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Syfy Executive to Oversee New Regency’s Return to TV

A top development executive with the cable channel Syfy has been hired by New Regency to lead its return to television, reports Deadline.com. Andrew Plotkin most recently was senior vice president of original programming for Syfy, informing the channel in…

Disney to Ban Junk Food Ads on Kid-Focused TV Networks

Commercials for foods that don’t meet a strict set of nutritional guidelines will be banned by The Walt Disney Co. on its child-focused television networks, radio stations and websites, The New York Times reports. Disney planned to make the announcement…

Pay-Cable Channel Cancels Drama Series

A pay-cable channel has pulled the plug on a drama series, announcing the show won’t be back after its upcoming third season, TVLine.com reports. The third season of "Spartacus" on Starz will mark the end of the show’s run, the…

Disney Channel Renews Comedy Series

Disney Channel has announced it is bringing back a comedy series for another season, Deadline.com reports. Returning for season three will be "Shake It Up," the dance-oriented girl comedy show. The tween sitcom premiered in November 2010 and was the…

CBS News Names New Correspondent

CBS News has announced that a former Bloomberg TV anchor and CNBC correspondent is joining the network as a correspondent, B&C reports. Margaret Brennan will start at CBS News in July, the story says. She is slated to mainly cover…

HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Goes Out With a Ratings Bang

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” set a series high for its season-two finale, which aired Sunday night, Deadline.com reports. The telecast drew 4.2 million viewers — up a whopping 38% from the first-season finale. Another 910,000 viewers turned up for the…

DirecTV CEO, Vowing to Push Back Against Higher Fees, Says Blackouts May Be Necessary

DirecTV Chief Executive Michael White said he won’t step away from station blackouts as part of his company’s push to aggressively fight higher content fees, reports MediaPost’s MediaDailyNews. "I don’t like it, but when necessary, we’ll do whatever it takes….

Oprah Winfrey Brings Back One of the Staples of Her Daytime Talk Show

Oprah Winfrey is bringing back a feature that was one of the mainstays of her long-running syndicated daytime talk show, the New York Post reports. Winfrey is reviving the Oprah Book Club. The first book in what Winfrey is calling…

Upfront Story No. 1: GM Playing Hardball in Talks With Broadcasters, Seeks Price Rollbacks Despite Rising Market

General Motors is in a standoff with TV networks over upfront ad pricing, Advertising Age reports. Media buyers and other sources familiar with the talks say the auto company wants networks to roll back pricing, something the major broadcast nets…

Upfront Story No. 2: Sales Surge for Viacom Cable Channels

Viacom, the owner of cable networks including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, has completed between 50% and 75% of its upfront advertising sales after seeing a surge in activity, reports Brian Steinberg in Advertising Age. Viacom has sacrificed some pricing…