Logo

Cable

Franken Tries to Channel NBCU/Comcast Rage Into Campaign Cash

Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken has already turned last week’s outspoken criticism of the Comcast-NBC Universal merger into a solicitation e-mail for donations to his campaign chest, B&C reports. At a Senate hearing last week on the proposed merger, Franken…

New Blow for NBC Olympics Plans

NBC has already said it will lose $250 million on its upcoming Winter Olympics coverage.  Now it has to worry that one of the U.S. stars of the games won’t be taking part, the Los Angeles Times reports. Lindsey Vonn,…

New Showrunners for ‘FlashForward’

ABC found its new showrunners for "FlashForward" and there are three of them, our friend Joe Adalian reports at  TheWrap.. They are Jessika Borsiczky, Lisa Zwerling and Tim Lea. They replace creator David Goyer, who is stepping aside but staying…

‘Glee’ Casts Former ‘SNL’ Star

"Glee" has cast a "SNL" alum and star of "Superstar" as an enemy of Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester character on the show, reports Entertainment Weekly. It’s Molly Shannon. Shannon’s character, Brenda Castle, is described as an alcoholic and pill-popping astronomy…

Groping News of the Day: ABC Renews Summer Reality Series

ABC is ordering more episodes of one of last summer’s more interestingly-themed reality shows,  reports TV Guide. It’s the unusual couples show, "Dating in the Dark." "Dark," which has potential matches getting to know each other in a darkened room, is tentatively getting…

‘Entourage’ Struggles for Ratings on Basic Cable

Despite paying $600,000 per episode for the cable syndication rights of HBO’s "Entourage," Spike’s airings of the Hollywood insider comedy aren’t blowing up the ratings versus its time slot last year, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Airing on Tuesday nights with back-to-back…

‘Idol’ Ratings Sing With Ellen

The much ballyhooed debut of Ellen DeGeneres on Fox’s "American Idol" Tuesday, Feb.9, lifted the show 12% to a 10.1 in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic over last week’s episode. The increase also coincided with the program’s first episode in Hollywood, which tends to…

Ben Silverman Raids Media Agency Starcom; Steals Major Talent

NBC’s former top programming exec, Ben Silverman, who formed a joint venture with Barry Diller’s IAC called Electus, has hired veteran entertainment-marketing specialist Laura Caraccioli-Davis away from media agency Starcom, Advertisng Age reports. According to the article, "Mr. Silverman formed…

Is It Legal for TVLand to Entice Viewers With These Seductive Words: Denny Crane?

One of TVLand’s recent acquisitions starts airing on the channel during a marathon this coming Monday, President’s Day, Feb. 15th. It’s 12 hours of "Boston Legal" TVLand has announced. The David E. Kelley show received multiple Emmy nominations, and wins for…

TV Guide Net President, Who Stepped Down Last Week, Gets Another Topp Job

Ryan O’Hara, who stepped down as TV Guide Network president late last week, has announced his newest gig, B&C reports. O’Hara is headed to Topps, the trading card and media company, as its new president and CEO. Topps, which is owned…