Chuck Ross

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Chuck Ross is the managing director of TVWeek.com. He's been involved in the TV business ever since he sold cable TV subscriptions in Santa Monica, Calif., door-to-door in the mid-to-late 1970s. He's had regular gigs reporting and/or editing about TV and advertising for Cablevision magazine,The Hollywood Reporter, the San Francisco Chronicle, Inside Media and Advertising Age. He first joined the predecessor to TVWeek, Electronic Media, in 2000.

Which Two Actors Were First Choices for ‘Breaking Bad’? Bryan Cranston Wasn’t Among Them

Two actors were the first choices to play Walter White in AMC’s "Breaking Bad," with the show’s star, Bryan Cranston, not among them, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The producers initially wanted either John Cusack or Matthew Broderick, with both…

With TV Business at ‘Inflection Point,’ TiVo Will Purchase Research Company

TRA, a research company with a system that matches up television viewing with buying habits, will be bought by TiVo, reports Bill Carter in The New York Times. TiVo will spend about $20 million to buy out TRA’s other investors,…

Larry King Teams With Popular Online Video Site, Debuts New Show

Larry King is debuting his new talk show online, The New York Times’ Media Decoder reports, with his premiere already up on the popular online-streaming site Hulu. "Larry King Now" has posted its first interview, which is with Seth MacFarlane….

Emmy-Winning TV Director and Producer Bill Asher — He Was Behind Hundreds of Episodes of ‘I Love Lucy,’ ‘Bewitched’ and Other Hit Shows — Dead at 90

Bill Asher, a veteran TV director and producer who was behind hundreds of episodes of hit shows, has died, the Desert Sun reports. Asher died Monday in Palm Desert, Calif. Asher was the primary director of "I Love Lucy," and…

With Channel Blacked Out on DirecTV, Ratings for Nickelodeon Plunge

With the loss of carriage in a dispute with satellite broadcaster DirecTV, ratings for Viacom’s Nickelodeon network have plunged by about one-third, reports Joe Flint in the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town blog. Nickelodeon’s total day audience was about 1.8…

Modest Opening for Sigourney Weaver Miniseries

USA Network’s "Political Animals," which stars Sigourney Weaver as the former first lady who becomes Secretary of State, debuted Sunday to a relatively soft start with 2.6 million viewers, reports Deadline.com. The miniseries, from Greg Berlanti and Laurence Mark, is…

Founder of Legendary Rock Band Dies

One of the founding members of a seminal British rock band has died, The Huffington Post reports. Keyboard player Jon Lord, a founder of Deep Purple, died today at 71. “A statement on Lord’s official website says the Leicester, England-born…

Top Woman Executive at Google Named Yahoo’s New CEO

One of Google’s top executves has been named as the newest president and CEO of Yahoo, reports The New York Times’ DealBook blog. "Marissa Mayer, one of the top executives at Google, will be the next C.E.O. of Yahoo, making…

‘Idol’s’ Lythgoe Talks About Departures of Lopez and Tyler — and About Replacing Them

"American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe opened up about the departures of judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler from the Fox musical competition show and offered hints to the show’s future during an interview today on “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest’s…

Family Member Points Finger at Sylvester Stallone in Death of Stallone’s Son

Amid speculation about the reasons behind the death of Sylvester Stallone’s son Sage Moonblood Stallone, the New York Daily News reports that one family member is pointing the finger at Sage’s famous father. “Sage’s cousin, 18-year-old Edd Filiti, posted an…