October 2006 News

StupidVideos.com parent company PureVideo Networks on Monday introduced a video search engine at purevideo.com.

The beta service searches the Internet for video and also features 35 charts that provide information on the most popular videos across sites such as MySpace, ESPN, YouTube and Break.

The goal is to provide Web users interested in video with a means to both search for specific video and to find what's hot at the moment. "You can go and look for stuff and it can tell you what others are watching," said Greg Morrow, president of PureVideo.



READ: Trial & Error Blog: Video Search Service Needs Work

The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau released a study today that found that ad engagement was lower on smaller screen devices. Consumers said the maximum length of ad they would watch on mobile phones is nine seconds, compared to 42 seconds on TV. Nearly half of respondents said they didn't want advertising on alternative devices and more than half said they didn't want to pay for content in exchange for skipping ads on smaller-screen devices.

The study also found that 21 percent of people say watching video on the computer was a primary function of the device. Those same respondents ranked the computer first among devices they couldn't live without, with TV second. Mobile phones were third.

HDNet co-founder and President Mark Cuban is launching a new makeover series starring former NBA player Dennis Rodman.

Mr. Cuban announced the project during an appearance at Advertising Week 2006, a series of events last week for the advertising and media industries held in New York. Further details about the project are not yet known.

Mr. Cuban added that his newsmagazine starring former CBS anchor Dan Rather will debut Oct. 24. The weekly "Dan Rather Reports" program will be supplemented by 64 stringers from around the world.-JAMES HIBBERD

NBCU's Wright Addresses Digital Future

Special to TelevisionWeek

NBC Universal Chairman and CEO Bob Wright hopes that within 12 months his company books $400 million to $500 million in digital advertising, has a number of integrated broadcast and digital program ventures and is offering movies in many countries via digital delivery.

Mr. Wright, interviewed by TelevisionWeek Publisher and Editorial Director Chuck Ross as part of Advertising Week events in New York, said NBC Universal is trying to "sort out the real consumer application" of all the digital opportunities bearing down on the television industry.

NBC Universal's multiple television operations reflect the variety of businesses Mr. Wright must guide into a digital future.

NBC Universal's recent acquisition of iVillage, an Internet site targeting women, was in part based on the overlap between the site's users and "Today" show viewers, Mr. Wright said. He said the company has high expectations for a "full-tilt experiment" it is launching to integrate iVillage content into a TV show for NBC-owned and -operated stations.

Audience enthusiasm to participate in shows such as NBC's "Deal or No Deal" has generated some 50 million unique callers since spring from fans eager to express their opinions, Mr. Wright said.

NBCU's USA Network hasn't generated as much audience involvement, and the network hasn't yet figured out why, he said.-ELIZABETH JENSEN

Sci Fi Channel plans to launch an online contest this month in search of the next great science-fiction filmmaker.

The network's "Explore" contest, run in conjunction with Sundance Channel, is an eight-week competition soliciting people to submit short films on SciFi.com or Sundancechannel.com. Site visitors can vote on the best shorts each week, and the eight winning films will appear in a one-hour special on Sci Fi Channel.

Viewers will then vote on the best of those eight, and that winner will fly to New York to meet with Sci Fi development executives to pitch his or her idea for a sci-fi flick.

It's the network's first foray into user-generated content and part of a growing movement by cable networks to turn to the Web for new talent. Networks such as Comedy Central and E! have also looked online to find new producers and filmmakers for both broadband and on-air venues.

"We need to find and develop talent," said Craig Engler, senior VP of SciFi.com.

Twentieth Television's newsmagazine "Geraldo at Large" claimed the top ratings spot nationally among debuting first-run syndicated strip programs for the week ended Sept. 17.

"Geraldo" was one of four debuting syndicated shows stripped Monday through Friday that premiered that week. The program made its first appearance last year in selected markets, and began running nationally in 75 percent of the country Sept. 11. The show scored a 1.6 national household rating, a number that includes live viewing plus same-day viewing via digital video recorders, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Twentieth's judge show "Cristina's Court" scored a 1.3 in its first week in syndication with clearance on local stations representing coverage of 88 percent of the U.S.

Sony Pictures Television's "Judge Maria Lopez," also a courtroom series in 88 percent of the country, scored a 1.0.

Rounding out the new weekday debuts was Sony talk show "The Greg Behrendt Show," which scored a 0.9 for its Tuesday-through-Friday run with an 89 percent clearance.

National ratings for Warner Bros. talk show "The Dr. Keith Ablow Show" were being reprocessed by Nielsen and were not available at press time.

National numbers for King World's "Rachael Ray" and NBC Universal's "The Megan Mullally Show" will be available next week. Both debuted Sept. 18.

Among new off-network sitcom offerings, the Monday-through-Friday run of Twentieth TV's "Still Standing" scored a 1.3 rating in 96 percent of the country. Paramount's "One on One" garnered a 0.9 and is cleared in 83 percent of the U.S.

King World's off-network weekend run of drama "CSI: NY" scored a 4.2 rating, taking the No. 1 spot in the syndicated weekend drama genre.

Many of the stalwart first-run syndicated Monday-through-Friday series returning for 2006-07 face a make-or-break season of ratings expectations and the prospect of long-term success.

Chief among them are sophomore talkers "The Tyra Banks Show" from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and NBC Universal's "Martha," plus courtroom half-hour "Judge Alex" from Twentieth Television.

In the first week of their second season, ratings are up for "Tyra" but down for "Martha" and "Alex." Still, the jury remains out for all three.

The second year of a first-run strip is "always critical," said Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming for the Katz Television Group. "Many shows have come back for a second year, but not a third."

Profitability usually kicks in during season three, and after a second season renewals are traditionally for two seasons, so if a sophomore show is faltering, stations and studios will cut bait and move on.

With a third season, shows become "part of the landscape rather than the new kid on the block," Mr. Carroll said. "Tyra" scored a 1.5 household rating for the week ended Sept. 17, a number that includes live viewing plus same-day viewing via digital video recorders, according to Nielsen Media Research. "Tyra" was up 36 percent from its premiere week average in September 2005, the biggest year-to-year increase of any first-run strip in syndication, not just the sophomores.

"Martha" suffered a decline from last season, dropping 35 percent from its debut week in September 2005 to a 1.3 this season.

"Alex" was also down, declining 10 percent from a 2.1 debut last year to a 1.9 season premiere week this year.

Assists From Upgrades

Sophomore shows such as "Tyra" and "Martha" are not the only talkers facing landmark years. Warner Bros.' "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" saw "significant upgrades" in the top markets, Mr. Carroll noted, including moves to afternoons in New York and Los Angeles, where the show is going up against the No. 1 talk show in syndication, CBS Paramount's "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

"That's going to be beneficial or hurt you," Mr. Carroll said. "It certainly raises visibility and also adds to the scrutiny as everyone does in terms of the performance."

In addition, during the week ended Sept. 17, four of the five entertainment newsmagazines experienced significant growth over the same week last year. Genre leader "Entertainment Tonight" from CBS Paramount grew 16 percent from the same week last season to a 5.1 rating, while King World's "Inside Edition" was up 10 percent to a 3.4, followed by CBS Paramount's "The Insider," which enjoyed an 8 percent increase to a 2.7. NBC Universal's "Access Hollywood" had the biggest growth, with a 24 percent increase to a 2.6. Warner Bros.' "Extra" was on par with its rating from last season, a 2.2.

The ratings performances of the newsmagazines may be due in part to their schedule stability, since "for the most part the shows are basically in the same time periods for the past season," Mr. Carroll said. In other words, most viewers know where to find them.

The big push for new network programming plus magazine coverage of the high-profile divorce announcement from singer Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown were also a likely factor in the newsmagazine ratings boost, he said.

"The reason they watch is in essence the headlines of the day, not the set or the style, but what's happening," Mr. Carroll said, downplaying any creative changes made at the newsmagazines.

"There is more interest when there's a lot going on," Mr. Carroll said. "The beginning of the new season would account for that."

The round-the-clock online TV channel ManiaTV.com is on the hunt for the next viral video star.

The Internet TV network, best known as the online home of Tom Green's live nightly show, started a video-sharing service this summer that operates as a talent-feeder program, helping the new-style TV network find shows and guest hosts.

Earlier this summer ManiaTV launched MyTV, an offshoot of the live Internet channel that works like YouTube, allowing users to post and share videos. MyTV goes a step further, however, by making the creators with the most-viewed videos eligible for a chance to guest host a show and perhaps ultimately to host his or her own show on ManiaTV, a new initiative that lets the site tap into the homegrown movement brewing in Internet television.

ManiaTV isn't alone in scouring the Web for talent. In fact, ManiaTV is competing with TV networks such as Comedy Central, E!, MTV and others that regularly trawl both video-sharing sites and individual online video creators' Web sites in search of the next big talent. While networks count the Web among their many sources for scouting talent, ManiaTV has already established a direct talent pipeline online.

