Wiremania (Jan 28, 2011)

Radio Wires

Radio Insight: Comedy Comes To Dallas and “Phoenix”.

Sports Wires

TV COLUMN: HBO documentary on Namath up to usual standard

Sports Business Daily: NBC Sports Network Sees Jump In NHL Viewership As It Increases Game Broadcasts.

Tech Wires

Why 4K TV's are Stupid

How Windows 8 Could Change Your Life – Or Not

TV Wires

Monty Python Members Team Up for Sci-Fi Spoof

NY Daily News: Radio host and soon-to-be “America’s Got Talent” judge Howard Stern will help David Letterman celebrate his 30th anniversary on the air on the Feb. 1 telecast of CBS’ “Late Show”.

Consumer Wires

Chicken Nuggets: How Bad Are They?

Health Insurance Deductibles Doubled in 7 Years, Study Finds

Misc Wires

Amazingly Colorful Homes

UCSD Guardian: Padres and Fox In New Deal? (Jan 27, 2011)

When will we ever get a new TV deal with the Padres announced? This is getting old. Get out the Ex-Lax!

USCD Guardian, written by Javier Armstrong

The San Diego Padres and Fox Regional Sports Networks are planning to announce a deal for a new sports network — Fox Sports San Diego — that will broadcast the 2012 Padres season. Fox Sports San Diego may also cut deals with UCSD, San Diego State, USD, Cal State San Marcos and Point Loma Nazarene. The deal will also give the Padres partial ownership of the network.

The long-term TV deal with Fox Sports is expected to pay the Padres roughly $17 to $22 million per season. The team will receive advertising dollars from the network in exchange for allowing Fox Sports San Diego to broadcast its games exclusively.

Fox Sports Network has hired Senior Vice President of Fox Sports Ohio Henry Ford as president and general manager of the new network. It is currently in talks with the COX Communications Channel 4 studios — outside Petco Park — to use the station facilities.

The team’s previous deal with Cox Communications Channel 4 paid the Padres $11 million per season. Channel 4 San Diego, the Padres’ TV home for the past 15 seasons, confirmed April 21, 2011 that it would not retain the rights to broadcast Padres games in 2012.

Fox Sports San Diego will broadcast through all cable, satellite and telecommunication providers so that the games will be available to a wider audience. The Padres are expected to benefit from the broadcasting revenue earned through the larger audience. Prior to this deal, the Padres HAD been broadcasting through Cox Communication’s Channel 4, which was made available to Cox and Time Warner subscribers, leaving DirectTV, AT&T U-verse and Dish Network without Padres coverage for most of the season.

The network will broadcast other Southern California teams, such as the Los Angeles Clippers and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, which are normally shown on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. Fox Sports Prime Ticket, a Los Angeles-based Regional Sports Network, can only be viewed in San Diego through AT&T U-verse and Time Warner Cable.

Fox Sports Network is the largest RSN provider in the nation; it broadcasts 66 of the 81 U.S. professional sports teams in MLB, NBA and NHL as well as many college and high school sports teams.

The network is also expected to have interest in the San Diego County Office of Education section sports.

(article taken from Yahoo search cache as the site is down).

Wiremania (Jan 27, 2011)

Radio Wires

Orange County Register: Geraldo Rivera begins his new KABC 790 AM talk show at 10 a.m. Monday. One of his future guests will be actor-comedy talent Cheech Marin.

Radio Insights: Pandora vs. Local Radio: Second is the First Loser.

Motley Fool: Sirius XM Radio knows that the dashboard is getting competitive. It's no longer about overcoming the threat of commercial-saddled terrestrial radio or the limitations of what's in a driver's portable media player or CD case.

Mt. Wilson/L.A. Launches Country Classic Format Online, HD-3. MT. WILSON FM BROADCASTERS, INC., is launching a GO COUNTRY CLASSICS (60s,70s,80s,early 90s) format as a complement to Country KKGO (GO COUNTRY)/LOS ANGELES.

Something funny happening in Dallas radio. Landing its largest market to date, the 24/7 Comedy Network will launch on KKLF, Dallas (1700) beginning February 1, according to the Dallas Observer. Cumulus Media has placed the station in a trust because its Citadel acquisition put it over the ownership limits in the Big D. The CHR-style comedy feed is making a big ratings splash for Cumulus in Kansas City.

