Congressional opponents of media consolidation are greeting the FCC’s vote to ease its media-ownership rules as a call to battle, and they are promising the fight isn’t over. “We’re not done with this, not by a long shot,” said Sen….
A divided Federal Communications Commission approved what could be the biggest change in the country’s media-ownership rules in more than a decade, allowing newspapers and broadcasters in a market to buy each other. On a 3-to-2, party-line vote, the FCC…
Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos will co-executive produce a film for ESPN about Brandon High School in Tampa, Fla., whose wrestling team has won 451 straight matches over 34 years. Mr. Consuelos attended Brandon High School for one semester,…
The season-two finale of Showtime’s “Dexter” drew nearly 1.4 million viewers Sunday, up 14% from a year ago. A replay immediately after the premiere drew another 382,000 viewers. This season, “Dexter” is up 21% in average weekly tune-in to nearly…
Digital television company Backchannelmedia plans to test a new technology that lets consumers purchase goods and services seen on television using their remote control linked to a consumer’s personal Web site, JackMyers.com reported today. Backchannelmedia, an ad serving and direct…
The Writers Guild of America on Monday denied requests for waivers that would have allowed guild members to prepare material for the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the awards, and Dick Clark Productions,…
ITV on Monday tapped Twentieth Television’s Paul Buccieri as president-CEO of Granada America. Mr. Buccieri most recently was president of programming, production and development for Twentieth. Mr. Buccieri will report to ITV’s managing director of global content, Dawn Airey. He…
A bipartisan group of 25 senators has issued a new warning to FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin as the maneuvering intensifies in advance of Tuesday’s scheduled media ownership vote: Unless he pulls back, they will quickly take steps to overturn…
NBC late-night hosts Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will return to the air without writers after two months of a strike-induced break, the network announced Monday morning. “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” will…
Advertising groups are making a last-minute bid to head off the Federal Communications Commission’s launch of a formal rule-making on TV product placement. With the FCC vote due tomorrow , executives of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the American…