The path of ManiaTV's MyTV service is clear: Make your videos pop and you could be the next Brookers, the YouTube talent who signed a development deal with NBC's Carson Daly. As networks scramble to ensure their competitors aren't scooping up the next great garage video star, ManiaTV has already begun making offers to Web auteurs.

"We are using it as a proving ground and to incorporate into our programming," said Richard Ayoub, executive VP of programming for ManiaTV. For example, the first new talent to percolate up through MyTV is Mark Berry, a videographer from Indiana who uploads original video a few times a week. His videos ranked in MyTV's top 10 most viewed in July and August.

As a result, ManiaTV included some of his videos on its Internet TV show "Upload Yours," which showcases user-generated and homemade videos. ManiaTV then offered him the chance to guest host that show, and he is slated to appear in an October edition. If he can pull that off, the next step would be to offer him a regular segment on a ManiaTV show, following in a fashion the formula that launched "Dr. Phil" from "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

"That is what we are hoping to do with these people," Mr. Ayoub said. "This is the first real defined experiment to see if a viral video star can pull it off on a regular daily basis with a show."

The most coveted spots on the network are from 8 p.m. to midnight Eastern time. Each hour is interactive, with viewer input. "Upload Yours" is followed by "Tom Green Live."

But a video creator doesn't always pop as a full-time host, and that's why MyTV tries them out gradually. "The key is whether someone who creates a cool video that generates buzz can do that consistently and can be in front of the cameras," said Drew Massey, CEO and founder of ManiaTV. "We bring in some of them to guest host the show, to see if they translate from videotape to live, if they do have the actual creativity and if they don't freeze in front of the camera and under the lights. It's the first shot at fame."

ManiaTV was founded in 2004 and leapt into the broader cultural consciousness when it signed Tom Green to appear on a live show that started June 15. His show attracts about 20,000 to 25,000 viewers each night.

Still Growing

The site has grown from 1.5 million unique visitors in January to more than 5 million unique visitors in September, according to ManiaTV. Nielsen//NetRatings placed the site at about 900,000 uniques in August, though internal site numbers can vary widely from numbers reported by Nielsen. ManiaTV also boasts blue-chip advertisers such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Citibank, Ford Motor Co., Sony and Levis.

"Tom Green Live" does not count advertisers yet. From a marketing perspective, the site is more popular now that Mr. Green is on board, but advertisers are still wary about associating with shows that traffic in user-generated content, said T.S. Kelly, VP and director of research and insight for Media Contacts, the interactive arm of MPG. "For now, I think most marketers will prefer the Current.tv (Yahoo) or Soapbox (MSN) solutions, albeit with smaller potential viewers, over the Wild West options of YouTube and even ManiaTV," he said.

However, he does like the "channels" concept on ManiaTV that lets both users and producers program their own channels to watch, mixing and matching from among a range of video clips. "The idea of letting users create their own `channels' to share with others is quite unique-the ultimate expression of consumer as producer," Mr. Kelly said. In the first six weeks, MyTV users created about 1,400 channels.

Whether ManiaTV unearths hot new talent remains to be seen. But that's the goal. "This is redefining all sorts of models but not obviating the ones that have come before," Mr. Ayoub said. "My hope and dream is to see guys and girls out there who are creative and want to be stars and seem to have some ability create their own show."

By Mark Dominiak

With the new season's start, it's hard to miss the full-fledged onslaught of male-biased properties. There's plenty of football to go around, from college matchups to "Football Night in America" and "Friday Night Lights." Throw in the playoff chase in Major League Baseball, and plenty of wives probably find themselves in testosterone hell.

For marketers, many of these properties have great value in contact plans when the objective is reaching men. But it isn't enough to simply run messages in these visible properties and expect men to flock to your brand. There's quite a bit more behind male life and shopping behavior than meets the eye.

Understanding the basis for what drives behaviors can help planners identify quality properties for reaching men and understand how to feature brands within that environment. Behavioral drivers also provide a good roadmap for how various properties fit into life and shopping rituals. If planners know what role a property plays, they can better leverage it to drive marketplace impact for brands.

Behaviors also vary, sometimes significantly, among males of different life stages. Given the bulk of spending power lies with those men 30-plus who are currently or soon to be dads or husbands, a deeper dive into their behavioral drivers may be beneficial to consider.

Life Behavior Drivers

Regardless of what other specific attributes a planner considers in a brand's male profile, a first step is usually to dive into quantitative information like MRI or segmentation studies that may be on hand. A planner can gain good understanding from quantitative information by piecing together a pretty worthwhile picture of life stage, media behaviors and activity preferences. Unfortunately, quantitative information cannot tell a planner why the behaviors exist.

To understand why, the best thing a planner can do is to go out and talk with the core male target one on one, preferably in their life environments. If you have not yet talked to groups of dads and husbands, you should; there are interesting things you will learn about what drives their behaviors. Here's a preview of what you could expect to learn.

Daily Patterns

Once life happens, an inevitable list of to-dos ensues. Significant amounts of industry commentary have been devoted to the soccer mom and her complicated, busy life. Less time has been invested in exploring Dad's list. While activities that make up the lists are different, one thing is clear when soccer moms and their counterparts are compared: Both lives are equally crammed with scheduled activity.

One result of these schedules is routine. Whether it's the time of day slotted for scanning the local paper or the specific walking route to arrive at the Starbucks two blocks from work, patterns and routines fill the day. The challenge for planners is to study behaviors deeply and identify which patterns result from necessity and which result from the search for islands of comfort in a busy day.

Brand messages will fit better into some media contact points associated with patterns than others. Planners who have a grasp of how the brand fills needs for necessity or comfort will have a good idea of which contact points make the best sense.

Attention Deficit

Another natural outgrowth of busy schedules is attention deficit. When there's a lot to do, a lot to concentrate on, it's hard to devote proper attention to everything. This circumstance is important for planners to account for in media plans.

If men are so busy that they find it difficult to concentrate on the many tasks at hand, it follows that marketing communications will have little priority. They will either choose to ignore messages or will pay scant attention to those that they do have time for. Whichever the case, planners must pay special attention to ratcheting up the attention quotient whenever possible.

Quick Updates

Men can't escape their hunter-gatherer roots. They know that even amid busy life routines, they still need to keep on top of what's going on in the world, and they know where to quickly find information they need. Stock and sports tickers or traffic and weather on the 8s are examples of places men go for quick information. Environments that provide quick updates many get the attention lacking in other communication environments.

When men are faced with problems, one strategy they happily employ is to reach out to their "guy." Men always have a guy they can rely on with knowledge in an area beyond their experience. Their network of connections becomes invaluable in a busy life environment where they don't have the time to dive in and solve problems themselves.

The "my guy" phenomenon has two implications for planners. First, if there's a chance their brand can fill the "my guy" role for men in the target, planners should jump at the opportunity provided. Second, a brand may not be able to become the "guy," but there is significant opportunity in the form of word of mouth and trust inherent in "my guy" status. If a brand can do a good job of convincing opinion leaders of its value, it can have tremendous implications as opinion leaders share their knowledge down the line.

Noteworthy Events

Men make time for things that are important and focus their attention on them. Contrary to popular belief, many men indeed remember pending anniversaries and birthdays and will be sure to include appropriate planning in their schedules. Men, of course, are men, and they will also make time for the big game, whether it's on the weekend or during the week.

Big purchases also fall into this bucket. From autos to plasma screens to riding lawnmowers, men identify a priority need and carve out time needed to assess options and make a choice. The implication for planners: Connection of a brand's message to important events can help the message stand out from the clutter.

Men enjoy fulfilling the role of provider. It's why they hate to ask for directions. How can they succeed as a provider if someone else is consulted for directions? It's also why they'll show off that new grill or pull up the hood and recount to a neighbor the benefits of a hemi engine. It's a way for them to find validation.

Shopping Behaviors

Many of the life behaviors also manifest themselves in men's shopping behaviors. Men don't look at shopping the same way as women. They view it as more of a task to be completed versus a pleasurable pursuit. As such, shopping is somewhat of an expedition for men: Get in, find the item sought and get out.

The reason men are able to be effective at this is that they use their information-gathering skills to essentially complete part of the shopping process before they ever arrive at the retail portion of the task. Once armed with knowledge, they will visit brick-and-mortar locations, confident they can carry on a cogent conversation with salespeople. Since men like to bask in the provider role, being able to ask intelligent questions of salespeople or having newly learned information confirmed as accurate is important to them.

Men will talk to their key "guy" as part of the process.

Other Media Implications

If a planner has no clear indication of when the brand may be on the target's radar screen, it would be wise to maintain as much weekly presence as affordable. Presence in more weeks maximizes odds that brand messages will be out there when men happen to need them.

Conventionality is likely to get lost in the clutter. Simply running spots on-air may not be enough to capture attention in busy life circumstances. Planners should look for ways to add a twist to the placement selection to help it stand out from familiarity.

Clearly, men rely on those they believe to be authorities, whether it's their "guy" or a sports ticker. Planners should strive to ensure that messages appear in vehicles that reflect the stature the brand is seeking to achieve.

