Biz Briefs
Media giant Viacom announced last week that it will spin off its video rental unit Blockbuster in a tax-free transaction expected to be completed by the middle of the year. The news came as the parent of CBS and MTV…
In Depth
Clarification/Corrections
In “Kids Ad Picture Clearing” (TelevisionWeek, Feb. 9), Disney has no plan to rebrand its ABC Kids Saturday morning programming package “Jetix.” ABC Cable Networks Group debuted new “Jetix”-branded programming blocks Saturday on ABC Family (mornings) and Toon Disney (evenings)….
HDTV Stymied by Local Signal Issue
There’s no question that high-definition television has grown massively in acceptance and availability over the past year. But beneath the hype of the television industry’s patting itself on the back for delivering the crisp, lifelike 3-D pictures to consumers is…
Breaking News Archives
WB Drives a Stake Into ‘Angel’ Barely a week after “Angel” celebrated its 100th episode, The WB decided not to renew the drama for another season. “Angel,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” spinoff created by Joss Whedon, will wrap up…
Breaking News Archives
Indecency Fine Increase Clears House Panel The House telecommunications subcommittee voted unanimously today to approve legislation that would crack down on broadcast indecency by ratcheting up the fines for off-color programming. Under the legislation, the cap on a fine for…
Breaking News Archives
Disney Ponders Comcast Bid Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner offered little comment Wednesday on Comcast’s unsolicited proposal to merge the media and cable companies, saying only that the company will study the cable operator’s proposal. Speaking at…
Breaking News Archives
‘Fear’ Elevates NBC to Nightly Demo Win NBC won Monday night in adults 18 to 49, thanks to a record-breaking performance by “Fear Factor.” “Fear” gave NBC its best 18 to 49 ratings in the Monday 8 p.m.-to-9 p.m. time…
Pam Zucker: An Integrated Vision for Television
With growing fragmentation of network audiences, Procter & Gamble, like other television advertisers, was searching for new ways to do business in the spring of 2000, when Pam Zucker, an executive at MediaVest Worldwide, helped come up with a plan….
BANNING THE BREAST IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
In the sci-fi spoof section of Woody Allen’s anthology comedy “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask,” a giant female breast brazenly terrorizes a suburban countryside. It can be captured only by half…
Indecency Bill on Fast Track
The political firestorm ignited by Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl stunt appears likely to result in federal legislation encouraging multiple fines for incidents of indecency in the same program.The new measure would fine violations at 10 times the current rate and…