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Monthly Archives : February 2009

Comcast Broadens Broadband Service

U.S. cable leader Comcast said today that it will spend as much as $500 million to reclaim analog bandwidth to improve its broadband services, Multichannel News reports. The company plans to offer high-speed Internet to about two-thirds of its service…

Cartoon Network Orders Marvel ‘Squad’

Cartoon Network ordered a 26-episode season of “Marvel Super Hero Squad,” which is based on the toy brand and comic book created by Marvel Entertainment, io9.com reports. The series will debut at the end of this year, the Web site…

‘Futurama’ May Have Future on Fox

Fox may bring back the animated series “Futurama” because of strong DVD sales and good ratings in syndication on Comedy Central, Ain’t It Cool News reports, citing cast member Billy West. The show, created by “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening,…

Comedy Central Orders ‘Michael and Michael’

Comedy Central has greenlit the series “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” starring Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter. The network has ordered seven episodes of the series, which will feature sketches interspersed through the narrative, which follows Mr. Black and…

DTV Switch: Early Reports Encouraging, But Look Out…

Initial reports from some of the 421 stations that yesterday switched to digital TV signals suggest the most dire predictions about the transition may have been overblown. Some DTV issues are surfacing, however, with antenna and other problems arising. Broadcasters,…

Parton Won’t Be in New ‘Hannah’ Film

Dolly Parton, who’s had a recurring role as Aunt Dolly in the Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana,” wasn’t invited to reprise the part in the upcoming “Hannah” movie, the Associated Press reports. Ms. Parton said she’d been contacted by the…

ESPN Tells 3 Broadcasters to Go West

ESPN has assigned broadcasters Neil Everett, Stan Verrett and Stuart Scott to its new facility in Los Angeles for its 1 a.m. ET edition of “SportsCenter” set to debut in April, the Hollywood Reporter says. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN…

Warner’s ‘TMZ’ Cleared in 97% of U.S. Through 2011

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution’s “TMZ” is cleared for the next two years in 97% of the country. “TMZ,” which was cleared for 2009 through 2011 on the Fox Television Stations in November, has added stations from nearly two dozen…

Complete PaleyFest Lineup Revealed

The William S. Paley Television Festival will host panels celebrating shows including “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Mentalist,” “90210” and a combined evening for “Battlestar Galactica” and prequel “Caprica.” The full lineup, announced today by the Paley Center for Media,…

Walters, Kroft Say PM Shows’ Days Numbered

Barbara Walters and Steve Kroft of CBS’ “60 Minutes” said the future of nighttime network newscasts is limited because viewers can get much of the information on the Internet, the Hollywood Reporter says. Both also said that people representing interview…