A federal appeals court threw out a $1.21 million penalty against 44 ABC television stations for violating broadcast indecency standards by showing an "NYPD Blue" episode that depicted a woman's nude buttocks. Tuesday's decision arose from the appeals court's ruling last July that the indecency policy under which the U.S. Federal Communications Commission had assessed the penalty was unconstitutionally vague. The FCC imposed in February 2008 a $27,500 fine against each of the 44 ABC affiliates for showing the "NYPD Blue" episode five years earlier. Walt Disney Co owns ABC.

As television companies struggle with the complexity of tracking content and ad sales efforts across multiple platforms, RSG Media has launched an overnight reporting service that tracks data for on-air TV, online, mobile, and other digital media from a variety of sources. This data is then combined into customized reports that are designed to help clients improve their ad sales and marketing efforts. The new service grew out of RSG Media's existing businesses of supplying a variety of software solutions to media and entertainment firms for their ad sales efforts. Over the years, clients for those services include such …

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Weigel Broadcasting Co. today announced plans for the national launch of Me-TV, a television network offering classic TV sitcoms, dramas and classic commercials and targeted for stations' multicast channels. MGM and Weigel have also worked together on the launch two years ago of THIStv, a national broadcast movie service that is distributed in more than 85% of the country and in 40 million cable households. A local version of Me-TV (Memorable Entertainment Television) has been airing on Weigel's WWME Chicago. WWME and WBME, the Weigel station in Milwaukee-Racine, Wis., have become the first affiliates of Me-TV, …

The evolution of wireless technology and growing demand for faster connections and rapid access to the Internet are key trends that will shape the telecommunications, media and technology sectors this decade, said Moody's Investors Service in a new report. Looking specifically at television, Moody's isn't buying the idea that over-the-top broadband video competition is going to wipe out broadcast and cable operators anytime soon. "Even with the advent of Internet TV, the broadcast and cable networks that invest heavily in exclusive content rights to popular programming and sporting events that command high viewership ratings will be protected from online …

As it becomes more common for teenagers to realize - and then tell others - that they are gay or lesbian, there is also a growing number of teen characters on TV programs geared toward teens going through the same thing. The CW's "90210," which returns on Jan. 24, joins the ranks of shows like "Glee," "Gossip Girl," "Pretty Little Liars," "Hellcats," "Greek" and the new MTV series "Skins" in showcasing young, gay roles. The takeaway in these shows is typically consistent: that you will be accepted for who you are. Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & …

Oprah Winfrey launched her new cable channel at noon Saturday. So what do the critics have to say about it, now that it's all of a day old? The New York Times wrote that "OWN is a place where cynicism takes a holiday and mockery hasn't yet been invented." IndieWire.com weighed in that OWN "displays a whiff of spirituality, a huge amount of life-style fluff and a surprising layer of substance." It added that only die-hard Winfrey fans would like most of the programs that air on the network, which ranges from shows on cooking and how to unclutter your …

Google Inc. and Apple Inc. have stepped up their battle to win over publishers, as the two companies vie to become the dominant distributor of newspapers and magazines for tablet computers and other mobile devices. Google is trying to drum up publishers' support for a new digital newsstand for users of devices that run its Android software. It is chasing Apple, which already sells digital versions of many major magazines and newspapers through its iTunes store. A similar battle between Google, Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble has already begun to reshape the burgeoning market for digital books, helping …

Americans watched more television than ever in 2010, according to the Nielsen Company. Total viewing of broadcast networks and basic cable channels rose about 1% for the year, to an average of 34 hours per person per week. The generation-long shift to cable from broadcast continued, but subtly, as the smallest of the big four broadcast networks, NBC, still retained more than twice as many viewers as the largest basic cable channel, USA. Cable hits like "Jersey Shore" on MTV and "The Walking Dead" on AMC were showered with media attention and affection, but the most popular new show …

Television advertising, whether through integrated-brand campaigns like Microsoft's or otherwise, has been one of the bright spots as the advertising industry begins to recover from the devastating effects of the recession and marketers experiment with a variety of new ways to reach the audience. In a study conducted by Break Media and Advertiser Perceptions, 70 percent of advertisers responding to the survey said they planned to increase their spending on digital video in 2011. PricewaterhouseCoopers is predicting that spending for online video will increase this year by 38.6% from 2010, coming on top of a 39.5% increase in …

When Global Compliance sat down to study ethical violations in the work place on television, NBC's "30 Rock" was the clear champion, with an average of 11 violations per episode. No doubt top dog Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is to blame for many of the violations. He (hilariously) offends the entire population of the universe -- or at least scoffs at typical company code -- in just about every episode. The runner-up are the doctors of "Grey's Anatomy" who cannot keep their paws off one another. The show racked up seven violations per episode. Other top offenders include …