Archive for May 16th, 2008
PrayingForPapers combines newspaper layoff updates with sincere prayers for the well-being of the industry and its employees. Webmaster Mike Koehler, whose day job is deputy sports editor at the Oklahoman, told me, “I can’t get the picture out of my head of some guy and his family at the kitchen table trying to figure out what to do next. If you work at a paper, there’s general few options for you in a city. That said, I felt like the least I could do was encourage everyone to be intentional about remembering their colleagues, pray for them, think about them, know that we are all in this together.”
May 16th, 2008
Fox is debuting two new shows next season with dramatically fewer commercials. Calling it “Remote-Free TV,” the shows “Fringe” and “Dollhouse” will run about only five minutes of commercials an hour. “It’s a simple concept and potentially revolutionary,” Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori said. “We’re going to have less commercials, less promotional time, and less reason for viewers to use the remote. We’re going to redefine the viewing experience.” To counter the loss in inventory, Fox plans to charge higher rates for the ads. Ad buyers were “generally upbeat” about the announcement, says the Hollywood Reporter. So, what do you think? Is this a new paradigm for network TV or will you just skip the shorter/fewer breaks with your fast-forward button anyway?
May 16th, 2008
The layoffs across the local TV industry continue. Gannett Broadcasting is cutting many master control and graphics positions at its stations as it centralizes its operations. For example, 7 people have been let go at KTHV in Little Rock. Master control will now be hubbed and more complex graphics will be handled by a centralized group, Gannett Graphics Group, in Colorado. Gannett TV stations suffered a 7 percent decline in revenue in Q1.
May 16th, 2008
While local media companies across the country have aggressively ramped up their high school sports initiatives with new sites and products, ESPN announced that it’s planning to launch a social networking site built around high school sports. ESPN Rise, which is the brand dedicated to the new effort, will also include a good deal of television coverage of high school sports — even in SportsCenter. ESPNRise.com will launch in August.
Press release below…
Read the full post May 16th, 2008
