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  • Jessell At Large: FCC Needs To Give OVDs MPVD Status

    That’s why I think the FCC's Sky Angel proceeding — in which it's considering whether it should regulate online video distributors like Sky Angel just as it now does cable and satellite operators — is so important. It could give stations a big and badly needed boost toward the Internet and on all those millions of desktops and mobile screens. More | Comments (5)

  • Front Office: MFM To Honor 13 At Annual Conference

    When the MFM convenes in Las Vegas next week, we will be recognizing 13 individual for their extraordinary contributions to the association and the media industry. More | Add comment

  • Spotlight: T&B Embracing Multiplatform, BXF Integration

    Broadcasters want traffic and billing systems that can handle ads for websites and mobile as adeptly as they do broadcast spots and that can integate seamlessly with master control automation. Vendors are doing their best to meet this demand. More | Add comment

  • Digital DMAs: Providence Old Media Slow On New Media

    In Rhode Island's capital, the traditional media outlets are mired in what one expert calls "an analog mindset," but a number of small independent startups are willing and eager to fill in the gaps in digital coverage left by the market's TV stations and newspaper. More | Comments (1)

  • Focus: More Sellers Than Buyers In Station Market

    With four significant TV station group deals within the past year, there is a growing number of groups up for sale. But right now few buyers are willing to pay the multiples that the sellers are demanding. “Owners are either going to have to take lower prices and come out under water or hold stations for another two years," says broker Larry Patrick. More | Comments (3)

  • Air Check: Local News Stories That Made A Difference

    TVNewsCheck is occasionally featuring examples of exceptional TV station reporting from across the country. Here are the first four, taking on everything from fraud, wasteful spending and public safety to a parking lot owner with a penchant for driving other people’s cars. More | Comments (1)

Special Reports

  • NAB 2012: Everything you need to know about broadcasting's biggest tech event of the year.
  • Gearing Up For NAB 2012: The top tech trends and issues.
  • FCC Watch: 18 Topics In 244 Words Or Less: Get briefed on what's happening at broadcasting's favorite regulatory agency by top Washington communications attorneys David Oxenford and Brendan Holland.
  • 2011—Year In Review: Revisit the year’s top developments in business, programming, journalism, technology, regulation and more.
  • Audience Measurement: The state of ratings is examined in three parts: an interview with the head of the Media Ratings Council; the growing presence of Rentrak; and the search for a better local ratings currency.
  • Traffic Reporting: This four-part TVNewsCheck Special Report focuses on what it takes to stay on top of the growing commuter gridlock across the country.
  • Remembering 9/11: TVNewsCheck looks back 10 years after the attacks with a series of five articles.
  • TOP 30 TV STATION GROUPS: Fox Television Stations is No. 1 in the revenue-based rankings, followed by the groups of the other major broadcast networks: CBS, NBC and ABC, with Tribune rounding out the top five.

Industry Calendar

May 2012
Mo
We
21-23
Media Financial Management Association
Media Financial Focus 2012
Las Vegas, NV
Mo
We
21-23
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
The Cable Show
Boston, MA
Mo
28
Memorial Day
Holiday
June 2012
Mo
11
NAB Education Foundation
Celebration of Service to America Awards
Washington, DC
Tu
Th
12-14
PromaxBDA
The Conference 2012
Los Angeles, CA

