Fox is ending its Saturday morning programming deal with 4Kids early and is opting to air two hours of long-form commercials in what has traditionally been a block aimed at kids, Daily Variety reports. Fox will also be returning two…
Talks between the Screen Actors Guild and producers and studios broke off, leaving the television industry one step closer to another debilitating strike, TelevisionWeek reports. It would take a 75% vote of SAG’s membership to authorize a strike. In a…
After 25 years with CNN, Christiane Amanpour is finally getting to anchor her own daily news show, the New York Times reports. The show will appear on CNN International, which is reworking its lineup, the paper says. —Jon Lafayette
Analysts expect prices for high definition television sets to dip during the entire holiday season, the Los Angeles Times says. If holiday sales are week, shoppers who don’t buy the day after Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday, might get another shot…
Even while America’s big automakers are begging Washington for a bailout, Ford Motor Co. plans to continue to sponsor Fox’s top-rated “American Idol,” Broadcasting & Cable reports. The publication cites data showing Ford spent about $78 million on “Idol” last…
With news outlets focusing on the latest from the people on “The Hills,” some fans may be able to follow the characters without watching the show on MTV, the Los Angeles Times says. Viewership has gone down hill from a…
Ben Silverman’s knack for finding hits hasn’t translated into higher ratings since he joined NBC, Advertising Age says. On the other hand, he has been good at generating profits by weaving advertisers into the network’s programming, the magazine says. —Jon…
Rachel Maddow became a star on MSNBC as Barack Obama swept into office. But Newsweek asks: “How does a liberal, left-leaning ‘Rachel Maddow Show’ behave when a left-leaning president is elected? –Jon Lafayette
The use of digital video recorders by consumers is changing the way networks schedule programs and is reducing the importance of overnight ratings in evaluating shows, the Associated Press says. Hardest hit is The CW, which gets 17% of its…
The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios, which produces “Heroes,” “House,” “The Office” and “30 Rock.” Ms. Pope’s contract with NBC is up in June. “This isn’t an easy job, but…