Most Clicked NAB SmartBrief Stories
1. Report: Comcast-NBCU deal nearing the finish line
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 02, 2009
Comcast and General Electric are closing in on a deal that would give the cable provider a 51% stake in NBCU. Under the deal, Comcast would bundle its own portfolio of networks with NBCU. G.E. would retain a 49% stake in the company. One wildcard is the 20% of NBCU that is owned by Vivendi, which G.E. is looking to buy back from the French media company. Reuters (11/02) New York Times, The (11/01)
2. Longtime San Francisco pirate station goes off the air
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 03, 2009
Pirate Cat Radio, an unlicensed outlet in San Francisco for the past 13 years, has shuttered operations, following the issuance of a $10,000 notice of apparent liability issued by the FCC. Radio Ink (11/02)
3. Citadel co-founder builds new radio outfit
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 04, 2009
Larry Wilson, co-founder of Citadel Communications Corp., is getting back into the radio game, with a string of six stations in Portland, Ore., four purchased from CBS and two from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The new venture, Alpha Broadcasting, is taking a local approach. Wilson said, "Listeners want to talk about the mayor, the new light rail that's going in, the local sports teams." TIME (11/09)
4. Mystery jumper leaps off Conn. broadcast tower with parachute
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 06, 2009
An unidentified person scaled a broadcast tower on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Conn., and jumped off, sailing away in a parachute. The antenna was operating at full power during the jump. Arnold Chase who owns the company that owns and manages the tower, said, "It's insane, what he did," saying that standing atop an operating broadcast tower is "analogous to being inside a microwave." Hartford Courant (Conn.), The (11/05)
5. Profile: FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 04, 2009
When Mignon Clyburn joined the FCC, most people in Washington only knew her as the daughter of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. This article takes a look at Clyburn's career and background, as well as her reaction to the first intensive lobbying effort of her term on the question of Internet access rule-making. Washington Post, The (11/04)
6. Poll: Recent Nielsen DVR-playback ratings suggest the technology is good for broadcasters. Which of the following comes closest to your take?
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 02, 2009
Look out for the NAB SmartBrief Year-End Report on Dec. 8 and 15. The results of this poll will appear in Part 2 on Dec. 15.
7. Apple aims to extend iTunes success to TV
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 03, 2009
Apple is trying to round up programming support to offer a $30-a-month subscription-television service. The Wall Street Journal says Apple's "over-the-top" service in theory could rival cable television, given that it can offer programmers a base of 100 million customers through iTunes. Wall Street Journal, The (11/02)
8. Jay Leno defends his move to prime time
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 02, 2009
Jay Leno, in an exclusive interview, responds to criticism over his move to prime time and its effect on the rest of NBC's schedule, and said the show, if it maintains its current ratings among the 18-to-49 demographic, is on track to make $300 million this year. "You don't take it personally because there's really no fun in an upbeat story," Leno said. "The fun is, they did this and let's watch it fall. I enjoy being the underdog." Broadcasting & Cable (11/02)
9. What is happening to 10 o'clock?
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 03, 2009
For the last 30 years or so, networks have filled the 10 p.m. hour of prime time with high-quality, edgy dramas aimed at grown-up audiences, writes Brad Adgate, SVP-research for Horizon Media. However, high production costs, DVR penetration and cable competition have diminished the ability of networks to create top-flight dramas to air in late prime time. Advertising Age (11/02)
10. Copps unloads on broadcasters, no-show journalists
NAB SmartBrief | Nov 04, 2009
In opening remarks at Tuesday's FCC hearing on media ownership, FCC commissioner Michael Copps complained about a lack of attendance at the event by the press, of consolidation in media and the quality of broadcast programming, and suggested that perhaps broadcasters should give up their spectrum allotments to make room for national wireless broadband. Copps said, "Maybe those who want the spectrum back have the better of the argument after all." Broadcasting & Cable (11/03)
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