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.

Australian Vacation Package Pays off–Slightly–With a Small Bump in ‘Oprah’ Ratings

The Australian vacation package Oprah Winfrey is giving to her audience has already paid a small dividend, reports Deadline.com. The premiere of the final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" drew a 6.8 rating and 17 share, representing a 3%…

Forget Popcorn: Independent Video Rental Stores Offer Tanning Beds to Keep Customers Returning

Popcorn is so passe with independent video-rental stores. According to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, more than 3,500 independently owned stores, or 35% of total independent outlets, have added a tanning bed to keep customers returning–and to add profits….

Just Thinking of Telling You About This Gives Me the Heebie-Jeebies: It’s the Next Big Thing on TV

Martin Scorsese is one of America’s masterful moviemakers. In 2006 he won the Academy Award for the crime film “The Departed.” It’s not Scorsese’s best movie, though it was a return to a theme he’s visited often in his career—gangsterism….

Next Stop on Lohan’s Road to (Career) Rehab Could Be a High-Profile One

Lindsay Lohan is reportedly in talks for a gig that has the potential to put her career back in the spotlight, even though it probably would include (again) making fun of her legal problems and substance-related issues. The New York…

How Will Google’s Speedy New Search Affect Users? Google Already Knows the Answer

Google’s newly unveiled quicker search design isn’t likely to result in users having plenty of extra time, says Quentin Hardy on Forbes.com. Instead, he says, it will probably just convince people to search more. The article hails the new search…

Al Sharpton Launching Syndicated Talk Show

Civil rights advocate the Rev. Al Sharpton is about to launch a Sunday morning talk show, Reuters reports. The program will be produced by ESH Holdings, Sharpton’s newly formed media company, and will focus largely on education issues. The show,…

CW’s Season Premieres of ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘90210’ Draw Lower Ratings Than a Year Ago

The season premieres Monday of CW’s “Gossip Girl” and “90210” were down from a year earlier in total viewers and the 18-49 demo, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But there were bright spots for the network as viewership for “Gossip…

Lionsgate, Televisa Unveil Plans for U.S. Hispanic Film Releases

Lionsgate and Televisa have taken the wraps off Pantelion Films, a joint venture that they say will release up to 10 movies a year aimed at the Hispanic film audience in the U.S., according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two…

Warner Bros., Other Creditors Readying Suit in Tribune Bankruptcy

Warner Bros. is among a group of unsecured creditors of Tribune Co. who are readying a lawsuit against an investor group led by real estate mogul Sam Zell that purchased the media company in 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter….

For What It’s Worth: The Return of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and One of the Greatest Bands Ever (and They Actually Played at My High School)

by Chuck Ross The still-living members of the legendary band Buffalo Springfield–Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay–will unite and play again in public for the first time in 42 years, Rolling Stone reports. The occasion will be Neil Young’s…