SPOT NEWS KING
I remember a News Director I worked for early on required us to take a different route to work everyday. He said, “you never ...
Category: “The Business”
THE FIRST OF MANY?
With all the recent mergers going on in the industry, it’s no coincidence that older workers, those over 40 in many cases are being ...
IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME
People are making money off Marijuana in bakeries, with T-shirts, baseball caps in Colorado and elsewhere so why not in the TV Business? Enter ...
THIS WEEK IN RETRANS WARS
It’s a good thing it’s football season. The prospect of subscribers missing out on their weekly dose of college and professional football helped end ...
BLACK NEWS CHANNEL GETS NEW BACKER
TVNewscheck.com reports the minority owned and operated Black News Channel (BNC) said business magnate Shahid “Shad” Khan is now a partner in the fledgling ...
HELPING OUR PRINT MEDIA FRIENDS
After ceasing sales of print newspapers, Starbucks announced Tuesday that it will offer customers free digital access to several newspapers for a limited time. ...
TAB BOARD ANNOUNCED
Six Texas broadcasters joined the TAB Board of Directors in September, filling vacancies resulting from retirements, resignations and term limits. They join 31 other ...
FAILING UP AT WARNERMEDIA?
Today’s jaw-dropper comes from a CNBC story about the line of succession at WarnerMedia, the AT&T conglomerate that includes CNN, HBO, Turner Broadcasting and ...
WHAT WILL BECOME OF WGN?
A year ago we wondered about the fate of Chicago’s WGN (Independent) once the Nexstar-Tribune merger was finalized. Well, here we are and Perry ...
ON THE OTHER HAND…
Disney opted for no disruption in service to AT&T customers, reaching an agreement in principle on a new retransmission consent and carriage deal that ...
SCRIPPS HELPS OUT NEXSTAR
The folks at Nexstar are having a conference call later today to gloat over the successful completion of their acquisition and absorption of the ...
MAYBE DIRECTV ISN’T ALL THAT – AT&T
“The Wall Street Journal” reported this week that AT&T is considering whether to “part ways” with DirecTV, just four years after buying the satellite ...
TRIBUNE WORKERS ON THE BUBBLE
The Federal Communications Commission on Monday approved Nexstar’s merger with Tribune Broadcasting. It makes the new company the biggest local TV station owner in the ...
HIRING TRENDS
It is one of the most noticeable trends in local television news in Buffalo and elsewhere. To borrow a phrase from WKBW(ABC) promotional campaign, ...
MEREDITH AND DISH KISS AND MAKE UP.
Nearly two months after 17 Meredith stations in 12 markets went dark on DISH, the truce has been signed. The two sides reached an ...
OLD SET GETS NEW LIFE
After KTRK (ABC) debuted its new set in 2015, the Walt Disney Television station donated its old one to the Dr. Kirk Lewis Career & ...
ATTENTION COX EMPLOYEES: LAYOFFS LOOM
It’s not a bloodbath…for now. But Cox Media Group, owner of 14 television in 10 markets, is planning roughly 87 layoffs at its campuses ...
CBS ROYALTY IN SAN ANTONIO
So two members of CBS royalty paid a visit to San Antonio’s KENS (CBS) last week. CBS News President Susan Zirinsky & Former CBS ...
OAN SUES MADDOW
A conservative television network is suing Rachel Maddow for calling it “paid Russian propaganda.” One America News seeks $10 million in a federal suit ...
EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM 2019
It’s here. The annual RTDNA/NAHJ Journalism Conference is underway and GM’s, ND’s and other station members are converging on San Antonio for five days ...
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has announced a new partnership with Broadcast Music Inc. and Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business to ...
NEXSTAR, DIRECTV SETTLE DISPUTE
It’s been nearly two months since Nexstar‘s 120 stations across the country went dark on the DirecTV platforms when the broadcast monolith’s retransmission contract ...
TRUMP: TAKE THAT “FAKE NEWS”
The NYTimes Sunday reported a loose network of conservative operatives allied with the White House is pursuing what they say will be an aggressive operation ...
SINCLAIR GOBBLES UP FOX RSNS
Sinclair’s team-up with Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios (parent company of The Weather Channel) has resulted in the $10.6 billion acquisition of 21 regional Fox ...
BOMBSHELL
Very quietly Wednesday morning, Lionsgate dropped the trailer and revealed the title for their Jay Roach-directed, Charles Randolph scripted movie about the women who take on ...
