Jim Lehrer says he was nervous about his return to PBS’ “The NewsHour” eight weeks after aortic valve replacement surgery, Television Week reports. While recovering, Lehrer got a chance to watch television and got hooked on “The Sopranos,” “Friday Night…
Even as a robust upfront has broadcast and cable television executives grinning, a new forecast from a large ad buyer says U.S. ad spending will be even slower than predicted a the beginning of the year, the Wall Street Journal…
MTV is expected to announced a $50 million push into the music download business, the New York Post says. MTV will be working with Real Networks’ Rhapsody music service and four record labels to turn up the volume of competition…
Fox is continuing its marketing campaign for the upcoming J.J. Abrams sci fi show “Fringe” with a series of radio ads, TelevisionWeek reports. The spots, which begin as typical radio fare but are cut off by a mysterious message urging…
NBC ordered an additional seven episodes of its upcoming half-hour sitcom, “Kath & Kim,” the Hollywood Reporter says. The series, starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a dysfunctional mother-daughter duo, skipped the pilot phase and immediately went into production…
Owners of Sony Bravia TV sets will get the first look at Sony’s new film starring Will Smith, “Hancock,” after its theatrical run is over, the New York Times reports. The move is part of Sony CEO Howard Stringer’s strategy…
Amy Ryan will return in the next season of “The Office” for at least five episodes, Daily Variety reports. Ryan, who first appeared on the series in last season’s finale episode, will play a human resources representative who may be…
A Washington, D.C., group called Zero to Three is protesting NBC’s new show “Baby Borrowers,” saying it is concerned about infants being separated from their parents and being placed with strangers, the New York Post says. “A large body of…
The World Fishing Network is one of 22 new channels in high definition that Dish Network recently added to its service, Television Week reports. The surprising addition, however, suggests that for many networks, a solid strategy to getting carriage lies…
MTV Networks Music Group president Van Toffler suggested that Britney Spears may not be out of the running for an appearance at this year’s Video Music Awards, the Associated Press reports. Spears opened last year’s show in what was pegged…