News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch said Thursday that he has considered taking an ownership interest in Time Warner’s America Online but hasn’t held any serious talks yet, in part because of the search-engine battle currently taking place between…
Tribune said Thursday it is naming John Reardon president and CEO of its broadcast division. He will oversee the company’s 26 television stations, the WGN-TV superstation, WGN Radio and Tribune Entertainment.The company also named John Vitanovec executive VP, reporting to…
Regis Philbin, daytime syndication talk show host and the former host of ABC’s prime-time version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” is returning to the network as the host of an updated version of “This Is Your Life.” Created…
Fox is pulling its Monday 8 p.m. hour block of comedies “Arrested Development” and “Kitchen Confidential” for the rest of the November sweeps and is replacing them with repeats of the drama “Prison Break.”The Emmy-winning “Arrested” is a critics’ darling…
American Public Television and public television stations WNET-TV in New York City and WGBH-TV in Boston will launch the first national public television digital channel in January. The channel, Create, will feature lifestyle and how-to programming from public television. At…
Yahoo! has pulled out of talks to buy a stake in Time Warner’s America Online unit, balking at Time Warner’s insistence that the media giant retain a majority stake in the online service.News of Yahoo’s withdrawal, first reported Thursday by…
USA has ordered a dramedy pilot about the Canadian Secret Service called “Underfunded,” the network confirmed Wednesday. The pilot is cast contingent and is executive produced by “Monk” producer David Breckman and “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” writer Ross…
President Bush nominated Deborah Taylor Tate, a director of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, for a Republican seat on the Federal Communications Commission, the White House announced Wednesday. At the same time, the president nominated FCC Commissioner Michael Copps for a…
Hodes Becomes Partner at EndeavorThe Beverly Hills-based talent agency Endeavor has promoted TV literary agent Greg Hodes to partner. Mr. Hodes’ clients include television writers Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy”), Josh Schwartz (“The O.C.”), Josh and Jay Pate (“Surface”), Eric Kripke…
John Malone’s Liberty Media took two steps Wednesday toward reshaping its future, naming a former Microsoft executive as CEO and announcing plans to create a tracking stock for its interactive businesses.Gregory Maffei, who once was Microsoft’s chief financial officer and…