MORE LAYOFFS
Richard French III took to the air at the top of his public affairs show Tuesday night to address, for the first time on ...
STATUS REPORT: NEXSTAR STILL DARK ON DIRECTV
We are headed into week number 8 of the Nexstar blackout on AT&T’s DirecTV and U-verse platforms. And no end appears to be in ...
A BIG PAY RAISE
So, the story below is why when your friends find out you work TV, they wonder why you don’t pick up the tab. Joe ...
NOW APOLLO LUSTS AFTER TEGNA
First it was Tribune. Then Nexstar. Finally, earlier this year, Apollo Global Management latched on to a deal with Cox Media. Now, “The Wall ...
REALITY SETS IN
As more details of the CBS-Viacom remarriage became known, the stock in both companies took a hammering, declining more than 8%. It may get ...
REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
For the record, it’s official. As we reported its imminence yesterday, CBS and Viacom officially re-tied the knot that was severed 13 years ago ...
KXAN GM NAMED TEXAS BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
Broadcasters from across Texas gathered in Austin to highlight how they serve the public and celebrate the best in the business, culminating in a ...
MEREDITH STILL DARK ON DISH; NEXSTAR AT&T, MEH
Now that CBS O&O’s are back on AT&T’s DirecTV, U-verse and DirecTV Now systems and Nexstar continues to piddle around with the telecom giant ...
TO SHOW OR NOT TO SHOW
that is the question that sparked a brief Twitter-land debate Wednesday in Mississippi. It all started after WJTV (CBS) reporter Alex Love showed kids ...
CBS, NEXSTAR RE-UP
CBS and Nexstar have a lot in common these days, what with both being absent from the DirecTV, U-verse, et al lineup with no ...
A SURE BET?
NBC Sports Chicago is betting it can win over viewers with a four-hour weekday afternoon talk show devoted to the burgeoning business of legalized sports ...
NEW GM AT CBS CHICAGO
Broadcastingcable,com reports Brandin Stewart has been named president and general manager of KYW-WPSG, the CBS-owned stations in Philadelphia. He spent 17 years with NBC’s ...
THE BLACKOUTS CONTINUE…
Settle in for a long haul. We are now in the third week of the blackout of CBS-owned stations on DirectTV and the fifth ...
JUST ADD THE BENNY HILL MUSIC
In Fresno, California when folks at KGPE (CBS) put their mind to it, they really make things happen. Take for example their new set. ...
WWL BRINGS HOME THE GOLD
Members of the WWL (CBS) staff won nine first place awards from the Press Club of New Orleans, including for best sportscast, breaking news ...
OH BROTHER
Now it comes to light some perv has been calling young female journalist’s since 2015 pretending to be a big network executive. At least ...
100% INCREASE DEMAND? PHEW!
When was the last time you walked into the boss’s office and demanded – not asked, but demanded – a 100% increase? And, if ...
BIG LOSSES FOR AT&T
AT&T Inc. lost nearly one million pay-TV customers in the second quarter as cord-cutting continued to take its toll, while the company’s wireless and ...
ESPN: STICK TO SPORTS
ESPN has reportedly sent a memo to employees reminding them to avoid discussing politics in light of talk show host Dan Le Batard‘s strong ...
SATELLITE TV VS BROADCASTERS: AN UPDATE
NEXSTAR – AT&T: Officially more than two weeks old with no evident end in sight. 120 Nexstar stations around the country have gone dark ...
DEEPFAKING THE NEWS
President Donald Trump has been warning about “fake news” throughout his entire political career putting a dark cloud over the journalism professional. And now ...
THE STALEMATE CONTINUES
We’re coming up on two weeks since 120 Nexstar stations went dark on AT&T’s DirecTV, Uverse and DirecTV Now services. And there is still ...
NEXSTAR, AT&T TRY AGAIN
Nexstar and AT&T will sit down at the negotiating table again later today, has been postponed until Saturday, this first time since Nexstar stations ...
SINCLAIR STOCK POWER MOVE
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.’s executive chairman bought $21.8 million worth of the TV broadcaster’s stock on Wednesday in an apparent sign of confidence about ...
THE JOYS OF FREELANCING: CNN EDITION
A NewsBlueser tossed us the following memo over the transom. It doesn’t bode well for freelancers for CNN. Dear Supplier, Effective July 15, 2019, ...
