Simon Cowell Offered $144 Million to Stay With 'Idol'

EARLY salary figures from Simon Cowell's "American Idol" contract negotiations are leaking out and they're eye-popping.

Cowell, who reportedly made $36 million last year for judging the hit competition show, has been offered three or four times that amount -- between $100 million and $144 million per year -- by co-producers Fox and 19 Entertainment to stick with "Idol" when his contract expires next May, according to The Guardian, a London newpaper.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06302009/tv/enormous_money_176757.htm

Columbus' NBC Affiliate President Speaks on Tiered Affiliation Agreement

In Executive Session last week, NBC affiliate relations chief John Eck outlined the bold three-level plan by which affiliates could now partner with his network.

Affiliates can opt for the bronze level, a continuation of the current relationship, simply swapping distribution for ad inventory. Or, they can step up to the silver level and become partners in NBC's local and national Internet ventures. At gold, affiliates would also turn over their retransmission consent rights to the network, which would represent them in negotiations with cable and satellite and share in the revenue.

http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/06/30/daily.3/

Supreme Court Declines to Hear DVR Case

Hollywood studios and television networks lost their bid Monday for the Supreme Court to block the use of a new digital video recorder system that could make it cheaper and easier for viewers to record shows and watch them when they want, without commercials.

The justices decline to hear arguments on whether Cablevision Systems Corp.'s remote-storage DVR violates copyright laws.

http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/06/29/daily.10/

The Truth About Teen TV Viewing According to Nielsen

Nielsen is taking on the panic in traditional media that teens are too busy "texting, Twittering or LOL-ing" to pick up a newspaper or flip on the TV.

Nielsen's June 2009 How Teens Use Media report, presented today by Nic Covey, director of insights for the Nielsen Company, at the annual What Teens Want conference at the Time & Life Building in New York, states that American teens actually watch more TV than they ever have (with a 6 percent increase during the past five years) and spend half as much time browsing the Internet than the rest of America. That's only 11 hours and 32 minutes a month!

http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/nielsen-teens-are-all-web-and-no-tv-lies

New FCC Chairman Starts Right Away

Newly confirmed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski released a statement thanking the president and Congress and praising his future colleagues, including giving a shout-out to the president's picks for the two open seats on the commission.

He was confirmed by unanimous consent Thursday evening and an FCC spokesperson said they expected the new chairman's first day at the commission would be Monday, June 29. The FCC's first public meeting is Thursday, July 2.

"I want to thank the members of the U.S. Senate for this enormous honor, first presented to me by President Obama to whom I am also deeply grateful," Genachowski said.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/306899-Genachowski_Expected_To_Start_Monday.php

WHIO Anchor Facing Wrongful Death Suit

WHIO-TV news anchor Natasha Williams is facing a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the mother of a Moraine man who was killed in March 2007 in Harrison Twp. after his car collided with Williams’ SUV.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/tv-anchor-faces-suit-in-fatal-crash-175315.html?cxtype=rss_local-news

NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates

NBC has released its Fall premiere schedule. The network will kick things off September 14 with The Jay Leno Show as previously announced. The Biggest Loser will return Tuesday, September 15 with a two-hour installment. That Thursday will also mark the premieres of the network's new Thursday night comedy lineup with Saturday Night Live Weekend Update kicking things off at 8 p.m., followed by Parks and Recreation at 8:30 p.m., The Office at 9 p.m. and Community at 9:30 p.m. NBC is holding 30 Rock till October 15 in an effort to drive some viewers to Community.

Heroes will return September 21, with the new show Parenthood launching September 23, and Law & Order and Southland returning Fridays starting September 25.

Saturday Night Live will premiere September 26.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/295754-NBC_Sets_Fall_Premiere_Dates.php

USA Leads in Cable Ratings

With one week left before the second quarter ends, USA Network is drawing away from TNT in the primetime ratings race. According to Nielsen data, USA now enjoys a 3% lead among adults 18-49, and the latest batch of weekly ratings numbers sees the network all but sewing up the title.

USA blew out the competition in the week ended June 21, averaging 1.7 million adults 18-49, topping runner-up TNT by some 728,000 viewers. The NBC Universal cable powerhouse also put together another convincing victory among total viewers, drawing an average audience of 3.95 million in primetime while walking away with the week's biggest deliveries of adults 25-54 (1.87 million) and viewers 18-34 (745,000).


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i0849a35b3cfeb85957715b6a48c76a2b

Time Warner and Comcast Partner for TV Everywhere

Time Warner and Comcast are pushing ahead with a plan to make big cable network shows available online to existing cable subscribers shortly after their first airing.

The industry giants unveiled Wednesday a set of guiding principles for what TW has dubbed TV Everywhere and announced a national technical trial of what Comcast will name its On Demand Online service starting with 5,000 customers in July.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i048f01beefa084a34d4077f22aec2576

Columbus NBC Station Wins Multiple Awards in "Best Of" Readers Poll

Columbus Monthly magazine’s “Best Of” issue is out, and NBC 4 (WCMH-TV) and nbc4i.com was No. 1 in various categories of its annual readers’ poll.

Cabot Rea is the winner of the Best TV Male Anchor award. This is the 5th consecutive year Rea has won this category.

