Exclusives

RSS

  • Survey: Local NDs Give So-So Marks To National TV News

    In a TVNewsCheck survey, a cross-section of news directors at TV stations around the country were asked to grade ABC News, CBS News, CNN, FNC, NBC News and MSNBC on "overall journalistic quality." None received an A, four earned Bs and, as for Fox News Channel and MSNBC, they may have to stay after class. More | Comments (7)

  • Ex. Session: Record Political Ad Boom Looms, But ...

    TVB’s political ad guru Jack Poor says there’s good news and bad news for TV stations in this election year. The good news is that their four-fifths share of total TV spend will be up 20% to around a record $2.5 billion, and no other medium seems positioned to cut into stations' share. The bad news is that the total take will be suppressed due to the lack of any major gubernatorial contest that swelled the coffers in 2010. More | Add comment

  • Jessell: Disclosure Rule The First Step Toward Quotas

    The FCC's proposed disclosure rules, which would require stations to detail the kinds of programming they air and post the info on their websites, should be fought tooth and nail by broadcasters. What the regulators want are statistics that they can use to hang over stations in the form of a programming quotas at license renewal time. And a quota is nothing but a mandate. It's the federal government telling stations what programming they must air, and that slams right into broadcasters' First Amendment rights. More | Comments (9)

  • Front Office: Cord Cutting Is Gen Y’s Latest Trend

    A growing number of young adults born between 1980 and 1995 — Gen Y — are purchasing over-the-air antennas to watch television programming. Gen Ys are inherently more adept at, and prone to, experimenting with alternative forms of viewing TV content; they are less likely to accept the need to subscribe to subscription-based pay TV once they’re free to make their own decisions about it. More | Comments (11)

  • NAB 2012: Getting The Shot Cheaper, Easier, Faster

    JVC%27s+GY-HM150
    JVC's GY-HM150
    As more and more stations adopt the one-man band approach to newsgathering, the camera manufacturers are turning out new units that are small enough and light enough to be managed easily, and big enough and heavy enough to be balanced for a steady shot. Plus, they’re inexpensive enough that any station's budget can handle them, too. More | Comments (7)

Special Reports

  • 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.
  • Severe Weather News: This five-part TVNewsCheck Special Report focuses on the changing technology used to stay ahead of storms.
  • TOP 30 TV STATION GROUPS: TVNewsCheck's exclusive ranking by coverage with a summary of each group's holdings and top executives.

Industry Calendar

March 2012
Tu
Th
13-15
American Cable Association
ACA’s 19th Annual Summit
Washington, D.C., DC
We
We
21-22
Borrell Advertising Associates
The Borrell Local Online Advertising Conference
New York, NY
We
Th
21-23
BIA Kelsey
ILM EAST
Boston, MA
April 2012
Sa
Th
14-19
National Association of Broadcasters
NAB Show
Las Vegas, NV
June 2012
Tu
Th
12-14
PromaxBDA
PromaxBDA: The Conference 2012
Los Angeles, CA

