Tom Gilbert

Author Page

4,032 Entries

Former Head of FCC’s Common Carrier Bureau, Larry Darby, Dies at 69

[NOTE: UPDATED TO REFLECT DARBY’s CORRECT POSITION AND TITLE] Larry F. Darby, the former head of the Federal Communication Commission’s Common Carrier Bureau, died May 18 at his home in Washington after a heart attack, reports the Washington Post. Darby…

’30 Rock’ Star Wins Mark Twain Humor Award

The star of NBC’s "30 Rock," comic-actress Tina Fey, has been awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented annually by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, reports the AP. This is the top award for American comics, and…

Dish, Weather Channel Mend Fences, and Dish Plans to Drop Plans for New Weather Network

After Dish threatened to drop the Weather Channel and create its own competing network to bring local forecasts to its subscribers, the two sides have agreed to a new deal that gives each a little bit of what it was…

CNBC Adds Lunchtime Show Hosted by David Faber, Gary Kaminsky

CNBC is adding a lunchtime show co-hosted by David Faber and former money manager Gary Kaminsky, the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog reports. The program, named "The Strategy Session," marks the first time in years CNBC has shuffled its…

Wall St. Analysts Say This Would Be Good Time to Sell CBS, ABC

Wall Street executives are saying that if Sumner Redstone or Disney are considering selling CBS or ABC, now is a good time to do it, the New York Post reports. "This is a good time to sell a network," said…

‘Lost’ Aired More Than 45 Minutes of Commercials During Finale

More than 45 minutes of advertisements accompanied yesterday’s two-and-a-half hour finale of "Lost" on ABC, Entertainment Weekly reports. EW.com estimated that 107 spots aired during the finale last night. Generally, a network runs 18 to 21 spots per hour. "Lost’s"…

‘MacGruber’ Sets All-Time Box Office Low for ‘SNL’-Based Big Screen Features

Opening to a dismal $4.1 million, "MacGruber," based on a sketch from NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," set an all-time opening box office low for "SNL"-based films, the Los Angeles Times reports. Spoofing "MacGuyver" and 1980’s action films, "MacGruber" actually…

Dolgen Promoted at MTV

MTV has promoted executive Lauren Dolgen to Senior Vice President of Series Development, West Coast, reports Deadline.com. Dolgen is going to be responsible for the creation of new reality programming for the network, as well as hiring staff. Under her…

Cooks Feud Over Cupcakes in New Food Network Series

Cupcakes are serious business in Food Network’s newest reality series "Cupcake Wars," The Wrap reports. Trying to latch on to some of the intensity seen on the network’s "Iron Chef," "Cupcake Wars" follows four of the country’s top bakers as…

Will Tila Tequila Check Into ‘Celebrity Rehab’?

VH1’s new edition of "Celebrity Rehab" could include reality star Tila Tequila, assuming the show makes it another season, according to TMZ.com. Dr. Drew Pinsky will be treating Tequila, according to TMZ, who has exhibited many problems on her own program….