late night shows back in production)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Michele Greppi With the late-night shows back in production, The Insider is back in full sleep-deprivation mode. Not that she's complaining. It's better than the amusement deprivation of the two months in which the shows were sidelined by the writers strike. ...
A World of Importance for NATPE; Licensing, Co-Production Deals High on Attendees' Agenda.(Special Report: Road to NATPE: International Marke)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Chris Pursell With 76 countries set to make their presence felt at NATPE this month, perhaps never before has the market generated so much attention for its international importance. With the writers strike hurting episode commitments overseas, and one-time ...
What's Coming, Going to International Markets.(Special Report: Road to NATPE)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Chris Pursell CBS International Television Key programs: "The Doctors,'' "Welcome to the Captain,'' "CSI'' Armando Nunez Jr., President, CBS International Television On attending NATPE: Our domestic colleagues decided not to go on the ...
WGA Battle Moves to Late-Night Shows; Lack of Writers Doesn't Hurt Leno's Ratings.(Writers Guild of America, Jay Leno's show)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: James Hibberd With contract negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers at a stalemate, the backroom haggling between the writers and the studios moved to the very public arena of the late-night airwaves ...
Harmonizing Their Way Past Divisive Issues; diverse voices.(screenwriters and Writers Guild of America's negotiations)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: Dinah Eng At a time when rhetoric and rancor is running high in the Writers Guild of America strike, Hollywood would do well to go back to its roots and remember that the success of any deal depends on the character of those involved. Many writers say the ...
CES Lays Out Roadmap to the Digital Future; Editorial.(Press Room)(Editorial)
Jan 07, 2008 ... When a convention draws the likes of Bill Gates, Brian Roberts and General Motors' Chairman-CEO Rick Wagoner as major speakers, and it's neither a computer gathering, a cable convention nor a car show, attention must be paid. And paying attention is exactly what many in the TV ...
2008 guide to HDTV programming.(Advertising Supplement)
Jan 07, 2008 ... S3 State of the HD business S6 AETN HD networks S8 HDNet & HDNet movies S10 MGM HD ...
NBC Focuses on Power of Out-of-Home; Media Giant Plans Separate 'Upfront' for Public Platforms.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Brian Steinberg Advertising Age In a sign of the emerging power of TV outside the home, NBC Universal will hold what media buyers are likening to an "upfront'' presentation for its digital out-of-home assets Jan. 16. The media company is hoping to ...
NewsMakers.
Jan 07, 2008 ... BROADCASTING Gena Ashe to VP/deputy general counsel, PBS, from senior associate general counsel, Darden Restaurants. Mark Effron to president/chief operating officer, TitanTV Media, from senior VP. Frank Friedman to senior VP/head of local broadcast, ...
CNN Flush With Election Sponsorships; 4 Advertisers Sign On.(News)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette In the race for campaign advertising dollars, CNN appears to be a winner. The cable network has sold TV and online election sponsorship packages worth between $5 million and $9 million apiece to four advertisers. Those sponsors are Hyundai, ...
Taking It to the Streets.(How to Look Good Naked)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Byline: JON LAFAYETTE It's odd to see women in bathrobes on the streets of New York -- particularly during a January cold snap, such as the one that hit the city last week. But that didn't stop Lifetime from sending 160 be-robed women (with parkas underneath) into Times Square ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Jan 07, 2008 ... In ""5th Grader,' "10' Mulled for Syndie" (TelevisionWeek, Dec. 17), the ...
Close-up Arthur Minson.(NewsMakers)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Time Warner Cable has promoted Arthur Minson to executive vice president and deputy chief financial officer. In this role, Mr. Minson will provide oversight of Time Warner Cable's accounting, financial planning and analysis. Mr. Minson, previously senior VP of finance, joined Time Warner ...
News briefs.
Jan 14, 2008 ... Moonves: Strike to End in `Next Few Months' CBS Inc. President-CEO Leslie Moonves is "guardedly optimistic'' that the writers strike will be over "in the next few months.'' He said there are "some steps being taken to push that ahead,'' but didn't give any details about what ...
PBS PUTS TOP TALES BEFORE PUBLIC; Documentary Offers Winning Highlights.(Special)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Debra Kaufman Special to TelevisionWeek The 500-channel universe makes for a crowded landscape, and it isn't always easy to catch the best investigative reporting on television. That's what the duPont Awards celebrate, and the organization's ...
Pace of Race Keeps Broadcasters on Toes; Many Candidates, Abbreviated Schedule Pose Coverage Challenges.(Special Report: Election Coverage)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Debra Kaufman Special to TelevisionWeek The early days of the 2008 presidential election have been full of surprises, and broadcasters are rolling with the punches. "Why is it so difficult?'' NBC News political director Chuck Todd said on the ...
Best of blog.(TVWeek.com)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Taking Stock of `Pioneers' Who else is watching PBS' "Pioneers of Television'' series? I caught the Jan. 2 opener on sitcoms and last week's installment on late-night shows: essentially Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. I thought both were pretty well done, and ...
Cable News Networks Giving it Their All; Operations Change to Cover High-Energy Political Campaign With Keen Viewer Interest.(Special Report: Election Coverage)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Hillary Atkin Special to TelevisionWeek In a presidential election season that began with seismic shifts in political power after the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the three major cable news networks, with their voracious appetites, are ...
Strike Doesn't Dent 2nd-Quarter Ad Buys; Advertisers See Few, More Costly Alternatives.(television advertising)
Jan 14, 2008; ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Despite lower ratings and program schedules that are radically different than what was presented in May by the broadcast networks, advertisers are likely to hold onto nearly all the advertising inventory they bought in the upfront for the second quarter. ...