THE NORAH CBS VICTORY TOUR CONTINUES
Incoming anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News” Norah O’Donnell continued her CBS promo tour Monday visiting Houston’s KHOU. Viewers are “craving a ...
NEXSTAR BLACKED OUT
More than 120 Nexstar Media Group stations across the country went dark to DirecTV, DirecTV Now and AT&T Uverse TV customers on July 3, ...
CNN ANNOUNCES DEM DEBATES
CNN said on Monday that news anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash and primetime host Don Lemon will moderate the network’s two-night Democratic primary ...
UNIVISION EXPLORING SALE
It’s been a rough year for Univision. After a year of stem-to-stern reorganization under CEO Vince Sadusky, the company is now exploring strategic options ...
NEW SET
New sets are like Christmas Day and a New Years hangover wrapped into one. You and the staff are excited over the new digs ...
“YOU’RE THE BEST. BY THE WAY, YOU’RE CANCELLED”
Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to be the best. Just days after NECN program host Sue O’Connell earned a “Best of Boston” pat on ...
KHOU NABS A MURROW
KHOU (CBS) was acknowledged in the category of “Breaking News Coverage” for covering the tragic story of a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, in ...
LOCAL NEWS DIVERSITY
The RTDNA annual study looking at diversity in newsrooms is out. Bob Papper, Professor Emeritus at Hofstra University spearheaded the 2019 survey and it ...
FORMER KUSI ANCHOR SUES
A former news anchor at KUSI has filed a lawsuit accusing the television station of failing to address a pay gap of at least $70,000 between ...
TEGNA BRINGS HOME THE BACON
The Radio Television Digital News Association announced Wednesday that TEGNA Inc. has won 10 National Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in local journalism, the ...
MORE FROM THE JUSTICE DEPT.
Broadcastingcable.com reports the Justice Department has reached settlements with CBS, Cox, Scripps, Fox and Tegna in its ongoing investigation of the broadcast TV ad market ...
LIFE AFTER TV NEWS
Every day since 2011, Kim Fischer would deliver the day’s news to Salt Lake residents. Fischer was one of Utah’s most recognizable faces, as ...
TEGNA/CBS SIGN AGREEMENT
CBS Corporation and TEGNA Inc. Saturday announced a comprehensive, multi-year deal that renews station affiliation agreements for 11 TEGNA markets nationwide, including two top 10 ...
TEGNA RE-UPS 11 STATIONS WITH CBS
Among the 11 Tegna stations that will remain CBS affiliates are two Top 10 markets – WUSA in Washington, DC, and KHOU in Houston. ...
CNNI CANCEL’S HONG KONG-BASED NEWSCAST
And the trimming continues at CNN. “News Stream” with Kristie Lu Stout, CNN’s only show anchored from Hong Kong, was also being axed. “We’re ...
WTVR HONORS
Photojournalists at WTVR(CBS), in Richmond, Virginia, were honored as the National Press Photographers Association’s (NPPA) Medium Market Station of the Year during the group’s ...
CBS-VIACOM HAVE ANOTHER GO AT RE-MERGER
Over the weekend, we entered another month and still another gear-up phase for the attempted re-joining of CBS and Viacom. A new round of ...
WHO NEEDS TV? I’VE GOT A SMARTPHONE
Getting younger viewers to actually sit down and watch local news has always been a challenge. The smartphone generation is forcing paradigm-shifting changes. Back ...
NBC STREAMING SERVICE
AdAge reports NBC is debuting its free, ad-supported streaming news service this week, positioning it to marketers as a way to reach a new generation ...
BYE BYE MUGSHOT PAGE
Many of you have a mugshot page that comes directly from a sheriff’s department. The booking report has been a mainstay on TV websites ...
CNN GUTS HEALTH NEWS UNIT
Friday’s news dump out of CNN was that the entire 7 person Atlanta-based health unit has been pink-slipped. They learned of their fate during ...
RTDNA HONORS SCOTT PELLEY
The Radio Television Digital News Association has chosen Scott Pelley as the winner of the 2019 Paul White Award, which recognizes a lifetime of ...
REPORT: JOURNALISM OFFERING MORE OPINIONS
RAND Corporation reports U.S.-based journalism has gradually shifted away from objective news and offers more opinion-based content that appeals to emotion and relies heavily on ...
SETTING UP THE HURDLES
The attempt by Apollo Global Management to elbow its way into the tv business by snapping up Northwest Broadcasting and a chunk of Cox ...