Men also demonstrate that relationships are important to them. It's important to them to have a network of friends they can call on for help. They rely on trusted information sources to navigate their lives.

Planners should acknowledge this understanding in plans, leveraging environments that provide service or engender relationships. When brands are connected to these contact points, planners demonstrate real understanding of consumer behavior and go a long way toward creating impact for their brand in the marketplace.

Mark Dominiak is principal strategist of marketing, communication and context for Insight Garden.

Following is the text of the acceptance speech that veteran newsman Bill Moyers delivered upon being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony held Sept. 25 in New York.

AAfter all those eulogies, I have to pause a moment to take my pulse and see if I'm still here.

I accept your generous award, but I do so in the spirit of the late actor George Allen, who said at a ceremony like this in Hollywood, "I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that, either."

I want to thank the academy and the staff led by Peter Price and Bill Small, who worked so hard to bring us all together tonight.

You should know that I owe Bill Small not just this event but one of the great breaks in my career. We had met in Washington in the mid-Sixties. He was the man in charge there for CBS News and I was the White House press secretary. You could not flatter, bribe or intimidate him-I tried all three techniques and failed. Look in the encyclopedia of broadcast news for the definition of "journalistic integrity" and you will find two words: Bill Small. He was Mr. Straight Arrow.

The Smalls gave the last dinner for Judith and me when we left Washington in January l967. I didn't see him until some years later. I had become publisher of Newsday and moved on to PBS. One day Bill invited me to lunch at Patsy's Restaurant on West 56th Street and asked if I would like to become senior correspondent for CBS Reports, the documentary unit started by Edward R. Murrow and Fred Friendly. I said to him, "I knew Murrow, and I'm no Murrow. I know Friendly, and I'm no Friendly." He said, "That's all right. You've been working at PBS and you come cheap."

How right he was! My series on PBS was out of money and I wasn't sure what lay ahead. I accepted his offer. There's a story that when the word got around that I was coming to CBS, a colleague said to Bill, "Moyers is still atoning for his years at the White House." And Bill reportedly said, "With sins of that magnitude he will be atoning for a long time to come." Right again.

My thanks to you, Walter [Cronkite], for those extravagant words. Walter welcomed me at his side on many CBS broadcasts despite our differences when I had been on the other side. You may have heard about the famous spat that occurred when I thought something on the "CBS Evening News" had been unfair. I called Walter from my White House office to complain. We had quite an exchange. When word of it got back to LBJ, he called me and asked: "Did you tell Walter Cronkite he doesn't have the foggiest idea what he was talking about?" "Yes, Mr. President, I did." "And did you accuse him of being a hired stooge for Bill Paley [chairman of CBS]?" "Yes, Mr. President, I did." "And did you call him a liar?" "No, Mr. President, I forgot that."

Cherished Memories

Walter the Magnanimous of course forgave me, and over the years we became friends as well as colleagues. Judith and I were privileged to spend New Year's Eve with the Cronkites in Vienna last year, just a few months before Betsy's death. What a celebration it was-fireworks at midnight, champagne, glorious music and long meals as the two of them regaled us with stories from their days at United Press. You heard it here, young journalists: Such moments of camaraderie last when the adrenaline and celebrity have disappeared. Cherish them.

My thanks to you, Tom Johnson, for your generous words. I picked Tom from the litter to work at my side in the White House when he was only 22. Some people thought I was impressed by his Harvard MBA. Not true. I was impressed by the fact that he had worked as a reporter for his hometown newspaper in Macon, Georgia. My first job in journalism came when I was l6 and was hired as a cub reporter on my local paper. I knew you learned a lot more about life there than in graduate school, and I wanted Tom Johnson on my team. Some people looked at that slender, intense young man and saw the acorn; I saw the oak. When he became the closest man to the president, then publisher of the Dallas Times-Herald and the Los Angeles Times and then president of CNN, I was not the least surprised. He never forgot his roots, or his friends.

Thank you, Paula Kerger [president of PBS], my colleague and friend for l5 years at WNET/Thirteen, for what you said. Your predecessor and also my friend, Pat Mitchell, is here, without whom there would have been no "Now With Bill Moyers." Bill Baker, the president of Thirteen, our flagship station, is here, too; without him I might have wound up another journalist without a home.

I want to thank all the executives at CBS and PBS and Channel Thirteen who made a creative space for me all these years-and the producers, editors, researchers, camera crews and other colleagues who carried me on their shoulders. Without them I would have been just another voice in the wilderness.

I want to thank the First Amendment.

I want to thank John Henry Faulk. The legendary broadcaster was a friend of mine, a fellow Texan, who was targeted and tormented and driven from the air by the venomous Right but who fought back with courage to put them to shame. In the last interview he did before his death, John Henry told me the story of how he and Boots Cooper were playing in the chicken house when they were about l2 years old. They spied a chicken snake in the top tier of nests, so close it looked like a boa constrictor. "All our frontier courage drained out of our boots," John Henry told me. "Actually, it trickled down our overall legs, and Boots and I made a new door through the henhouse wall. Momma came out and, learning what all the fuss was about, said to us boys, `Don't you know chicken snakes are harmless? They can't hurt you."' And Boots, rubbing his forehead and behind at the same time, said, "Yes, ma'am, I know that. But they can scare you so bad it'll cause you to hurt yourself." John Henry Faulk told me he never forgot that lesson. When my knees grow weak, and my heart races, and I feel myself growing timid, I try not to forget it, either.

I especially want to thank my funders, the people who put up the money to make my journalism possible.

I chose to follow my bliss-to join the list of endangered species and become an independent journalist. Our country doesn't particularly like independent journalists. They make you see things many prefer not to see and they say things many wish were left unsaid.

I have thought a great deal about this. I grew up in the South. We drove the truth about slavery from the newsroom, the classroom and the pulpit. It took a bloody civil war to bring the truth home.

I served in the LBJ White House. We circled our wagons and mocked the courageous reporting of the David Halberstams, the Peter Arnetts and the Morley Safers, with tragic consequences for America and Vietnam. Not to repeat that grievous error became the driving force of my work. When I left the White House I had to learn that what matters in journalism is not how close you are to power, but how close you are to the truth. I have had to carve on the frontal lobe of my brain those words of the news photographer in the Tom Stoppard play "Night and Day": "People do terrible things to each other, but it's worse when everybody's kept in the dark."

Independent journalism, especially investigative documentaries, doesn't come easily. Unless you are willing to drive the people you are working with nuts going over every last detail to get it right, and then take hit after hit accusing you of bias, there's no use even trying it. You have to love it, and I do. I.F. Stone had something to say about this. He brought down on his head the sustained wrath of the high and mighty with his little four-page weekly of fact-based journalism. No matter how much the powers that be pummeled him, Izzy Stone said, "I have so much fun I ought to be arrested."

But just as it doesn't come easily, journalism doesn't come cheap. I remember when our oldest son turned l6 and asked for an increase in his allowance. I said, "Don't you know there are some things more important than money?" And he answered, "Yes, Dad, but it takes money to date them."

It takes money to research, report, produce and edit. Without funding, the First Amendment is just an empty ATM machine; it whirrs but nothing happens. I lost three corporate funders early on who were happy with my work as long as it didn't make anyone else unhappy. Losing your funding as an independent journalist can set the yellow light of caution flickering in the back of your mind. But I was one lucky fellow. When I left CBS for the independent life, invisible hands arrived to lift me. Mutual of America Insurance Co. became my sole corporate sponsor and has remained so for all these years, thanks to William Flynn and Tom Moran, who is here tonight. The Schumann Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Kohlberg Foundation, the Park Foundation, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and so many others over the years became faithful funders through thick and thin. I would not have made it without them.

Or without some remarkable women. One is Joan Konner, the co-founder of Public Affairs Television, who not only left me for another man-the indomitable Al Perlmutter-but to become dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

And Diana Warner, our comptroller all these years-and a soul sister to everyone who has passed through the place.

And Judy Doctoroff, who is sitting right over there. She joined us soon out of Yale, after a short stint at NBC, 20 years ago. She has done it all-from production assistant to producer to executive producer and now to the president of our company.

She has been extraordinary in assembling the most creative teams in this field to do the work you honor tonight.

And then there is Judith Davidson Moyers, my companion, partner and wife since I was 20 and she was l9. The co-creator of hundreds of hours of programming, my executive editor in all we do-our CEO and the strongest voice in the room for doing what's right-a journalist in her own right. One fine September day 54 years ago I fell in love, and through all our ups and downs, through all the reviews good and bad, all the vicissitudes of the world and journalism and the raising of three children, she has been the constant in my life.

We are both honored to be among all of you who do the best work in our business.

NBC scored the big debut last week with the opening of its new Monday night superhero series "Heroes," giving last season's No. 4 broadcast network its best drama premiere in five years among adults 18 to 49.

At 9 p.m. (ET) Sept. 25, "Heroes" scored a 5.9 rating in adults 18 to 49, a number that includes live viewing plus same-day viewing via digital video recorders, according to Nielsen Media Research. Aside from propelling NBC to first place among the broadcasters Monday in adults 18 to 49, "Heroes" had the highest-rated premiere for a 9 p.m. network drama since "Desperate Housewives" debuted on ABC in 2004.

