Real or rumor: New San Diego Fox affiliate?

This Sam Zell video posted on Trib-owned Baltimore Sun’s website (click on “Sam 5” to see video) may hint at a possible affiliation switch for KSWB, going from CW to Fox (why are they still called KSWB to begin with?) So what happens to current Fox affiliate XETV based in nearby Tijuana, Mexico? It could be deja vu all over […]

High Court to hear indecency case

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the fleeting profanities case, with pits the major networks against the FCC. So we’ll finally see if we truly live in the home of the free and the brave or if we live in China.

Another reason to cancel your cable subscription

Besides the cable news channels and Chris Berman: MTV greenlights Paris Hilton reality series, titled Paris Hilton’s My New BFF. A Bachelor knockoff clearly targeted for the “whatever” generation. Don’t know what BFF stands for (code word for slave, perhaps? Yeah, the “winner” of this show gets to work on the Paris plantation – what a prize!), but I’m betting […]

Comcast Sportsnet to air classic Blackhawks game

Here’s something you won’t find on ESPN Classic (and that’s not a bad thing): A classic Blackhawks game featuring the Golden Jet, Bobby Hull. The game from Dec. 11, 1971 features Hull and two other Blackhawk legends – Stan Mikita and goalie Tony Esposito, will air Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. Their opponent was the Toronto Maple Leafs […]

South Bend PBS station may go all-digital

WNIT, a PBS station in South Bend, is asking the FCC permission to broadcast only in digital after the station’s broken-down analog transmitter sputtered out for good on Wednesday. The transmitter broke down last month, when one of two tubes which fed the station’s audio and video feeds stopped working. The feed was rerouted to the station’s other tube, which […]

Viewers flock to cable premieres

Bravo’s new season of Top Chef – shot on location here in Chicago – was a big hit with viewers. Airing Wednesday night at 9 p.m., the season premiere of the cooking contest nabbed 2.2 million viewers – up 11 percent from last season. However, Top Chef was topped by the season premiere of South Park and the series premiere […]

"TMZ" gets new slot – and channel

Katie, Brian, and Charles: you met your match. Beginning Monday, Harvey Levin’s syndicated celebrity gossip paparazzi show TMZ will face off against network newscasts in Chicago with the show moving to 5:30 p.m. on Fox-owned WFLD-TV. The program currently airs on sister station WPWR-TV at 6:30 p.m. TMZ will continue to air at 11:35 p.m. on WFLD. Fox-owned stations in […]

"Rachael Ray" out at WABC? (updated 2)

The New York ABC-owned station is considering axing the program from its 10 a.m. time slot due to mediocre ratings, according to this article in the New York Post. Or is it because ABC parent Disney wants to reclaim the time period for its own fare (remember Wayne Brady’s and Tony Danza’s talk shows? Works of masterpiece right there.) If […]

Black TV crew attacked in South Carolina

A crew from CBS affiliate WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, S.C. were attacked by four people while reporting on a homicide story. The attackers also used racial slurs. The incident happened Monday in Union, S.C., where WSPA reporter Charmayne Brown and the cameraman, both African-American, were reporting on a homicide case across the street from the family’s home, when members of the […]

Hulu’s here

On Hulu, this Family Guy moment is presented to you by Chevrolet.NBC Universal and News Corp. are finally opening up its video-streaming service Hulu to the public today, after nearly five months in private beta. Hulu features TV programs from NBC Universal and Fox parent News Corp., not to mention other content providers, including the NBA, MGM, Sony, Lionsgate, and […]

Radio’s Renaissance

It looks like the NBA, NHL, and the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t the only ones having a renaissance – According to Kurt Hanson, radio is having one, too (and the recent AOL-CBS Internet radio streaming deal cements that point.) Maybe radio isn’t dead after all – you know, unlike the Bulls’ current season.

Lee Abrams joins Tribune

XM it seems can’t catch a break: first, AOL Radio dumps them for CBS, and now Lee Abrams – who has been with XM since 1998 – has jumped to Tribune as Chief Innovation Officer (no, I am not making this up), where he will report to Randy Michaels, who is Tribune’s chief executive of broadcasting and interactive. Abrams, who […]

Jacobson: "Law & Order" episode no laughing matter

An episode of tonight’s Law & Order: a reporter, looking to get to the bottom of a story regarding a man suspected of killing his wife, shows up at one point in the episode with a bathing suit on. Sounds familiar? To Amy Jacobson, it does. All too familiar, and she’s not pleased about it. Tonight L&O features Chicago native […]

Comcast, Big Ten Network near deal

It’s too late for the just-about-to-conclude college basketball season, but Comcast and the Big Ten Network are close to a deal that would put the new college sports net on its extended basic package.Comcast recently dropped a provision in its stance, stating BTN was a “niche” channel, and should be regulated only to a sports tier. Currently, BTN is not […]