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In Depth

Guest Commentary: High-Definition Production Becomes New Standard

There’s been a lot of buzz about the launch of high-definition channels over the past several months, and programmers—both network and cable—are ramping up their HD productions like never before. All of this is great news for viewers, but it’s…

Advertisers Planning to Stick With TV

A writers strike would cost the broadcast television networks some ad revenue, but it won’t send sponsors running. With the ad market extremely strong right now, the extent of the damage caused by a strike will depend on how long…

Digital Dealmakers: Iain Molland

The player: Iain Molland, CEO of Vividas USA The play: Vividas offers streaming video technology that delivers high-quality video to a computer or to a television if the computer is connected to one. Consumers don’t need to install a player…

The View From Above

Larry Welk, the grandson of TV legend Lawrence Welk, knew he was in for a bumpy night the moment he got to the hangar housing the helicopters for Los Angeles TV stations KCBS and KCAL. The howling Santa Ana winds…

Trial By Fire: Station Web Site Coverage Comes of Age

The fires that ravaged Southern California last week were one of the first major local news stories to demonstrate there’s widespread consumer interest in watching local news online. Most of the local broadcasters in Los Angeles and San Diego augmented…

NBC News Veteran Cummins Dies

Jim Cummins, who worked his way up through Midwest stations to a three-decade career as a correspondent with NBC News, died Friday. He was 62 and had been diagnosed with cancer after retiring from NBC News earlier this year. In…

McCain Campaign Won’t Stop Using Fox Footage in Ad

Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign is flatly rejecting Fox News Channel’s request that it cease using in a campaign ad video of comments he made during the channel’s GOP debate Oct. 20. The 30-second ad includes 18 seconds of the…

Promax/BDA Appoints Block-Verk President

Promax/BDA tapped Jonathan Block-Verk as the new president of the marketing and design nonprofit association, appointing a successor to Jim Chabin. Mr. Block-Verk previously served as VP/group publisher and executive producer of events for the commercial production industry’s Boards Magazine….

Producers Submit New Proposal in WGA Talks

With less than a week left on the Writers Guild of America’s contract, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers placed what it called a “comprehensive proposal” on the bargaining table during today’s talks. The WGA said it would…

Copps Wants FCC to Thoroughly Review Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal Purchase

Federal Communications Commission member Michael J. Copps is suggesting the agency take a close look at Rupert Murdoch’s plan to buy the Wall Street Journal and not give it perfunctory approval. In a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin,…