The week that was
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/16/2001 7:00:00 PM
WASHINGTON MEMO
House leadership last week postponed a vote on the Tauzin-Dingell bill, which aims to deregulate the regional Bell phone companies so they can offer broadband services over long distances. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) fought with opponents who wanted to add amendments that would have required the Bells to share their new high-speed networks with competitors. The vote will come later; Tauzin's aide called it a "delay, not a defeat." ...
The State Department is asking radio stations and newspapers in major media markets to run its new PSAs, which tell citizens how to contact the government with information about suspicious persons or activities and where to donate money to support the program. The department's Rewards for Justice program is offering $25 million for information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders. ...
The cable industry will ask the FCC to change the way it tabulates partial investments towards cable ownership limits, NCTA chief Robert Sachs said last week. The FCC is rewriting rules that once limited a cable company's national subscriber share to 30% of all multichannel customers. The NCTA says rules attributing stakes of 5% and greater in other cable systems towards a company's ownership tally should be reworked as well.
GET A PROGRAM!
Tribune Entertainment is officially bringing out Beyond With James Van Praagh, a daily strip featuring the psychic. It's already cleared in 60% of the U.S. and 48 markets for next season, including deals with the major co-owned Tribune Broadcasting stations. ... Sources say Buena Vista TV has sold a syndicated daytime series with Wayne Brady, the co-star of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, to the ABC owned-and-operated stations for the 2002-03 season. Buena Vista executives have still not formally announced the show with Brady, which is expected to be a talk/variety show. ...
Universal's two syndicated dating series Blind Date and The 5th Wheel have earned a number of upgrades across the country, including triple runs for Blind Date in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas. The 5th Wheel is moving from an overnight slot on WWOR-TV New York to a daytime post and is also getting a second run on KCAL-TV Los Angeles. ...
Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy continued to rule in syndication, placing one-two in the November sweeps. Wheel of Fortune was the top-rated strip, averaging a 10.0 rating, off 7% from last November, according to Nielsen Media Research. Jeopardy followed, with an 8.4 national rating, off just 1% from its November 2000 sweeps. ...
Off-network runs of Friends finished third in syndication and was the highest-rated off-net series, averaging a 6.6 rating (up 12%). On the weekly-series front, Entertainment Tonight Weekend was tops for the second season in a row, averaging a 3.5 rating (off 13%). Andromeda finished second at a 3.1 rating (off 21%), and newcomer Mutant X was third overall with a 3.0 rating. ...
Led by drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS won the weekly ratings race in all key demographics, including adults 18-49. CBS won the 11th week of the season (Dec. 3-9) in total viewers (12.1 million), households (8.0 rating/13 share), adults 24-54 (4.8/12) and adults 18-49 (4.0/11). ...
CBS has ordered a new reality series for midseason that follows fighter pilots in training. The series, American Fighter Pilots, has been given a minimum six-episode order, but network executives would not say when it will debut.
TVB ADD-ONS
ABC, NBC, Tribune, LIN, Nexstar and Hearst-Argyle television groups will hold management meetings in tandem with the March 25 annual TVB conference, being held this year in New York during the annual car show. More station groups are likely to follow. Broadcasters apparently like the synergy because car dealers are local television's biggest categories. Previously, TVB held its conference as part of the NAB convention.
PEOPLE MEETER
Bill Burke, the former president of TBS, joins as president of The Weather Channel on Feb. 4. Decker Anstrom, who has the job now, ascends to COO of the channel's parent, Landmark Communications, on Jan. 1. ...
Turner Entertainment's legendary head of program planning and acquisitions, Bob Levi, is stepping down after 31 years with the company.
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