Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Comcast founder Ralph Roberts says he will work for $1 a year, and other top company execs are agreeing to accept lower cash bonuses for 2007. Some big Comcast shareholders are criticizing the cable giant’s performance, even calling for CEO Brian Roberts to step down. (http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20080214_Comcast_founder_slashes_his_pay.html 2/14)
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said his company would stick to growing in its own industry and would not look to acquire large companies such as Yahoo! Or Sprint. (The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Reuters 2/14)
The timing is right for General Electric to consider a potential breakup to separate NBC Universal, according to JPMorgan analyst C. Stephen Tusa Jr. “We think 2008 could be the time,” he says. Tusa recommends that an asset breakup should start “with the cash cow TV stations.” (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080214/general_electric_analyst_note.html 2/14)
Four networks, ABC, CBS, CW and FOX, will all present traditional upfront shows. NBC remains a question mark, having said during the writers strike it may not go forward with a full blown upfront presentation this year. ABC’s showcase will be May 13 at Lincoln Center; CBS’ is set for May 14 at Carnegie Hall; while on May 15 FOX will hold its upfront at the New York City Center and CW will host at Madison Square Garden. With that said, however, all four networks may change their presentations to make them more low-key.
FOX unveiled a couple of summer series: season four of So You Think You Can Dance starts off with a two-night, four-hour premiere on May 22 at 8p with Part 1 and Part 2 on May 29 at 8p and the series opener of When Women Rule the World (wt) on June 2 at 8p.
Girlfriends, a staple on UPN and now on The CW for 8 years, will call this season its last. The show will not produce a final episode to air this season. Rather network has chosen to only resume production following the strike on shows that it plans to bring in the fall. In a statement, the CW said in part: “This was a very difficult decision for us, and was based solely on the considerable cost to license each episode in an extremely unusual business environment.” The network is considering producing a special retrospective on the show to air this season.
The FCC has ruled that Cox does not violate the leased-access policies by having more than 50% digital subscribers in New Orleans, according to Leased Access Programmers Association President Charlie Stogner. The decision allows the cable firm to carry the leased-access programmer Real Estate TV, or RETV, on its digital tier. (Broadcasting & Cable 2/14)
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