With three weeks to go before the annual convention of the National Association of Television Program Executives, it’s clear that the syndication business is in the midst of many changes. Yes, “Dr. Phil” has been a success, but it’s a…
CEO voraciousness: There’s no end in sight. Household International Inc. CEO William F. Aldinger-who this fall engineered the sale of the consumer lender for a bargain-basement $30 a share after settling predatory lending charges-is about to enjoy a double payday,…
Like Tony Soprano with his beefy hands around Ralphie’s throat, the Jersey mob drama “The Sopranos” has tightened its grip on television critics across the country. The series, which broke HBO ratings records with its Sept. 4 season premiere, has…
What is the future of Thursday ‘Must See TV’? ‘Will & Grace’ seems to have forgotten it’s a sitcom, while viewers seem to have forgotten ‘Good Morning, Miami’ is a sitcom. Could ‘Scrubs’ work in a two-hour format? There’s a…
The U.S. State Department accused Boeing Co.’s satellite systems unit, along with Hughes Electronics Corp., of illegally sharing space technology in the mid-1990s that may have helped China develop missiles. The companies were formally charged with 123 violations of the…
When UAL Corp. appears before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Eugene Wedoff in Chicago next week, the airline company will have to present a solid business plan and establish financial credibility as it attempts to reorganize. UAL’s United Airlines-the world’s…
FX is launching a massive marketing campaign for the sophomore season of its controversial cop show “The Shield,” and it’s expecting much less resistance from advertisers this time. “The Shield” opened to hot ratings and heated debate last March. The…
‘Beyond’ dormant Los Angeles-“Beyond With James Van Praagh” may be over. Executives at distributor Tribune have confirmed that the syndicated series has ceased production after a slow debut this season and the future of the rookie is murky. The strip…
Hastings, Neb., is home to the original makers of Kool-Aid. That’s one of the many tidbits viewers learned from a revenue-generating program that aired on the Gray Communications-owned CBS affiliates KOLN-TV and KGIN-TV in the Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney, Neb., designated market area….
Never before have family members had so many options pulling them in different directions. That applies to all kinds of activities, but nowhere is it more true than with TV viewing. The plethora of targeted cable and satellite offerings matched…