CRE / Council for Research Excellence

CRE to study ethnography of viewing habits

The Council for Research Excellence has hired GfK for two ethnographic studies to understand the impact of internet technology and video platform proliferation on...
Time Warner Cable

TWC said to have high asking price for Dodgers net

Time Warner Cable is one of the fiercest MVPDs when it comes to hardball negotiations to keep the retransmission consent price of local broadcast television in check. But when it’s asking for fees for its own programming, such as its Los Angeles Dodgers regional sports channel, the sky appears to be the limit.
SBG / Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair won’t renew with Granite in two markets

Late last month, the FCC approved the $370 million buy for Sinclair Broadcast Group to close on 18 Barrington Broadcasting Group stations, including WSTM-TV (NBC) and WSTQ-TV (CW) in Syracuse. Sinclair is also operating or providing sales services for six Granite Broadcasting stations, including its WTVH-TV (CBS) Syracuse. However, the shared services agreement (SSA) that brought WTVH under the same facility as WSTM and WSTQ could be ending in 2017.
Yahoo!

Alas, poor Couric! I knew her!

OK, OK, our headline is way over the top –we just couldn’t resist. But when Katie Couric accepted the job as global anchor of Yahoo News, internet portal The Daily Beast wondered if it signaled “the end of old media dominance.” Count us among the skeptical.
Wheel of Fortune

Big Wheel keeps on rolling

Wheel of Fortune kept its place on top of the syndie total viewers chart during the week of 11/11/13, and Judge Judy once again...
CBS

CBS on top in tight three-way race

Three networks had a 7 share, but CBS prevailed in a ratings contest that went 2.5-2.4-2.3, beating ABC and NBC. Fox was ahead of...
Yes!

WGA backs broadcast in retransmission debate

The Writers Guild of America West said that Congress was right to protect local broadcast by supporting retransmission consent, and said that growing consolidation in the MVPD industry and ever-increasing competition make it as important now as it ever was.

ACA echoes Rockefeller in call for SSA review

The practice of combining certain operational facets of local television stations via JSAs and SSAs
John Rockefeller

Rockefeller wants FCC to apply brakes on TV deals

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has already asked the GAO for a
FOX Sports

Fox Sports Regional Networks ups Krolik to President

Fox Sports promoted Fox Sports Regional Networks EVP Jeff Krolik to president of its regional networks unit, overseeing 22 regional sports networks including Prime...
The Voice

NBC owns Monday once again

It was another wire-to-wire Monday victory for NBC, kicked off by The Voice and finished by The Blacklist. CBS and ABC tied for 2nd...
Thumbs Down

Union finds retrans standstill rule unacceptable

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has a number of members working in the broadcasting field, and beyond that it is able to see the battle over retransmission consent through the prism of its own situation, and has sided with broadcasters.
Robert McDowell

McDowell to government: Hands off retrans

According to former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, when retransmission consent was codified, the authors weren’t quite sure how it would play out, and that was a good thing – the market figured it out over time, and McDowell argued in a special article in The Hill, the market should be allowed to prevail going forward.
ABC

ABC names 2013-14 midseason premiere dates

The dates are for new series “The Assets,” “Killer Women,” “Mind Games,” and “Mixology.” In addition, the network has scheduled premiere dates for the...
NBC

NFL comes through for NBC once again

NBC dominated the Sunday prime time Nielsen contest once again with hot NFL action. Meanwhile, Fox was able to convert an NFL overrun into...