Logo

In Depth

C.J. Hirschfield: Ringmaster of the Western Show

For many years C.J. Hirschfield was the Western Show, at least behind the scenes. She worked with the California Cable Television Association in 1980 as an independent contractor producing a documentary on the legislative process. She later joined the association’s…

Newsmakers

BroadcastingRick Turner to director, creative services, KGPE-TV, Fresno, Calif., from production manager. Also, Patrice Coulter to director, sales, from national sales manager.T. Scott Fain to senior VP, deputy general counsel, ABC, from senior VP, counsel, ABC.Vincent Giannini to VP and…

The Little Picture: Ex-Reporter Fights for Afghan Civil Society

We’re told that our “media oligopoly” dumbs down people and distracts them from the important work of democracy. Sarah Chayes wouldn’t mind having a media oligopoly where she lives. It would be an improvement.Chayes is the former National Public Radio…

Q&A: Spencer Kaitz, cable TV executive of the year – Signing off, Moving on.

It’s difficult to catch up with Spencer Kaitz. In November, while visiting his daughter, a pre-med student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Mr. Kaitz, president and general counsel of the California Cable & Telecommunications Association, was stricken with appendicitis….

Networks, Studios Reintroduce Serials to Development Diet

Jack Bauer may get some company next year. Marking a departure from typical prime-time formats in recent seasons, several broadcast networks have bought scripts for drama projects that will follow a single serialized story as it plays out over the…

Technology Tying Knot

Two of cable’s favorite alphabet soup technologies-VOD and HD-are on a course to collide sometime next year.While cable operators are particularly keen on their high-definition and video-on-demand services as separate businesses, they are also planning for the union of the…

Western Show Highlights

As the Western Show ambles into the sunset with its final conference this week, here are some of the must-see events at the convention center and beyond:Tuesday, Dec. 2CTAM Pre-Western Show Luncheon: noon-3 p.m. Staged apart from the conference at…

Rates in Play as Thursday Shifts

Ad buyers are contemplating a new era in television, in which NBC is no longer dominant.After years of being in a class by itself in the key 18 to 49 demographic, and with its strong hold on Thursdays, an important…

western show classic Roving Eye

1. Ben Hooks, left, Burt Harris and John Malone share a moment at the 1973 Western Show.2. Ajit Dalvi, director of marketing for Cox Communications, argues the pros and cons of pay-per-view at the 1982 convention.3. Sid Topel, chairman of…

Cable Pins Hopes on Data

Advertiser-supported news, sports and entertainment programming may still be their core business, but these days major cable system operators would much rather talk about the most powerful growth engine in their business-high-speed data delivery. That was clear during a recent…