COUNTDOWN TO TURIN

AS OLYMPICS APPROACH, NBC NEARLY SOLD OUT

Buyers report heavy demand for ad inventory. Media buyers say the network likely to reach its $900 million sales goal.

‘The Office’ to open a branch in France

Oprah signs $55 million deal with XM Satellite Radio

BRAND CONNECTIONS

NBC’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ uses Harris graphics software

Harris Corp.’s Inscriber RTX software powered the graphics for the new NBC game show Deal or No Deal. CBS Television, the show’s production company, used Inscriber RTX to create all […]

FCC SAYS A LA CARTE WOULD BENEFIT CONSUMERS

Media Bureau report says consumers could be better off under a la carte and explores several a la carte options that could increase consumer choices in purchasing programming.

BCFM TO END ITS NETWORK REVENUE REPORTS

Association says quarterly reports are outdated in today’s much larger media universe. It will explore other options.

SHREVEPORT GM LEAVING TO RUN FOR MAYOR

KSLA’s Ed Bradley announced his mayoral campaign and says his resignation from the station is ‘imminent.’

Mario Hewitt resigns as GM of WVEC Norfolk, VA

Hewitt says Rather should have been fired

Portland, OR, news wars: KOIN cuts back, KPTV expands

WLTV Miami reporter says prison guard in Bahamas hit him

Sony sets $23.45 wholesale price for Blu-ray discs

TANDBERG BUYS SKYSTREAM FOR $80 MILLION

SkyStream provides IP-based video transmission services while Tandberg offers the hardware used to deliver those services.

Turin’s TOBO provides everything Olympic from SD 4:3 to 1080i

TIME WARNER CHALLENGE

BIONDI: AOL CAN’T PLAY IN WEB BIG LEAGUES

In explaining why he and Carl Icahn want to break up Time Warner, ex-Viacom CEO says it’s ‘too late’ for AOL to be next Google, Yahoo!

BUYER: FATAL TO RELY ON STATUS QUO FOR BUYS

Publicis Groupe Media Ventures’ Tim Hanlon says that “all bets are off” as buyers struggle to keep pace with the changing TV ad paradigm.

POST’S KORNHEISER GETS ‘MNF’ GIG ON ESPN

Sportswriter will join play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and former Redskin Joe Theismann in the broadcast booth.

Conan O’Brien takes his show on the road…to Finland

TIME WARNER CHALLENGE

ICAHN: TW PIECES WOULD BE RIPE FOR TAKEOVER

He and Biondi think that breaking up the company will increase the stock value by approximately 50% by creating takeover premiums.

Corddry of ‘Daily Show’ lands Fox comedy pilot

Screenwriters and actors protest product placement

ABC cameraman Doug Vogt now in outpatient facility

Florida high school rescinds invitation to Jerry Springer

Speedo hopes to stretch beyond swim trunks with ad campaign

UNIVISION CHAIRMAN PREPARES TO GET PAID

By selling his popular Spanish-language media group, Jerrold Perenchio stands to make out big.

FCC may issue a la carte cable report Thursday

BUSH SIGNS DTV CONVERSION BILL

Law sets Feb. 17, 2009, as the end of analog broadcasting, but provides $1.5 billion to reimburse consumers for D/A converters.

News Corp.’s Chernin upbeat on CW

Harris sells DTV transmitters to Grupo Televisa

Harris Corp.’s Broadcast Communications Division today announced that Grupo Televisa S.A., a leader in TV broadcasting throughout México, has purchased eight Harris DiamondCD high-power DTV transmitters as the broadcaster prepares […]

CLOSING BELL

DOW CLOSES UP 109, NASDAQ FINISHES UP 22

A drop in oil prices and strong earnings at PepsiCo and Cisco Systems propelled stocks higher Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average surging more than 100 points.