NBC's Brian Williams Succeeds Playing it Straight and For Laughs by David Goetzl

How can you not like Brian Williams? If he were ever single again, what a catch he appears to be. He's handsome, apparently trustworthy, self-effacing and funny. Yes, the anchor of NBC "Nightly News" has a sense of humor that occasionally bubbles up, coming after the rundown of solemn subjects when lighter fare begins. ...Read the whole story

  • Pedowitz Named CW President by Wayne Friedman

    Former ABC executive Mark Pedowitz will take over as president for The CW Television Network, replacing Dawn Ostroff, the network's most senior executive since it launched in 2006. ...Read the whole story

  • Belo Total Revs Dip, Spot Sees Some Uptick by Wayne Friedman

    TV station groups are starting to see lower financial results -- partly due to off-year periods with no Olympics or major elections. Dallas-based Belo Corp.'s total revenue decreased 1.9% in the first quarter of 2011 versus the previous year to $151.5 million, dipping to a net loss of $4.3 million versus a net profit of $13.5 million. ...Read the whole story

  • Young Broadcasting Names Cassara CEO by David Goetzl

    Station group Young Broadcasting, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has tapped board member Tony Cassara as CEO. The company also announced that Vincent Young, who founded the company with his father in 1986, has left the board. ...Read the whole story

  • Meredith Magazine, TV Revs Slip by Erik Sass

    The recovery in consumer magazines is proving to be somewhat uneven, as Meredith Corp., a leading women's interest publisher and broadcast TV station owner, reported that total revenues slipped 3.4% to $341 million in the first quarter of 2011. ...Read the whole story

  • TV Guide Network Launches Original Series by David Goetzl

    TV Guide Network will launch two shows looking to capitalize on the seemingly endless celebrity fascination. Based on the Web site "Gossip Cop," an eponymous series will examine whether the tabloids have it right, while another show will take a "comedic look" at celebrity fashion, as yet unnamed. ...Read the whole story

  • NBC's 'Voice' Belts Out Ratings by Wayne Friedman

    NBC's aggressively marketed new singing competition series "The Voice" hit a big note -- the best-rated premiere of a new show this season. ...Read the whole story

  • CW Marketing Exec Haskins To Leave Network by Wayne Friedman

    More executives departures at the CW: Its senior marketing executive Rick Haskins is leaving. Haskins came to the network in January 2006, just at the time of CW's launch -- the result of merging the assets of the former WB and UPN networks. ...Read the whole story

Donald Trump: Presidential Candidate, Trash TV Titan or Both? by Ed Martin

Is Donald Trump a "carnival barker"? Are his collective media appearances of late the stuff of a "sideshow"? President Obama seemed to suggest as much during a very brief press conference yesterday in which he attempted to put to rest the largely Trump-fueled frenzy over the validity of his birth documents. I'll leave it to others to determine whether such words apply to Trump's mission to verify Obama's personal history. I will assert, however, that they describe perfectly the Trump we have been watching this year on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." ...More

  • Comcast VOD: Closer To A Clearer Picture, But Still A Long Way To Go by Wayne Friedman

    Hulu couldn't do what Comcast's TV-based video-on-demand can: Offer current programs from all the broadcasting networks (including CBS, which Hulu doesn't have). Mind you, it isn't all current TV shows. Comcast's Xfinity TV On Demand service will have 32 of the top 50 network prime-time programs. And, as with other services, Comcast will offer only a few recent episodes -- four in Xfinity's case, as compared with five with Hulu. ...More

  • Everyone's Streaming For Entrance by Thom Forbes

    "Box office blockbuster" has been a trusty phrase for more than a half-century, but it's going the way of bricks-and-mortar Blockbusters as a true measure of a movie's footprint. When, if and who will see boffo profits from the newest distribution venues, however, await another's morning's reviews. ...More

  • On Being 'Creative' by Bob DeSena

    Sometimes we think we know something about a subject only to discover, as William Goldman once said about Hollywood, "nobody knows anything." Such may be the case with creativity, the necessary but missing element in our MediaTech business. purview of others and, as a former U.S. Secretary of D ...More

  • One Thing NBC Doesn't Need: A Pause In Its Comeback by Wayne Friedman

    NBC has enough problems. Now, with the potential presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, the future of one of the network's decently rated shows, "Celebrity Apprentice," could be in jeopardy -- and other marketing issues could come up as well. ...More

  • Tweeting For Fun For TV? In Future It'll Be All-Business by Wayne Friedman

    Little surprise here: In the future, entertainment promotion -- from all participants -- won't be an option. Today, we find tweeting somewhat of a fascination. But with entertainment options multiplying almost every day, the need to get ahead of the noise becomes more important. Twitter as an entertainment marketing tool becomes more necessary. ...More