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.

NBC Inks $2 Billion Sports Deal–But It’s Not for Football, Baseball or Basketball

NBC Sports Group has won a 10-year rights deal with a major sports league, but it’s not for one of the so-called “big three” sports in the U.S.–football, baseball and basketball. The deal is with the National Hockey League, and…

VH1 Has Another Reality Hit on Its Hands

VH1 appears to have another hit on its hands, with its latest reality series drawing 2.2 million viewers for the show’s debut, reports the New York Post. The show is “Mob Wives,” which ranked as the most popular program with…

50 Years Later, What Does the Man Behind the Famous ‘Vast Wasteland’ Speech Think of TV?

Newton Minow, the former Federal Communications Commission chairman who described TV as a "vast wasteland" 50 years ago in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters, was asked by Advertising Age’s Rance Crain whether he thinks that statement is…

Does Minow Still Think TV Is a ‘Vast Wasteland’? Former FCC Head Says the Agency Succeeded by Expanding Choice, but With Choice We’ve Lost the Shared Experience of the Medium

By Rance CrainAdvertising Age When Newton Minow was reviewing an early draft of his famous "vast wasteland" speech of 50 years ago about the sorry state of TV, the initial version read "vast wasteland of junk." He crossed out "of…

Would You Pay $30 Bucks to See the Current Adam Sandler Movie On Demand

DirecTV is rolling out the new Home Premiere premium VOD service, which debuts Thursday with the Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It,” Multichannel News reports. The service will offer selected movies about two months after their release in theaters….

Reports: iPhone 5 to Be Released in September, Will Have a Faster Processor and Perhaps an 8 Megapixel Camera

Reuters says three sources have told the news service that Apple’s iPhone 5 will arrive in stores in September. PC Magazine this morning–April 20, 2011–has an article that compiles the Reuters report and a bunch of other rumors about the iPhone…

Website Unveils Plan to Stream Royal Wedding Live

A major website is joining in on the royal wedding frenzy, announcing plans for a live stream of the nuptials between Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to the site. The site is YouTube, which will join a wide…

Steamy New HBO Series Renewed Despite Slim Ratings for Opener

HBO has renewed its adaptation of a fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin even though the series bowed to lackluster ratings, reports Joe Adalian in New York Magazine’s Vulture blog. "Game of Thrones" debuted with 2.2 million viewers, less…

‘Doctor Who’ Actress Dies

The actress who played the assistant in "Doctor Who" between 1973 and 1976 and recently reprised the role has died, reports the BBC. Elisabeth Sladen was 63. Sladen had been battling cancer, the story says. In her role as Sarah…

Judge Rejects Sheen’s Bid for Sole Custody of Twins

The judge in the custody battle between Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller shot down Sheen’s bid for sole custody of the couple’s twin boys, TMZ.com reported. Sheen sought sole custody after Mueller apparently relapsed in her struggle with drugs. However,…