Broadcasting & Cable Blogs
Comcast-NBCU: Oh, the Drama!
It’s been two months since news broke that Comcast and General Electric were in talks about turning G.E.’s NBC Universal unit into a new joint venture. And as we wait for word that the deal nearly everyone has pronounced inevitable has indeed been done, let’s take a moment to observe how much this M&A has played out like a marriage plot in a novel or stage farce: We know t ... More
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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.
CBS News' McManus: "I Think We Stack Up Pretty Darn Well"
Sean McManus is looking forward to January. That, of course, is when the evening news race welcomes a new entrant, as Diane Sawyer takes over for Charles Gibson at ABC’s World News. And anchor transitions in the staid arena of network nightly news can lead to viewer sampling. At least that’s what McManus, president of CBS’ news and sports divisions, is banking on. “I th ... 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.
Some Miami Stations Cover Car Chase, Some Don't
The blog SFL TV was surfing the Miami TV universe during an A.C. Cowlings-esque high speed car chase covering three counties today, and gives WFOR and WSVN high marks for their coverage. SFL TV wasn’t so enthused about WTVJ and WPLG, which he says stuck with soap operas. SFL writes: Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the basic duty of local news station’s to keep ... More
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Station to Station covers the odds, ends, ups and downs of the local television business across America
Dobbs Pondering Presidential Run
Lou Dobbs, who recently left CNN, told WTOP radio in Washington Monday that he has had conversations about running for president, though he framed it as part of a larger discussion about politics in general. Dobbs said that he exited the network after it became clear that he was too opinionated for the channel. “I like to speak truth to power,” he said, adding that sometimes power do ... More
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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.
Fates & Fortunes Weekly Round-Up: Nov. 23, 2009
November has been full of news that will see media changed as we know it. Three big retirements were announced: Oprah Winfrey will end her syndicated show on Sept. 9, 2011; PBS’ Bill Moyers will end Bill Moyers Journal on April 30, 2010; and CNN’s Lou Dobbs abruptly quit on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Obviously, the end of Oprah is the most major of those announcements: the show’s dep ... 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
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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
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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
