Wellllllllll, doggies! Uncle Jed has left us-and with Buddy Ebsen goes one of the most underrated television character actors of all time.Rural humor has rarely been appreciated in broadcast history. Madison Avenue hates it. Particularly since 1971, if sitcoms or…
“I tend to watch less TV during the summer because there isn’t much to choose from. Summer is when everyone is waiting to see the new programming for the fall season.”Luca Bentivoglio, executive director, Latino Public Broadcasting“Hell yes, I’m watching…
Key affiliates were angered last week by word that the National Association of Broadcasters staff had decided to change course and fight legislation aimed at rolling back the Federal Communications Commission’s recent relaxation of its ownership rules-all without the approval…
Two weeks after their agreement to share the costs of NFL football expired, Fox Broadcasting and its affiliates still have no new agreement. The two sides are wrestling with the network’s demand for increased reverse affiliate compensation in the wake…
RolesAshton Kutcher of Fox’s “That ’70s Show” has signed a deal with the series’ producer Carsey-Werner-Mandabach to stay on through the 2004-05 season. Under the new pact Mr. Kutcher’s per-episode salary is said to be bumped into the low six-figure…
Body builder, actor and entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, who runs Body by Jake in L.A., has a favorite motto: “Don’t Quit.” That seems appropriate, because 10 years after he first launched Fit TV, the fitness guru and his partner Tim Robertson,…
Fox News claims it’s won the upfront among the cable news networks, besting CNN and MSNBC. News Corp.’s Fox pulled in about $150 million in ad dollars, with cost-per-thousand rate increases of 10 percent to 12 percent, said Paul Rittenberg,…
While the broadcast networks continue searching for the next great twist on reality, cable networks are launching a second generation of reality programming that expands the genre to include more lifestyle-based shows. At the Television Critics Association Cable Press Tour…
One of my first jobs was as a movie and TV critic on a now defunct Florida newspaper. The pay wasn’t very good, but the editor assured me I could make up for it in free meals, parties, nightclub visits,…
The two investment teams vying for the U.S. entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal say they are still in the hunt, despite some minor hiccups that surfaced last week while the French conglomerate’s management continued to review the offers.A spokesman for…