Fast Track

Four high-profile politicos have turned programmers for Turner Classic Movies. The network asked four senators—two Democrats and two Republicans—to select and introduce politically oriented films. They'll be the marquee movies in a Thursday night theme lineup beginning October 7 and leading up to the election. Vice-presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) chose Stanley Kubrick's black comedy, Dr. Strangelove, in which a rogue military threatens the peace and security of the world. Next in the rotation on Oct. 14 will be Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who picked Kubrick's Paths Of Glory, about a glory-seeking general. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) picked Dead Poets Society to run Oct. 21; Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) picked To Kill A Mockingbird to run Oct. 28.

In a decision that makes it harder for content producers to crack down on illegal copying of their works, federal judges held that Grokster and StreamCast Networks are not liable for copyright infringement when individuals use their file-sharing software to illegally swap copyrighted video, movies and music.

Major League Baseball team owners have agreed to a league plan to launch a baseball cable network by fall 2005. It is unclear if the MLB-owned channel would program live games, but programming ideas include spring training games, news conferences, classic games, minor league games, softball and extensive highlights.

Court TV CEO Henry Schleiff says, "I thought if you armed this guy with a network with fuller distribution, strong ratings and deeper pockets, you'd be putting a race-car driver behind a Ferrari." This guy is Fuse President Marc Juris, who has been brought in as general manager to add a youthful spark to the network and ratchet up marketing. The network is trying to court a younger audience with more reality and contemporary fare. Juris will lead that effort. With Court TV's crime and investigation hooks, he envisions programming "everything from inventive reality shows to compelling scripted series." Juris programmed Fuse, the thinly distributed music channel on a shoestring and still managed to grab significant buzz.

Caryn Mandabach, who has spent 20 years with high-profile TV programmer Carsey-Werner Mandabach, first as producer and eventually name-in-the-title partner, is exiting to hang out her own shingle. Mandabach's resume includes The Cosby Show, Roseanne, That '70s Show, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Grace Under Fire, A Different World, Cybill and Grounded For Life. Mandabach already has support—moral and possibly more—from Fox. "We've always enjoyed working with her, and we hope to continue doing so in the future," says Fox Broadcasting Entertainment President Gail Berman.

Some NBC HD viewers who tuned in at 8 p.m. for the Athens Summer Olympic Games opening ceremonies were surprised to see the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City two years ago. While the regular analog coverage of the ceremonies did begin at 8 on NBC, the HD coverage that went to the 124 HD-capable affiliates wasn't scheduled to begin until 9, due to a pre-planned hour delay. Instead, between 8 and 9, NBC put together some bonus coverage in the form of an HDTV highlight reel of the Salt Lake City opening. But with no crawl to explain the old footage, some viewers were left collectively scratching their heads.