Biz Wires

Nintendo predicts first annual loss, lowers earnings forecast

Misc Wires

Shock Over 10th U.S. President’s Grandsons Still Living

Earth like it's never been seen before

Wiremania (Jan 26, 2011)

Radio Wires

Pandora keeps getting bigger in Atlanta among 18 to 34 year olds

Los Angeles Times: Public radio station KPCC hired former Los Angeles Times Editor Russ Stanton as vice president of content, responsible for the station's broadcasts, website and live events

Exclusive Holiday PPM Analysis: New York, Los Angeles And Chicago

Tech Wires

With SOPA And PIPA Dead, Is A New Offering Called OPEN The Answer?

Google's new privacy policy: The good, bad, scary

How the new European data law will affect U.S. companies

TV Wires

An Antenna-Connected Cable Set-Top Still Won't Fly

Sports Wires

NBA lockout? What NBA lockout? Ratings are way up over last year, never mind the missed games

Wiremania (Jan 25, 2011)

Radio Wires

Los Angeles Times: While the end of the "Idol" phenomenon might not be in sight, Ryan Seacrest is savvy enough to be planning a soft landing elsewhere. And "Today" would seem to be on the itinerary if he can manage it. He has signaled his interest in luring other newsmakers on to the radio, including the presidential hopefuls.

The Kane Show Takes Over Mornings At WFLZ

Myke Julius joins Urban AC XHRM/San Diego replacing Kevin "Slow Jammin'" James.

TV Wires

Univision to Have English Captioning, Will Expand to More Channels.

Indians Sue Jay Leno for Religious Joke

Sports Wires

Journal Times: Jim Irwin, 77, who was the radio voice of the Green Bay Packers from 1969 to 1998, has died.

NFL Football Scores Big on Radio

Longtime Philadelphia Sportscaster Andy Musser Dies At 74

Tech Wires

Facebook forces Timeline; tips to hide users' past. Facebook forces users to switch to Timeline, making their pasts more visible.

USA Today: Some file-sharing sites drop the sharing - Caution is spreading among popular file-sharing services known for letting users circulate pirated Hollywood content.

Google Changing Privacy And User Tracking Policy

The death of online piracy: the end of the Internet as we know it

Misc Wires

CBS News: Spectacular solar storm reaches Earth.

Wiremania (Jan 24, 2011)

Radio Wires

Business Wire: Clear Channel Media and Entertainment will add college radio stations to the New iHeartRadio, its free, industry-leading digital radio service beginning later this month.

Research Director: Throughout our history, new competitors have attempted to attract the radio listener. Before these on-line-only music companies, satellite radio was going to destroy our industry. Clearly it has not. We do not want to diminish the potential of these new services.

Radio Ink: Kassof Study Concludes Too Little is Known About HD Radio

Biz Wires

Follow The Media: Global recorded music sales fell about 9% in 2010 after falling 7% in 2009. OK, so digital sales are up 6% - but that's not enough. The problem, again, is piracy. Of all content producers, the music industry faced the digital revolution first. It has been the proverbial canary in the mineshaft. Music executives responded by fighting the Web, consumers and everybody else. The result is unsurprising.

TV Wires

FOX Launching Spanish Language Channel. News Corp., RCN TV Team Up For Spanish-Language B'Cast Net New Corp. and Columbian broadcaster RCN Television are teaming up to create a U.S. Spanish-language Broadcast station to be called MundoFox. Why This Matters: News Corp. is looking to challenge the U.S. Spanish-language dominance of NBCUniversal's Telemundo and Univision. The company is currently finalizing deals in top Hispanic markets and the company expects MundoFox to be carried on stations covering 75% of U.S. households by its launch in the fall. MundoFox plans to be carried on stations covering 75 percent of U.S. households and is finalizing deals in top Hispanic markets across the country, the partners said.

Deadline: Cox Cable Introduces Lower Priced Tier. Cable and satellite companies including Comcast and Time Warner Cable say they have to do something to keep cash-strapped customers from cutting the cord. Cox says that soon all of its markets will offer its TV Economy service tier for about $35 a month, far less than the conventional TV Essential expanded basic package that runs as much as $60. What will it have? Standard definition and HD versions of local broadcasters, shopping channels, C-SPAN, and superstations (WGN and TBS) in addition to a lineup with AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney Channel, E!, Food, Fox Nets, Galavision, History Channel, Lifetime, MSNBC, Nickelodeon, TV Guide, TruTV, The Weather Channel, TV Land, and USA. What it won't have? ABC Family, A&E, Bravo, CNBC, ESPN, ESPN2, FX, HGTV, HLN, MTV, regional sports, SyFy, Speed, Spike, TNT, TLC, The Travel Channel, and VH1.

