Half-baked!
You can pull all the stops out, till they call the cops out, Grind your behind till you’re banned, But you gotta get a gimmick if you wanna get a hand. -Stephen Sondheim, “Gypsy”Early last year, Linda Bloodworth thought she…
In Depth
Breaking News Archives
Posted Monday, Feb. 11, at 11:55 a.m. (PT); last updated at 5:25 p.m. ‘Friends’ back for ninth and final season The stars of NBC’s top-rated “Friends” will be staying together for one more season, with 30 percent-plus pay hikes for…
Bigger piece of pie going to Comcast
Cable interconnects are becoming big business for Comcast Corp., which says it is significantly cutting into local TV broadcasters’ already weak advertising business this year.“There is no question we are taking market share at a rapid rate from the broadcasters…
Profiling cable viewers
With an estimated $55 billion invested in digital upgrades, cable operators are looking hard for a payback.One idea that might wring a few more dollars out of a 30-second spot is ad-serving software from new companies such as ADexact and…
ABC soap takes a page from telenovela playbook
ABC really owes a big gracias to the Spanish-language broadcast networks.Taking a page from Latino programmers, ABC Daytime’s adoption of shorter, telenovela-like story arcs for its midday soap “Port Charles” has paid off with broad increases in several key young…
2002-03 season comedy pilot pickups
(up-to-date list of sitcoms formally ordered by the broadcast networks)“8 Simple Rules …” (Touchstone Television)-A protective dad deals with his teen-age daughters; based on W. Bruce Cameron’s book, “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teen-age Daughter.” Tracy Gamble is writer…
Software keeps ad deals on the level
Subscribing to the philosophy that fixing an advertising deal in the middle of the contract is better than repairing it at the end, several cable networks have begun to implement an advertising management software program that should allow them to…
Who Is News
BroadcastingJohn Steckler to director of sales and marketing, KONG-TV, Seattle, from senior VP of sales and marketing, Shurgard Storage Center. Also, Carlyn Crawford to account executive, from account executive, KIRO-TV, Seattle; and Tim Grand to account executive, from account executive,…
Briefly Noted
Critics of `Boston Public’ air grievancesMore than a dozen conservative and Christian groups complained to the Federal Communications Commission last week that Fox’s “Boston Public,” which airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. (ET), has too much sex for a show…
Bay area’s tough, honest innovator
Lisa Cragoe exudes confidence. She is sharp, direct and articulate. And perhaps most important for the TV station buyers she deals with, Ms. Cragoe lays all her cards on the table.Even though she is a tough negotiator, they know she’s…