At Press Time
NBC Enterprises has sold the off-network run of “Fear Factor” to FX, which plans to run it as a strip starting this fall, sources said. A deal for a concurrent run as a strip on the Tribune stations is expected….
In Depth
Guest Commentary: Tourette’s Syndrome Deserves TV Respect
You’ve seen it on numerous television shows. A character spouts a stream of obscenities or behaves outrageously, and the comic reference is glibly explained away as a case of Tourette’s.That kind of exposure of the neurological disorder known as Tourette’s…
ABC Will Go Live With ‘Bachelorette’
ABC plans a live broadcast of the special “The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose,” marking the first time the “Bachelor” franchise will air a live event. The special, which will mark the couple’s first public appearance, has traditionally been taped…
He Couldn’t Hide His ‘Guiding Light’
Grant Aleksander, who plays Phillip Spaulding on CBS’s “Guiding Light,” said he has spent most of his 22-year daytime career trying “to stay under the radar.” Too bad for Mr. Aleksander, a strapping, blond, buff bodybuilder type who this year…
A clean Sweep at Court TV
Despite the Academy Awards’ red-carpet imagery, Eureka vacuum cleaners probably don’t spring to mind when you think of Oscars. Nevertheless, Eureka is advertising on Court TV for the first time, and its six-figure buy is based around a “Guess Who’s…
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…
ABC Family Flips More ‘Switched’
ABC Family Channel is launching a prime-time spinoff of its teen reality show “Switched.” The new program, “Switched Up,” is scheduled to premiere March 7. The network has ordered 12 episodes from producers Charles Cook and Evolution Film & Tape….
NFL Irked at CBS Over Vegas Spots
The National Football League is angry with CBS, but not just because Janet Jackson flashed her breast during halftime. The NFL is upset because some local CBS stations accepted advertising during the game from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors…