Logo

In Depth

Mandel Expected Back at Work Wednesday After Hospitalization

“Deal or No Deal” host Howie Mandel was admitted to a Toronto hospital for an irregular heartbeat on Monday, the Associated Press reported. The AP said Mr. Mandel was filming his hidden-camera show “Howie Do It” when he was taken…

Economic Crunch Puts ‘Jakes’ on Hold

Stage 29 Productions and CBS Television Distribution’s talk show starring Bishop T.D. Jakes has been postponed to a 2010 launch, as the shaky economy forces the hand of another syndication distributor. Despite receiving a station commitment from Tribune, many industry…

Comedy Central Launches HD Channel

Comedy Central is going high-definition. Comedy Central HD will launch on Cablevision over a three-day period beginning today and on Cox and DirecTV later this month. More HD launches are expected throughout the year. As part of its programming, Comedy…

Genachowski at FCC: Advocacy Groups Applaud

President-elect Obama’s choice of Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission is being greeted with rave reviews from advocacy groups and some people who have worked with him. Industry groups also are welcoming the selection. Some who know Mr….

Generate in the ‘Pink’ With Series’ 3rd Season

Digital studio Generate launched the third season of its popular Web series “Pink: The Series” today, the company announced. This season’s 15 hi-def episodes will be distributed on Blip.tv, Break, Crackle, DailyMotion, Hulu, iTunes, Joost, Metacafe, MSN, MySpace, Veoh, TheWB.com,…

Fox at TCA: ‘Prison Break’ News, Comedy Pilots Coming

“Prison Break” will wrap up its four-season run on Fox, the network confirmed Tuesday. In addition, the network will try to launch its next animated series this spring, setting Sunday, April 19, as the premiere date for “Sit Down, Shut…

TV Guide Drops MTV, CW Listings

TV Guide has decided to dump listings for The CW and MTV, and at least one CW affiliate is fighting back. Without any official explanation to its readers, the venerable listings magazine quietly dropped both networks from its listings grids…

Genachowski Tipped as Next FCC Chair

President-elect Barack Obama may about to finally confirm that he is appointing longtime friend Julius Genachowski as the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The Obama transition office did not immediately return calls to confirm that Mr. Genachowski’s appointment…

‘WWE’ Is a Winner for MyNetTV

Last week’s presentation of “WWE Friday Night Smackdown” set viewership records for MyNetworkTV. Jan. 9’s telecast of the wrestling series drew 3.9 million viewers, the most ever for any telecast in the network’s history. “Smackdown” also matched the network’s highest…

‘Stargate,’ ‘Sanctuary’ Give Sci Fi Stellar Ratings

Sci Fi Channel had a strong finish Friday night thanks to the series finale of “Stargate Atlantis” and the first-season finale of “Sanctuary.” The network finished the night as the No. 4 network on cable TV. In the 9 p.m….