The initial success of "Heroes" made it the second-highest-rated debut in a season that so far has attracted more total viewers to all the networks than last year. Last week NBC got a ratings boost from "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," whose 5.0 rating made it the fourth-most-watched premiere last week among the 18- to 49-year old viewers prized by advertisers.

Whether those performances in the second week of the fall season help NBC move up the rankings depends partly on how well the competition performs. Last week, the "Heroes" debut ranked behind ABC's 10 p.m. Sunday premiere of family drama "Brothers & Sisters." That program, starring Calista Flockhart and Sally Field, drew a 6.0 rating among adults 18 to 49.

Mindful of the competition, NBC pointed out in a ratings release last week that the "Brothers" debut benefited from a 9.6 ratings lead-in from returning hit "Desperate Housewives," while "Heroes" built its number off a considerably weaker 3.8 ratings lead-in from game show "Deal or No Deal."

Among the rest of the premieres, ABC's "Six Degrees" was No. 3 with a 5.4 rating for its Thursday, Sept. 21, debut. NBC's Monday, Sept. 18, premiere of "Studio 60" was fourth with a 5.0. Tying "Studio 60" was ABC's premiere last Thursday of its highly anticipated 8 p.m. drama "Ugly Betty," which also scored a 5.0 rating in adults 18 to 49. That was ABC's highest- rated scripted series in the time period since "Matlock" ran at 8 p.m. in 1995.

"Betty's" audience in adults 18 to 49 grew 33 percent from half-hour to half-hour (4.3 to 5.7), which may encourage ABC executives leery about stacking it against CBS's "Survivor," which has won the night its first two outings of the season. Abandoning its racially segregated format earlier than planned in last week's installment, "Survivor: Cook Islands" won Thursday 8 p.m. among the broadcasters with a 5.9 preliminary national rating.

The early results this season indicate that Thursday nights, when advertisers are keen to influence viewers' weekend plans, may be a battle between ratings upstart ABC and last fall's dominant network on the night, CBS.

For the second week in a row, ABC was the top broadcaster Thursday in adults 18 to 49, driven by the No. 1 show for the night-9 p.m. medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." The show's 9.5 rating represented a 16 percent decline from its 11.0 rating the previous week.

That drop helped Thursday's No. 2 show, CBS's "CSI," close the gap as it gained 4 percent in that demographic, pulling in a 8.0 rating.

At 10 p.m. Thursday, the second episode of new drama "Six Degrees" declined 24 percent from its debut to a 4.1, edging out CBS's James Woods vehicle, "Shark" (4.2), which grew 2 percent from its premiere the previous week. Time period veteran "ER" on NBC won the hour with a 6.1.

TelevisionWeek is trawling video-sharing Web sites to find the hottest clips spreading on the Internet.

The setup: OK, so maybe this viral video thing does work. First, writer-producer Bill Lawrence generated tremendous grass-roots buzz when the pilot for then-defunct show "Nobody's Watching" was downloaded more than 600,000 times on YouTube in July. That attention earned him a development deal with NBC for scripts and Web-only episodes. To further the show's cause, Mr. Lawrence and his co-creators crafted a viral video featuring the stars of "Nobody's Watching" taking their own crack at Diet Coke-and-Mentos-esque fame: They test the chemical reactions various candies cause when dropped into beverages. Candy corn and root beer trigger a fire; the union of SweeTarts and Sprite create a baby chick, and the little-known Toucan Toes-and-milk combo transports the duo to a parking lot, an S&M party and the beach. Now that's buzz.

The source: Word on the street is the series creators posted the clip Sept. 20 on YouTube.

The hits: As of Sept. 28, the video corralled nearly 1.4 million views on YouTube. The video was also viewed nearly 100,000 times on Google Video and 800,000 times on Break.com.



VIDEO: Somebody's Watching

For the 17 years that Katie Couric was at NBC News, there never seemed any question about her last name, only her first.

She tried on "Katherine" when she debuted as co-anchor of "Today" in April 1991, but soon went back to Katie.

"I think that `Katherine' was an effort to kind of give me more gravitas, if you will," she said during a 2000 appearance on "Larry King Live." "And then I realized how, truth be told, I am really not a Katherine. I'm pretty much a Katie, no matter how hard I fight it. So I went back to Katie."

Her last name, however, always was pronounced "Curr-ic," like Curr-y, as in Ann, one of Ms. Couric's former "Today" colleagues. Then Ms. Couric debuted Sept. 5 as the anchor of the "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric." Former CBS News paterfamilias Walter Cronkite recorded the introduction for the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," and rolled the vowels in the first syllable toward "Coo-ric."

The unidentified voice in promotional spots for "Evening News" also renders the anchor's last name as "Coo-ric."

Asked if there is any reason for the altered pronunciation, CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus said: "It's the first time I've even thought about it or noticed it.

"I don't think anybody here wanted to tell Walter how to pronounce her name," Mr. McManus said with a chuckle.

Mr. Cronkite could not be reached for comment at press time. Ms. Couric declined to comment.

Broadcast journalism organizations post lists of words and their proper pronunciations to promote uniformity by their anchors and correspondents. News writers put "pronouncers" in copy to prevent the talent from tripping over tricky or unfamiliar words.

"I think people might be listening a little too closely to it," Mr. McManus said. "It's nothing intentional."



VIDEO: Compare how Cronkite says 'Couric' on CBS to how the anchor and others say it.

Both of MyNetworkTV's new limited dramatic series "Desire" and "Fashion House" maintained their ratings in the adults 18 to 49 demographic in their third week on the air, though the English-language telenovelas saw declines in total viewers.

From Monday, Sept. 18, through Friday, Sept. 22, the 8 p.m. (ET) drama "Desire" scored an average 0.3 rating in adults 18 to 49, numbers that include live plus same-day viewing via digital video recorders, according to Nielsen Media Research. That was on par with "Desire's" Monday-through-Friday performance in its second week, but down from its 0.4 five-day average in its debut week.

"Desire" garnered 813,000 total viewers, down from an average 927,000 the previous week and 1.2 million its debut week.

At 9 p.m. "Fashion House" scored a 0.4 rating in adults 18 to 49 in its third week on the air, even with its 0.4 rating in its second week but down from the 0.5 it garnered its premiere week. As to total viewers, "Fashion House" dropped to 955,000 in its third week from 1.1 million viewers its second week and 1.3 million its premiere week.

Last week MyNetworkTV had a conference call with the network's Fox-owned stations, which remain "very committed" to the network, said Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations.

The network is now planning a marketing campaign in October and November aimed at bringing in viewers displaced by post-season baseball on MyNetworkTV's sister network, Fox.

"People are happy with the look of the product in general," Mr. Abernethy said of the Fox-owned network affiliates.

Introducing viewers to the concept of five consecutive days of a single show in prime time, followed up with a recap episode on weekends, is taking time, he said, especially considering the launch of an entirely new network.

"We really have 12 new shows in terms of expectations of the viewers," Mr. Abernethy said. "The problem is we're rebranding a network, rebranding a time period. It's gone well but we could have more awareness."

Showtime plans to offer top-tier shows including "Weeds" on Yahoo TV, transplanting to the Internet the promotional techniques it has used on cable for years.

The Web preview of selections from Showtime's slate, a first for a premium cable channel, will run Oct. 6-13. Showtime runs semiannual national previews that offer its fare to basic cable subscribers in hopes of spurring subscriptions.

"When we do a national free preview, the majority of cable systems participate, but not all," said Robert Hayes, senior VP and general manager of Showtime Digital Media. "Doing it with Yahoo opens up a sampling opportunity to anybody who has an Internet connection in the United States."

In addition to installments of "Weeds," Showtime will offer episodes of "Dexter," "Sleeper Cell," "Brotherhood," "The L Word," "Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" "Showtime Championship Boxing" and a first look at upcoming series "The Tudors." The second-largest premium cable network by subscribers will edit the episodes to a TV-14 decency standard, and the Web promotion will coincide with a national preview from cable operators.

The network has actively embraced the Internet for promotion and sale of its content, putting episodes for sale on iTunes and offering premiere episodes free through online partners. HBO, the biggest premium cable channel, has preferred to use the Web for promotional clips and has reserved full episodes for its subscribers.

Showtime's promotional tactics fit the network's situation, said Will Richmond, president of Broadband Directions.

"This allows Showtime to have far greater visibility than traditional sneak previews on cable because it's such a larger audience online," he said.

Jupiter Research analyst Todd Chanko warned that Web promotions can put a network on a tightrope with cable operators.

"It's tricky, because cable and satellite operators want people to watch TV … [while] Showtime displaying its wares online gets people accustomed to watching TV on the Internet," he said.

An advertisement with an 800 number will run before and after each Showtime stream, prompting viewers to call for information about how to subscribe to the service via their cable or satellite operator.

"Since this is all supporting subscription acquisitions, we think it's complementary [to operator goals]," Mr. Hayes said.

