Broadcasting & Cable News

Ex-CWA Chief Morton Bahr Dies

August 04, 2019

Morton (Morty) Bahr, 93, former head of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) who took the union from the telegraph to the internet age, died July 30, according to the union. Bahr (shown on a picket line above, front and center) was president for two decades beginning in 1985, but had been a ...

‘L Word’ Sequel ‘Generation Q’ Starts on Showtime in December

August 04, 2019

The sequel to drama The L Word, titled The L Word: Generation Q, begins on Showtime Sunday, Dec. 8. Generation Q is executive produced by showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan, with creator Ilene Chaiken, Kristen Campo, Steph Green (pilot), and original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and ...

FCC Extends EEO Comment Deadlines

August 04, 2019

The FCC has extended the comment period for its request for input on how it could improve its EEO enforcement and compliance. It has set an initial comment date of Aug. 21 and a reply date of Sept. 5. Those dates are now Sept. 20 and Nov. 4. The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet ...

New Seasons of ‘Shameless’ and ‘Ray Donovan’ on Showtime in November

August 04, 2019

Season 10 of Shameless begins on Showtime Nov. 3. William H. Macy stars. Season seven of Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber, begins Nov. 17. The show shifts to an 8 p.m. time slot. Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, presidents of entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc., shared the premiere dates at ...

TCA 2019: Showtime Thrives on Consistency, ‘Filmmaker-First’ Culture

August 04, 2019

Beverly Hills, Calif. — Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, presidents of entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc., talked up the attributes of their network with so much competition going on in the TV world. “Our brand is about consistency of programming,” said Levine. “We don’t just dump a series, send ...

FCC Grants Channel-Sharer WRNN's Market Mod Petition

August 04, 2019

What the FCC took, it is now giving back. The FCC has granted the market modification petition of New York independent TV station WRNN, primarily due to the "changed circumstance" of the FCC's own broadcast incentive auction. The FCC encouraged broadcasters to participate in the auction, ...

Primetime Ratings: NBC Wins With Hall of Fame Game

August 04, 2019

NBC won Thursday ratings by a mile, pre-season football leading the network to a 1.4 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and an 8 share. That doubled the 0.7/4 that Fox rated. NBC had Broncos versus Falcons throughout prime. It was the Hall of Fame game. Fox had MasterChef up 14% at ...

Docu-Series ‘Couples Therapy’ on Showtime September 6

August 04, 2019

Docu-series Couples Therapy begins on Showtime Friday, September 6. The series comes from Josh Kriegman, Elyste Steinberg and Eli Despres, the team that produced Weiner. There are nine episodes. They will come out weekly on Showtime, but will be immediately available September 6 for streaming and ...

Bakish to Head Combined CBS-Viacom Management: Reports

August 04, 2019

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish would be CEO if Viacom and CBS are re-combined, according to published reports. CBS and Viacom, both controlled by the family of Sumner and Shari Redstone, have been discussing a merger and there have been reports that they hope to complete discussions by next week when both ...