Broadcasting & Cable Blogs
'Scandal' vs. Scandals
Those of us who have been watching the “not so upfront” Obama Administration this week rather than the upfront presentations by TV networks in New York should not be surprised that a show about White House scandals, as in ABC’s Scandal, had its best ratings outing ever Thursday night. It was also the most tweeted episode, according to ABC, with over 500,000 comments. In fact, ... 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.
USA Ends Upfront Season With a Blast
Upfront season ended with a bang as USA Network said thank you and farewell to weary buyers with a spectacular Grucci fireworks display over the East River. USA’s event was held in an out-of-the-way spot, Pier 36 on South Street, but because of the suddenly gorgeous weather, almost no one regretted the hike. Like last year, USA mainly let its talent do the talking, with the cast of the seri ... More
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B&C Business Editor Jon Lafayette covers the financial dimension of the TV business at the intersection of Wall Street and Madison Ave.
"Video-Bombing" Live Shots a News Director's Worst Nightmare
We have a story out in our upcoming issue on “video-bombing” at the station level–people sneaking into a reporter’s live shot, and often ending up, along with the reporter, as a YouTube sensation. (For the record, I dislike the term “video-bombing”, as it makes me think of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon last month, but that’s what it’s k ... More
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Station to Station covers the odds, ends, ups and downs of the local television business across America
Moore and Spurlock Help NYC Officials Break Ground on First All-Doc Cinema in U.S.
By New York’s skyscraping, neon-lit standards, Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Downtown Community Television’s new all-documentary cinema was fairly low-key. When it opens in 2015, the downtown theatre will seat only 73, so this was miles from promo-happy Broadway. Still, the idea of welcoming the first all-doc theatre in the U.S. was more than sufficient to entice filmm ... More
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Commentary, analysis and observations on the business of television from the staff of Broadcasting & Cable.
Book Review: 'Top of the Morning' by Brian Stelter
By Michael Malone Grand Central Publishing 301 pages Successful books—successful anythings, for that matter—require talent, hustle and a bit of luck. Brian Stelter, New York Times reporter and author of Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, knew he had the first two when he took on this project. The third one fell in his lap, as NBC cut Ann Curry from the Toda ... 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.
Taormina promoted to SVP Olympics, Sports sales at NBCU TV Stations
Marion Taormina has been promoted to senior VP of Olympics and sports sales for the NBC Owned Television Stations, moving up from vice president. In this expanded role, Taormina will lead the division’s newly created sports vertical that will focus on selling Olympics and NBC Sports properties, including the national representation of several regional sports networks that are part of the Co ... More
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WBTV’s Roth: ‘Nikita’ Big Part of The CW’s Future
With 26 Warner Bros. TV-produced series now slated to air on the broadcast networks next season, WBTV President Peter Roth says it is “another satisfying year” for the studio. WBTV is in business with all of the networks–with five new series on NBC’s schedule alone after being shut out of the network’s 10 p.m. hour last year by The Jay Leno Show. WBTV’s un ... More
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Interviews with TV industry figures over their favorite meals.