By Sylvia Franklin

I never thought this column would include the kind of secrecy that harkens back to the dark days of Watergate and Deep Throat, but I have several sources who did not want to be identified with their respective opinions on what exactly the big stigma is regarding "diversity writers" in the industry.

Writers of diverse backgrounds-blacks, women, the disabled, Latinos, Asians and others-have had the opportunity to participate in network programs designed to get them a foot in the writers' room door. But the "diversity writer" label leaves a decidedly unpalatable aftertaste that many people, diversity candidates included, would prefer to do without.

So why the dislike for the label? Because it can diminish others' expectations about a writer's ability and career longevity. Most diversity writers don't want to go on the record about the subject for fear of being, no pun intended, blackballed.

Perception is everything, and if people think you're incapable of being a team player, you'll be that last kid on the playground waiting to get the gig.

I've been told that being on staff of a prime-time TV show (OK, any show) is pretty much the ultimate for most professional writers. Being a paid writer is the bee's knees. But walking into a situation where the executive producer has basically been force-fed your bio and stats, without benefit of a cocktail and dinner, is akin to being Hester Prynne walking through the village square. Doomed writer walking.

To quote one of the sources, "Going through one of those programs is like special ed. You're looked at differently." Sometimes you're treated differently.

One source recalls a particular morning when every writer on staff was called to the writers' room, except him. The sting of that, the humiliation of that, still lingers. Others remember being singled out on perceived bad pitches or poor fixes.

To complain or not to complain: That is the question. And it's difficult to instill faith and bonhomie when you can't get any face time with the boss, especially when you work with that person every day. And time stands still for no one. The shelf life on these amazing opportunities is one season. After your term has expired, you swim with the fishes like the rest.

Here's the thing about diversity talent-they're free. Not as in they work for free, but as in the salary for said writer doesn't come from the show's budget. The networks pay for this writer through their programs.

And this practice doesn't exactly lend itself to people making a big fuss about how they got there. The first days of work are really interesting. This is the time everyone checks you out to see who you know-or rather, how connected you are. Because once everyone knows you've been through the (insert program), you are seen as someone who's a bit more expendable, someone who didn't really earn the right to be there.

And it's odd because this is free labor, right? You'd think most executive producers would take advantage of this extra pair of hands to pitch in, to lighten the loads of the more experienced staffers, right? Uh, no. Again, most executive producers don't like being told what to do, so when they are ... you get the picture.

And herein lies the rub for most diversity writers. Getting the first job through one of these programs can be a blessing. It ain't easy, because you're vetted through many, many layers at the production company, studio and network. But say you make it, and, you get a job out of it. Hallelujah! Then you work 237 percent harder to keep the job.

But say your show is canceled. (Which statistically is more likely to occur than not. Four out of every five new shows fail.) What happens when the time comes to get the second job?

Most diversity writers don't get the second job.

Recruitment and placement, not career retention, are high priorities for these programs. There is a diminishing middle class in the professional writer ranks of TV. There are plenty of experienced and emerging writers, but people in the middle have a hard time being seen and getting hired. Typical reason: lack of funding.

So the questions remain, are these programs-some diversity, some not, valuable? And is the stigma attached to the diversity label worth it?

In my humble opinion, abso-freakin'-lutely.

Some phenomenal talents have come through these programs. They've added depth, scope and life-altering perspective to TV's power to tell stories. These programs provide access. These programs find great talent. These programs promote cultural awareness.

You can't determine where you come from, but you sure can shape where you go, and how you get there. I'm told the best advantage to being inside is aligning yourself with more seasoned writers and cultivating those relationships so by the time these wonderful beings are working elsewhere, they'll hopefully consider you for employment.

And that's all any of us really want-just the chance to be seen, heard and employed.

Sylvia Franklin is a television writer living in Los Angeles. She is co-chair of the WGA's Committee of Black Writers and president of the Organization of Black Screenwriters. Ms. Franklin currently holds a nonwriting position on Fox's "Prison Break."

The player: Tod Sacerdoti, founder and CEO of POSTRoller, a San Francisco-based online ad network

The play: As advertisers rush into online video, POSTRoller is operating as a pure-play video ad network. "We help publishers of online video monetize their traffic by connecting their users with advertisers," Mr. Sacerdoti said. POSTRoller's task is to make every video stream on a Web site profitable by pairing it with a video, text or banner ad. POSTRoller has served ads on sites such as Break.com, Blip.tv and automotive site Streetfire.net. The company rolled out its ad-matching technology May 31.

The pitch: The secret sauce in POSTRoller is its software that contextually matches ads to video content. That helps advertisers peddle their wares in front of content that works thematically. "Our competitive differentiator is we leverage context in delivering ads," Mr. Sacerdoti said. POSTRoller also works with small and large advertisers and could, for instance, match automotive content with car-maker ads as well as ads for race car driving schools and monster truck rallies, he explained.

The pros: Online video is the fastest-growing segment of the $16.7 billion Internet advertising market and will increase more than 71 percent this year, according to eMarketer. The research firm said Internet video ad dollars will hit $640 million in 2007, nearly triple the $225 million of 2005.

The cons: POSTRoller isn't alone. Web publishers are developing their own contextual ad systems, while giants like Google are also seeking to extend their ad expertise to match video ads to relevant content.

The money guys: Mr. Sacerdoti founded POSTRoller earlier this year while still working for Plaxo, the online address book service. POSTRoller was self-funded at launch in January and received an undisclosed cash infusion last month led by True Ventures.

The backstory: Mr. Sacerdoti, 29, was born and raised in Palo Alto, Calif. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale and an MBA from Stanford. He served as director of business development at enterprise software firm Spoke Software and most recently served as director of revenue and business development for Plaxo. He has also worked for Interscope, Geffen, A&M Records and Robertson Stephens. He is married and lives in San Francisco.

The history: While at Plaxo, Mr. Sacerdoti helped craft a deal with YouTube late last year to provide address book functionality to the video-sharing site. That deal sparked his interest in helping sites with significant video traffic to monetize their audiences.

Who knew?

When Mr. Sacerdoti was in high school he played a mean game of badminton and was the second-ranked player under 18 in the United States. He received an offer to train at the Olympics training center, but opted to attend college instead.

A Very Special Episode of The Insider

"Rachael Ray" is the last straw. The last of many straws.

At 10 a.m. every weekday in New York (check local listings), the syndicated freshman gets off her too-precious-for-words elevator and starts shouting at her studio audience and her TV audience. The veins (or is it arteries?) in her neck stand out like the varicose uglies in the supermarket tabloid photos focused on the bare legs of movie stars otherwise regarded as sex symbols.

For The Insider, who lives happily in what some people regard as the noise capital of the new world, an hour of Ms. Ray talking is harder on the ears than a heavy metal concert, and not just because Ms. Ray is kind of hard to dance to.

But Ms. Ray is not the only TV offender. She is, at least for the moment, the most unremitting and egregious offender of maximum daily decibels, but she is sooooo not alone.

"The View," once one of The Insider's very favorite shows, was always loud. But the addition of Rosie O'Donnell, who seems to have lost her inside voice, has everyone on the show sounding as if they're trying to be heard in the next cosmos-and not just during the "Hot Topics," which frankly ain't so hot now that Ms. O'Donnell dominates the choice of subjects and all dialogue. More current events (serious or not) and less cutey-patootie kid stories, please, please, please.

"Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" (a Johnny-come-lately to that name) shout out all their celebrity stories and repetitive teases (which no longer can be distinguished from each other). Each show has become a cacophonous jumble. And don't even get The Insider (without quotes) started on the day-after-day plugs (shouted, of course) for studio stablemate "Rachael Ray." Oh, my gravy, as Ms. Ray screeches.

Also on The Insider's long list of loud-mouths are yell-o-mats ranging from CNBC's "Mad Money" man James Cramer, the extended "McLaughlin Group" and MSNBC's McLaughlin-influenced Chris Matthews, Court TV-Headline News harridan Nancy Grace and Fox News hector Bill O'Reilly, who shout down their guests. As The Insider has said for years, if she wanted to be yelled at, she would have stayed married.

But enough about our personal peeves. It's time to let you, gentle reader, nominate your own aural offenders by e-mailing them to mgreppi@tvweek.com. Together we can post a comprehensive list and see if we can shame them into toning down not the rhetoric but the volume.

We'll call our quality-of-TV-life movement Stop Hurting Us Sore Hearers!, which sounds much more effective when reduced to the acronym SHUSH!

The only TV personality The Insider will fight to exempt from this list of targets is Regis Philbin. He doesn't shout. He barks. And we love him for that.

Now that MySpace is the most popular online video destination in the United States, the company is turning to old-fashioned television content to continue building its online social network and generate more revenue from it.

MySpace parent Fox Interactive Media plans to announce a deal as early as this week to kick off a strategy that involves adding more TV and professionally produced video to the site over the next three months.

The new initiative is MySpace's first big push to strike deals on an ongoing basis with TV networks and studios to offer a variety of TV content from various suppliers with a variety of business models.

