Biz Briefs
Cablevision Chairman James Dolan said last week that any buyer of its coveted cable systems would likely have to pay what he described as a price never seen before by the industry. Mr. Dolan addressed the possible sale of the…
In Depth
Suit Cites Conflict of Interest
A lawsuit filed against NBC and NBC Studios last week by the creators of “Will & Grace” is the latest evidence of the conflicts inherent in vertically integrated companies.
Panelists
Linda Finnell
Hottie Ryan Models for Fire Sale
Although he is now rich, famous and married to Trista Rehn, the Vail, Colo., Fire Department’s most famous employee, Ryan Sutter, still found time to lend his name and act as model for a good cause: to support an Art…
TNT’s Brand Getting Some Dramatic Help
Viewers of TNT probably aren’t sure whether ads featuring Cate Blanchett, Ron Howard, Liv Tyler and Jude Law are commercials for new movies or promotions for the network itself.
Roving Eye
1. Carol Mendelsohn, left, and Ann Donahue, co-creators of “CSI: Miami,” appear at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Women in Television panel Dec. 6 in North Hollywood, Calif.
RELIGION: A TOPIC IN SEARCH OF AUDIENCE
The topic of religion is of deep interest to millions, but it doesn’t generate a lot of interest within newsrooms.
Editorial: Dishing Out a Dose of Reality for Cable
As the shadow of Rupert Murdoch loomed over the recent Western Show, few in the cable business seemed willing to characterize News Corp.’s impending acquisition of DirecTV as a positive development. But the merger, which appears likely to clear its…
In Pursuit of a Story
Next June will mark the 10th anniversary of a watershed event in TV news coverage, an event about which Tom Brokaw said at the time, “No scriptwriter, no dramatist could possibly conceive it.”It was a news event so compelling that…
ABC Happy With Format Changes
It wasn’t so presto, but the change-over of ABC’s programming formats has been taking place right before the very eyes of the competitive TV industry and the eagle-eyed press in bits and pieces for two seasons.