Looks worth everything in TV news?
In a column on notorious anchorwoman Alycia Lane, Philly Inquirer columnist Karen Heller says that “in local TV, sadly, looks are everything.” Cory hooked into the story of Lane being accused of slugging a cop earlier, discussing the nature of crime and celebrity in newscasters, but we didn’t get the sticker shock of Lane’s salary [...]
Blockbuster raising prices for DVDs by mail
From $8 to $10. Must… expedite… impending… doom. In response, Netflix shares jumped 9 percent on Thursday. As we recently blogged, Blockbuster is bleeding money and closing stores, and some analysts don’t believe it will survive much longer. Maybe that whole screw-the-customer-with-late-fees strategy really didn’t work out, did it?
Reset your DVRs, everyone!
The Daily Show and Colbert Report are coming back, sans writers. This ought to be interesting, to say the least. (Thanks, Safran for the tip!)
Zell takes over Tribune
The deal is officially done, and Sam Zell is already taking action at the newly private Tribune Co. He shuffled the board, named two new executives and promised more changes to come. “We have a tremendous opportunity to take the great brands of Tribune Company, and the enormous talent within the company, to a new [...]
Granite TV sites relaunch with Broadcast Interactive
Broadcast Interactive Media (BIM) has relaunched nine Granite TV sites with new designs and the YouNewsTV platform. Up until now, Granite had handled all their sites internally. “Within 30 days of site launch, BIM helped us grow our internet revenue with projects such as Your Health Matters and the YouNewsTV platform,” said Mark DeSantis, WEEK TV General Manager. “WEEK.com alone saw over a 400% return on investment with these sponsorships, as our advertisers just loved the programs.†YouNewsTV allows users to submit video and photos, and all the content is moderated before appearing. WEEK.com’s YouNewsTV section:
Press release follows below…
YouTube’s reach keeps growing…
In a Harris survey, 65% of adults say they’ve watched a YouTube video, compared to 42% the year before. Meanwhile, 43% said they have watched a video on a TV network site, followed by 35% on news sites.
Bauman retires as GM of WESH
My first news director, Bill Bauman, is retiring as general manager of WESH in Orlando. Back in the early 90s, I worked for Bill at powerhouse KCRA, and his commitment to coverage was reflected in the station’s slogan, “Where the News Comes First.” Bill also brought serious news coverage to WESH. “To be recognized for [...]
MTV recruits teens to cover elections
MTV has recruited 51 teens and young adults to cover the 2008 elections throughout the country. Their blogs, photos and video will appear on Think.MTV.com and a new MTV mobile site. Also, their video will be posted on the AP’s Online Video Network, which by extension would appear on more than 1,800 affiliate sites. The [...]
There’s nothing on TV, now what?
I don’t watch a ton of TV, but a couple times in the last week I found myself surfing Comcast VOD for something… anything… to watch. It seems all the best shows are out of fresh episodes. 30 Rock is done. The Office and The Daily Show are in repeats. Heroes is over. My DVR [...]
Pappas shopping its TV stations around
Pappas Telecasting said its open to selling “a portion” of its 27 stations in 24 markets. “After more than 40 years in the broadcast industry,” said Harry J. Pappas, chairman of the company, “the time has come to simplify my life and spend more time with my family.â€
Viacom teams with Microsoft for ads, content
In a $500 million mega-deal, Viacom has agreed to a broad partnership with Microsoft that spans advertising and content. Currently, Google’s Doubleclick powers ads on Viacom sites. But as Viacom is suing Google over YouTube, the move to Microsoft is not entirely a surprise — especially after Microsoft’s purchase of aQuantive. On the content side, [...]
When TV anchors commit a crime…
The thing about working in local TV news is when an anchor (or reporter) commits a crime, it becomes big news. At this writing, 328 stories in Google News on that KYW anchor who’s accused of slugging a cop. Not because they’re celebrities, really, but because the newspapers love to give local TV types a [...]
KHCW offers live traffic camera video service
This is pretty cool if it works as advertised. The CW station in Houston just launched a new service that lets your mobile device access the live video from traffic cameras along your daily commute. It’s called (get ready for a mouthful of branding) “The CW39 Traffic Jam Cell Cams.” Over 500 cameras around Houston [...]
There’s an ad on my YouTube
Lower-third snipe style ads are now appearing on some YouTube clips. I clicked on a CBS-uploaded clip of a Frosty the Snowman promo, and immediately saw a little yellow tick mark on the timeline: When the clip reached that point, an animated ad appeared on the clip: After about 15 seconds, the ad folded down [...]
FCC votes to loosen ownership rules
In a vote that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said may help to “forestall erosion of local news coverage,” the FCC commission approved a rule change that loosens its newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule. For the first time in 32 years, broadcasters in the top 20 markets could also own a newspaper, assuming a variety of conditions. The [...]
BBC betas new homepage design
One of the gold standards for online journalism has been working on a major redesign, and a peek at the homepage of the new look is now in beta. Not only is the new site cleaner than their previous design, but the site is focused on providing customization, allowing users to move modules and set [...]
Pricing for online video advertising
A great snapshot of the current ad market for online video compiled by WebVideoReport shows the range of pricing for different sites. On the high end are the niche sites for business leaders from WSJ.com and the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, selling video ads for $90 CPM. On the other end are video ads [...]
Felling out at CBSNews.com’s Public Eye
Co-editor of the CBSNews.com blog The Public Eye, Matthew Felling sent out an email explaining he’s blogged his last for the company. Felling explained that he’s one of the job cuts at CBSNews.com.
TV news manager quits to work on blog
West Seattle Blog is a very popular neighborhood news blog here in Seattle. And for good reason: it’s covers the neighborhood better than most newspapers could ever dream to cover it, thanks in part to a steady stream of story tips and photos submitted by users. For the last year, the blog has been clouded [...]
Chicago Tribune launches local video site
Newspapers continue their emphasis on video, and the latest effort is by Chicago Tribune Interactive with the launch of chicagolive.com. Billed as showcasing video from professionals and UGC content, the site already has a hefty collection of video, thanks to the multiple divisions of the Tribune’s TV, Cable and Interactive divisions. Interestingly, I’ve also found video from off-site linked to, including video from competitors to the Trib’s TV division. Those additions surprised me since they won’t be able to sell pre-roll ads. Still, an impressive entry into the local video vertical. (Press release after the jump.)