"Video is one of the most important initiatives for the company and an integral part of the lifestyle of our members," MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe said.

The deals planned by MySpace and other Fox Interactive Media sites call for those sites to offer TV content on an advertising-supported, download-to-own or download-for-rent basis. MySpace and FIM will look to involve advertisers in this professionally produced material and TV content, rather than in the viral videos that populate the site.

Advertisers are more comfortable associating themselves with traditional video content rather than most user-generated material.

Still, "You will start seeing more innovative ad executions [such as] sponsorships that are unique to certain advertisers," said Mickie Rosen, senior VP and general manager of entertainment for Fox Interactive Media.

The new FIM video initiative will bring more promotional content, along the lines of the seven-minute sneak peek of the season premiere of "The Simpsons" that ran last month on MySpace and other FIM sites, as well as more full episodes of TV shows, Ms. Rosen said.

In addition to MySpace, FIM sites include Foxsports.com, gaming sites IGN.com and Direct2drive.com, and entertainment sites Fox.com, Rottentomatoes.com and Americanidol.com.

"The biggest priority is continuing to build MySpace into a next-generation social networking platform, and part of that includes studio-based, professionally produced content," Ms. Rosen said.

FIM's planned new deals expand vastly upon those announced in May and August.

In May, MySpace offered entire episodes of Fox's "24." In August, Fox Interactive Media said it would offer download-to-own versions of Fox TV shows starting this month.

MySpace has offered content from other networks before, such as a full-length episode of NBC's U.S. version of "The Office" prior to its premiere, as well as a 10-minute sneak peek of Bravo's first episode of "Project Runway" late last year.

But MySpace plans to open up its TV selections beyond Fox properties on a regular basis. The download-to-own business also will expand to include other companies' shows.

"We think the winning strategy is to cut across types of content," Ms. Rosen said.

FIM is already in talks with other networks and studios for TV content; some deals are close to being finalized, she said.

While Fox.com is also an important online destination for Fox shows, the broadcast network has subscribed to the strategy that most other networks employ to offer their video content on both their own sites, on sister properties and on portals to reach the widest audience possible.

MySpace has skyrocketed in recent months as a video destination, for both homegrown videos and TV content.

MySpace now commands 4.6 percent of all Internet traffic, up from 2 percent just a year ago, according to Internet tracking firm Hitwise. In July the site served up nearly 1.5 billion video streams, representing 20 percent of all videos viewed on the Internet that month, audience measurement service comScore Media Metrix reported last week.

In July MySpace attracted 37.4 million unique visitors who watched video, placing it ahead of YouTube's 30.5 million video watchers, among individual site destinations that stream video, comScore said. Last week's findings marked the first time comScore has reported on videos viewed online. The typical MySpace video viewer watched 39 streams in July.

MySpace, purchased for $580 million by News. Corp. in 2005, launched its video offering at the start of 2006 with a blend of user-generated content and professional material such as its "Artist on Artist" interview series.

"MySpace is clearly laying the groundwork to be a distribution player for all types of content," said Brahm Eiley, analyst with Convergence Consulting. However, those grand plans will take time to materialize, he cautioned. "We would not expect MySpace to change the world this year or next. Online plays are really just at the embryonic stage."

As MySpace broadens its purview to include more TV content, the site will have to strike a delicate balance to ensure that MySpace users who want only to engage in the social networking can do that while others can hop over to the video section to watch viral video, music videos, originals or TV content.

"It's about making [video] available and letting users explore, discover, talk about and share," Ms. Rosen said. "This is just the beginning ... we can't let a day go by without us being really aggressive, innovative and risk-taking to a large degree."

Each of the eight major syndicators is facing some kind of challenge or transition when it comes to its business. While some companies are adjusting to an executive changing of the guard, others are adapting to new models or business strategies that would have seemed outlandish a few years ago. Highlights of each company's challenges follow.





Buena Vista Sits Out First-Run for Fall, Focuses on Off-Network Drama Pipeline

Buena Vista Television, which distributes for sister company Buena Vista Productions, did not launch a new first-run syndicated strip this fall, a trend becoming more common for the big syndicators. Earlier this year BVTV pulled daytime talker "The Tony Danza Show" off the air after two seasons.

Some of the company's biggest syndication properties within the next two seasons are likely to be its off-network fare, including the powerhouse one-hours "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy."

The company is in first-run development for fall 2007. Buena Vista Television President Janice Marinelli was not available for comment.



Buena Vista Television

First-run highlights: Talk shows "Live With Regis and Kelly"; game show "Millionaire"; weekend series "Ebert & Roeper" Off-network highlights: comedies "According to Jim," "Scrubs," "Home Improvement" and "My Wife and Kids"; drama "Alias"





King World Brand Stays for Stalwart Shows While CBS Execs Do Corporate Shuffle

Following the consolidation of King World and CBS Paramount Domestic Television into the CBS Television Distribution Group, existing programs bearing the King World moniker, such as No. 1 syndicated talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and new talker "Rachael Ray," will keep their King World stamp. Going forward, though, new programs will be branded under the new company name.

As part of the new company's executive roster, CEO Roger King's lieutenant Robert Madden is sharing president and chief operating officer duties with former CBS Paramount Domestic Television President John Nogawski.

Although the company would not comment, CBS Paramount Domestic Television President Greg Meidel is said to be leaving the company.

The consolidation between King World and CBS Paramount has been progressing rapidly over the past year, with mergers in operations such as the divisions' development and publicity departments. But the move last week to wholly combine the companies officially merges the giants' programming slates, which include the top shows in nearly every genre. This gives CTDG at least seven or eight regular performers in the top 10 spots in the weekly highest-rated shows in syndication.



CBS Television Distribution Group

First-run highlights: Talk shows "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Dr. Phil"; courtroom shows "Judge Judy" and "Judge Joe Brown"; game shows "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!"; magazines "Entertainment Tonight," "Inside Edition" and "The Insider"

Off-network highlights: Comedies "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Girlfriends" and "Frasier," dramas from the "CSI" franchise





MGM Mining Library Brands for New Offerings

That Encompass Non-Traditional Models

With more than 4,000 movie titles and 10,000 hours of series television, MGM has one of the most extensive content libraries in the world. With the recent promotion of Jim Packer to president of the company, including a boost in responsibilities for key distribution and sales staff, the company is looking to develop new product off its established brands.

But that doesn't mean MGM is creating a traditional first-run syndication development model for itself, Mr. Packer said.

"I don't think we are going into the 'Hey, let's spend $20 million on a talk show and see if it works' space. That's not going to be the strategy for us. The strategy for us is to grow our business in the marketplace today."

Mr. Packer hopes to develop projects along the lines of MGM's recently announced TV adaptation of Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" with cabler G4, or its TV movies and direct-to-video titles.

Mr. Packer is also hoping to emulate the success of Debmar-Mercury, which distributes "South Park" and is developing a first-run syndicated sitcom.

"They have done a very good job of getting stuff on the air with very limited staff," he said. There's no reason why we couldn't do that and be opportunistic at the same time."



MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group

Programming highlights: Dramas "Stargate SG-1," "Stargate: Atlantis" and "Outer Limits"



NBCU Seeks New Revenue Streams, Exploring Non-Daytime Time Periods

While NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution is focused on developing shows for its sister station group, the company "has other shows in development that are not for NBC," said Barry Wallach, president of the division.

Both "Martha" and newcomer "The Megan Mullally Show" are NBC Universal-owned station shows, but "Maury" and "Springer," which came into the NBC fold in 2004 when the company bought Universal, are Tribune-owned station staples.

In the current marketplace, companies like NBC Universal can't simply launch a show and expect to make money in syndication like they did a decade ago, Mr. Wallach said, noting that additional revenue streams have to be created to make the finances work on a show like "Megan," NBC Universal's newest talk show.

"Megan" has been designed to create new revenue streams "in success," he said. "Clearly, something on our minds is how do you generate multiple sources of revenue going forward and take advantage of the television platform?"

Daytime "has gotten very hard for everybody," Mr. Wallach said, adding that he sees potential in access and late-fringe time periods, plus the ability to profit from NBC Universal's upcoming off-network drama properties. But even in the toughest time periods, possibilities exist, he said.

"No matter what happens with consolidation, no matter what happens with ratings, there's always opportunity," Mr. Wallach said. "The needs are always going to be there, unless TV stations turn off their transmitters."



NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution

First-run highlights: Talk shows "The Megan Mullally Show," "Martha," "Jerry Springer" and "Maury"; newsmagazine "Access Hollywood"; numerous weekend half-hours, including "The Chris Matthews Show"

Off-network highlights: Reality series "Fear Factor"; dramas from the "Law & Order" franchise and the upcoming "Monk," "Las Vegas" and "House"





Busy Twentieth Balances MyNetwork, Full Off-Net Slate, First-Run Innovations

Twentieth Television is one of the busiest syndication companies around.

While Twentieth, the programming and distribution arm of Fox Television Stations, is dealing with the challenge of providing the entire slate of prime-time programming for MyNetworkTV, the company continues to develop first-run fare and distribute a full slate of off-network properties.