Station Directory

Net Essentials

AP Breaking News

Our Advertisers

Latest News

Wed, Feb 8, 2012

RSS
Editor on duty: Mark K. Miller, 301-773-0058
Dma 129
Dan Robbins To Head KIII Corpus Christi
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 4:45 PM EST
The former head of KBMT-KUIL Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, is tapped by London Broadcasting to run its ABC affiliate. Full Story | Add comment
Quarterly report
News Corp. TV Revenue Up 11%
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 4:36 PM EST
That includes both the Fox network and TV stations. The gains were driven by network ad revenue and a greater than 100% increase in retransmission consent revenues. Full Story | Add comment
Earnings call
Sinclair’s Smith Not Worried About Auctions
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 12:38 PM EST
CEO David Smith says: “There’s a fundamental disagreement between the Democrats and Republicans” over spectrum auction legislation and he sees no action likely in three-to-five years. He and other execs at the company say this year is shaping up to be a record on-year for political revenues at Sinclair and they have great expectations for the role super PACs will play. Full Story | Add comment
NAB Disputes Pew News Source Study
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 3:09 PM EST
The association says the report which said cable was the top regular source of election news should win the “Fuzzy Math Prize of the Year.” Full Story | Comments (2)
Dma 1
WCBS Claims Parade Viewing Victory
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 12:45 PM EST
The CBS O&O says its 244,000 average viewers to the city’s New York Giants parade between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday was tops in the market. Full Story | Add comment
dma 60
WPMI Mobile GM Bob Dunn Dies Suddenly
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 2:40 PM EST
The GM of the Newport Television-owned NBC affiliate, who joined the station last spring, died suddenly late Tuesday afternoon. Full Story | Comments (2)
Advertisement
dma 5 (Dallas)
WFAA Names Mungo Executive News Dir.
WFAA, Feb 8, 2012, 3:31 PM EST
Carolyn Mungo, the former assistant news diredtor of KRIV Houston is moving to Dallas to head news operations at the Belo ABC affiliate. Link | Add comment
dma 27 (Baltimore)
WBAL To Debut 10 P.M. News On Subchannel
Baltimore Sun, Feb 8, 2012, 2:50 PM EST
The Hearst NBC affiliate in Baltimore, which has seen a drop in its year-to-year news audience, is adding another newscast on its WBAL Plus subchannel starting March 5 that will be anchored by Kate Amara. Link | Add comment
overnights
'NCIS' Celebrates 200th Ep. With Tues. Win
Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012, 12:36 PM EST
The CBS drama celebrates its bicentennial, dominating in the key demo and total viewers, while the new ABC horror series The River hits time slot highs but doesn't get off to the most auspicious of starts. Link | Add comment
TVNewsCheck Focus on Syndication
Top Sitcoms Out Of Netflix’s Reach…For Now
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 8:29 AM EST
The subscription video-on-demand service is spending $1 billion this year to acquire programming to beef up its offerings, with an increased emphasis on syndicated fare. But while Netflix may be throwing around a lot of dollars, it isn't competing with TV stations and basic cable networks for A-list, off-net sitcoms like Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory — at least not yet. Full Story | Add comment
Amazon, Viacom Close To Web Video Deal
Reuters, Feb 8, 2012, 7:48 AM EST
Amazon.com Inc is about to announce a Web video deal with Viacom Inc in what sources said was one of the last steps in a plan to launch a standalone subscription service to compete with Netflix Inc. The online retailer will unveil the deal as soon as this week, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Link | Add comment
Quarterly report
Sinclair 4Q Local Core Up 13.3%
TVNewsCheck, Feb 8, 2012, 8:49 AM EST
Excluding political, local revenue rose 13.3%, while national dropped 7.4%. Automotive, grocery and medical were the leading ad categories. Full Story | Add comment
Primetime Spots Up 2%, Fox Leads Nets
MediaPost, Feb 8, 2012, 8:14 AM EST
The price of network primetime commercials inched up 2% in the fourth quarter of 2011 versus the same period a year ago. Media-buying company TargetCast tcm and TV research firm SQAD say the price for a 30-second primetime broadcast network commercial grew 2% over 2010 to $116,122. Fox was tops at $179,514. Link | Add comment
ABC Sells Out Academy Awards Broadcast
Los Angeles Times, Feb 8, 2012, 6:41 AM EST
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger said Tuesday that the ABC network last week sold the remainder of its available advertising time — several weeks earlier than usual. ABC fetched an average of $1.7 million per 30-second spot for the 84th annual Academy Awards to be broadcast on Feb. 26, a slight uptick from last year's rate. Link | Add comment
Golden Globes Court Fight
Testimony Ends In Globes Broadcast Trial
Associated Press, Feb 8, 2012, 6:15 AM EST
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz warned attorneys for the Globes' organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its longtime producers that he would declare a clear winner, which could result in the Globes being tangled up on appeal for another awards season. Full Story | Add comment
Rentrak Signs Interpublic To 'Milestone' Deal
MediaPost, Feb 8, 2012, 6:07 AM EST
Rentrak revealed Tuesday what it described as a “milestone” deal with Interpublic that would use its TV audience measurement data as a “trading currency.” The deal, which was unveiled as part of Rentrak’s quarterly earnings briefing with investors and analysts, includes a new TV audience segmentation system targeting “movie-goers." Link | Add comment
U.S. Looking Into Murdoch Foreign Payments
Reuters, Feb 7, 2012, 7:34 PM EST
U.S. authorities are stepping up investigations, including an FBI criminal inquiry, into possible violations by employees of Rupert Murdoch's media empire of a U.S. law banning corrupt payments to foreign officials such as police, law enforcement and corporate sources say. Link | Add comment
Quarterly report
Disney Posts 7% Broadcast Revenue Drop
TVNewsCheck, Feb 7, 2012, 5:05 PM EST
The decrease is attributed to lower political advertising revenues at its O&Os and higher marketing costs, partially offset by lower programming and production costs due to the absence of the Oprah Winfrey Show at the owned stations. Full Story | Add comment
NATPE CEO Rick Feldman Stepping Down
TVNewsCheck, Feb 7, 2012, 4:47 PM EST
On April 30, at the end of his current contract, he will become a consultant to the organization. Korn Ferry is heading the search for new operating chief. Feldman will assist with the transition, the association said. Full Story | Comments (2)

