Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Bravo’s “Top Chef” is cooking with gas now: The debut Wednesday night of its fifth season drew the largest premiere audience in the show’s history. According to the network, the show attracted 2.7 million viewers, a 19% increase over last year and the biggest cable audience for its time slot. Broadcasting & Cable (11/13)

U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has agreed to give his first post-election interview to “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft. The interview includes future first lady Michelle Obama and is to take place on Friday in Chicago. The interview is scheduled to air Sunday. (Iwantmedia 11/14, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/13/60minutes/main4599840.shtml 11/13)

Midway through the November 2008 sweeps, three U.S. broadcast networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — are sharing leadership. While CBS ranks as the most-watched, all three networks are down year-to-year. The biggest loser is Fox, which ranks fourth in three of the four surveyed categories. (Iwantmedia 11/14, http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/national-broadcast/e3ic9c6a9c4030ca00ae7f93ea22f3855cc 11/13)

Media shares, already battered by months of shrinking consumer confidence, are at multi-year lows and prime for an investor buying spree. The bottom looks imminent, according to one analyst. Media stocks “are very, very cheap. These are very significant buying opportunities.” (Iwantmedia 11/14, http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN1152810320081114 11/14)

Rivals NBC and Fox have unveiled a local television news-sharing plan that promises to reduce the number of reporters, trucks and helicopters assigned to cover major events — and could grow into a nationwide effort to slash one of the biggest costs for most TV stations. (Iwantmedia 11/14, http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2008-11-13-fox-nbc-local-tv-news_N.htm 11/13)

The FCC said it would do everything possible to keep secret per-subscriber rate information it is seeking from cable providers as part of the commission’s inquiry into moving certain channels from analog to digital tiers. NCTA President Kyle McSlarrow, however, expressed concern that the information could be leaked inadvertently or otherwise, therefore exposing the fees providers pay programmers. Broadcasting & Cable (11/13)

Time Warner Cable has announced a $2 billion public debt offering to help finance a special dividend to be paid just before the company separates from its parent, Time Warner. If the separation is not completed, the company will use the proceeds for “general corporate purposes.” (Iwantmedia 11/14, http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081113/time_warner_cable_debt_offering.html 11/13)

Cablevision announced Thursday that it had started offering Bollywood programming on its iO video-on-demand platform. The cable provider plans to present about 25 South Asian films each month, both new releases and classics, on Bollywood Hits On Demand, the company’s first international VOD programming option. Multichannel News (11/13)