Tech Wires

Yahoo Finance: Pandora Records Local Radio Market Growth -- Full Year 2011 Data Reveals Massive Audience and Time Spent Listening Increases in Top Local Radio Markets

Market Wire: Raditaz has introduced the future of Internet radio, delivering over 14M tracks from the cloud to the web, and to iOS and Android devices. Raditaz is a radical evolution of the Pandora model, with more than 14M songs in its catalog, better discovery, unlimited skips, and location awareness at the heart of the application.

ZD Net: One consequence of a shift away from the traditional PC towards devices such as tablets and smartphones is that the people will need fewer PCs. And PC makers better be prepared, because the entire industry is heading for a collapse

AFP Wire: Global radio experts have approved radio standards that are to usher in a new mobile phone operating system to replace third generation or 3G technology, the International Telecommunication Union announced on Friday.

Officials seize $42 million in MegaUpload assets

MegaUpload embroiled in criminal copyright case (images)

TV technologies that you'll want next

Alert: Spammers actively harvesting emails from Twitter in real-time

TechRepublic: The 10 dumbest tech predictions for 2012

Anonymous attacks major websites CBS, Universal Music, and Vivendi, among others, were brought down by Anonymous DDoS attacks over the weekend. Is Facebook next?

Microsoft Windows 3.x is where it all started for most of us

YouTube Crosses 4 Billion Video Streams a Day

New gesture, voice technology may make remote controls obsolete

SOPA On The Ropes. Smith Appears to Strike Flag on Controversial Bill, Though Not on Antipiracy Effort

Sports Wires

From All Comedy Radio: Giants to Face Patriots in Super Bowl Rematch: Crap. Even Super Bowls are going into reruns.

USA Today: NFL TV ratings: Fox scores big with Giants-49ers. AFC Title Game Highest Rated In 18 Years, NFC Game Top Rated In 17 Years The faceoff between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers gave Fox a big victory on Sunday with an 18.7 rating/40 share in adults 18-49. An average 50 million people watched Fox throughout the night. Why This Matters: In a year when it was looking like there would be no football at all given the labor strife earlier this year, gridiron action has captivated viewers giving networks boffo ratings all season. Even so, the female-skewed Once Upon a Time on ABC held its own against the NFL and experienced a slight dip in its ratings over the previous week.

Multichannel News: League Nets Try to Get More Out of Games. Channels Fill Between-Contest Roster With Documentaries, Talk Shows

Multichannel News: Red Bull Media House Unveils 'Signature Series' with NBC Sports Group. Franchise Debuts Jan. 21 on Broadcast Network with Ice Cross Downhill World Championship

Epix Sets Heavyweight Boxing Championship Telecasts. Champs Povetkin, Klitschko Brothers To Fight On Consecutive Weekends

Sportsman Channel Crosses 31 Million Subscriber Threshold. Launches, Uprgrades Continue For InterMedia Partners' Property.

Universal Sports Network on the Circuit With Alpine Ski World Cup

Consumer Wires

11 Habits That Will Help You Live to 100

Could This Popular Supplement Be Making You Fat?

6 Diet Mistakes That Make You Fat

10 Things You Should Rent Instead of Buy

5 Social Security Changes Coming in 2012

Science Wires

Sun Blasts Radiation Storm Toward Earth

Strongest solar storm since 2005 hitting Earth

Misc Wires

What Men Want in a Relationship

What Women Want in a Relationship

Video optical illusion wins by a head

Mayan 'prophecy' just one of many. Some fear the end of the world this year, but history is full of failed doomsday forecasts.

The Lunar New Year: Enter the Dragon

Wiremania (Jan 21, 2011)

Radio Wires

Capone Leaves 91X. LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA-F (91X)/SAN DIEGO PD/afternooner GARRETT CAPONE will exit at the end of FEBRUARY. CAPONE, who has been at 91X for almost five years, has accepted a position as VP/Promotion at CRUSH MANAGEMENT.

Randy Dotinga: The whole system has become a joke: Radio stations won't go near the "Seven Dirty Words" from a George Carlin routine that got a California radio station in trouble back in the 1970s, but other words that are just as naughty are fine because courts haven't ruled against them. So you'll hear those words all the time during the raunchier morning shows. The whole idea of the rules is to protect kids. But the government thinks real or fictional depictions of horrific violence are fine, whether they're on TV or on the radio. Example: Several years ago, local talk show host Rick Roberts horrified listeners with the audio of an American man being killed in Iraq. That's OK, but a four-letter word isn't?

