Nat Geo Sets Ratings Record
National Geographic Channel broke a 2.0 rating for the first time with its miniseries “Inside 9/11.” Parts 1 and 2 of the show ran Aug. 21 and 22 and earned a 2.5 and a 3.6 household rating, respectively. The Sunday…
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Charter Shares Rise on News of Debt Exchange
Shares in Charter Communications rallied Wednesday after the debt-laden cable operator said it was launching an $8.4 billion debt exchange designed to give the company breathing room as it tries to improve its business.Charter’s stock rose as much as 30…
Daytime Strips, Weekend Hours Grow; Newsmags Stay Flat
The top syndicated talk and courtroom strips saw ratings increases for the week ended Aug. 14, while entertainment newsmagazines were mostly flat or down. The top-rated weekend hours, however, grew significantly, with Paramount’s weekend edition of “Entertainment Tonight” leading the…
Former NBC Entertainment President Weinblatt Dead at 76
Former NBC Entertainment President Myron “Mike” Weinblatt, died Aug. 18 in Manhattan after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 76. A Korean War veteran, Mr. Weinblatt came to NBC in 1957 and before becoming president of NBC Entertainment…
Hemmer Debuts as ‘Fox News Live’ Anchor
Bill Hemmer debuts at noon Monday, Aug. 29, on Fox News Channel as anchor of “Fox News Live,” from noon to 1 p.m. weekdays. Mr. Hemmer left CNN, for which he’d worked for a decade, earlier this summer to be…
CBS Wins Fourth Week in Adults 18-49 Demo
For the fourth week in a row, CBS won the week in the adults 18 to 49 demographic. For the week ended Aug. 21, the Thursday repeat of the procedural drama “CSI” was the top-rated show in adults 18 to…
Mandabach Signs Deal With Lions Gate
Emmy-winning producer Caryn Mandabach has signed a two-year overall first-look deal with Lions Gate Television to develop comedy programming for the company.The announcement was made Tuesday by Lions Gate’s Kevin Beggs, president of programming and production.Ms. Mandabach was a longtime…
‘SmackDown’ Gets Name Change
UPN’s professional wrestling series “WWE SmackDown” is getting a name change to reflect its move from Thursday to Friday nights.Starting with its 2005-06 season premiere Sept. 9, the series is changing its name to “Friday Night SmackDown!”Taped at different wrestling…
Rone Named Fox College Sports GM
David Rone was named general manager of Fox College Sports, adding that responsibility to his current duties, Fox Sports Networks said Monday. Mr. Rone’s new title will be executive VP of rights acquisitions and general manager, Fox College Sports. Mr….
Akimbo Adds Major League Baseball to On-Demand Service
Video-on-demand service Akimbo scored its first deal with a major sports league and plans to offer 10- to 15-minute condensed versions of Major League Baseball playoff and World Series games starting this fall, with regular season games to start next…