ESPN has declined to comment on reports that the Arena Football League will not be returning for a 2009 season, Broadcasting & Cable reports. The cable sports network has a minor financial interest in the company, the trade says. Other…
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will present Jerry Lewis with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Feb. 22 ceremony, the Hollywood Reporter says. Lewis has served as the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s national chairman since 1952 and,…
Anderson Cooper had to doublecheck with CNN president Jon Klein before diving with sharks without a cage, the Hollywood Reporter says. Cooper was introduced to the idea of diving with the sea predators while doing research for the next installment…
David Zaslav, Discovery Communications’ CEO, said there is a strong team behind the new Oprah Winfrey Network and the channel should be ready to launch by the end of 2009, the Hollywood Reporter says. Zaslav spoke at the UBS conference…
Several films are no longer available for purchase or rental on Apple’s iTunes or Netflix because of licensing requirements and competition with TV, CNET reports. Online and digital retailers are being treated differently than other physical retailers and rental stores…
Former FX and New Line marketing chief Chris Carlisle has been named president of Fox 21, the 20th Century Fox TV production unit behind “Sons of Anarchy” and “Beauty and the Geek.” Mr. Carlisle will be the first executive to…
Web video service Brightcove has let go 25 of its 172 employees, amounting to 15% of its workforce, MediaPost reports. The company said the cuts will be throughout its departments with the hopes of reorganizing around “key strategic priorities,” according…
Hulu.com received 24 million unique visits from the U.S. during the month of October, about double from the month before, Multichannel News reports, citing new comScore numbers. Having only launched in March of this year, the NBC Universal-News Corp. site…
Raycom Media has executed a round of cuts at many of its affiliates, TVNewsday notes, citing local reports at affiliate cities. Among the stations seeing cuts are WOIO-WUAB in Cleveland (13 cuts), WMC in Memphis (15 cuts), WIS in Columbia,…
After Barack Obama ran for president promising change and openness, and making a point of refusing to accept lobbyists’ contributions, the president-elect’s transition team secretly held a meeting with broadcasting lobbyists to discuss the digital TV changeover. The unannounced meeting…