Joel Topcik

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When Demon Sheep Attack

As my colleague Marisa Guthrie has reported , the Supreme Court’s recent decision to lift campaign-finance restrictions could mean rain showers of political-ad dollars for TV stations in the forecast. But it could also usher in a golden age of campaign-ad creativity. Yes, I’m thinking of the just-released Web ad from former Hewlitt-Packard CEO and GOP Senate hopeful Carly... More

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Sunny Day...

So, Sesame Street turns 40 today, and besides reminding me that I’ll be marking the same milestone soon enough (thanks, Sesame Street !), this sunny day reminds me how much I enjoyed Street Gang , Michael Davis’ history of this ongoing experiment in children’s educational programming . We saluted Davis’ book back in January , as the country was... More

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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