Station Directory

Net Essentials

AP Breaking News

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OPEN MIKE BY DJ CAVANAUGH
Sales Management Software Drives Success
TVNewsCheck, May 3, 2012, 7:46 AM EDT
Matrix Solutions CEO DJ Cavanaugh spells out the four key benefits of using CRM and sales management software. "The organizational benefits are wide-ranging and directly add value to any company’s short- to long-term profit and competitive goals," he says. Full Story | Comments (2)
Open Mike by Patrick Maines
Free Speech Is Real Loser In Rush Kerfuffle
TVNewsCheck, Mar 26, 2012, 7:55 AM EDT
The bad news in the Rush Limbaugh controversy is that while some people are recommending that the FCC take him off the air or think he should be prosecuted; and after a number of his advertisers have been cowed into dropping his show, most of the media and journalism organizations one might expect to defend him have remained silent. Looking beyond the campaign against Limbaugh, one can see that this and kindred efforts aren’t going to end well for freedom of speech. Full Story | Comments (16)
Open Mike by William O'Shaughnessy
In Defense of Rush ... And Others Before Him
TVNewsCheck, Mar 14, 2012, 3:38 PM EDT
We've always had terrible examples to defend. And Rush Limbaugh has given us another stellar specimen of vulgar discourse. But defend it we must. Not the hateful, demeaning and discomfiting words. But the right of our colleague — the social commentator — to be heard.  And the right of the people to decide. Full Story | Comments (8)
Open MIke by Don West
Don’t Alter Standards To Fit New Media
TVNewsCheck, Mar 13, 2012, 5:57 AM EDT
From my point of view, it's all this adapting to new technology that's got us in the mess we're in, First Amendment-wise." The mess is propelled by the fact that the press has lost its professional — and essentially exclusive — standing. The new technology has made all the means of communication available to everyone. The only restraint is self-restraint and it doesn’t exist out there. Inside the profession it exists in ever lessening degree. if professional journalists in all media just used the new technology, but didn’t adapt their principles and honor to it, we’d all be better off. Full Story | Comments (2)
Open Mike by Susan King
Stations Need Transparency In Political Ads
TVNewsCheck, Feb 23, 2012, 8:33 AM EST
The public has a right to know who is paying for advertising for politicians who put themselves before the public in election cycles. And I believe that it is in the interest of the community and the larger political audience to know exactly what a station has earned in an election campaign cycle and to know who purchased those ads. Full Story | Comments (6)
Open Mike by Matthew Polka
Super Bowl Spoiler: NFL TV Deals Blitz Public
TVNewsCheck, Feb 3, 2012, 7:19 AM EST
I am quite troubled by the soaring price of monthly cable and satellite TV bills fueled by hyperinflationary increases in TV rights fees won by the NFL and many other sports organizations. Non-sports pay TV subscribers are massively subsidizing sports viewers by an estimated $3 billion annually. A sports tier designed to reflect actual consumer demand for NFL games, golf tournaments, and baseball doubleheaders has the potential to allocate programming expenses more fairly within the pay TV universe. Full Story | Comments (4)
Open Mike by Ronen Artman
When Satellite, Microwave Just Won't Do
TVNewsCheck, Jan 12, 2012, 8:30 AM EST
For getting the news from field to studio, satellite and microwave have served broadcaster well for many years. But cellular uplink systems may be better and less costly alternative. Challenges of making the technology work reliably in tough news environment are being overcome and lease arrangements and data plans make it affordable. Full Story | Comments (4)
Open Mike by WJAC's Gary Sinderson
Why The Penn State Scandal Stayed Secret
TVNewsCheck, Nov 22, 2011, 8:30 AM EST
WJAC Johnstown, Pa., reporter Gary Sinderson says the university’s culture of protecting its reputation and limited time prevented him from investigating the "whispers" about former coach Jerry Sandusky. Corporate downsizing has eliminated a lot of enterprise reporting. “Pushing the limits — informing the public and getting people to debate and discuss the issues, even when they include facts like the Sandusky case that they may not want to talk about — is a good thing. We need more of that kind of journalism.” Full Story | Comments (7)
open mike by Jack Goodman
Watch Out for Fixed-Spot Package Buys
TVNewsCheck, Nov 8, 2011, 10:09 AM EST
FCC staff has expressed growing concern about station sales practices that provide benefits that effectively are only available to long-term commercial advertisers, pointing out that political candidates are supposed to be placed on an equal footing with a station’s most-favored advertiser. Full Story | Comments (3)
Open Mike by Steve Sloane
IP: New Option For Moving Video From A To B
TVNewsCheck, Sep 29, 2011, 7:33 AM EDT
Advances in the technology have made video transport over IP a robust, reliable and financially attractive proposition for local broadcasters. Applications include use as STLs, remote links from the field to the studio, PSIP insertion and program sharing. Full Story | Add comment
open mike by Richard Buchanan
Now’s The Time To Prepare For Disasters
