Category: media

“Some of the most intense buzz at this year’s Berlin film festival surrounds an off-screen tale of intrigue involving a Bali hotel room, stolen computers and an imprisoned Russian oligarch.”

“The victim from this cut will be all of the red-state rural stations,” said Phil Smith, general manager of KIXE. “I told Congressman Herger, ‘You’re going to be wiping out all of your friends with this.’ “

“NBC has been the butt of more jokes than the past three presidents combined. There appears to be no plan, and the brand has been diluted to the point where the cable components of the NBC Universal deal Comcast bought into were considered the real gems. And there is, unquestionably, institutional morass.”

“In the second fiscal quarter of 2010, cable subscriptions in the United States fell for the first time in history. In the next quarter (the most recent reported), they fell again.
You might think that broadcasters would be encouraged by this, but the major networks also have huge interests in cable channels, which generally are more profitable to them, thanks to the upfront fees cable companies pay.”

To some longtime observers of the medium, the apparent eradication of the 10 p.m. network hit still feels incongruous because 10 p.m. once housed many of the best — and riskiest — shows the networks had to offer, like “Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue” and “L.A. Law.”

“Television executives say the chats deepen viewers’ interest in a show, making them more likely to watch next time. BET stunned its competitors last month when “The Game,” a sitcom about football players’ relationships with women, drew more than seven million viewers, thanks in part to fevered online chatter.”

“In at least nine recent and forthcoming films, Paramount appears to be reaching toward an audience that was raised on flip-phone cameras, YouTube and a belief that everything, ultimately, belongs inside the frame.”

“Since offering a film tax credit of up to 42% in 2008, the state has attracted more than 100 movie and TV productions, including “Transformers 3” and the new ABC cop drama “Detroit 1-8-7.” Spending on film productions in the state has mushroomed to $224 million in 2009 from $2 million in 2007, according to the Michigan Film Office.”

“Unless state legislators show a spirit that our numbers-only governor does not, the movie and TV business is dead in Michigan.”

“There was once a time, children, when an actor could be a movie star or a TV star, but not at the same time. Nowadays, the system even works in reverse. Actors whose movie careers have cooled can reinvent themselves on TV.”