TV Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead in His Tampa Home

Even as infomercials he hosted aired on local stations across the country this morning, the cable news channels were reporting on the death of pitchman Billy Mays.

50-year-old Mays was found unresponsive by his wife in his Tampa home this morning. Mays was on board a US Airways flight yesterday that made an emergency landing in Tampa after its front tires blew out. It is unsure whether Mays’ death was related to the incident.

MSNBC and Fox News reported Mays’ death at 11:43amET. At the same time, on stations including WTKR in Norfolk and WPIX in New York, a paid advertisement hosted by Mays for the Omni Dual Saw was airing.

Mays also co-hosted the program "Pitchmen" which debuted just two months ago on Discovery Channel.

from mediabistro’s TVNEWSER

Actor Screw-Ups on Social Networking Sites

Being a Twit on Twitter, A Farce on Facebook, A Loon on LinkedIn and a Moron on MySpace.

"Kevin Kemperer is doin’ Brittany in the hot tub."

Sadly the only thing fictional about the sentence prior, pulled from a Facebook status, is the user’s name; Kevin Kemperer. His "doin’ Brittany in the hot tub," whether true or not, was only known to the user who posted the Facebook status and by Brittany.

I have a lot of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace friends. I’m gigged out by digital detente. About one percent of my computerized companions are 3D friends: i.e., people I actually call friends in the real world. An additional quarter of the techno-byte buddies are people I’ve met or worked with on occasion; acquaintances. Leaving the rest of the 74 percent of the thousands who Friend, Link, Space and Tweet me as strangers who I only know of by their statuses that stream by in a flood on my laptop screen.

read the entire article from Back Stage

CBS Launches Leno Counterattack

Offers affiliates "Project L.E.N.O." to thwart Jay

By Michael Malone — Broadcasting & Cable

CBS sees opportunity when the 10 p.m. The Jay Leno Show debuts on NBC in the fall, and is looking to maximize it with what it calls "an aggressive, multi-tiered local market campaign" to boost its affiliates’ performance at 10-and in late news.

"Project L.E.N.O. (Late Prime Enhanced News Opportunity)" is a "tool kit" of materials CBS is offering stations, including "sponsorable broadcast spots and behind-the-scenes vignettes, sponsorable web banners and tagable radio spots." CBS says the package also includes an "affiliate swap spot" to promote 10 p.m.

"As the face of network television changes this fall, ‘Project L.E.N.O.’ will help our stations capitalize on this opportunity in the 10:00 PM hour," said CBS Marketing Group President George Schweitzer. "Our marketing group loves acronyms…and ‘Project L.E.N.O.’ says it all."

from Broadcasting & Cable Magazine

All-Time Lows for CBS and ABC Evening Newscasts

TVNewser has learned the CBS Evening News has once again set an all-time low last week with 4.89 million Total Viewers and 1.42 million A25-54 viewers. But it was also the lowest (since records began in the 1991-’92 season) for ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson. The Gibson program drew 6.42 million Total Viewers and 1.77 million A25-54 viewers.

Both CBS’s Katie Couric and ABC’s Charlie Gibson were off last week.

read the entire article from mediabistro’s TVNEWSER

CBS Getting Tough – Perhaps a Sign of Things to Come

CBS lawsuit over failure to pay bills may be precursor as stations struggle

In what could be the first of more such lawsuits to come in the syndication world, CBS Television Distribution last week filed suit against Global Broadcasting, owner of WLNE Providence, alleging that it failed to pay license fees on CTD-distributed shows Dr. Phil, Inside Edition, Rachael Ray, The Insider and Entertainment Tonight.

The suit comes at a time when TV station groups are facing some of the biggest financial challenges of the industry’s 70-plus-year history. Several station groups and their parent companies—including Tribune, Ion, Young, Granite, Equity and Pappas—have declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and are now reorganizing their debt, selling off assets or going out of business entirely.

read the entire article from Broadcasting & Cable Magazine

CBS TV Distribution Sues Global Broadcasting For 5 Million Dollars

Global’s WLNE Providence airs five CTD shows

CBS Television Distribution is suing Global Broadcasting, owner of WLNE Providence, for failing to pay nearly $2.2 million in license fees on such CTD-distributed shows as Dr. Phil, Inside Edition, Rachael Ray, The Insider and Entertainment Tonight.

According to the complaint, filed Monday at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Global and WLNE has only paid $682,023.50 of the $2,852,564.00 that the company owes on the five syndicated programs.