Twentieth's English-language telenovelas, initially designed to launch an innovative syndicated program format, now comprise MyNetworkTV's entire week of shows.

The company continues to explore new ways to thrive in the ever-changing syndication marketplace.

Bob Cook, Twentieth TV's president and chief operating officer, called the company's planned two-hour live game show block and U.K. transplant "Games Fever" for its sister station group's MyNetworkTV stations "potentially a game changer in the business," since the business model relies on revenue from additional streams, such as text-messaging and product integration.

"It's going to be an exciting test for the company," Mr. Cook said.

As far as current first-run fare, "Geraldo at Large," cleared in only 75 percent of the country, is "the little engine that could" considering its ratings, Mr. Cook said. "We're still adding clearances."



Twentieth Television

First-run highlights: Newsmagazine "Geraldo at Large"; court shows "Divorce Court," "Cristina's Court" and "Judge Alex"

Off-network highlights: Comedies "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill," "Bernie Mac" and the upcoming "Family Guy"; drama "24"



Sony Keeps 'Realistic Expectations' In Face of Marketplace Changes

Sony Pictures Television, which produces the top-rated syndicated game shows "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" for distributor King World and is in development on new game show properties with the company, does not see the formation of CBS Television Distribution Group altering their partnership, said John Weiser, Sony's president of distribution.

"It does not impact our relationship with King World. We have multiple ties to CBS and The CW," Mr. Weiser said.

Like NBC, Sony must create new revenue streams as a reaction to market changes.

"As fragmentation and rising costs have increased, so have multiple opportunities to monetize a property where older rules had more limitations," Mr. Weiser said, noting that syndicated shows like Sony's "The Greg Behrendt Show" now have cable repurposing and are streaming episodes on Web sites belonging to stations that clear the show.

While cable runs in addition to syndication clearances are old hat for off-network programming, online streaming of episodes is new ground for the company's sitcoms.

"Different products evolve from a distinct strategic standpoint," he said. Sony will continue to develop projects that "fill a need in the marketplace," but the onus is on Sony to set production and marketing budgets that reflect revenues. "We need to set realistic expectations," Mr. Weiser said.



Sony Pictures Television

First-run highlights: Talk show "The Greg Behrendt Show"; court shows "Judge Maria Lopez" and "Judge Hatchett"

Off-network highlights: Comedies "Seinfeld," "King of Queens" and "Just Shoot Me"; dramas "The Shield" and "Six Feet Under"



New Warner Bros. Chief: Success Lies in Station Ties

Despite the lack of a sister station group, Warner Bros. is "dedicated to being in the content business," said the TV distribution company's new president, Ken Werner, the former WB executive who in August replaced longtime Warner Bros. topper Dick Robertson, a 40-year syndication veteran.

"We also believe we have great marketing resources," Mr. Werner added, noting that quality content and marketing must come together in the current marketplace if syndicated programming is going to succeed.

For Warner Bros., providing a variety of shows for a range of stations also has helped the company stay competitive when putting its product up against shows that may come from a station group's corporately owned studio. But that means local stations and Warner Bros. must work hand in hand on programs, Mr. Werner said.

"We are going to look at them to support us on an economic basis and a marketing basis," he said, pointing as an example to Warner Bros.' partnership with the Fox-owned stations that run "Tyra."

For Mr. Werner, "The challenge is as we rationalize the underlying economics," stations "need to understand the changes in the environment," he said. "Forming that partnership will lead to success." N



Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

First-run highlights: Talk shows "The Dr. Keith Ablow Show," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Tyra Banks Show"; newsmagazine "Extra"; court shows "People's Court"

and "Judge Mathis"

Off-network highlights: Comedies "Friends," "Sex and the City" and the upcoming "Two and a Half Men"; dramas "Without a Trace" and "Smallville"



Tribune Will Not Produce Solo, Must Partner to Serve Sibling Stations

Tribune Entertainment, which once distributed several weekly action hours and daytime talk shows, is not expected to produce first-run programming on its own anymore. Instead, the division of Tribune Broadcasting plans to continue to partner with producers to help direct shows to the Tribune stations.

Tribune Entertainment currently performs ad sales, distribution and other back-office duties for FremantleMedia North America's game show "Family Feud" and the off-network reality series "American Idol: Rewind." The company carries out similar duties for Debmar-Mercury's off-cable comedy "South Park," Don Cornelius's weekly dance show "Soul Train" and syndicated movie packages for DreamWorks.

In addition, the company's station group is in a partnership with Sony on "The Greg Behrendt Show," though Sony still handles ad sales and distribution, something Tribune Entertainment would like to do itself. For this coming season, Tribune is expected to explore taking on another game show and a series focused on a teen audience.

Due to conversations taking place on The Tribune Co.'s board, the head of Tribune Entertainment, Executive VP and General Manager Clark Morehouse, could not comment on the state of the company.



Tribune Entertainment

Programming highlights: The company has no first-run or off-network shows of its own on the air right now. The last first-run talk show Tribune Entertainment produced and distributed was "Beyond With James Van Praagh," which was canceled during its debut 2002-03 season.

By Elizabeth Jensen

CBS's "60 Minutes" was the top winner at the 27th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, taking home four statuettes.

CBS's "48 Hours" also won an Emmy, pushing the network's total to five awards, which left it tied with PBS for the most honors by network. History Channel programs received four Emmys during the ceremony, held Sept. 25 at the Marriott Marquis in New York.

Work from Iraq by the late ABC anchor Peter Jennings for "World News Tonight" won two of ABC's three awards, including the honor for best story in a regularly scheduled newscast.

TelevisionWeek is a sponsor of the awards, which are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The awards honor work done in 2005, including numerous reports on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Accepting a lifetime achievement award, Bill Moyers, who has been called "the conscience of America" for his reporting for public television and CBS, thanked the First Amendment and his funders, whom he called vital to his career as an independent journalist. "Without funding, the First Amendment is just an empty ATM machine," he said.

Three press organizations-the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Press Institute and Reporters Without Borders-were honored for their work defending press freedom.

Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast

NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams (NBC), "Hurricane Katrina: Moment of Crisis"; executive producer: John Reiss; senior producers: Heather Allen, Patrick Burkey, Mary Laurence Flynn, Sharon Hoffman, Rich Latour, Frieda Morris; producers: Doug Adams, Anne Binford Allen, Donna Bass, Teresa Crawford, Clare Duffy, Carol Eggers, Roxanne Garcia, Andrew Gross, Sylvie Haller, Izhar Harpaz, Jean Harper, Al Henkel, Mark Hudspeth, Mike Kosnar, Joo Lee, Donna Nelson, Bita Nikravesh, Larry Register, Christopher Scholl, Carl Sears, Joel Seidman, Doug Stoddart, Bethany Thomas, Kelly Venardos, John Zito; correspondents: Mike Boettcher, Campbell Brown, Jim Cummins, Bob Faw, Carl Quintanilla, Tony Zumbado, Kerry Sanders, Martin Savidge, Don Teague, Anne Thompson, Pete Williams; anchor and managing editor: Brian Williams; director: Brett Holey

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings (ABC), "Iraq: Where Things Stand 3"; executive producer: Jon Banner; senior producers: Kate Felsen, Tom Nagorski, David Reiter, Stu Schutzman; producers: Clark Bentson, Bob Haberl Ray Homer, Vinnie Malhotra, Bruno Roeber; director: Eric Siegel; anchor and senior editor: Peter Jennings

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)

"Charity Hospital"

Senior executive producer: David Doss; executive producers: Sid Bedingfield, Kathleen Friery; senior broadcast producer: Charlie Moore; managing editor: Bud Bultman; executive director of production: Jody Gottlieb; post-production producer: Matt Scheibner; producers: Robert Howell, Heather O'Neill, Chris Gajilan, Dave Timko; correspondent: Dr. Sanjay Gupta

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

ABC World News Tonight (ABC), "Money Trail" Series; Executive producer: Jon Banner; senior investigative producer: Rhonda Schwartz; senior producer: Stu Schutzman; producers: Jill Rackmill, David W Scott, Vic Walter; field producers: Madeleine Sauer, Simon Surowicz; director: Eric Siegel; correspondent: Brian Ross; anchor and senior editor: Peter Jennings

OUTSTANDING COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

CBS News 60 Minutes (CBS)

"Aftershock"

Executive producer: Jeff Fager; senior broadcast producer: Michael R Whitney; executive editor: Patti Hassler; producers: Michael Gavshon, Solly Granatstein; correspondent: Bob Simon

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

CBS News 48 Hours (CBS)

"Hostage"

Executive producer: Susan Zirinsky; senior producer: Peter Schweitzer; producers: Joe Halderman, Jonathan Sanders; correspondent: Peter Van Sant

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

CBS News 60 Minutes (CBS)

"The Sea Gypsies"

Executive producer: Jeff Fager; senior broadcast producer: Michael R Whitney; executive editor: Patti Hassler; producers: Michael Gavshon, Solly Granatstein; correspondent: Bob Simon