TVNewsCheck, Sep 1, 2011, 9:59 AM EDT
A solid disaster recovery plan, combined with a good liability insurance policy, allows stations to maintain business continuity during a disruption. A station that fails to remain on the air when its viewers most need information can result in its losing market share for months or even years following the event. Here's a checklist of vital steps to be ready. Full Story | Comments (5)
Open Mike by Ken Lee
Less Is Plenty For ENG Over Broadband
TVNewsCheck, Aug 24, 2011, 10:37 AM EDT
One of the biggest myths is that broadcasters need a lot of bandwidth to import good video from the field via the cell networks. It isn’t true. One modem and 500 kpbs will do the job. And many broadcasters don’t realize that the more modems you stream with, the higher your on-air latency.  Full Story | Add comment
Open Mike by Scott Bosen
Options For Handling Embedded Audio
TVNewsCheck, Aug 18, 2011, 11:28 AM EDT
Embedded audio has become dominant because of its benefits, but it does have a downside: It is inflexible. Taking cost-effective advantage of the operational and cost benefits of embedded audio requires careful assessment of need and evaluation of the available technology, as well as solid planning and system design. Full Story | Comments (2)
Open Mike By Eric Dodson Greenberg
TV’s Next M&A Wave Won’t Be Like Last One
TVNewsCheck, Aug 5, 2011, 6:42 AM EDT
Changes in the television industry since the last wave of M&A activity will spur new deal-making and change its very nature. Retrans fees — which had not yet matured as a meaningful second income stream as of the last M&A cycle — will now be a new catalyst for growth and achieving scale. Add to that the differentiating value of broadcast television — its ability to generate cash, the near-term value of huge spending in political advertising, and the emerging (and, yes, changing) shape of station economics — and you have newly ripening incentives for buyers and sellers. Full Story | Add comment
Open MIke by Preston Padden
Stations Need To Stream Their Signals Now
TVNewsCheck, Aug 4, 2011, 11:38 AM EDT
Stations need to begin streaming their live signals, and to offer streams of past programs, before the future passes them by. The first steps are to fashion a business model and secure the necessary rights from broadcast networks. It's in the networks' interest to extend those rights to affiliates, which are still the strongest distribution platform around. Full Story | Comments (20)
Open Mike by Dave Van Hoy
Options, But No Simple Path To Video Storage
TVNewsCheck, Jul 7, 2011, 11:49 AM EDT
With the move to file-based formats, storing and managing video that pours into TV stations is not as easy as it was in the days when it was on tape and you could label it and put it on a shelf. There is no single, cookie-cutter solution that will suffice for all stations. The needs of today’s file-based workflows, combined with the need for reliability inherent in any broadcast environment, require difficult decisions. Full Story | Add comment
Open Mike by Patrick Maines
FCC Charts A Wise Course For Media's Future
TVNewsCheck, Jun 13, 2011, 11:37 AM EDT
The long-awaited FCC report, "The Information Needs of Communities,” was released last week. Had the report endorsed radical (and preposterous) things, like a federal tax credit for investigative journalism, it would have attracted more ink, and been the subject of conversation far longer. But it's a credit to its authors, and to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, that it did not do so, because it shows they possess both a realistic view of the scope of the FCC’s limited authority and a healthy respect for the First Amendment. Full Story | Add comment
Open Mike by Patrick Maines
Michael Copps' Excellent Adventure
TVNewsCheck, Apr 21, 2011, 6:00 AM EDT
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps is now in his 10th and final year as commissioner and he still isn't happy with the state of media and the journalism it supports. If he and the rest of the FCC couldn't fix things during the last decade, perhaps the problem all along hasn’t been consolidation or avarice as he argues. Maybe it’s been that what ails the media, and the way forward, are more complex than to be availing of the kind of nostrums Copps has been peddling. Full Story | Comments (2)
Open Mike by Petter Ole Jakobsen
Automation Is Key To New Media Distribution
TVNewsCheck, Apr 20, 2011, 5:49 AM EDT
Broadcasters can extend their branded content to a global audience to capitalize on new revenue streams such as subscriptions and online advertising. But multiplatform distribution is technically complex, requiring support for thousands of mobile handheld device models, each with its own technical specifications. And while we’ve made great strides in solving the technical problems of serving media to thousands of mobile handheld devices, there are still creative problems yet to be resolved. Full Story | Comments (2)
Open Mike by Petter Ole Jakobsen
How To Deal With The Many Faces Of Mobile
TVNewsCheck, Apr 7, 2011, 9:56 AM EDT
Without an automated workflow, you either can’t deliver dynamic media content to mobile devices or you’re very limited in terms of the quality you can send effectively. Full Story | Add comment
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Today's Top Stories

