Warm feelings always curdle my heart this time of year, as my favorite media moguls are chumming around in a blissful state in Sun Valley, Idaho for the annual media mogul retreat put on by longtime investment banker Allen & Co. Calming satisfaction is brought with the knowledge that Walt Disney's Bob Iger can get a brisk game of tennis with Viacom's Sumner Redstone. That's because a relaxed media mogul can only mean good things for the U.S. media consumer.

The TV news business is changing from all ports of call - all the way from Fort Lee, N.J. to Qatar in the Middle East.

If it's nasty TV characters you crave, you'll find none better than on a reality show. Backbiting, sniping, and outright hatred seem to rule the day. But now one network says it has miscalculated -- that a program's redeeming show-ending message is not enough to sell the rougher, nastier path to that end.

Caught up in the drama of the upfront advertising market some years ago, networks began issuing press releases or holding briefings with journalists to explain their billions of dollars in supposed sales. This probably wasn't in their best interest. CBS was the first to issue a press release; ABC did it this year. Others have had on- or off-the-record conversations to get their points across. Upfront revenue accounting in May should be taken with a grain of salt - or more like a shaker full. Upfront advertising deals in May aren't even orders - just commitments for advertisers to …

In a New York Times article yesterday, the paper questioned whether or not headlines make good TV. Programs based on real events, like CBS' evening movie about the Scott Peterson trial, are increasingly losing viewers. Some would argue that not only is viewership poor for these special shows, but the content usually is lacking because of their quick turnaround. NBC executives may have been reading this story - or the writing on the wall at least. Yesterday, it decided to abandon its long-planned, eight-hour miniseries, "9/11." That story suggested the expensive project was being abandoned, in …

TV shows may not be the master mover in selling t-shirts, action toys, books, and video games, but it can pitch a lot of apathy. Recent stories from last week's Licensing Show in New York City suggest TV shows this year may not be big promoters of spinning licenses for retail sales. Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" was a big hit three years ago, as was Komani's "Yu-Gi-Oh." But now, TV can't seem to find a way to develop the next big hit.

For TV advertisers concerning digital video recorder (DVR) usage, first it was bad news. Then good news. Then bad news. Now good news. A study by Frank N. Magid Associates released yesterday now says 55 percent of digital video recorder users stop on occasion while fast forwarding to watch a commercial that catches their attention. All this means TV commercials are effective, entertaining, informative, or have a dominatrix-clad Paris Hilton slithering around on a wet black car.

The problem with TV is ultimately the lack of marketing tag lines. Failing sitcoms and dramas have nothing to do with bad writing, the unappealing stars, the boring sets, weak story arcs, or bad program lead ins. Missing advertising lines are the reason. No doubt NBC shows such as "Coupling" could have used "Yes! Sex on broadcast TV." Another NBC flop "Emeril" should have used a bit more 'Bam!," from his Food Network show still on the air.

Video on demand (VOD) hasn't lived up to its big potential as of yet - especially with big hit broadcast TV shows. A recent NBC/TNT deal for "Las Vegas" has moved the business closer to its ideal - by just over a week.

The jig is up; there are writers on reality TV shows. Not only that, but according to the union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), reality TV show workers are working in the equivalent of a "21st-century telecommunications sweatshop."