Broadcasting & Cable Blogs
Start of Something Big
I remember it as if it were yesterday, so long as yesterday was more than two decades ago. It was 1986 and I was in Dallas for the BPME/BDA (now PROMAX) convention, an annual gathering of promotion and marketing executives, where syndicators promise plenty of co-op dollars, tchatchke’s pile up like snow drifts in Aspen, and station executives kick the tires on the shows they are giving prim ... More
About this blog
BC/DC is the media executives\' must-see view from Washington, delivered by yours truly without the aid of rose-colored glasses and without the need, quite yet, of bifocals.
Harpo Reaches Out to "Valued Partners"
As news broke Nov. 19 that Oprah Winfrey will end her syndicated talk show in 2011, many stations that broadcast The Oprah Winfrey Show learned about Winfrey’s decision via a memo from her company, Harpo Productions. The full memo, from Harpo President Tim Bennett, follows: Dear Friends: Over the past several weeks, my team and I have had conversations with many of you to help address your ... More
About this blog
Station to Station covers the odds, ends, ups and downs of the local television business across America
A Comcast-Backed Telemundo Could Grow Hispanic TV Marketplace
Related Content: Vivendi: No Decision Yet on NBCU Stake Comcast’s imminent deal to acquire a majority stake in NBC Universal may change the balance of power in the Hispanic TV world and possibly give a boost to the operator’s efforts to sell its services to the Hispanic community. NBC Universal owns Telemundo Communications Group, which encompasses not only a Spanish-language b ... More
About this blog
Commentary and analysis on the business of television advertising—from the upfront and scatter markets to TV events like the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Olympics—courtesy of Broadcasting & Cable Business Editor Claire Atkinson.
Nickelodeon Pronounces the Generation Gap Closed
Comedian Jim Breuer understandably struggled to explain when one of his three young daughters asked him about the premise of the pro-substance, pro-couch surfing late ‘90s cult hit Half Baked, which he starred in alongside Dave Chappelle. Breuer’s daughter had found out about the movie online. In stark contrast to his goofy, everyman-next-door public persona, Breuer, speaking as par ... More
About this blog
Commentary, analysis and observations on the business of television from the staff of Broadcasting & Cable. Edited by Senior Editor Joel Topcik.
Fates & Fortunes Round-Up: Nov. 17, 2009
Sarah Palin went on Oprah and the world is still turning, so we are happily able to bring you this week’s media moves. As always, you can follow Fates on Twitter @BCFates or me personally @PaigeA if you are willing to put up with tweets about snow totals and traffic on I-70W. Forward fates to me at BCFates@gmail.com or at palbiniak@gmail.com. Big Kahunas Gary Ginsberg, News Corp.’s ... More
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TV Review: ABC's 'The Middle'
ABC’s The Middle debuts Sept. 30 at 8:30 p.m. The following are reviews from TV critics around the Web, compiled by B&C. “Imagine Malcolm in the Middle told from the mom’s point of view. That’s ABC’s The Middle, a funny, fast-moving celebration of harried family life in middle America. –Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “In short, The Middle is ... More
About this blog
BC Review offers one-stop shopping for TV fanatics, with a roundup of the latest reviews from the leading critics.
Carlton Cuse, Shawn Ryan and Fastfood Flashbacks
Lost executive producer Carlton Cuse had the kind of flashback we love at Mel’s Diner the other day during a phone interview. I called him to talk about Lie to Me showrunner and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, who we featured in B&C’s Fifth Estater column Sept. 21 (Related: The Truth About Shawn Ryan) Cuse gave Ryan his first staff writing job, on Cuse-created CBS drama Nash Bridg ... More
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Interviews with TV industry figures over their favorite meals.
Twitter's TV Drama
While I was off playing Rock Band all day yesterday, apparently other journalists were working. What the …? That gives all of us a bad name, people. Variety’s venerable (but very young) Cynthia Littleton decided to take advantage of everyone being off and post this scoop about a potential Twitter TV show. You can click the link and see what she wrote but I’m going to quote som ... More
About this blog
A blog covering the world of multiplatform video, including mobile TV, IPTV, user-generated video and video blogs.
The Judge
Judge Penny and I both received great feedback following our recent promotional tour on the east coast. We connected with lots of different station personnel and people were genuinely touched by spending time with the Judge. Here’s what one station manager had to say in an email to Judge Penny: “It was an absolute pleasure hosting you at our station last week! Our e ... More
About this blog
Blog sponsored by Family Court Written by Monday is Ritch Colbert, Principal for Program Partners and the Honorable Judge Penny Brown Reynolds and Thursday is Judge Penny Brown Reynolds
A Welcome Voice
I often describe Marie as a “person in full,” borrowing from Tom Wolf. She is a single, working mother of eight children, seven of them living with her at home. Years ago she had a very public bout with post-partum depression. In the past year alone she experienced a divorce (her second), the death of a parent, a teenage son going through rehab, a new move and a new job (Donny ... More
About this blog
Blog sponsored Marie Osmond Monday is Ritch Colbert, Principal for Program Partners and Thursday is Marie Osmond