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN A NEWS MAGAZINE

CBS News 60 Minutes (CBS)

"Rendition"

Executive producers: Jeff Fager, Patti Hassler; senior broadcast producer: Michael R. Whitney; producer: Graham Messick; correspondent: Scott Pelley

OUTSTANDING LIVE COVERAGE OF A BREAKING NEWS STORY-LONG FORM

Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)

"Starving in Plain Sight"

Senior executive producer: David Doss; executive producer: Kathleen Friery; senior broadcast producer: Charlie Moore; correspondents: Anderson Cooper, Jeff Koinange

OUTSTANDING CONTINUING

COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY-LONG FORM

Frontline (a co-production with RAINmedia) (PBS)

"The Storm"

Executive producer: David Fanning; producers: Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith; co-producer: Christopher Durrance

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM-LONG FORM

Frontline (a co-production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd.) (PBS)

"The Torture Question"

Executive producer: David Fanning; producer and director: Michael Kirk; co-producer and reporter: Jim Gilmore

OUTSTANDING INFORMATIONAL PROGRAMMING-LONG FORM

"Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge" (PBS)

Executives in charge, Vulcan Productions: Paul G. Allen, Jody Patton; executive in charge, WGBH/NOVA Science Unit: Paula S. Apsell; executive producer, Vulcan Productions: Richard Hutton; series executive producer: Larry Klein; senior producer: Lisa Mirowitz; producers: Tabitha Jackson, Jill Shinefield, Andy Young; producer and directors: Mike Beckham, Sarah Holt, Rob Whittlesey, Gail Willumsen; director: Richard Dale

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL PROGRAMMING-LONG FORM

"Slavery and the Making of America: Seeds of Destruction" (PBS)

Executive producer: William Grant; series producer: Dante James; producer and director: Chana Gazit

OUTSTANDING INTERVIEW

CBS News 60 Minutes (CBS)

"First Man"

Executive producer: Jeff Fager; senior producers: Michael Radutzky, Michael R Whitney; Executive Editor: Patti Hassler; producer: Mitch Weitzner; co-producer: Kara MacMahon; correspondent: Ed Bradley

OUTSTANDING CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC PROGRAMMING

"Independent Lens: A Lion's Trail" (PBS)

Executive producer for ITVS: Sally Jo Fifer; producers: Dan Jawitz, Mark J. Kaplan; producer and director: Francois Verster

OUTSTANDING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND NATURE PROGRAMMING

"National Geographic Special: Predators at War" (National Geographic Channel)

Executive producers: John Bredar, Michael Rosenfeld, Keenan Smart; senior producers: Eleanor Grant, Kathryn Pasternak; supervising producer: Chris Sondreal; producers: Jeff Morales, Kim Wolhuter

BEST STORY IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED NEWSCAST

ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings (ABC)

"Iraq: Where Things Stand 3"

Executive producer: Jon Banner; senior producers: Kate Felsen, Tom Nagorski, David Reiter, Stu Schutzman; producers: Clark Bentson, Bob Haberl, Ray Homer, Vinnie Malhotra, Bruno Roeber; director: Eric Siegel; anchor and senior editor: Peter Jennings

Best Report in a News

Magazine

Dateline NBC (NBC), "Children of War"; executive producer: David Corvo; senior investigative producer: Allan Maraynes; executive editor: Marc Rosenwasser; producer: Tim Sandler; correspondent: Keith Morrison

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Cinemax Reel Life

"Born into Brothels" (Cinemax)

Executive producer: Geralyn White Dreyfous; co-executive producer: Pamela Tanner Boll; producer and directors: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN CONTENT FOR NON-TRADITIONAL DELIVERY PLATFORMS

Washingtonpost.com

Hurricane Katrina Coverage in New Orleans

Senior videojournalist: Travis Fox

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: WRITING

"Ape to Man" (History Channel)

Writer: Nic Young

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: RESEARCH

"Save Our History: Voices of Civil Rights" (History Channel)

Researchers: Annie Herringer, Shelley Friedman, Laura Rabhan

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: CINEMATOGRAPHY

"Mississippi: Tales from the Last River Rat" (Discovery Channel)

Cinematographers: Neil Rettig, Colin Stafford-Johnson

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: EDITING

"Beyond the Moon: Failure is not an Option II" (Discovery Channel)

Editor: Tony Bacon

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: GRAPHIC AND ARTISTIC DESIGN

National Geographic Special (National Geographic Channel)

"Predators at War"

Art director/animation director: Ricardo Andrade; visual effects directors: Laurie Hunter, Elisa Sauleda; visual effects producer: Bernice Kenton-Briggs; visual effects artist: Nick Jernigan

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: MUSIC AND SOUND

National Geographic Explorer (National Geographic Channel)

"Deadly Love"

Composers: Chris Biondo, Lenny Williams; sound editor: Jim Sheehy; sound recordist: Carlos de Hita; sound mixer: Dave Hurley

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN A CRAFT: LIGHTING DIRECTION AND SCENIC DESIGN

"The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross" (History Channel)

Director of photography: Jeff Baynes

OUTSTANDING REGIONAL NEWS STORY-SPOT NEWS

WBBM-TV Chicago 10 P.M. News

"Farewell to the Pope"

Executive producers: Ann Isaac, Todd Woolman; producers: Sue Brown-Williams, Steffanie Dupree, Shelly Howell, Marda Le Beau, Tansy Soltysiak; reporters: Derrick Blakley, Mary Ann Childers, Mike Flannery, Suzanne Le Mignot, Jay Levine, Joanie Lum; editors: Mike Klingele, Jerry Molnar, John Petrosky, Damon Ranger; assignment editor: Yianis Fournelis; videographers: Nathan Delack, Dave Fox, Tom Kennedy

OUTSTANDING REGIONAL NEWS STORY-INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

WBAL-TV News

"Dirty Secret"

Producer and videographer: Beau Kershaw; reporter: John Sherman

The full list of winners is available at Emmyonline.org.

Source: The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

By Ira Teinowitz and James Hibberd

The Washington-based Federal Communications Commission goes Hollywood this week as the entire five-member commission journeys to the West Coast for a public hearing on media ownership.

The Tuesday hearing signals the start of the down-to-business phase of an ownership rules rewrite that could alter the country's media landscape.

The meeting also is likely to rekindle a major political fight over whether the rules should be changed. The FCC's last battle over media ownership drew a record outpouring of e-mail traffic to the agency and strayed into the political realm when it was mentioned by Democratic presidential candidates during their campaigns.

Consumer groups eventually won that battle when in June 2004 an appellate court overturned the FCC proposal that would have allowed a single company to own three TV stations, eight radio stations, the local cable system and the local daily newspaper in a market.

The court ruled that the FCC hadn't adequately sought public access before unveiling the rules and that the FCC had relied too much on a study that weighted local daily newspapers equally with weeklies and shoppers in determining the impact of consolidation.

Meanwhile, consumer groups argue that consolidation eliminates disparate voices and that the Internet is no match for separate sources for local news.

"We want to inform the FCC of the impact that vertical integration and media concentration have had on the creative community," said Jonathan Rintels of the Center for Creative Voices in Media, who plans to attend the hearing. "The exclusion of independent voices and views in prime time is not good for the public."

The meeting will be divided into two sessions: the first considering issues about the creative community and independent programming, the second discussing the Los Angeles local media market.

Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, will appear on the latter panel presenting his research that shows the FCC's proposal will damage the Los Angeles market.

"We'll prove that, even in Los Angeles, the proposed policy would be disastrous for competition, localism and diversity," he said. "The FCC chairman has said he was going to go out and listen to the people, and I'm going to give him an earful."

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's choice of Los Angeles as the first of six public hearings is a sharp departure from the FCC under previous chairman Michael Powell, who scheduled a single public hearing, in Richmond, Va.

The pressure on the FCC to change the rules is intense. Newspaper publishers want existing rules that block them from purchasing broadcast properties in their newspapers' markets altered, and medium-size and smaller-market TV station owners want to be able to more easily acquire additional properties in a market. They argue that the FCC's rules are outdated.

Nearly a month into Katie Couric's run as anchor of "CBS Evening News," the nightly broadcast is not flying as high as it was during its first heady week. But for CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus, it is riding higher and proving more competitive at this point than he expected.

Preliminary national data from Nielsen Media Research for the first three days of last week showed that "Evening News" slipped back into third place in the competition for total viewership after three weeks of decline in that category.

After averaging 10.2 million viewers during the week of her Sept. 5 debut on CBS, Ms. Couric was averaging 7.7 million viewers last week.

However, only about 700,000 viewers separated first-place "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams" from "Evening News," which lagged only some 74,000 viewers behind ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson" for the same three days last week.

The boost Ms. Couric's arrival has given the newscast has been good news in terms of ad prices. CBS said scatter prices for "Evening News" spots not bought by the end of summer were "significantly" higher in September than they were in September 2005. While stressing that advertising deals vary greatly, a spokesman for CBS said the cost-pe