Allen Funt, TV’s original hidden-camera prankster, is probably rolling in his grave. “Scare Tactics,” the Sci Fi Channel’s creepy hit, catches people in the act of being scared (figuratively) to death. Friends set up unwitting marks in terrifying, staged situations…
FX President Peter Liguori should thank Cher for the network’s hit drama “Nip/Tuck.”The show’s creator Ryan Murphy was toiling away as an entertainment journalist in Los Angeles when he realized he needed a career change. “After I had interviewed Cher…
Once upon a time there were three broadcast networks that rolled out a new schedule every fall filled with original episodes of scripted TV shows. The dramas and sitcoms were expensive, but no worries, the networks would recoup the hefty…
Jane Pauley may not be the only new face on NBC-owned television stations next season. NBC Enterprises has signed a deal with QVC personalities Nick Chavez and Stacey Schieffelin to host a syndicated makeover half-hour.The project is one of three…
At the moment, Steven Lipscomb has a winning hand. As the creator and executive producer of “The World Poker Tour,” a breakout hit on The Travel Channel, he’s holding nothing short of a straight flush-possibly even a royal flush.“What I…
The idea of scrounging through television’s junkyard of failed TV series to come up with a few good ideas first came to Lauren Zalaznick when she was reading press coverage of the Emmy Awards shortly after becoming Trio’s president in…
Monday, Oct. 13, 2003-Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003TV Season Week No. 4Powered by stellar Major League Baseball playoff game ratings, Fox won six of the seven nights last week in adults 18 to 49 and total viewers. Fox finished first for…
Executives of nearly every network told the producers of “The Joe Schmo Show” that they loved their pitch. Then nearly every one turned them down. The faux reality series-where producers and actors trick an average schlub into believing he’s participating…
A woman in Jerusalem is standing at a bus stop when a terrorist detonates a suicide bomb. The woman’s mother and vivacious 5-year-old daughter are killed before her eyes, and she is severely injured. Five young boys are traumatized by…
Encoda, a prominent provider of sales, traffic, programming and financial systems for the broadcast industry, has had to redirect its energies due to heightened competition over the past three years from next-generation traffic providers such as WideOrbit, VCI, OSI and…