Sci Fi Channel has promoted Thomas Vitale to executive vice president of programming and original movies. Mr. Vitale, who joined Sci Fi Channel in 1993 as director of acquisitions, was previously senior VP of programming and original movies. He was…
CBS has given a full-season order for its breakout crime drama “The Mentalist.” The series has averaged 16.4 million viewers per week during its Tuesday 9 p.m. timeslot, averaging a 3.8 rating/9 share among viewers ages 18-49. “Mentalist” stars Simon…
Television announcer and emcee Jack Narz, 85, who hosted the 1950s game “Dotto” on both CBS and NBC and in the 1970s a syndicated version of “Concentration,” died today at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills. Mr. Narz, who died from…
ABC won the broadcast networks’ premiere week where it really counts—in the commercial ratings that determine how much advertisers pay for 30-second spots. Among adults 18 to 49, ABC averaged a 3.49 C3 rating—a measurement that calculates the viewership for…
NBC is back in business with David E. Kelley, landing the prolific writer-producer’s first project under his new deal at Warner Bros. Television. The network has made a series commitment to Mr. Kelley’s concept, a one-hour legal-themed series about a…
Comedy Central has added British comic Matt Lucas to the cast of its new series “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.” He joins Sean Maguire, India de Beaufort, Steve Speirs, Kevin Hart, John Rhys-Davies, James Murray and Marques…
Oxygen Media has given the Web site it acquired, Quizfarm.com, a makeover that it says has already increased page views by 200%. Quizfarm is a social site built around creating and answering quizzes about popular culture and personal interests. It…
It’s never too early to begin evaluating the new fall season on television. At media buyer Starcom USA, Senior VP Sam Armando has two simple methods for getting a quick read on which new programs are off to a successful…
With the credit crunch creating economic turmoil, media buyer ZenithOptimedia recently slashed its global ad spending forecast to show 4% growth in 2009, down from its original prediction of a 6% increase. ZenithOptimedia figures that the crisis favors the Internet…
One tough thing about coming up with consumer insights is that you’re never done. Kathy Kline, senior VP and consumer context planning director at Starcom USA, says the process for finding insights into how consumer and media behavior mesh can…