Jym Ganahl remains the leader among television meteorologists. He is the recipient of the Best Weatherperson for a noteworthy 20th straight year!

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/nbc_4_nbc4i.com_voted_best_of_in_columbus/18300/

PBS Developing Digital Learning Library

PBS today announced the launch of the PBS Digital Learning Library, a PBS system-wide online repository of digital education assets from public broadcasting programs and services nationwide. The PBS Digital Learning Library will be a comprehensive source of "learning objects," including video, audio, images, games, and interactive simulations designed specifically for classroom use, delivered to teachers exclusively through local PBS stations. Services to deliver these resources to teachers and learners will be available in fall 2009.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2586424.htm

Cuts Coming to Lexington Local TV

Lexington's ABC affiliate is cutting some staff members and also will not renew the contracts of three news reporters, part of a wave of changes around Lexington's media driven by the rough economy.

WTVQ (Channel 36) plans to eliminate two full-time news producers once the employees' contracts end and has eliminated two part-timers and reclassified three positions from full-time to part-time.

The part-timers were a production person and a receptionist.

http://www.kentucky.com/101/story/846349.html

2 Lexington Stations Finally Make the Switch to Digital

The national transition to digital television finishes Friday with Lexington's final two stations — NBC affiliate WLEX-18 and Fox affiliate WDKY-56 — ending their analog transmissions.

WLEX will switch just before NBC's Today begins at 7 a.m. and will be discussing the shutoff during its local newscasts from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Telephone assistance for viewers will be available all day and throughout the weekend; call (859) 259-1818.

http://www.kentucky.com/263/story/827618.html

Dayton Station WPTD Expands Automation

Dayton, Ohio television station WPTD has augmented its existing NVerzion automation package to control 24/7 operations in connection with its origination of some 10 to 14 program streams. The automated functionality includes third-party router control, unattended overnight operations, VTR/video service interfacing, master control interfacing and a complete media database with an interface to the station's traffic operations.


http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/83044

Ville Voice Comments on the 2009 Metro Journalism Awards

Some of our favorite media types took home trophies at the 2009 Metro Journalism Awards presentation last night. We didn’t enter, because . . .

A - We Didn’t Want to Pay the Entry Fee
B - Our trophy shelf is full and there is no wall space.
C - If we won something, we would have felt obligated to attend the Awards ceremony.


http://thevillevoice.com/2009/06/26/and-the-journalism-winners-are/

CBS Unveils Premiere Dates

CBS announced the start dates for the network’s new and returning shows. While the network doesn’t have a large offering of traditional genre shows, they still have the funny “Big Bang Theory” returning for its third season.

http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2009/06/25/cbs-unveils-fall-premieres/

WOSU Interviews Prominent Blind/Deaf Man...For Radio

Today, I learned that WOSU has interviewed Bryan Grubb, a deaf-blind right activist and a motivational speaker from central Ohio, about deaf-blind rights. It was assumed that his interview would be telecast on WOSU-TV channel (Columbus, Ohio) sometime in the near future, with captions, of course. Instead, as Mr. Grubb learned today, his interview will be on RADIO.

http://underthehill.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/wosu-tv-interviewed-deaf-blind-man-for-radio-only/

What's The Digital Cliff?

As a TV viewer for 57 years, Larry Reddig was looking forward to the change to digital television with enthusiasm.

Reddig, who lives about 10 miles north of Newark, bought a 40-inch HDTV and set up a 60-foot antenna so that he would have a clear shot at all of his favorite Columbus stations.

What he didn't realize was that his hope of clear, worry-free TV viewing had gone off the digital cliff.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/24/DIGITAL_CLIFF.ART_ART_06-24-09_A1_LPE97TK.html?sid=101

WCMH Gets New GM

Long-time WFLA-TV executive Dan Bradley was named vice president and general manager of WCMH-TV, an NBC affiliate of Media General in Columbus, Ohio.

The appointment is effective July 1.

Bradley worked at the Tampa station from 1979 through the 1990s before serving as Media General's vice president of news for the company's broadcast division from 2001 until April 2009.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jun/23/sp-biz-bits/

Ohio AP Inducts New Hall of Fame Class

OAPB-HALL OF FAME

Ohio AP Broadcasters induct new Hall of Fame class


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Veteran Columbus reporter Carol Luper of WSYX-TV and Willard Parr, a broadcaster still on radio in southern Ohio after more than 50 years, have been inducted into the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

This year's class also includes TV reporter and anchor Dick Skelton, who died a little over a year ago. He retired in 2007 after 38 years with WFMJ-TV in Youngstown.

The new inductees were announced at the annual Ohio A-P Broadcasters awards luncheon in Columbus.

The Hall of Fame honors broadcast journalists who have served with exceptional distinction and honor and have worked in radio or TV news for at least 20 years at AP member stations in Ohio.

The OAPB also has honored the late morning anchor Heather Pick of WBNS-TV as the recipient of this year's Carl Day Outstanding Achievement Award for exceptional public service. Though she died last year following a battle with breast cancer, her memory continues to inspire work and contributions to fight the disease.


http://www.wlio.com/localNews.aspx?NewsID=11376