More News

Dma 16
WFOR Miami Names Alley As A.M. Co-anchor
Miami Herald, Feb 8, 2012, 3:28 PM EST
quarterly reports
Cable TV, Movies Help Lift Time Warner Revenue
New York Times, Feb 8, 2012, 3:25 PM EST
dma 9 (Atlanta)
WSB Showcases Anchor Retirement On Twitter
Lost Remote, Feb 8, 2012, 3:20 PM EST
'Downton Abbey' Brings Cool TV Crowd To PBS
Reuters, Feb 8, 2012, 3:17 PM EST
dma 41
WGAL Harrisburg Debuts New Set From FX Group
NewscastStudio, Feb 8, 2012, 2:37 PM EST
dma 209 (North Platte, NE)
Backstory: KNOP’s Will Ferrell Super Bowl Ad
MediaBistro, Feb 8, 2012, 7:45 AM EST
WNYW's Greg Kelly Cleared Of Rape Allegations
Associated Press, Feb 8, 2012, 6:53 AM EST
BET Unveils Ambitious Development Slate
Los Angeles Times, Feb 8, 2012, 6:47 AM EST
Chinese State TV Starts American Service
Associated Press, Feb 8, 2012, 6:32 AM EST
Ross Video Fiscal 1Q Revenue Jumps 59%
Devoncroft, Feb 8, 2012, 6:26 AM EST
Tony Shalhoub, Allison Janney Join NBC Comedy
Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012, 6:02 AM EST
ABC Adds Comedy Pilot From Mandy Moore
Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012, 5:58 AM EST
Judge Dismisses Reality Show Ideas Theft Lawsuit
Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012, 5:57 AM EST
ABC Greenlights Thriller Drama 'Mistresses'
Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012, 5:55 AM EST
Chairman, 3 Others Out In Yahoo Board Shake-Up
Associated Press, Feb 8, 2012, 5:53 AM EST
Christina Aguilera Re-Ups For 'The Voice'
The Wrap, Feb 7, 2012, 7:31 PM EST

Today's Top Stories

Classifieds

The Market

Symbol Last Change (%)
Nasdaq 2915.86 +11.78 (+0.41%)
NYSE 8082.98 +13.27 (+0.16%)
S&P 500 1349.96 +2.91 (+0.22%)
Updated 02/08 4:56p ET Quotes delayed at least 20 mins.
Source: Financial Content

Ratings

Overnights, adults 18-49 for February 7, 2012
  • 1.
    3.1/8
  • 2.
    3.0/8
  • 3.
    2.4/6
  • 4.
    2.0/5
  • 5.
    1.6/4
  • 6.
    0.6/1
Source: Nielsen
Reviews
Opinions
Features
  • Neil Genzlinger

    Smash, NBC’s series about backstage Broadway, comes with New York and Hollywood names off screen (Steven Spielberg, Therese Rebeck) and on (Debra Messing and Brian d’Arcy James). Given that pedigree, you’re expecting to be bowled over by the pilot, but it ends up feeling like a collage of devices from the zillions of previous backstage plays, musicals and movies. However, be patient — Smash gets better as it goes along and by Episode 3 it shows signs of becoming an addictive pleasure along the lines of this season’s Revenge.

  • Lori Rackl

    Pop some Dramamine before watching ABC's new horror series, The River, because the shaky camera work is more likely to make you seasick than scared. You can, however, skip the sleeping pill. The River's two-hour premiere should suffice. Billed as a thriller, the show tries hard to be terrifying and eerie in a Paranormal Activity kind of way. It ends up being hokey and, even worse, boring.

  • Robert Lloyd

    Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, veterans of Fox's sketch comedy MADtv, have a new series of their own, Comedy Central's Key & Peele. It is a genial, at times almost genteel, half-hour in which the pair's obvious niceness shines through even their more pugnacious characters. (Key's version of road rage is to shout, "Selfish!") In a roundabout way, that's the point. The sketches are consistently smart and smartly acted and flow easily from ordinary premises to weird conclusions.

  • Hank Stuever

    Discovery's Bering Sea Gold doesn’t seem at first like it has crossed any new reality TV frontier, relying on elements and structure familiar to the form. Enticingly (to the network), it combines the ocean and the gold and the cold and the reactive testosterone among bad-tempered desperados. To which I am surprised to cry: Eureka, they’ve found it! Bering Sea Gold is a testament to how thoroughly absorbing the genre can still be, when it’s done right.

  • Joanne Ostrow

    Kiefer Sutherland displays his softer side in Fox's Touch, a touchy-feely drama merging paranormal, spiritual and sweetly familial elements. shows off his acting chops, long forgotten, in scene after scene. It's heavier lifting than usual for the actor who was often reduced to caricature in 24. Sutherland is all about vulnerability in a show whose goal is nothing short of proving the interconnectedness of human life. We'll see if audiences can tolerate the notion of profound interrelatedness as weekly entertainment.

This advertisement will close automatically in  second(s). You will see this ad no more than once a day. Skip ad