BC Crawler

Late Night Comebacks, CNN Looking for a Fight... and more
December 19, 2007

By Alex Weprin

[Everyone Jump in, the Water’s Fine!] Jimmy Kimmel has announced that he will be coming back to the air Jan. 2, joining Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. In addition, David Letterman is eyeing that date to return as well, though he is yet to strike his long rumored side deal with the WGA. Letterman would only return with his writers, says Nikke (24/7) Finke. Having gone without them in 1988, he does not want to have to deal with that again.

[Them’s Fightin Words] CNN president Jonathan Klein, who just signed a four year agreement to stay at the network, has some harsh words for the competition in an interview with the NY Observer. “What I love is when our competitors then turn [CNN documentaries] into segments on their shows,” Klein told the Observer. “They have nothing else to talk about other than who has CNN pissed off today. That’s great. We’ll provide fodder for their programming, as long as they get our initials right.”

Klein also addressed a new format for Campbell Brown, likening her new show to an unlikely source: “Jon Stewart should not corner the market on innovative uses of tape,” said Mr. Klein. “He wishes he had access to the amount of material we get in every day.”

[Door’s Open Everybody!] The FCC, voting strictly along party lines, agreed to loosen newspaper/broadcaster cross-ownership limits. A number of Democratic representatives on Capitol Hill wanted Chairman Martin to postpone the vote. In the top 20 markets, provided certain minimums are met, a single entity can own both a newspaper and broadcast network, according to the relaxed rules.

[Michael Douglas? Really?] Remember the conjecturing regarding the new voice of NBC Nightly News? Well conjecture no further, it’s Michael Douglas. Yes, actor Michael Douglas. Exactly why remains unclear…

Posted by BC Crawler on December 19, 2007 | Comments (0)