Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin in his last hours as chairman is delivering one last attack on cable pricing. In a letter to leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee and in an action taken by the FCC’s Media Bureau,…
The broadcast networks as well as cable networks ranging from BET to Al Jazeera are aiming high with their coverage of the inauguration, which might be the most widely viewed inauguration in U.S. history, the Hollywood Reporter says. While the…
Kevin Martin is ending his term as FCC chairman by proposing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines against cable operators including Comcast and Time Warner for failing to provide the commission with sufficient information for investigations into issues such…
Endemol has bought Southern Star Group, Australia’s largest independent television production and distribution group, for AUS $75 million ($49.7 million) $50 million, from Fairfax Media, the Hollywood Reporter says. Southern Star owns a library of more than 14,000 hours of…
HBO didn’t include in its inaugural coverage on Sunday a speech by Rev. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal Bishop whose ordination caused a rift in his church, Daily Variety reports. Several gay sites criticized Robinson’s exclusion, with LA Weekly’s…
Viacom is producing a “SpongeBob SquarePants” documentary, which will air as a one-hour special across Viacom’s networks in July, MediaPost reports. The title hasn’t been decided, and the show will come from production company O’Malley Creadon. —Aimee Picchi
The Jonas Brothers will create a show for the Disney Channel inspired by the Beatles’ movies, with a combination of comedy and musical numbers, Reuters reports. The show also feature their until-now unknown brother Frankie, 8. —Aimee Picchi
An opening prayer by openly gay bishop Gene Robinson at a pre-inaugural concert for President Barack Obama was not included as part of HBO’s exclusive coverage for the day, AfterElton.com reports. The decision to exclude Robinson’s prayer from the telecast…
Fox News Channel is making changes in order to hold onto its lead in the cable news race as a Democrat moves into the White House, the New York Times says. Executives at the network don’t see Fox News serving…
Glenn Beck will debut his show on Fox News Channel today, with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his first guest, the New York Daily News reports. Beck said at CNN, where he previously worked until leaving in October, he had…