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Chuck Ross 38,865 Entries
Chuck Ross

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.

CNN Marries Content and Commercials

Brian SteinbergAdvertising Age TV viewers by now are accustomed to seeing product placement in their favorite shows. But how will they react upon seeing "program placement" in their commercials? On John King’s new early-evening news show on CNN, every commercial…

Patton Loses Command of Role

In the shifting sands of upcoming NBC comedy pilot "Beach Lane," Patton Oswalt is out of the co-starring role just days after being cast, the Hollywood Reporter reports. Oswalt had been cast as a wealthy slacker who’s been handed the job of…

Report: Apple App Store Bans Pulitzer-Winning Satirist for Satire

Mike Fiore won a Pulitzer Prize this week (April 12) for Editorial Cartooning. In citing his work the Pulitzer board said, "His biting wit, extensive research and ability to distill complex issues set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary."…

Talk Show King Doesn’t Talk About Biggest Story, His Divorce; No Prenup?

Given Larry King’s history of divorces–he’s been married eight times (twice to the same woman), it’s surprising to learn that he’s entering his latest without a prenuptial agreement. That’s the word from the New York Post. Because of that, his latest wife, Shawn…

Mark Cuban Buys Into Lionsgate; Ichan Ups His Hostile Bid

Mark Cuban, owner of HD Net and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, now owns 5.4% of Lionsgate, Reuters reports. The article also says that Carl Icahn has upped his hostile bid for Lionsgate by 17%–to $7 a share from…

Reclusive Three-Time Oscar Nominee for Best Actress Eyeing HBO Series

She been nominated for an Academy Award three times as best actress, but she’s never won. Now she’s eyeing a regular role in HBO’s "In Treatment," Deadline.com reports. It’s Debra Winger, who would play a former star who’s dealing with…

NHL Playoffs on Versus: Most Watched Opening Night on Cable Since 2004

Wednesday night’s (April 14) opening night triple-header coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs drew the best NHL playoff opening night ratings on cable in six years. The games, on Versus, did a .5 rating and drew an average of…

Season Four Not Even on Air, Yet Series Renewed for Seasons 5 AND 6

How do those song lyrics go again? "I have confidence in confidence…" Here a confident deal: Words come down that a cable series has been renewed for seasons five and six, even though season four hasn’t debuted yet. The show…

Commentary: If You Love Movies, And Have A Big HDTV Set, Spend $35 This Weekend For a Truly Great Experience

By Chuck Ross I’m going to spend a couple of hours this weekend doing exactly what I did last weekend, and I’ll be repeating one of the most pleasurable experiences I’ve had in months. I’m smiling just thinking about it…

‘Lost’ Producer Signs Two-Year Deal with CBS TV Studios

One of the co-executive producers of "Lost" has entered a two-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios, in what is a "seven-figure pact," Deadline.com reports. That would be Paul Zbyszewski. Under the agreement, he’ll develop new drama products for the…