Los Angeles Times: Geraldo Rivera to debut radio talk show on KABC-AM January 30.

PR.com: The acquisition of Citadel Broadcasting by Cumulus Media for $2.55 billion topped all other 2011 radio station sales combined, according to figures released today by RadioValuations.com

Tracy Johnson Media: A lot of morning personalities use games on the air. If you press them for why they have so many games, you usually discover that a) it makes the phone ring, b) it gives them something to talk about and c) it's a good way to give away stuff the sales department dragged in

iHeartRadio Adds KCRW & KUSC

Study: Americans Still Unfamiliar With HD Radio

FM Radio Just Doesn't Cut it Anymore. New Internet player, Raditaz has entered a very crowded field. The official launch was yesterday. The company says, "Raditaz is a radical evolution of the Pandora model, with more than 14M songs in its catalog, better discovery, unlimited skips, and location awareness at the heart of the application. Raditaz is a better way to discover and listen to the music you want to hear, and to see what's trending locally, in cities around the country."

Geraldo 'Excited' To Join KABC

FCC Proposes $22,000 Fine Against CC/Los Angeles For Contest Violations. The Commission rejects one contestant's claim about the prize in a "make your own commercial" contest going to somebody connected with the stations. But it finds the rules weren't clear-cut and warns of "even higher forfeitures.if such misconduct persists."

KBIG Welcomes Mario Lopez For Nights . Actor and television personality Mario Lopez is coming to radio. He's signed to host nights on Clear Channel hot AC "104.3 My FM" KBIG-FM, Los Angeles beginning Monday. Lopez, who is also a producer and a best-selling author, says adding radio interests him because "it allows me to expand on yet another platform to showcase another side of my personality.

Lynda Martin Joins KOGO As Morning Anchor

It's Official: MJ Kelli Announces Last Show On WFLZ

Digital LPTVs Worry Noncom FMs

Sports Media Wires

All Six Cumulus S.F. Stations To Simulcast 49ers-Giants NFC Title Game Sunday. Talk about corporate simulcasting overkill!

Homemade Camaro ad wins Chevrolet Super Bowl slot

Multichannel News: Sunbeam Gives DirecTV Permission to Air NFL Game During Retrans Talks. Sunbeam Television said it will allow DirecTV to broadcast the NFL's NFC title matchup between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers this Sunday, even as the two parties remain deadlocked over retransmission-consent fees. Why This Matters: Sunbeam pulled Miami's WSVN, the local Fox affiliate, along with Boston's WHDH (NBC) and WLVI (CW) stations from DirecTV at midnight on Friday, Jan. 13. In a world where TV viewers are increasingly getting caught in the crossfire between content providers and distributors (ask residents in the New York area about how they feel about the imbroglio between MSG and Time Warner Cable), the two companies called a truce in their bitter carriage battle for one day so viewers could watch their beloved teams march up and down the field in search of a Super Bowl berth .

Multichannel News: Clippers-Lakers: NBA TV's Most-Watched Telecast. Pro Basketball League's Net Posting up Significant Nielsen Gains over Last Season

Tech Wires

Is it possible to get out of your new cellular contract? So you purchased a fancy new smartphone or feature phone during the holidays and are now realizing that the new device is not living up to your expectations. To make matters worse, you are now locked into a long-term contract that will end up costing you thousands of dollars over the next two years.

Yahoo News: Global radio experts have approved radio standards that are to usher in a new mobile phone operating system to replace third generation or 3G technology, the International Telecommunication Union announced on Friday

USA Today: The Web site MegaUpLoad.com was shut down Thursday, and Dotcom and three Megaupload employees were arrested in New Zealand on U.S. accusations that they facilitated millions of illegal downloads of films, music and other content, costing copyright holders at least $500 million in lost revenue

RIAA Comments On Digital Piracy Issues

AFTRA, Other Entertainment Unions Weigh In On SOPA/PIPA

Harry Reid Postpones PIPA Vote

Facebook: Friends' Happy Pictures Make You Sad?

Windows Phone jumping to No. 2 in smartphone market by 2015?

Ready-made Microsoft Windows zero-day?

