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.

Walmart Makes Major Video Distribution Acquisition

Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, has made a major video distribution acquisition. It’s acquired VUDU, the service, started in 2004, that distributes movie and TV shows. The deal was first reported by The New York Times. In a…

Guess Which Networks Were Winners and Losers in TV Ad Sales in 2009

Examining new full-year data from Kantar Media (formerly TNS), Brian Steinberg of Advertising Age reports on 2009’s winners and losers as far as national ad sales is concerned. On the broadcast side, ad revenues were down at ABC, CBS, CW, NBC and…

Winners and Losers in National TV Ad Sales in 2009

By Brian SteinbergAdvertising Age While the nation tuned in TV favorites such as "24," "Lost" and "The Biggest Loser," the majority of U.S. broadcast and cable networks tuned in ad-revenue declines in 2009, according to new full year data from…

TMZ Sued Over Interview With Michael Jackson’s Ex-Wife

TMZ was sued for broadcasting an interview with Michael Jackson’s ex-wife after the singer’s death, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The interview was with Debbie Rowe. The lawsuit was filed in California District Court by F. Marc Schaffel Prods., which claimed…

Actor Who Played Boner on ‘Growing Pains’ (And Who Is the Son of Actor Who Played ‘Chekov’ on Original ‘Star Trek’) Is Missing

Andrew Koenig, 41, who played Boner on the 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains," is missing, according to a number of media accounts. Andrew is also the son of Walter Koenig, 73, who played Chekov on the original ‘Star Trek’ series. Walter Koenig told local…

Olympic Gold Medalist Lets It Rip: A Very Un-PC Lindsey Vonn Jokes About Tiger Woods’ Situation and Apology

The winner of the Olympics gold medal for the women’s downhill last Wednesday, American Lindsey Vonn, was reportedly very eager to hear Tiger Woods’ televised confessional statement last Friday, but she missed it. Then, according to an article by Sean…

The Compromise that Looks Like It’ll Get Betty White to Host ‘SNL’

With half a million petitioners wanting Betty White to host "Saturday Night Live," it looks like NBC is paying attention. The concern that longtime "SNL’ guiding light Lorne Michaels has is the ability of White, 88, to carry the entire…

Why TV Folks Are Paying Attention to the Debate Between Apple and the Nets: The Potential. Thus Far Consumers Have Downloaded 10 Billion Songs From the iTunes Store, But Only 375 Million TV Episodes

Here’s the question on the table: If iTunes cut the price in half of most TV episodes, would it increase buy rates exponentially. That’s the subject of Brian Stelter’s piece in the New York Times. According to the article, "What would…

Warner Bros. Oscar Nominated Hit Will Go To On Demand and PPV Same Day as It’s Released On DVD

Warner Bros. will distribute it’s its big Oscar-nominated hit film simultaneously on DVD, pay-per-view and on-demand, according to Multichannel News. The film is "The Blind Side," which has grossed about 240 million at the box office. The film’s star, Sandra…

Fun With Numbers: What Market is No. 1 Among the Top-25 Metered Markets in Olympics Ratings (Hint–It’s in the Midwest). And Guess the Biggest Market That Doesn’t Get any Snow With the Highest Olympics Ratings

The No.1 market amongst those that are metered with the highest ratings for the Olympics for the first nine days of the Games is in the Midwest, according to Nielsen Media Research. That city is Milwaukee. And the biggest city where…