Giving the digital TV transition a kick in the pants, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell last week announced a wide-reaching voluntary plan under which consumer electronics manufacturers would begin to include DTV tuners in new TV sets and many…
Cutting the umbilical cord between a broadcast truck and a live event is growing easier thanks to wireless digital transmission systems that are so small and light they fit into a backpack or even a briefcase with a shoulder strap.Broadcast…
RTNDA panels resurrectedSome panels scheduled for last September’s canceled Radio-Television News Directors Association convention will get a second shot this week at the RTNDA@NAB confab in Las Vegas. Expected to draw a large audience is the super session “The State…
Successfully programming Friday prime time, once a relatively simple task for the broadcast networks, has become a greater exercise in futility than scheduling Saturday nights.Friday prime time has devolved into the lowest-viewed night of the week. It’s gotten so bad…
When KCNC-TV investigative reporter Brian Maass received a confidential tip in early December about police officers loafing on the job at Denver International Airport, he knew at once he was onto a solid local story. He did not expect the…
Odds have always been stacked against network TV pilots getting strong initial audience sampling-it’s sort of like gambling the mortgage on the roulette wheel. That’s why MRCGroup, a Las Vegas-based research company, is getting network and studio executives to realize…
Under legislation being considered by Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Federal Trade Commission would be required to issue a report to Congress every year on whether the entertainment industry is marketing violent content to kids.The annual review would keep tabs on…
Lynn Lehmkuhl has been named VP, corporate sponsorship, for the Sesame Workshop. She was formerly with Emap USA as president of the youth group. Ms. Lehmkuhl will be responsible for securing corporate sponsorships for Workshop’s signature series, “Sesame Street,” “Dragon…
The hard-liquor industry may be bloodied, but it’s not down for the count.That was the message last week of Peter Cressy, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, who said his member companies are continuing…
`Wednesday 9:30′ shelved by ABC after two airingsLos Angeles-ABC will put its new midseason comedy “Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)” on hiatus beginning this week after just two airings, a network spokesman confirmed Friday. The time slot will be filled with…