Cable

Another Reality Star Wants a Name Change

We reported a couple of weeks ago that Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi–the star of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” whose nickname is synonymous with her sudden celebrity–no longer wants to be called “Snooki.” Now another reality show star–from VH1 and the world of…

History Channel Sets a Ratings Record

History Channel announced that it had its all-time highest-rated telecast Monday night, with two shows racking up big numbers for the cable channel. The star of the network’s lineup is “Pawn Stars,” which drew 7 million total viewers for its…

Awkward Pairing or Branding Genius? Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne in Super Bowl Ad–You’ll Never Guess for What Product

Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne will appear in a Super Bowl ad together, USA Today reports. According to the report, by the longtime USA Today writer on the ad beat, Bruce Horovitz, "Best Buy today will announce plans to feature teen…

The Most-Used In-Car App Is … (and it’s got nothing to do with navigation)

The most-used in-car app, surprisingly, has nothing to do with navigation or mapping or directions, reports our friend Jefferson Graham in USA Today. According to the story, "Pandora is the most-used in-car app, because of its user base of 80…

MSNBC Has Its Eye on CNN Regular to Fill Olbermann’s Spot

MSNBC is considering hiring one of CNN’s regular contributors to help fill out its evening lineup following the departure of Keith Olbermann, reports the New York Post’s Page Six. Roland Martin is being considered to take over the 6 p.m….

OWN Pulls Plug on Talk Show From Reality Guru; Plus OWN Adds a Reality Show

A planned daytime talk show produced by a successful reality show creator has been canceled by the Oprah Winfrey Network, reports B&C. The untitled one-hour project from Mark Burnett was slated to debut in March, but the network has decided…

You’ll Likely Know the Face; Character Actor Bruce Gordon, Who Played in More Than 100 TV Episodes, Dead at 94

Bruce Gordon, an actor known for playing heavies including the mob boss Frank Nitti on television’s "The Untouchables," has died, reports The New York Times. He was 94 and lived in Santa Fe, N.M. He died last week after a…

Ratings Surprise for MSNBC On Its First Night Without Keith Olbermann

MSNBC got some surprising news on its first weekday evening without Keith Olbermann reports Bill Carter in the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog. The surprise? Ratings were actually up. It’s possible that the controversy surrounding Olbermann’s sudden departure from…

Congresswoman Blasts Comcast-NBC Deal, Says FCC-Imposed Conditions Will Have Little Effect

The conditions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on the Comcast-NBC Universal merger will do little to convince the company to meet its public interest obligations, says Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the L.A. Times reports in its Company Town blog. Waters,…

Audience Shrinks for MTV’s Controversial ‘Skins’

The second episode of MTV’s "Skins" slumped to 1.6 million viewers, losing more than half of its debut audience of 3.3 million, reports the New York Post. The show’s target audience of viewers between 18 to 34 years also declined,…