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When Fox’s “Prison Break” ran its series finale last month, fans of the show were left wondering if the lead character was really dead. Their response was to go online and post a whole lot of “WTF?s” in chat rooms, fan sites and Twitter, using the Internet acronym for “what the f**k?” For 20th Century...
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The number of TV households completely unready for the digital transition decreased to 3.1 million, according to Nielsen. The number represents 2.7% of TV households, down from 2.9% at the time of Nielsen’s last report two weeks ago , which stated that 3.3 million households were unready. For TVWeek...
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A record number of consumers called the Federal Communications Commission’s national helpline Thursday in response to a nationwide DTV soft test. The FCC helpline received more than 55,000 calls from consumers, a single-day record. The helpline has averaged 15,000 calls per day since May 1 and prior...
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Traditional television remains the screen of choice for Americans, according to Nielsen’s recent Three Screen Report. The average American watches 153 hours of TV every month at home, the report found. That’s a 1.2% increase from last year. While Americans are watching more TV than ever, viewing on the...
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It was a jam-packed ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria for the 68th annual Peabody Awards today. Host Brian Williams joked he was "in the tank" for three of the esteemed awards—for colleague Richard Engel, "Saturday Night Live" and NBC Sports. Winner Doug Ellin of "Entourage"...
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The George Foster Peabody Award is considered by many to be the most prestigious honor in electronic media, akin to the Pulitzer Prize for print journalism. For 2008, the Peabody judges have honored a wide variety of entertainment, news and information media. Among this round of Peabody honorees, HBO...
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Univision will conduct the first nationwide digital transition test during this Saturday’s edition of “Sabado Gigante.” The test, scheduled during the 9:30-10 p.m. EST half-hour, is part of the network’s 30-day countdown to the government-mandated analog shutoff June 12. For TVWeek's comprehensive...
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Fewer than 3% of U.S. TV households are still completely unready for the digital transition on June 12, Nielsen said today. As of May 10, 3.3 million or 2.9% of households are completely unprepared, down from 3.5 million unready households in Nielsen’s last update less than two weeks ago. The number...
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CBS CEO Les Moonves said that NBC’s decision to put Jay Leno on in prime time will help his company’s bottom line. “We were the No. 1 network at 10 o’clock last year,” Mr. Moonves told analysts and investors during CBS’ quarterly earnings conference call Thursday. He estimated that CBS took in 38% of...
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Thu, May 7 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Digital, Advertising, CBS, NBC, Syndication, Jay Leno, Earnings, Les Moonves
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Time Warner reported lower first-quarter earnings because of big losses at AOL, but said profits were up at what it called its “Content Group.” Net income was $661 million or 55 cents a share, down from $771 million or 64 cents a share a year ago. Revenues fell to $6.9 billion from $7.5 billion. Time...
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Wed, Apr 29 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Cable, Digital, HBO, Syndication, Earnings, Time Warner, Jeff Bewkes, Turner Broadcasting, AOL, Warner Bros., first quarter
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Two of the largest talent agencies in Hollywood, the William Morris Agency and Endeavor, are merging under one name, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, the two organizations announced today. William Morris CEO Jim Wiatt will serve as chairman of the new group. Endeavor founder Ariel Emanuel, along...
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The future of broadcast television is mobile. At least that was the message at the National Association of Broadcasters’ NAB Show last week in Las Vegas. While the 83,000 attendees at the annual convention—down about 20% from last year—encountered 3-D TV displays, super-hi-def TV and cheaper cameras...
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Until recently, the idea of a mass extinction in the media world was inconceivable. But now it’s hard times. And in hard times, media executives need to remember that the content they produce has value. How did the industry get here? A veritable asteroid fall of reasons. Along came the Internet, and...
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Attendance might have been down at this year’s NAB Show, but television broadcasters hit the show floor to check out new tools and gadgets, especially those in the nascent mobile DTV business. They came to Las Vegas without their entourages, but they came looking to buy. For the details on how stations...
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NATPE has scheduled its third annual LATV Fest for July 8-9 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Jordan Hoffner, director of content partnerships for YouTube, will give the opening keynote address. Confirmed speakers and panelists for the conference include RDF Media USA’s Chris Coelen...
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Thu, Apr 23 2009
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Filed under: Broadcast, Digital, LATV Fest, YouTube, NATPE, Jordan Hoffner, Chris Coelen, Alex Albrecht, William Bradford, George Ruiz and