David Tanklefsky

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Seinfeld’s Superhuman ‘Ref’ Producer

If her resume and tireless work ethic isn’t enough to illustrate why Jerry Seinfeld calls this week’s Fifth Estater Ellen Rakieten “superhuman,” how about the fact that the woman is seemingly immune to jetlag? Rakieten regularly shuttles back and forth from Chicago, where she lives, to New York, where the show films. “She’s an amazing... More

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‘Maury’ Resonating With Demos…And That’s No Lie

Paternity tests and out of control teens are part of Maury ’s DNA, and the NBCU talk show has had its share of those tried-and-true topics in its 12th season. Yet ratings for Maury have risen significantly due to what its host calls a kind of accidental “perfect storm.” The show’s new Stamford, Conn. facility has re-energized Povich and his in-studio... More

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BC Beat: TiVo Weighs In On Best Picture Nominees

‘Up in the Air’ and ‘Up’ deemed most likely ‘to avoid the fast-forward button’ According to data from TiVo, TV ads for Oscar best picture contenders Up in the Air and Up were the most popular across all demos on both broadcasting and cable… with one caveat. Based on viewership of the commercials, which TiVo allows folks to skip, Up in... More

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Without Tiger, Life On the Links Goes On at Golf Channel

Though some are still speculating that Tiger Woods will return to the PGA tour in time for the Masters this spring, the golfer himself gave no indication of any timeframe regarding his return to the sport during his televised mea culpa Friday morning. That’s likely not the news Golf Channel wanted to hear, though the network’s official stance is that even without Tiger, life on... More

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Austin News Outlets All Over Plane Crash

Austin’s TV news outlets sprang into action when a small plane crashed into a federal building in DMA No. 49 this morning. Police are investigating what may have caused the pilot, his name given as Andrew Joseph Stack, to crash into the building in Austin. The stations are too. Belo’s KVUE is the news powerhouse in Austin , which also features stations owned by Fox and LIN,... More