THINGS ARE LOOKING UP FOR SCRIPPS
Monday, Scripps released it’s first quarter results of the year. As you’ll see things are looking up for the company. From a Scripps news release: ...
FOX NEWS LOOKS AT THE NEXT FRONTIER – DIGITAL
Not content with being the top cable information outlet, Fox News is looking at digital as the next frontier it intends to conquer. For ...
NEWSROOM SAFETY
Our friends over at RTDNA have a great read about Newsroom safety and why it matters more now than ever. It’s written by Chris Post, ...
AVID EDIT SYSTEM INVENTOR HONORED
Last week, founder of Avid and inventor of Media Composer, Bill Warner joined the prestigious league of innovators in the National Inventors Hall of ...
BYRON ALLEN EXPANDS INTO LOCAL TV
Byron Allen, the former tv host-turned-media mogul just last week was ID’ed as a partner in Sinclair’s purchase of the Fox Sports cable operations. ...
JEFF GLOR SIGNS OFF
So, Monday we told you about some changes at CBS. To recap: Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil to Co-Host “CBS This Morning” ...
NEWSPAPERS DYING?
It’s something that was predicted back in the late 80’s. American Newspapers are dying. American newspapers began racing to transform into digital businesses, hoping ...
iHEARTMEDIA IS BAAACK
iHEARTMEDIA has completed its restructuring, emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with debt reduced from $16.1 billion to $5.75 billion. The restructuring splits iHEARTMEDIA and ...
NEW FOX DC REPORTER
FOX News Channel (FNC) has signed Nexstar Station Group’s Mark Meredith as a Washington based correspondent. Beginning May 6th, Meredith will cover breaking news ...
SINCLAIR SEEKS PARTNER IN FSN DEAL
Sinclair Broadcast Group’s bid to grow by snapping up the 21 Fox Regional Sports Networks evidently requires the Hunt Valley company to seek help ...
YOU’VE BEEN CAUTIONED
NewsBluesers tell us that Nexstar news directors recently were on a conference call regarding the mechanics and procedures of the recent acquisition of Tribune ...
WE DON’T NEED MORE OF THIS
We’ve noted from time to time that what we are seeing in the television business today is distressingly similar to what played out in ...
SPEAKING OF NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters said preliminary registration for the NAB Show convention in Las Vegas was 91,460, down slightly from 92,912 in 2018. ...
MATT LAUER SPOTTED
Matt Lauer came out of seclusion to celebrate Jeff Zucker’s 54th birthday bash over the weekend. Page Six reports the disgraced “Today” anchor — who’s been keeping ...
A SCOOP IS A SCOOP
When I watch the local newscasts, I see a lot of “must covers” either something going on at the Zoo or a new Highway ...
UNIVISION UNLOADS GIZMODO
After nearly a year on the block, the owner of snarky news sites like “The Onion,” “Gizmodo” and “Deadspin” has found a buyer in ...
MAKING A MOVE IN INDY
A media company started by an Indianapolis man plans to purchase WISH (CW) and sister station WNDY (MyNetworkTV) for $42.5 million in cash. According ...
CRYSTAL BALL OR SCIENCE?
Ever wonder what the news dynamics in your market are? Sure you can pay a high priced consultant to conduct a study or just ...
OREGON STATIONS TACKLE SUICIDE
If you work day in and day out in TV news, it’s likely you’ll have a good sense of how many people die in ...
SCRIPPS-CORDILLERA GETS THE GO-AHEAD
The FCC has given an unsurprising “thumbs-up” to the sale of 12 Cordillera Communications stations to Scripps, contingent on the spin-off of KVOA in ...
CHICAGO ELECTION
So, there was a little election in Chicago this week. Stations always hope to be first in calling an election and Blogger Robert Feder ...
IFB CORD STRIKES AGAIN
How many times have you been on a live shot or at least watched a live shot to see the reporter rip the IFB ...
SOMETHING PROMOS ARE MADE OF
KXAS (NBC) Dallas Texas has been certified as Dallas-Fort Worth’s 2018 “Most Accurate” weather forecast by WeatheRate, an independent, non-partisan, research firm, for the ...
AP AWARDS-ARKANSAS/OKLAHOMA
Winners have been announced for the 2018 Arkansas-Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters contest. The winners were Wednesday. Outstanding News Operation-TV: 1, KJRH-TV, Tulsa; 2, KTUL-TV, ...
