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.

General Motors, Broadcasters in Upfront Standoff — Automaker Seeking Big Price Rollbacks in a Rising Market, But Networks Refuse

By Brian SteinbergAdvertising Age General Motors and its media agency, Carat, have created a standoff in upfront negotiations by asking TV networks for significant pricing rollbacks, which the major broadcast networks have refused, according to media buyers and other executives…

USA’s ‘Political Animals’ Taps Screen Legend to Play Lesbian Supreme Court Justice — Lineup Now Includes Three Actresses With 15 Oscar Nominations Among Them

USA’s "Political Animals" has tapped a screen legend to portray the first openly gay member of the Supreme Court, reports Deadline.com. Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave will play Diane Nash, who is also a friend and mentor to Sigourney Weaver’s character,…

Upfront Story No. 1: GM Playing Hardball in Talks With Broadcasters, Seeks Price Rollbacks Despite Rising Market

General Motors is in a standoff with TV networks over upfront ad pricing, Advertising Age reports. Media buyers and other sources familiar with the talks say the auto company wants networks to roll back pricing, something the major broadcast nets…

Upfront Story No. 2: Sales Surge for Viacom Cable Channels

Viacom, the owner of cable networks including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, has completed between 50% and 75% of its upfront advertising sales after seeing a surge in activity, reports Brian Steinberg in Advertising Age. Viacom has sacrificed some pricing…

Viacom Sees Surge in Upfront Activity — Owner of MTV, Comedy Central Is 50% to 75% Complete With TV Bargaining

By Brian SteinbergAdvertising Age As the big broadcast networks start to write business as part of this year’s upfront market, cable network owner Viacom has already completed deals for 50% to 75% of the ad inventory it means to offer,…

Nicollette Sheridan Vows to Pursue Legal Case After Setback in Court

Actress Nicollette Sheridan has vowed to proceed with her lawsuit against "Desperate Housewives" producer ABC even though a new court ruling has indefinitely delayed her retrial, reports TheWrap.com. Her attorney Mark Baute said he believes the latest ruling only changes…

‘Lost’ Co-Creator Nears Deal With Warner Bros. TV, Says He’s Returning to TV After Getting the ‘Robot-Spaceship Future’ Bug Out of His System

"Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof is nearing a three-year overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, noting that he’s "ready to come back to TV full time," reports Deadline.com. Warner Bros. TV is also home to his "Lost" co-creator J.J. Abrams. Lindelof…

Game Show Legend Dies

A game show legend has died at age 79 from complications due to esophageal cancer, E! Online reports. Richard Dawson in “Hogan’s Heroes” Richard Dawson, who became a a TV legend while hosting “Family Feud” — and kissing about 20,000…

Shawn Johnson, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Winner and Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics, Retires, Won’t Compete in Olympics This Summer in London

Shawn Johnson, 20, the charismatic U.S. Olympics champion and a winner of "Dancing with the Stars," has announced her retirement, the Associated Press reports. Says the report, "She has had repeated setbacks with her left knee, seriously damaged in a January 2010…

One Network’s Lineup of Reruns Wins the Night on a Spectacularly Low-Rated Thursday

Two networks put up all-repeat lineups in prime time Thursday — and one of them came away with a win for the night, TVbytheNumbers.com reports. CBS pulled off the win, according to Nielsen overnights, but it was with a spectacularly…