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The Market

Symbol Last Change (%)
Nasdaq 2847.21 +68.42 (+2.46%)
NYSE 7542.98 +115.24 (+1.55%)
S&P 500 1315.99 +20.77 (+1.60%)
Updated 05/22 8:24ä ET Quotes delayed at least 20 mins.
Source: Financial Content

Ratings

Overnights, adults 18-49 for 5月 20, 2012
  • 1.
    2.4/7
  • 2.
    1.9/6
  • 3.
    1.6/5
  • 4.
    1.3/4
  • 5.
    1.0/3
  • 6.
    0.4/1
Source: Nielsen
Reviews
Opinions
Features
  • David Wiegand

    Fans of Sex and the City have finally gotten their wish: Their beloved sex-focused sitcom is back on the air ... sort of. The four women have become four men, of course, and the writing isn't as good. Oh, and the laugh track so annoying, it's offensive. And did I mention that the costumes would be considered fashionable if you were holding a yard sale? Men at Work on TBS is almost quaint, it's so old fashioned. If it had any meat on its bones, you'd be tempted to say it's the sadly ignoble epitome of TV's long-festering emasculated-men syndrome. But it's so much of a big, forgettable, innocuous shrug, it's not even worth any actual vitriol.

  • Mike Hale

    The USA Network's motto is "Characters Welcome." Apparently they're especially welcome if they resemble Oscar Madison and Felix Unger. Already stocked with Odd Couple knockoffs in Psych and White Collar, USA adds to its inventory Common Law, another comic crime-fighting show about mismatched partners. But this latest entry exhibits very little of that kind of spark as it tries to wring laughs from the juxtaposition of counseling and police work. It looks too flat and schematically plotted to succeed as the type of lightweight summer fun we’ve come to expect from USA.

  • Joanne Ostrow

    Johnny Carson: Fantastic entertainer, miserable human being. That's the lasting message of Johnny Carson: King of Late Night, the new PBS American Masters film, a rich history of a rare product of television who dominated the small screen for decades. Unprecedented access to personal archives plus all existing episodes of The Tonight Show (1962-92), distinguishes this film by Peter Jones. Telling interviews with family and colleagues, including second wife Joanne Carson, former Tonight Show executive producer Peter Lassally and a number of biographers sharpen the picture. The clips are carefully selected to illustrate specific personality traits, the performance highlights are given context and meaning beyond funny lines and memorable moments.

  • Hank Stuever

    AMC's The Pitch is a sharply-made if slightly off-putting reality series that follows different advertising agencies each week as they compete for new accounts. The inspiration for the show — made clear by its own ad campaign — is to harness some of the verve generated by the network's acclaimed Mad Men. The Pitch has a way of making the ad world seem like a real downer — a repugnant exercise in egotism laced with depressing bouts of creative compromise.

  • Tim Goodman

    HBO's Veep stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as former Sen. Selina Meyer, who accepts the vice presidential duty and regrets it almost immediately: She has no real power and gets muscled by the Senate, Congress and the (so-far-unseen) president, who delegates all the truly crappy jobs to her. Louis-Dreyfus has found perhaps her best post-Seinfeld role and takes to it with such fervor — the constant swearing, the barely veiled desire to become president, the unhappy give-and-take with other politicians and a delightful disdain for average citizens — that you can't help but applaud what is clearly an Emmy-worthy effort. Her work alone makes Veep a gem, but there's even more to like.

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