NATPE at 50: It’s all about the content

(Editor’s Note: Due to illness during the period NATPE took place this year, yours truly unfortunately was not able to write much about the conference. Oh well… there’s always 2014! – T.H.) When the NATPE convention began in the spring of 1964, it began as a small gathering in a New York hotel. Flash forward to 2013 – and after […]

MeTV’s national clearance hits 45 percent

Charlotte’s WCCB added MeTV last month. Now nearly half of the country will hear the word “Berwyn”. Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting Co. and MGM announced today its MeTV digital subchannel network has now cleared 45 percent of U.S. households after three and a half months on the air.  Station groups who have cleared MeTV on their digital subchannels include Bahakel Communications, […]

MGM to make MeTV roar nationally

    As have been speculated for the last few weeks, MGM announced today it will team up with Weigel Broadcasting to distribute MeTV nationally. MGM’s domestic television sales department will handle national distribution of the channel and national advertising sales. MeTV airs product from CBS Television Distribution, Twentieth Television, Paul Brownstein Productions, and a few independent producers. Classic shows […]

Comic-Con 2010 – Day 1

The annual fanboy and fangirl fest wrapped up Day One in San Diego Thursday and here are some highlights – T Dog Media style!: – Flick fans had plenty of panels to attend and choose from at Comic-Con’s Opening Day on Thursday. One of the panels involved Angelina Jolie’s new movie Salt, who had the fans whooping it up. Jolie […]

Tribune wants more of "This"

Chicago-based Tribune Co. actually likes something crosstown rival Weigel Broadcasting Co. has – This. Tribune announced today it has signed a long-term deal to add This TV in several markets (including WPIX in New York) and renewing existing deals in others (KTLA in Los Angeles.) This TV is a joint venture between Weigel Broadcasting (which owns WCIU here, and airs […]

WCIU hails "Cash Cab" and boards "Stargate: Universe"

The next time you hail a cab in New York City, you might be on a game show and not even know it. Call it a game show – on wheels. Discovery Channel’s New York-based game show Cash Cab has been picked up by WCIU-TV in Chicago for airing this fall as a weekday strip on a straight barter basis. […]

Head for the shelf

It’s shelving day, as several projects are being either delayed or scrapped altogether: – Fox has indefinitely delayed the premiere of Our Little Genius, the new game show featuring child prodigies answering questions in a new twist on  the old Quiz Kids show. The move came after producer Mark Burnett requested Fox pull the first few episodes because he was […]

T Dog’s Groovy Grab Bag

For the first time in awhile, it’s time for T Dog’s Groovy Grab Bag: – Congratulations to legendary Chicago radio personality Herb Kent on a new world record he set: The Guinness Book Of World Records recently honored him for having the longest career by a deejay in radio history – which spans 65 years! His achievement will be celebrated […]

T Dog’s Groovy Grab Bag

Grab bag time! – Tom Joyner, whose TJMS was disposed of from Clear Channel’s WVAZ-FM (V103) yesterday, has more on the show’s departure from Chicago’s airwaves in an interesting blog read. – George Lopez has signed a deal with TBS to launch a Monday-Thursday late night talk show for the cable network this fall. The program plans to target 18-34 […]

This TV clears 60 percent of U.S.

    This TV, the new digital movie channel launched by MGM and Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting on November 1, 2008, has now cleared 60 percent of the country on digital subchannels, including several major markets. This features movies mostly from MGM’s library (though not from the pre-1986 library, which Turner/Time Warner owns), as well as classic TV series such as […]

This is catching on

The new digitial subchannel from MGM and Weigel Broadcasting titled This TV – a channel featuring movies and television shows from MGM’s library, has gotten off to a good start, and has now lined up 40+ stations across the country. Station groups signing affiliation agreements include Fisher Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcasting, Hearst-Argyle Television, and Post-Newsweek stations. According to Wikipedia, stations cleared […]

"This" launches Nov. 1

What’s “this” you ask? This TV. The new classic movie digital channel from MGM and Weigel finally debuts on Saturday on WCIU digital channel 26.4, WDJT digital channel 58.3 in Milwaukee, and in 30 other markets. The channel features movies from MGM libraries (not the pre-1986 library, which is owned by Warner Bros./Turner Entertainment) as well as a handful of […]

New premium channel planned

In news which could shake up the cable landscape, Viacom, MGM, and Lionsgate have announced a new joint venture that will launch a new pay-TV channel and a companion video-on-demand service next year. The new channel is expected to compete with Time Warner’s HBO and Cinemax and CBS Corp.’s Showtime and The Movie Channel – which used to be under […]

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 […]