Joel Topcik

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Remembering Brent Felgner

Veteran business journalist and Broadcasting & Cable contributing editor Brent Felgner passed away from cancer on Oct. 26 at his father’s home in Florida, to which he and his wife had relocated earlier this year. Felgner was 57 years old. Please share memories of our dear friend and colleague by leaving a comment below. …. More

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B&C Hall of Famers Bring the Laughs

B &C Hall of Famer Roger Ailes clearly made an impression at last year’s Hall of Fame gala . After the Fox News chief landed so many killer laugh lines in his acceptance speech, the message to future inductees was unmistakable: Better bring the funny. The 2009 class got the message. Kicking things off was Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of ET and The Insider , who cited... More

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Don Mischer's Garage Band

Legendary event producer Don Mischer is helming the Primetime Emmys for the tenth time on Sept. 20 (see related profile, “Primetime Emmy’s Man with a Plan” ), and among the tweaks he has in store to liven up the flagging broadcast is putting a live band on stage for the first time in five years. Mischer’s passion for live music goes back to his days growing up... More

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Back to the Future with B&C

Television went live to the moon and back last week, in its most improbable feat of actuality coverage….” That’s how this publication summed up the historic TV coverage of the Apollo 11 moon mission 40 years ago. In an article titled “A Remote That Broke All the Records,” from the July 28, 1969, issue ( click here to read the reproduced story with original... More

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Michael and 'Motown 25'

When he died last week, I’d long since written off Michael Jackson as a sad casualty of fame. His Peter Pan shtick had gone from charming to creepy to possibly predatory, and the transformation of his face was just ghastly. But there was a time when I was a huge Michael Jackson fan, and it all started some 25 years ago with one of those seminal television moments that drive home how... More