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In Depth

NBC O&Os Deciding Their 2004 Lineups

The NBC owned-and-operated stations are fine-tuning their schedules for 2004, and the results will be seen beginning in February.Last week the group announced it had officially renewed freshman talk show “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for a second season and canceled…

Cablers Noticing What’s on TV Guide Channel

Changes to the programming and on-air look of the TV Guide Channel are persuading more cable systems to insert and sell local ads on the network.During 2003 TV Guide boosted the number of subscribers reached by local advertising from 22…

Previews

Whoopi Goldberg and Emma Thompson will be honored at a gala luncheon Wednesday in New York with 2003 Muse Awards for Outstanding Vision and Achievement, presented by New York Women in Film & Television. This year’s honorees also include Bonnie…

NBC Lets Local Stations Add a Crawl to ‘Today’

No more waiting for 25 minutes after and five minutes until the hour to bring “Today” viewers up to date on the news, traffic and weather in local markets. NBC last month gave affiliates and network-owned stations permission to run…

Comcast Wires TechTV Deal

Comcast Communications is nearing an agreement to purchase TechTV for nearly $300 million, sources familiar with the deal said Friday. The cable operator plans to merge the network with its struggling video game channel G4.Representatives for Comcast and G4 declined…

Unprecedented Push for ‘Files’

Court TV plans to spend $6 million on promotion-its biggest promo-spending burst to date-to get viewers to tune in during January, when the network plans to premiere an original movie and debut new episodes of several series.While Court will air…

Promotional Push Boosts A.M. Shows

If off-network marketing and promotional efforts were ratings points, ABC’s “Good Morning America” would have been the big winner of the battle of the network morning stars this November sweeps.An unusual promo push behind “GMA” underlined the fact that the…

MSOs Tout Cable’s Advantage in Tech

A panel of multiple system operator heavyweights agreed last week that satellite providers represent a major threat to the cable industry. But most panelists said the technical capabilities of the cable platform give them a long-term advantage-if they can get…

Broadcast Networks Losing Upscale Viewers

Missing young male viewers are not the only worry for TV networks. It appears that older, more affluent viewers are leaving broadcast network television as well.Data for October collected from Nielsen Media Research shows that most networks have seen steep…

`Elf’ Assured of a Full Stocking

Showing more patience than a kid on Christmas morning, Vivendi Universal’s USA Network is continuing talks for the 2006 broadcast window on New Line Cinema’s surprise blockbuster “Elf.” The comedy, starring Will Ferrell as an overgrown Santa’s helper, has grossed…