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Daily Archives : Dec 1, 2008

CBS Orders Five More Episodes of ‘Eleventh Hour’

Five more episodes are in the works for CBS’ “Eleventh Hour,” bringing the season order to 18, the network confirmed today. “Eleventh Hour” attracts an average 12 million viewers per episode, as well as a 3.3 rating/9 share in adults…

BET’s Johnson, ION Plan Urban Network

BET founder Bob Johnson is planning to launch a new television network with ION Media Networks that would target minority and gay audiences while possibly crossing over to the Internet, the Associated Press reports. The venture, called Urban Television, has…

Chris Brown Most Demanded on VOD

Singer Chris Brown was the artist whose performances were the most requested among video-on-demand customers this year, the Associated Press reports, citing on-demand service Music Choice. Replays of Brown’s performances and interviews were requested 43 million times, the wire service…

Anchor Sexually Assaulted Before Murder

Arkansas anchorwoman Anne Pressly was sexually assaulted during the Oct. 20 attack that resulted in her death five days later, the Associated Press says, citing her parents. The 26-year-old also suffered a broken jaw during the assault, which was suspected…

Cablevision Launches HD Channels

Cablevision this week will launch four new high-definition channels from NBC Universal, including HD versions of Bravo and USA, Multichannel News says. Comcast’s Golf Channel and Versus will also get HD versions on Cablevision, Multichannel News reports. —Danny King

‘Wheel’ Designer Stiles Dies at 74

Set designer Richard Stiles, who was nominated for an Emmy in 1994 for his work on the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” died last week of pneumonia at age 74, Daily Variety reports. Stiles’ credits also include “The Red Skelton…

SAG Chief Rosenberg, Helgenberger Split

Actress Marg Helgenberger and Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg have separated after 19 years of marriage, People reports. Rosenberg, whose union may be nearing a strike, and “CSI” star Helgenberger have an 18-year-old son, the magazine says. —Danny King

Sony Hedges Blu-ray Bet With Downloads

Sony, which developed the high-definition Blu-ray disc format, is trying to stave off competition from services such as Apple’s iTunes and Netflix by developing its own movie-download service for its PlayStation 3 games console, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Sony is…

Networks Eye Gaming for Growth

Lifetime and Viacom’s MTV are among networks that have tried to capitalize on the worldwide gaming boom by either producing video games or showcasing gaming competitions, Broadcasting & Cable reports. MTV boosted its profits last year with the launch of…

BET, PlayPhone Partner for Mobile Service

BET Networks and PlayPhone have teamed for a new BET Mobile destination. The PlayPhone-powered service allows users to download new and exclusive BET mobile content directly to their cell phones. The content can be accessed on the Web, WAP deck…