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In Depth

The Insider

Passages … with Tom BrokawThere’s nothing like receiving a lifetime achievement award-or renegotiating a contract-to make one take stock of one’s life. Ask Tom Brokaw, who will get the Paul White Award for lifetime achievement Monday in Las Vegas from…

Williams high on CBS list

Brian Williams, the MSNBC anchor and heir apparent to “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw, is on a wish list of people CBS would like to approach to replace the departing Bryant Gumbel on “The Early Show,” according to executives…

NAB’s Fritts: In for the long haul

With almost 70 percent of commercial TV stations having told the Federal Communications Commission that they won’t be able to meet the agency’s buildout deadline for digital television, NAB President and CEO Eddie Fritts said consumer demand–not regulatory fiat–will dictate…

The ultimate newsroom

New products roll out, equipment breaks down and newsroom needs change. Those are challenges television station engineers and news executives face every day, but what if you could start over and build your ideal newsroom from the ground up?That’s what…

Quick Takes

“I do think that watching TV can inspire violence, but my view differs from that of the majority, who make a connection between violent TV and violent behavior. [Most] studies about aggression have not focused on content, [but on] kids…

Momentum builds for interactive TV

When it came to turning “Smallville” into a hit, interactive TV advertising provided the “critical component.”That was the surprising claim by Russ Booth, director of developing technology, MediaCom, The WB’s agency of record. MediaCom’s “Smallville” mission was to “drive tune-in”…

Merged Gray-Benedek a candidate for buyout

A buyer may emerge in the coming months to acquire the proposed combined Gray Communications and Benedek Broadcasting station group. That was the speculation of broadcast TV brokers and analysts last week as Gray announced it would acquire bankrupt Benedek…

Scripps helps Do It Yourself with synergy

Synergy is a Do It Yourself proposition for the E.W. Scripps Co.This weekend, the 10 Scripps Howard Broadcasting stations will begin airing content from the Scripps company’s 21/2-year-old Do It Yourself cable network. A total of 26 half-hour shows-drawn mainly…

Duopoly rule ‘arbitrary,’ says fed appeals court

In a move that could result in a new round of consolidation in local markets, a federal appeals court in Washington last week ordered the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its duopoly rule.The rule, as revised by the FCC in…

Hollywood Notes

Networks cancel midseason showsAs part of an expected midseason purge, UPN and network overseer CBS decided to pull the plug on the repurposed run of “The Amazing Race 2” after it experienced poor ratings and generated complaints from affiliates of…