15,322 Entries
In the mid-1950s, in prime time, quiz shows were the thing. CBS started the ball rolling with “The $64,000 Question.” NBC countered with “Twenty-One.” The shows were very popular.In August 1958, a contestant on “Twenty-One,” Herbert Stempel, said the game…
The hiring of Sylvester “Pat” Weaver-Sigourney’s dad-was undoubtedly one of the smartest moves General Sarnoff ever made.Too bad the two men hated one another.For his part, in his 1993 autobiography, Mr. Weaver said some of Mr. Sarnoff’s animosity might have…
The other reason for ALTV’s pullout from NATPEIn his recent announcement that the Association of Local Television Stations was pulling the plug on its annual meeting under the NATPE banner in January, ALTV President Jim Hedlund blamed a variety of…
The race for viewers before the all-important November book got off to an early start for syndicators as 10 series saw double-digit ratings spikes in the final week before sweeps. However, shows still fine-tuning their product-particularly in the talk genre-may…
WB orders full `Off Centre’ seasonThe WB ordered nine more episodes of freshman Sunday comedy “Off Centre,” giving it a full season’s order of 22 episodes. Joining the Frog Network’s sophomore 9:30 p.m. (ET) sitcom “Nikki” in getting a full…
Delbert Mann is one of the premier directors of the Golden Age of Television, that magical time in the late ’40s and early ’50s when live, original comedies, variety shows and dramas made their indelible mark on the then-fledgling TV…
Brandon Tartikoff, NBC’s programming wunderkind, was only 30 when he became president of the network during a ratings nadir in 1980 and subsequently resuscitated it with “Hill Street Blues,” “Cheers,” “L.A. Law,” “The Cosby Show” and “Family Ties.” His programming…
O’Brien named Meredith Broadcasting presidentLongtime Cox Broadcasting executive Kevin O’Brien has been named president of Meredith Broadcasting Group, whose 12 television stations reach some 10 percent of the U.S. TV universe. He fills the gap left when Cary Jones resigned…
“As a native Californian, I see it as another case of the networks treating the West as an afterthought. It was insulting, and I suggest someone at Fox be required to undergo West Coast sensitivity training.”Ron Fineman, per diem radio…
For many years, Tom Rogers-working closely with Bob Wright-was the architect of NBC’s cable TV strategy. Mr. Rogers, now chairman and CEO of Primedia, recently was interviewed by Electronic Media editor Chuck Ross about those heady days.Tom Rogers: The first…