360AM: No Appeasement Policy from NCTA's McSlarrow; Cronkite Returns to Tube
NCTA takes battle with FCC chairman to the press, Walter Cronkite back in the family den, a news operation actually expands and more news items.
By Steve Goldstein
Cable360AM — News briefing for Thursday, Nov. 15 »
Cable360 newsroom staffers missed yet another annual company health fair because of deadlines. Good morning.
NCTA president and CEO Kyle McSlarrow is no Neville Chamberlain. The head of the cable trade group says in the Wall Street Journal that cable operators are not going to “fundamentally wreck a business model and hurt our customers to appease one chairman of the FCC.” NCTA is prepared to fight in court any new FCC rules regarding the cable industry, including enforced a la carte programming. Last Friday, FCC chairman Kevin Martin discussed an upcoming finding that shows the cable industry has gotten too big. That finding will invoke the 70/70 rule in the 1984 Cable Act, thus giving the commission greater powers over cable operators. In today’s Journal article, FCC commissioner Robert McDowell who, like Martin, is a Republican, says he wants to learn more about the methodology behind the data in the finding, which has been circulating among the commissioners. "What we're seeking is whether the commission is manipulating data to justify a predetermined outcome," says McDowell in the Journal. [Wall Street Journal]
Former CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite will deliver his first commentary on Retirement Living TV’s “news you can use” show Daily Café on Tues., Nov. 20. Cable360 editorial director Seth Arenstein broke the story on Sept. 4 that RLTV was in talks with Uncle Walter. [Cable360]
Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett says the drop in basic video subscribers reported by cable operators has been caused by an overall downturn in the economy, not by competition from the telcos and satellite distributors, reports Cable Digital News. Satellite company EchoStar also took a hit in its third-quarter subscriber numbers, Moffett points out. [Cable Digital News]
CNN Worldwide is adding 15 or 16 correspondents in an effort to expand its international news coverage. [Wall Street Journal]
A long screenwriters’ strike, which seems more likely every day, could give scripted shows that had been struggling a better shot at survival, the New York Times reports. Series that were facing cancellation could stay on for as long as the supply of already-written episodes lasts. [New York Times]
Google CEO Eric Schmidt conducted a Q&A with presidential candidate Barack Obama. [Wired Blog Network]
A temporary restraining order will prevent HDNet and HDNet Movies from being dumped into an HD programming tier by DirecTV, reports Broadcast Newsroom. [Broadcast Newsroom]
Comcast is opening a regional call center in Huntsville, Ala., which the company says will create 200 jobs in the area.
Bay News 9 GM Elliott Wiser is leaving his position with the 24-hour local news channel in Florida to assume full-time duties as the group VP of local programming for Bright House Networks.
TV One acquired rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television for some of its movies and series, including the ’90s sitcom Where I Live.
In CableFAX Daily: More on the potential for dissent within the FCC.
Help CableFAX: The Magazine decide by nominating the executives you think should be included in our annual list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. We will rank the top 50 most powerful women, and run a list of the second 50, in the November issue of CableFAX: The Magazine. Nominations are open to all cable operators, programmers, vendors and trade associations. Click here for nomination form. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
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CABLEFAX: THE MAGAZINE
THE 100 POWER LIST It's time to get in your nominations for the CableFAX 100, version 2008. Nominate here. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
Cable's stars turned out for the first annual CableFAX 100 luncheon at New York's Grand Hyatt last December. Catch Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Cash Cab's Ben Bailey as well as Sundance Channel's Larry Aidem and Cable Pioneer Bill Bresnan and others in our video from the wintertime event.
Who are cable's most powerful women executives?
Help CableFAX: The Magazine decide by nominating the executives you think should be included in our annual list of the Most Powerful Women in Cable. We will rank the top 50 most powerful women, and run a list of the second 50, in the November issue of CableFAX: The Magazine. Nominations are open to all cable operators, programmers, vendors and trade associations. Click here for nomination form. Deadline for nominations: Sept. 8.
CableFAX announces the launch of CableFAX Content Business, an online premium service featuring proprietary coverage of cable content, ratings, programming and advertising trends, new technologies and distribution channels.
Get a trial subscription to Content Business here. Read the press release.
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