The big news in the prime-time television season under way is not the networks’ overpriced and overhyped series, many of which will be canceled before it’s over. It is the upset in TV’s status quo that threatens to shift millions…
It’s one thing when everyone talks about a hit show. It’s something else entirely when that show changes the language. Such is the case with “Punk’d,” which has replaced “prank,” “con” and “hoax” in the national lexicon.Since March, “Punk’d,” the…
Is TV ready for “Kill Bill?”The bloody Quentin Tarantino film from Miramax was No. 1 at the box office when it opened two weeks ago, and some cable networks say they could be interested in the edgy movie, whose broadcast…
The battle between cable operators and programmers over who’s to blame for skyrocketing cable rates took an unexpected turn last week, with the General Accounting Office pointing the federal government’s finger at both parties.In a rapidly escalating public relations war,…
They’re gay, he’s straight. They’re stylish, he’s not. That’s the premise behind the Bravo Channel and NBC’s cable hit, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” a show that premiered in July and during the course of its first season went…
Cablevision Chairman and cable TV pioneer Charles Dolan, who is moving into satellite distribution with his new Voom service, will be one of the executives featured at the Satellite Broadcast & Communications Association’s 20th Biannual Sky Forum on Thursday in…
Tauzin Spokesman Denies MPAA Rumors Rumors that Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., will succeed Jack Valenti as chief of the Motion Picture Association of America were boiling in Washington Monday in the wake of a report in Saturday’s New York Post…
“The Next Joe Millionaire” and “Skin” may have flopped in the ratings for their premieres last week, but that shouldn’t cost the network significant ad dollars.“The Next Joe Millionaire” was sold to advertisers with modest expectations. Though last season’s 12.1…
Rupert Murdoch to buy TiVo? HDTV sales to soar in 2004? Yes, “The Great Swanni” has taken out his crystal ball and is ready to make some predictions on the future of television. So let’s get it on:HDTV Sales Will…
ABC affiliate WKBW-TV in Buffalo, N.Y., enjoyed a 20 percent increase in its ad revenue from the auto industry as a result of its coverage of the local auto show.“We have formed a close partnership with the auto dealers association,”…