"There is no excuse or explanation for Global’s failure and refusal to pay the amount owed under the Agreements, particularly since Global continued to reap the benefits of the Agreements by airing the programs," states the complaint.

read the entire article from Broadcasting & Cable Magazine

ABC Finalizes Reorganization

Integrated business and operational arms of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios

ABC announced its long-expected final re-organizational structure Thursday integrating business and operational arms of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios. The re-organization, which began back in January when network chief Stephen McPherson assumed oversight of the studio from Mark Pedowitz, is in line with the current industry trend toward operational efficiency. McPherson had stated that the network would complete the pilot season before finalizing its consolidation.

Under the new structure business affairs, business development, casting, program planning and scheduling and distribution for ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios will be combined, while each will maintain separate creative teams.

Jeff Bader remains as ABC’s senior executive in charge of primetime and late-night program planning and scheduling.

read the entire article from Broadcasting & Cable Magazine

Reports: Walter Cronkite gravely ill

CBS is not commenting on newsman’s health

CBS isn’t commenting on reports that veteran newsman Walter Cronkite is gravely ill.

The 92-year-old former anchor of "The CBS Evening News," who has been ailing for some time, has reportedly taken a turn for the worse, according to TVNewser and other online sites.

CBS News spokesman Kevin Tedesco had no comment on Friday.

Bob Schieffer said, "All of us are praying for the best, and our thoughts are with Walter’s family." The host of CBS’ "Face the Nation" and a longtime Cronkite colleague, Schieffer noted that he had no current news on Cronkite’s condition.

The face of CBS News for more than two decades, Cronkite was named "the most trusted man in America" in a 1972 "trust index" survey, and he ended each broadcast with the reassuring signoff, "And that’s the way it is."

He left the "Evening News" anchor desk in 1981, but after that kept a busy schedule both in journalistic and other activities.

For 24 years, he served as onsite host for New Year’s Day telecasts by the Vienna Philharmonic until ill health forced him to bow out earlier this year.

read the entire article from Variety

PBS Makes More Cuts

Staff cutbacks, salary reductions in effort to close $3.4 million budget deficit

By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable

The Public Broadcasting Service Thursday instituted new staff cutbacks, as well as temporary reductions in salaries and benefits.

It is all part of trying to close a $3.4 million budget deficit in 2010, according to a PBS source, who said the cutbacks were announced at a staff meeting. PBS stations have been hit hard by the financial crisis.

PBS has cut about 10% of its workforce in the past six months via l ayoffs and unfilled positions, but more staffers got the news Wednesday, though it was not clear how many. PBS is now at 453 positions, which means about 45 positions have been cut in that six-month period.

Starting July 1, which is the beginning of PBS’ 2010 fiscal year, salaries of all non-union workers–essentially all but technicians, said the source–will get a 3.85% reduction pay for six months. In addition, pay raises have been cancelled.

The cancellations, cuts and temporary cuts apply to all top managers, which includes Paula Kerger president and CEO, and Michael Jones, chief operating officer.

Starting Jan. 1, PBS will also cut its contribution to retirement benefits from 8% to 6% of salary for a six-month period.

The cuts will get PBS about halfway to that $3.4 million total, according to the source.

The "plan going forward" was for the benefits and salaries to return to current levels after six months, but the employees were also told that PBS would need to manage the financial situation "dynamically."

From Broadcasting & Cable Magazine

ABC News Launches Digital Research Center – Eight Jobs Cut

WebNewser has learned ABC News is shuttering its current news research library and converting it to a digital research center.

The move will mean the loss of eight jobs. In email to staff, obtained by WebNewser, news president David Westin writes, "Today, many of the research tools we use are available online. Our extensive, hard copy library filled with periodicals and other materials is no longer necessary in the digital age."

ABC has hired the consulting firm Library Associates to develop, in Westin’s words, "a state of the art research system tailored to our particular needs."

Some of the current staff will remain. And the new DRC will move locations within ABC "to be closer to some of us who use the research facility most often," writes Westin.

From: Westin, David L.Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 1:25 PMTo: ABCTV News ALLCc: Sweeney, AnneSubject: News Research Library

Today, we begin the process of converting our existing research library to a digital research facility. Our library has served us well for many years, and all of us have benefited from the hard work of its staff. But the world has changed around us. Today, many of the research tools we use are available online. Our extensive, hard copy library filled with periodicals and other materials is no longer necessary in the digital age. The time has come to re-shape that library to reflect today’s world.

read the entire article from Broadcast Union News