Latest News Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
Dow Ends Down 128, Nasdaq Closes Up 4
Wall Street capped its worst week ever with a wild session Friday that left stocks with a widely mixed finish. Late-day buying helped curb steep losses and gave the market its best showing of the week as investors snapped up bargains among stocks devastated by seven days of losses.
FULL STORYIn DTV Education, Dare to Be Annoying
With the possibility that millions of people may not be ready for next February's switch to digital transmission, TV stations need to target their over-the-air viewers and inundate them with PSAs, programs, crawls, whatever they can think of, to remind them again and again of the transition.
FULL STORYCaribevision Enters Orlando with LP Buy
Carlos Barba's Spanish-language network is paying L4 Media $1.8 million for its Class A station in the home of Disney World.
FULL STORYSlingCatcher Brings Internet Video to TV
Sling Media has rolled out its latest version of Slingbox, SlingCatcher, featuring software that offers new features like the ability to sling video from the Internet to the TV, from one TV to another, and to easily watch video and photos stored on an external hard drive or USB stick on a TV.
LINKMedia, MN Told to Resolve Exit-Poll Issue
News organizations in Minnesota said the distance they must maintain for exit polling is extreme. A federal judge was inclined to agree, and told the state to devise a solution.
LINKNew Retrans Fight for TW in San Antonio
The retransmission-consent standoff between Time Warner Cable and LIN TV entered its second week today, and a new one is looming for the cable operator with Post-Newsweek's KSAT San Antonio, Texas.
LINKGM Likely to Announce Production Cuts
General Motors Corp. is likely to announce further production cuts and possible plant closures as early as next week as it deals with slumping sales and a collapse in its stock price, a person with knowledge of the company's plans said Friday.
FULL STORYYouTube Adds Full-Length CBS Content
YouTube is getting its Hulu on. Starting today, the Google-owned video site has partnered with CBS to air full-length TV shows. CBS will sell pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads and YouTube will get a cut of the revenue.
LINKStill Hope for the Broadcast Economy
Don't turn off the lights quite yet -- broadcasters could emerge from the economic crisis alive, with new opportunities to create revenue, including mobile DTV, retrans consent and Web sites. But first, they have to survive the current downturn and credit crunch.
LINKLPTVs Ask FCC for Full-Power Status
A coalition of low-power TV stations Friday said they had signatures from more than 150 station representatives calling for the FCC to start the process of giving several hundred low-power stations a path to full-power status, which would secure them carriage on cable systems.
LINKCBS Wins Thursday with 'CSI'
The ninth-season premiere of CBS drama CSI drew its best rating since before the writers strike last night and bested timeslot competitor Grey's Anatomy on ABC for the first time ever, lifting CBS to an easy nightly win. CSI averaged a 7.0 adults 18-49 rating, 1.5 ahead of Grey's.
LINKNBCU Performs Past Expectations in 3Q
Record ratings and double-digit growth at its cable properties helped NBC Universal beat expectations and stand out as a golden-haired child of parent company General Electric, which reported a 22% drop in net income for the third quarter.
LINKMerged Newsrooms Lead to KPLR Layoffs
Tribune CW affiliate KPLR St. Louis has laid off longtime news anchor Rick Edlund and chief meteorologist Keryn Shipman, as well as other employees. The layoffs are part of a series of cost-cutting moves put in motion when the station merged newsrooms with Local TV's KTVI last month. It follows a similar move by the two companies' Denver stations earlier this week.
LINKCarey to Head Station, News at WQAD
Local TV has named Bill Carey -- who left Tampa ABC affliate WFTS in March after he was arrested and accused of burglary and battery following a hit and run accident -- the station manager and news director at its Moline, Ill., ABC affiliate.
LINKPolitical Ads: The Latest for the Last Days
All that political money in these lean times is a beautiful thing. But as the campaigns wind down, it's important for broadcasters to keep up with the evolving rules and regulations governing political advertising and coverage. Do you know what to do if one of the candidates for your televised debate fails to show up?
GM and Ford May Be Too Big to Fail
Given the automakers' pervasive presence in the U.S. economy and their value as symbols of industrial might, many believe they wouldn't be allowed to go under.
LINKUBS Cuts Online Advertising Outlook
With the financial markets in freefall, UBS analyst Ben Schachter on Thursday lowered his third-quarter and 2009 estimates for Internet companies that depend on online advertising and consumer spending.
LINKHD World Expecting Record Crowds
While HD World is only three years old, this trade show has doubled in size -- both in attendees and exhibits -- since its inception. This year's event, being held Oct. 15-16, expects to see a 25% increase in attendanceover last year, and more than 225 exhibits.
LINKCW Planning 'Top Model' Spinoff
The network has ordered a pilot for Operation Fabulous, starring Top Model regulars Jay Manuel and J. Alexander and executive produced by Top Model chiefs Tyra Banks and Ken Mok.
LINKVa. County Asks Employees for DTV Aid
Fairfax County, Va., just outside Washington is asking its employees to volunteer to help senior citizens and the disabled make the transition to digital TV. According to a notice from its public affairs office, the county's Department of Family Services agency on aging has put out the call for help in the run-up to the Feb. 17, 2009 switch to full-power digital TV.
LINKGM Shares Tumble 31% to 58-Year Low
Shares of General Motors Corp. lost nearly one-third of their value Thursday, plunging to their lowest level in more than 58 years after Standard & Poor's said the automaker's credit could fall further into junk status due to the "rapidly weakening state" of the global automotive market.
FULL STORYNAB vs. ACA: Retrans Ruckus Rages On
Cable operators cite DTV coupon request spike in LIN markets as potential problem for DTV transition; NAB calls suggestion "ludicrous."
LINKObama Special to Air on CBS, NBC
Barack Obama is breaking the bank for an 11th-hour network buy. Obama's campaign has bought 30 minutes of primetime on CBS and NBC to air a special program. Date and timeslot is the same for both buys: 8 p.m. ET Oct. 29.
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