Local tv early election winner; Stations, Spot Cable Flourish.(Special Report: Election Coverage)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Chuck Ross The presidential primary season has barely begun and already there are two clear-cut winners: local broadcast TV and spot cable. During each of the four days leading up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus, total political spending on TV stations in the state ...
'Edition' Keeps Pace With Times; CBS' Syndicated Newsmagazine Marks 20 Years on Air.(News)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Chris Pursell Darwin would have been proud. From running out of the gate with a "gotcha'' attitude and Bill O'Reilly as anchor in 1988 to today's law-changing investigative pieces under anchor Deborah Norville, "Inside Edition'' has evolved with the ...
Trifecta Sells 'Idol' to Fox Stations; Distributor Also Will Take Over Syndie Version's Ad Sales.(News)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Chris Pursell Less than a month after it acquired "American Idol Rewind'' from the shut-down Tribune distribution operation, Trifecta Entertainment has cleared the weekly syndicated series on the Fox-owned stations. In addition, executives said ad sales for the show ...
NBC Calls for More 'Gladiators'.(News)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: James Hibberd NBC plans to order more episodes of "American Gladiators'' from producers MGM and Reveille this week, but the renewal is just the start of extensions planned for the competition show. Original "Gladiators'' series owner MGM intends to announce ...
Sweeps a Patchwork in February; Strike Renders Annual Data Less Useful Than Ever.(television programs' market share)
Jan 14, 2008; ... Byline: James Hibberd The February sweep, goes the annual industry consensus, is the weird one. In recent years February has been dominated by ratings-spiking events such as the Super Bowl, Grammys and Oscars, not to mention Fox's "American Idol.'' The shows make the ...
Public Test Set for SyncTV.(News)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney Pioneer's download-to-own online video service SyncTV will move from a private beta to a broader public trial later this quarter. The consumer electronics company rolled out the online download service late last year in partnership with Showtime ...
Time for Producers, WGA to Get Talking; Editorial.(Press Room)(Writers Guild Of America)(Editorial)(Brief article)
Jan 14, 2008 ... As the strike by the Writers Guild of America enters its 11th week and the impasse between the writers and the studios continues, we've seen the return to television of the late-night talk shows, along with the return of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to Comedy Central and the scheduled ...
Behind NBC's Ratings Spike; Silverman's Choices Starting to Pay Off, but There Remain Tough Trials Ahead.(News)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: James Hibberd For a while there, NBC Co-Chair Ben Silverman seemed famous for merely being famous, his feuds with rivals and partying lifestyle more reliably entertaining than the occasional on-air manifestations of his programming decisions. Since the start ...
Blink.(Academy Awards, Fox News Channel LLC.'s coverage of political debates of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Jay Leno's plan)
Jan 14, 2008 ... A Worsening Case of Nerves for Oscar Advertisers The writers' strike takedown of the Golden Globes last week has those who participate in the $300 million Oscar economy shaking in their red-soled Louboutins. The ongoing action by the Writers Guild of America helped scotch the ...
Cancellations Are Costing Networks; Oscars May Be Next to Fall to Writers Strike.(television networks, Oscar Awards)
Jan 14, 2008; ... Byline: Brian Steinberg Advertising Age The ongoing writers strike is taking much of the glitz and glitter out of the TV schedule. NBC is offering some Golden Globes advertisers the option of getting cash back because the traditional broadcast was scuttled; the ...
TargetVision Adds 2 Series; Company Selling 'Sports Stars,' 'Race Week'.(News)
Jan 14, 2008; ... Byline: Chris Pursell With the countdown to the National Association of Television Program Executives conference in full gear, independent distributor TargetVision has added two syndicated series, "Sports Stars of Tomorrow'' and "Race Week,'' to its 2008-09 season programming ...
Football Needs a Bit of Madness; Tournament Like NCAA Basketball's Would Create Mass-Reach Opportunity.(Media Planner)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Dominiak Special to TelevisionWeek The volatile conclusion of this year's college football season prompted a lot of discussion over the past few weeks. There were no clear-cut, dominant teams at the end of the regular season, leading to much contention ...
NBC, Microsoft Partner for Web Olympics Coverage; Biz briefs.(Deals)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: chris pursell On top of 3,600 hours of Summer Olympics coverage due to be offered by NBC Universal, the studio announced that it is teaming with MSN and Microsoft in a strategic partnership to form "NBC Olympics.com on MSN.'' NBCOlympics.com's coverage will be powered by ...
`Through Deaf Eyes'; Florentine Films/Hott Productions and WETA-TV, Washington.(Special)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Jarre Fees Special to TelevisionWeek When yet another hearing president was appointed to lead Gallaudet University in 1988-after more than a century of hearing presidents-the students at the college for the deaf revolted. Building on the foundations of the ...
`Mental Anguish and the Military'; NPR and Daniel Zwerdling.(Special)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Jarre Fees Special to TelevisionWeek In 2005 a mental health specialist at the Veterans Administration warned NPR's Daniel Zwerdling that the military was not adequately caring for returning Iraq War veterans, who were exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic ...
`Jihad: The Men and Ideas Behind Al Qaeda'; Paladin Invision, London, and WETA-TV, Washington.(Special)
Jan 14, 2008 ... Byline: Hillary Atkin Special to TelevisionWeek The series "America at a Crossroads'' was an ambitious initiative for PBS last spring: six consecutive nights of programming examining tough questions surrounding the war on terrorism and the conflicts in Iraq and ...