Fast Track
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/19/2004 8:00:00 PM
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Items:
NBC Plays Outdoors Will Networks Air Debates? Journalist Threat Level Raised Jake Pumps Reality CBS's Prime Time Players 2 Friends Earmarks Kids Parting Shot |
NBC Plays Outdoors
NBC Universal has made its first foray into the lucrative outdoor-ad market, which already features major broadcast media players Viacom and Clear Channel. NBC has teamed with "street-furniture" company JCDecaux on a New York City request for proposal for 3,500 bus shelters and 330 newsstands. The new partnership, NBCDecaux, was created to win the New York bid, but it could extend to other cities. Viacom has also bid for the contract.
Will Networks Air Debates?
Media For Democracy (MediaChannel.org) is collecting online signatures for a petition to be sent to top executives at ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC asking them to commit to "comprehensive coverage" of the presidential debates. The move came a week after the group, joined by the Public Interest, Public Airwaves coalition and others, asked the networks for a commitment. Media For Democracy complained that Fox didn't air the first presidential debates last year in order to show the premiere of Dark Angel, while NBC gave stations the option of carrying baseball playoffs.
Journalist Threat Level Raised
According to reporters with Committee for Freedom of the Press, the trend toward limiting journalists' access to information since 9/11 continues to grow. "Citizens don't seem to realize how drastically their right to know has been limited in the last three years," says Lucy Dalglish, RCFP director, in a statement on the release of its annual update, Homefront Confidential.
The committee has been keeping a running journalistic "threat level" that mirrors the government's own color-coded terrorist-threat warnings. The two categories that remain at red alert are Freedom of Information Act restrictions and Access to Terrorism and Immigration Proceedings, but two others have moved from elevated (yellow) to high (orange) status since last year's report: USA Patriot Act Restrictions and Reporters Privilege.
Radio-Television News Directors Association President Barbara Cochran testified at a Homeland Security Committee Hearing in Washington last week. She noted that Reps. Norman Dicks (D-Wash.) and Jim Turner (D-Texas) also expressed concern that the government had gone overboard in its effort to place records off-limits in the name of homeland security.
Jake Pumps Reality
Lions Gate Television and Body by Jake's Jake Steinfeld are teaming on a new reality show, Be the Boss. Lions Gate, which got a 13-episode order from CBS for its reality series The Cut, is looking for an outlet to launch the show next spring, timed to the publication of Steinfeld's book, I've Seen a Lot of Famous People Naked and They've Got Nothing on You! The weekly series, based on the book, will tap aspiring entrepreneurs who compete for money to start their businesses.
CBS's Prime Time Players
Newly minted CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler has assembled a new group to head up prime time series. Laverne McKinnon, formerly senior vice president of drama development, will replace Tassler as head of drama development. Wendi Trilling is being bumped up to executive vice president, comedy development, from senior vice president, and David Brownfield, vice president, current programs, has been named senior vice president. He replaces David Stapf, who was named president, Paramount Network Television.
2 Friends Earmarks Kids
Two top TV execs formed a new company called, appropriately enough, 2 Friends Entertainment. Wendy Moss-Klein, formerly a driving force behind Sony Wonder, and Nancy Steingard, most recently senior vice president, creative development, for Sesame Workshop, have a number of TV projects lined up, including one based on the Harriet the Spy children's book series.
Parting Shot
Tony Esparza, who joined CBS in 1959 as a publicity photographer, is retiring Oct. 1 after 45 years and countless photo shoots for successful CBS series from The Sonny and Cher Show to The Amazing Race. He also snapped The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Queen Elizabeth and thousands more in a distinguished career.
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