Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Donald Trump is back on NBC with The Celebrity Apprentice which debuts January 3 at 9p. This seventh version of The Apprentice will feature 14 celebrities competing in business-related challenges in New York City, but instead of hoping to make Donald Trump their boss, they will raise money for charity. Participating celebrities include Trace Adkins, Carol Alt, Stephen Baldwin, Nadia Comaneci, Tiffany Fallon, Jennie Finch, Nely Galan, Marilu Henner, Lennox Lewis, Piers Morgan, Omarosa, Tito Ortiz, Vincent Pastore and Gene Simmons. The show is produced by Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions LLC.
I will watch this purely to see Vincent “Big Pussy” Pastore bump heads with every other cast member. Simmons vs. Pastore vs. Baldwin vs. Omarosa death match? Oh, I think so.
It seems the Red Hot Chili Peppers are not fans of Showtime‘s series Californication, and in fact have filed suit against the network alleging for unfair competition, dilution of the value of the name and unjust enrichment. It seems Californication is the name of an album the band produced in 1999. In a statement released by the band’s lead singer Anthony Kiedis, he said, “Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band’s career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right.” The suit names Showtime as well as Twilight Time Films, Aggressive Mediocrity, Inc., and creator/executive producer Tom Kapinos, as co-defendants.
Californication: An Inside Look
Nearly 300 CBS News newswriters who are members of the WGAE and WGAW voted 81% in favor to authorize a strike against CBS which gives the WGAE and WGAW the trump card to call a strike at any time. The special election took place last week in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. WGA-CBS members who work nationally or locally for television and radio in these markets have been functioning under an expired contract since April 2, 2005 and minus pay increases since April 2004. (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071119/cbs_news_strike_vote.html 11/19)
20th Century Fox Television on Monday became the latest TV studio to send out suspension letters to regulars on series that have been shut down because of the writers strike. Two other studios previously notified their actors: Universal Media Studios and Sony Pictures TV. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ife568d22e177435a2efbde3db283cb8a 11/20)
Television networks are struggling with the question of whether to run out their remaining stockpile of produced series episodes or conserve the few that remain. Some originals may be pulled “to save for January and beyond,” says Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman. (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-11-19-strike-episodes_N.htm 11/20)
Gossip Girl
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution is mounting a global effort to launch a slew of cable, satellite and broadband channels offering on-demand access to a range of WB-produced series and movies. Viewers will be able to make a la carte programming picks. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976299.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1 11/19)
Al Jazeera English will launch a U.S. network within the next six months, according to London bureau chief Sue Phillips. The channel is overcoming misinterpretations about its agenda that earned it “the terrorist channel” label, she says. “The Americans are warming to us.” (http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=39476 11/19)
Media investors are growing increasingly worried about the possibility of an economic slowdown hitting advertising spending in 2008. Shares of CBS, Disney, News Corp. and Time Warner have each tumbled about 5% so far this month. But Internet ad spending is “holding up nicely.” (http://mediabiz.blogs.cnnmoney.cnn.com/2007/11/19/media-investors-fear-recession/ 12/19)
Disney and ESPN Media Networks are introducing two new iTV applications viewable by Dish Network’s 12 million + interactive media subscribers. The ESPN Interactive Zone features up-to-the minute scores, stats, news and rankings viewable on a dashboard accessible during selected programs. Disney Channel’s interactive application enables Dish subscribers to set DVR timers for featured programs, obtain Disney Channel show information from the ticker on the main menu and interact with show-related content. (Reuters 11/19, Multichannel News 11/19)
Republican lawmakers want to rein in Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who is seeking to expand the agency’s authority over the cable industry. More than 20 Republicans sent a letter to Martin on Monday calling his plan “misguided” and “harmful.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21891109/ 11/20)
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts: “We face competition from satellite companies, phone companies and other cable overbuilders, and that’s forced us to become a better company.” (http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/19/technology/roberts_comcast.fortune/ 11/20)
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts
With the rental of a high-definition set-top box, Comcast subscribers in Michigan now can receive HD channels. The move comes as the state’s largest cable provider continues to establish a broad base of HD offerings and services. (The Detroit News 11/20)
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