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In Depth

quicktakes

“When DirecTV or DISH offers all major broadcast stations as local-into-local, there will be no real reason to keep cable service unless the consumer wishes broadcast network HDTV from a source other than over the air. I predict that basic…

Guest Commentary: Securing the Future of Sports on Television

In the past few years, television as we know it has gone through some pretty radical changes. We’ve seen the rise of reality television and the expansion of digital platforms that have helped boost cable television. The link between television…

Experts Say Vivendi May Get Less in Deal

As General Electric and NBC negotiate the fine print of the high-profile deal that will merge the broadcast network with Vivendi Universal’s U.S. entertainment assets, some observers are wondering how many devils might be in the details.With the euphoria of…

An HDTV Report Card

High-definition TV sets are now in approximately 7 million homes. However, only 12 networks have taken the plunge and launched HD channels. As I’ve written before, HDTV sales will not dramatically improve until we see more programming. Of the existing…

Editorial: A Toast to Kaitz

This week many of the cable industry’s best and brightest will gather, as they have for the past 19 years, in New York to attend a fund-raiser. The occasion will be the 20th Annual Walter Kaitz Foundation dinner. These dinners…

Roving Eye

1. Don Corsini, left, president and general manager of KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, joins “Living It Up! With Ali & Jack” hosts Ali Wentworth and Jack Ford at a promotional event for the new talk show Sept. 5…

Hearst-Argyle Aims for New Biz Opps

A federal court has put new Federal Communications Commission ownership rules on hold, but that is not stopping some savvy TV station operators from expanding their business models to create new revenue streams designed to offset losses in network affiliate…

John Ritter: 1948-2003

He was always funny. Always optimistic. A joy to work with. Such was the refrain from colleagues last week in the wake of actor John Ritter’s unexpected death at the age of 54. The Emmy-winning actor collapsed on the set…

CNN Bureau Gets A Face-Lift

Fresh remodel CNN Washington bureau chief Kathryn Kross was set to play hostess Friday night, Sept. 12, at a party celebrating the completion of a seven-figure Cinderella-esque makeover of what was the dowdiest network bureau in the nation’s capital. Now…

The Ratings Wizard

Monday, Sept. 1, 2003-Sunday, Sept. 7, 2003TV Season Week No. 50ABC and NBC tied in the adults 18 to 49 demo with a 3.0/9. Strong performances from ABC’s NFL Football and NBC’s “Fear Factor” propelled the networks to first-place spots…