Broadcaster, Newspaper Combine Operations

A TV station, radio station and newspaper in Salt Lake City are combining their news operations in a move that will mean a cutback of half the staff of the newspaper, the AP reports.

The Deseret News, the longest-publishing daily newspaper in Utah, will move to the broadcast facilities of KSL-TV and KSL Radio, about five blocks away. Layoffs at the paper reportedly will include 57 full-time and 28 part-time employees.

"We are in a period of massive innovation," Deseret News CEO and President Clark Gilbert said in a statement. "Audiences are migrating from traditional newspapers to digital news sources, which allows us to reach more audiences than ever before."

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Sparks Should Fly With These Cast Members

Bravo has revealed the cast of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and the lineup is a recipe for high drama, iVillage reports.

Among the cast members are Camille Grammer, Kelsey Grammer’s ex; and former child actresses Kim Richards and Kyle Richards, who are Paris Hilton’s aunts. Also in the lineup is Adrienne Maloof, part of the family that owns the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise.

Apple Closing in on iPhone Antenna Solution, May Have New Hardware Ready Within Weeks

Apple appears to be close to unveiling a hardware fix that solves the widely publicized antenna problem with the iPhone 4, Ars Technica reports.

Citing an executive with Mexican mobile carrier Telcel, the story says Apple is expected to release the revised hardware after Sept. 30.

Apple’s current program distributing free cases to iPhone owners as a temporary solution is set to expire Sept. 30.

Hallmark, AT&T Resume Carriage Negotiations as Deadline Looms

The carriage agreement standoff between AT&T's U-verse multichannel video service and the Hallmark channels is yet to be resolved, but at least the two sides have resumed talks, reports B&C.

Currently, Hallmark is asking for more than AT&T wants to pay. AT&T's deadline for pulling the plug on the Hallmark Channels is Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. ET. However, Hallmark has offered to continue letting the signal reach AT&T U-verse customers past the deadline even if a settlement has yet to be reached.

Icahn Raises Hostile Takeover Bid for Lions Gate

The hostile takeover bid by businessman Carl Icahn for Lions Gate Entertainment was increased by 15% on Tuesday to $7.50 a share, reports Multichannel News.

Lions Gate is a major entertainment player, owning the TV Guide Channel and producing two award-winning TV shows, "Mad Men" and "Nurse Jackie," among other properties.

The Lions Gate board of directors will review the latest bid from Icahn, whose previous bids were rejected, and is expected to respond soon, the story says.

Advertiser Insures NFL Player's Hair for $1 Million

NFL fans know that Troy Polamalu's mane is his trademark, which is why the Pittsburgh Steelers’ All-Pro safety has had his hair insured for $1 million by Head & Shoulders, reports Yahoo.com.

Polamalu is the star of commercials for Head & Shoulders and the company is concerned that while playing football, his hair may become a casualty.

It's not unheard of for fellow players to grab onto an opponent's hair should it flow out of the helmet. It happened to Polamalu in 2006 when he had intercepted a pass and was trying to return the pick for a touchdown.

Oscar Nominee Joins Upcoming Showtime Drama

A two-time Academy Award nominee is the latest star to join Showtime's new one-hour drama series "Shameless."

The new cast member is actress Joan Cusack, who received Oscar nominations for "Working Girl" and "In & Out." Cusack will appear in all 12 episodes of the show, from Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

She will play Sheila, an agoraphobic Chicago housewife who develops a special friendship with star William H. Macy’s character, Frank Gallagher.

"Shameless" goes into production this fall and will premiere on Showtime on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, at 9 p.m. ET.

CBS Reruns Top Monday Night Nielsens

CBS reruns of "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory" were the top shows in the Nielsens Monday night, with ratings of 2.6 and 2.8, respectively, in the 18-49 demographic, while ABC's second hour of "Bachelor Pad" managed the best numbers for new programming, according to TVbytheNumbers.

At 8 p.m. the first hour of "Bachelor Pad" scored a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, before the show climbed to 2.1 in the 9 p.m. hour. Also at 9 p.m. Fox's "Lie to Me" earned a 1.7 in the demo.

At 10 p.m. ABC's "Dating in the Dark" collected a 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demo, just ahead of NBC's "Dateline," which had a 1.3.

Freshness Quotient and Moments of Inspiration Kept 62nd Annual Emmys From Sinking Into Trophy Tedium

Did you think this year's primetime Emmy Awards telecast on NBC was a marked improvement over recent years?

TVWeek Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin did. She says Jimmy Fallon's hosting was inspired and the show's emphasis on fun and funny definitely elevated this year's Emmys broadcast.

To read her thoughtful blog, please click here.

Soap Star Sued for More Than $250,000

One of the stars of a CBS daytime soap is being sued for more than a quarter of a million dollars by her attorneys, her manager and a security firm for allegedly being delinquent in her payments, reports SoapCentral.com.

TMZ.com revealed that the suit was filed Aug. 27 in Los Angeles Superior Court against actress Hunter Tylo of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” according to the report.

Tylo, who has played Dr. Taylor Hayes on "B&B" since 1990, has a history of legal entanglements, including a wrongful death lawsuit against a social worker who Tylo believed was responsible for her son's drowning death in 2007.

Tylo was reportedly awarded $4.8 million in damages in 1998 in a lawsuit against Aaron Spelling that claimed the actress was fired from “Melrose Place” because she was pregnant, the story adds.