It was another wacky year in the world of new TV technology. Every time you picked up the remote or your favorite industry publication, you came across something strange but true. Whether it was stress, or perhaps due to sitting…
Heading into 2004, fewer top jobs are open in the television industry than have been in recent years.That’s due at least in part to consolidation, which continued to march through the industry in 2003, said one television business staffing expert.“There…
More than 30,000 viewers entered the Hallmark Channel’s “Hollywood Holiday Sweepstakes” by phone during the first four weeks of the contest, which also benefited cable systems. Viewers were encouraged to watch Hallmark Channel programming on Sundays from Nov. 23 through…
According to Washington insiders, News Corp.’s acquisition of DirecTV has been a slam-dunk from the start-at least for Republicans-because it didn’t present clear antitrust concerns and offered the possibility of beefing up the competitive threat that satellite TV presents to…
The Walt Disney Co. said it expects to include in its fiscal first-quarter numbers the financial results of its theme parks in France and Hong Kong as a result of a new accounting rule interpretation, and warned that the same…
Filling some legendary shoes is proving to be a daunting task as Nick at Nite tries to revive “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” It isn’t easy to replace hosts like Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby. “You need someone that is…
Charles Foster Kane thought “It would be fun to run a newspaper.” Did I think it would be fun to write a book? No, I’m not that naive. But the project sounded seductive: a 25-year history of “Saturday Night Live,”…
The following is a list of viewership figures for some of the network newsmags’ biggest “gets” this season, according to Nielsen Media Research:* Mike Wallace’s interview with Lawrence Taylor, airing some dirty linen from Mr. Taylor’s NFL days, on CBS’s…
Fox has found a reality promised land: Eden.The network has ordered 25 hour-long episodes of “Forever Eden,” a new reality series from the producers of its summer series “Paradise Hotel.” Fox plans initially to air the show once a week,…
Last week, in Part One of our annual syndication roundtable, TelevisionWeek’s panel of experts, who this year represent differing aspects of the syndie business, debated the erosion of the daytime audience, competition from cable and the impact of consolidation. The…