As NBC revamps its 10 p.m. hour, it has called on "Dateline" to fill in the gap on Fridays by stretching the program to two hours, from 9 to 11 p.m. That means the newsmagazine has 12 extra hours this spring, up against an old rival "20/20." Both programs now produce one long-form story per episode versus several stories in the format. It's the first time the programs will face off directly since last summer, when "Dateline" attracted an average audience of 6.2 million viewers, 28% more than "20/20's" 4.8 million, according to Nielsen. So far this season, the …

Charles H. Townsend, president and CEO of Condé Nast, which publishes top titles such as Vogue, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Traveler, says traditional magazines are not reaching potential readers. Condé Nast, therefore, is committed to developing digitized content across an array of devices by the middle of 2010. "We expect to reach mostly new consumers with this digitized content, consumers who have historically not selected magazines as their vehicle of choice for information and entertainment services," says Townsend. He maintains that digitized versions of magazines will not only bring in new consumers but extend the brands and complement print …

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Thursday approved the reorganization plan of the holding company of Denver's MediaNews Group which will allow Affiliated Media Inc., parent of MediaNews, to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in about two weeks. Affiliated filed under Chapter 11 on Jan. 22 and submitted a plan already approved by major creditors, allowing it to greatly reduce its debt from $930 million to $165 million in debt in exchange for equity in the company, while leaving William Dean Singleton and president Joseph "Jody" Lodovic IV in control of the Affiliated/MediaNews management. The major lenders -- including …

Dish Network may be forced to disable as many as 8 million of its DVRs within a month, after the satellite TV operator lost an appeals court decision Thursday in its years-long battle with TiVo. Moreover, Dish could even lose the ability to offer a DVR altogether, according to Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett. The implications of the appeals court ruling for Dish Network "are enormous -- its ability to continue to offer DVRS. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court's contempt ruling against Dish and EchoStar, under which the companies would …

Politics is taking a back seat to commerce for Sarah Palin. Since leaving her job as Alaska governor after 20 months, Palin has penned "Going Rouge" and is now set for a second book with her publishers, HarperCollins, a division of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. No word on financial terms. The as-yet untitled book by Palin will feature selections of readings that have inspired her and portraits of people she admires, the publisher said. Palin's first book, "Going Rogue," has sold more than 2.2 million copies, HarperCollins said. Entertainment Weekly also reported that the former running mate of …

Hulu's days as a free online video site could be ending soon. Comedy Central's decision to pull two of the most popular shows on Hulu - "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" - in a dispute over splitting ad revenue is the latest blow. Yet Hulu's most viable alternative -- charging for access to some videos -- could turn off viewers and stop growth. Many viewers are drawn to Hulu because of its ease of use, not because they couldn't get much of the same content elsewhere. If Hulu charges for a TV show or movie, the viewer …

President Barack Obama is going to help TV's "America's Most Wanted" mark the milestone broadcast of its 1,000th episode. The president will be interviewed by John Walsh, the show's host, on Saturday on the Fox show. Obama will discuss the show's impact in its 22 years as well as his administration's anti-crime initiatives, including those involving white-collar crime. Walsh, whose 6-year-old son Adam was abducted and killed in 1981, has been host of "America's Most Wanted" since its inception According to the network. the show has helped capture more than 1,100 fugitives and reunited 43 missing children with their …

The Paley Center for Media is exploring the possibility of creating its own awards show that could compete with Emmy Awards. Overseeing the planning committee for the awards are Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television, and Tony Vinciquerra, chairman and CEO of the Fox Networks Group. Key for the Paley Center will be finding a network willing to help foot the bill for a telecast. The Emmy Awards rotates among the four broadcast networks. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences had no immediate comment in response to the Paley Center's announcement. For the Paley Center, getting …

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the world's largest marketing and communications group, has questioned advertisers' rush into social media, citing concerns about Facebook's handling of personal privacy. The site has more than 400 million users and is trying to lure brand advertising. "Invading these [social] media with commercial messages might not be the right thing," Sir Martin told delegates at a conference. This would make Facebook and other social media more of an opportunity for public relations agencies, a smaller part of WPP's empire - than traditional advertising. He urged clients to address the "disconnect" in the …

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) opposes any attempts by the FCC to mandate reallocation of broadcasters' spectrum for wireless broadband use. Dingell, a long-standing ally of the broadcast industry, said he sent FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski a letter yesterday stating his concerns. The FCC wants to establish an auction that would permit TV broadcasters to voluntarily sell their spectrum for a portion of the proceeds. But there are still concerns that the FCC would mandate the reallocation of broadcasters' spectrum. NAB objects to the idea, arguing that selling spectrum would be detrimental to broadcasters' future business plans.