A better SOPA: Create Silicon Valley jobs in Hollywood, give Washington the boot

Apple's mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement

Digital cameras to watch for in 2012: A recap of CES announcements

SOPA: only the latest reason why technology and lawmaking don't mix

SuperRam 6.1.16.2012 (Windows)

Broadcasting and Cable: Congress Tables SOPA Bill; MPAA Calls for Compromise. Hollywood-backed anti-piracy legislation stalled out in Congress on Thursday as legislators moved to come up with major changes to the bills. Meanwhile, MPAA chief Chris Dodd was calling for a meeting with Hollywood and Silicon Valley execs to reach some sort of compromise that might satisfy both sides. Why This Matters: Hollywood thought it had the SOPA legislation in the bag, but online service providers pushed back saying the proposed legislation will curtail their First Amendment rights. Congress listened and pulled its support.

TV Wires

The Wrap: `Big Bang' Ties `Idol'; `Parks & Rec' Sees Uptick in Ratings.

Broadcasting and Cable: Comcast Challenges FCC's Decision on Tennis Channel Complaint. Cable operator asks commission to reverse the ALJ's finding that it had discriminated against the channel

`CBS This Morning' Debut Week Down From Last Year, `Today' Also Down While `GMA' Up

Ratings: OLTL's Last Week

Ratings Comparison of Last Five Cancelled Soaps

Cleveland television station covering high-profile Ohio bribery trial with on-air puppet help

Todd Spangler: What If Cable Networks and Movie Theaters Blacked Out for a Day?

Broadcasting and Cable: Primetime Ratings: 'American Idol' Down 27% Over Last Year in Night Two. Updated: 'Big Bang Theory' ties first half-hour of 'Idol'; '30 Rock' hits series low

TV By The Numbers: Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Guns' & 'Top Chef' Beat 'Royal Pains' + 'Hot In Cleveland,' 'Face Off,' 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' & More. Hot in Cleveland not so hot in the cable ratings, in fact, their ratings are COLD!

Obit Wires

Etta James Dead at 73.

Misc Wires

The ten strangest cars of the Barrett-Jackson auction

5 Ways to Cut Your Risk for Dementia

Dogs bark Darth Vader's theme in Volkswagen Super Bowl teaser (video)

Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia

The 11 Star Trek movies ranked worst to first

Stop SOPA Gains Momentum (Jan 20, 2011)

Comment from Scott on Facebook: "ABC, NBC, ESPN, CBS, CNN, Disney & others think that they can censor the intrnet, charge for the internet and end FREE services like Facebook, Wikipedia, Google, Twitter, youtube etc. We are going to be boycotting all of these companies for the entire month of March to let them know that they do not have the rights to censor and charge for the internet! Here are the companies funding and attempting to end the FREE and UnCEsnored Internet."

Pic: List of Supporters of HR 3261: The Stop Online Piracy Act

Youtube: Stop S.O.P.A. (Operation Black March). In it is says in part to not buy a single record, download a single song, see a film in cinemas, buy a DVD, buy a videogame, a book, or a magazine. It doesn't say to not stream a movie or song though. What do you think of this protest?

Facebook: Black March. Opposing comment from Jesse on the page: " I notice you're promoting Black March. I am against SOPA/PIPA but I have to tell you, it's the wrong angle. Thousands of people rely on that industry for jobs, income and their livelihood. If Black March gains momentum, you'll be putting thousands of people in the entertainment and related industries in jeopardy just because of a few bad men perpetuating these bills. You are targeting businesses and hard workers rather than the government, who should be appealed to. Please consider this."

Wiremania (Jan 20, 2011)

Radio Wires

New York Daily News: CBS Radio is threatening legal action if all-news entrant WEMP (FM News 101.9) doesn't stop hitching itself to the "Give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world" slogan, which has long defined CBS' WINS (1010 AM). CBS lawyers sent a two-page letter Tuesday to Merlin Media, owner of WEMP, demanding that 101.9 "cease and desist from use of any CBS trademarks," which also includes "Traffic and weather together"

Los Angeles Times: Geraldo Rivera to debut radio talk show on KABC-AM January 30.

Gary Lycan: "How can we create dialogue and find common ground?" That is the question David Cruz hopes to answer on a daily basis on his new 3-6 p.m. weekday program on KTLK 1150 AM + George Noory, host of "Coast to Coast" overnights on KFI 640 AM, had a close call when he recently went to Mexico to attend a friend's wedding in Cabo San Lucas.

AC KOST/Los Angeles adds radio vet Bruce Scott as its new afternoon drive host, starting January 30.

CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 WFLZ/TAMPA morning man MJ KELLI is going to hang up his Top 40 headphones.

Clear Channel's John Hogan Announces Management And Programming Realignments

Mike And Mike Get More TV Time

Tech Wires

USA Today: The Internet community's rallying cry against anti-piracy legislation had its intended effect of grabbing the nation's attention Wednesday, though the final outcome remains far from settled.

Kim Komando: Kim Komando's Cool Site of the Day - The Internet is crammed with interesting articles and sites. It seems there are always more links to click. You don't have time to read them all at once, but you might forget later. Instapaper is a quick and easy solution

Slacker CEO: Unsure If Streaming Is A Sustainable Model For Artists

Web War! Anonymous Downs RIAA, UMG, MPAA, Justice Dept. Websites. Hours after the U.S. government arrested the leaders of and shut down MEGAUPLOAD.COM, a popular hub for illegal file sharing, "hacktivist" collective ANONYMOUS counter-attacked by shutting down the websites to the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, the RIAA, the MPAA and among many other targets, possibly including the WHITE HOUSE.

RIAA.com: Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement

FBI charges Megaupload operators with piracy crimes

How SOPA would affect you: FAQ

Sports Wires

NFL: AFC Championship game, Baltimore at New England, CBS, 12; NFC Championship game, New York Giants at San Francisco, Fox, 3:30

John Maffei TV/Radio Sports: Padres executive ready for closeup on MLB game show.

Clippers-Lakers: NBA TV's Most-Watched Telecast. Pro Basketball League's Net Posting up Significant Nielsen Gains over Last Season

TV Wires

RATINGS RAT RACE: `American Idol' Down Sharply In Premiere, Crushes NBC Comedies. American Idol tumbled 27% from its year-ago premiere, posting a 7.2 rating with adults 18-49 on Wednesday. Why This Matters: After 10 seasons, the show is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Despite Wednesday's tumble, Idol continues to be the highest-rated program on TV. ABC's block of programming was off across the board, as was CBS' slate of programming. But Idol managed to crush NBC's comedy lineup. Whitney , Harry's Law and Law & Order: SVU all hit a series low, while the sophomore outing of Are You There, Chelsea? was off 22% from the previous week.

ABC's new daytime show The Revo-loser losing audience from 2011 OLTL levels.

Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest, AEG, CAA partner on pop culture channel Is this Ryan's hope? Mark Cuban's HDNet will be rebranded as AXS TV (pronounced "access") as part of a joint venture with AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media and Creative Artists Agency. THR says AXS "will rely heavily on live lifestyle and live entertainment fare, leveraging the assets of AEG and the A-list connections and production capabilities of Seacrest." Some existing HDNet fare like Dan Rather Reports, HDNet Fights and the Sunday concert series will probably stay. "Girls Gone Wild" and "Bikini Destinations" won't.

Consumer Movie Disc Rentals -11% In 2011 As Paid VOD Grows

Misc Wires

College Majors That Are Useless

Wiremania (Jan 19, 2011)

Hot Topic Wires

Obama administration rejects Keystone oil pipeline. Talk show hosts on Wednesday were infuriated over this decision. It was welcomed by environmental groups as well as private sector unions, yet still Obama said no to that.

Radio Insight: SOPA Will Cut Deeper Than Piracy. I’ll make this blunt, if SOPA/PIPA pass in their current form RadioInsight is dead.

Web 'Blackout' Weakens Support On Internet Piracy Bills

CS Monitor: SOPA and PIPA bills: old answers to 21st-century problems, critics say (+video). The SOPA and PIPA bills are an attempt by the music and movie industries to hold on to outdated business models, critics say. But finding compromise on anti-piracy laws could be tough.

SOPA blackout may be working. Widespread online protests appear to have convinced some sponsors of controversial copyright bills that the bills are no longer worth supporting.

Going dark means crazy day for anti-SOPA site owners

Mark Zuckerberg finally comes out against SOPA

Millions sign Google's anti-SOPA petition. Some 4.5 million signatories sign-on to Google's "End Piracy, Not Liberty" petition that was linked to its homepage today

SOPA/PIPA protests, live and online. Anyone surfing the Web on Wednesday probably noticed a lot of their favorite sites looked a little different. Wikipedia, Google, and Amazon, among others, all took steps to protest two antipiracy bills that Congress is considering. The bills are known as SOPA and PIPA. Internet companies say that if passed the bills would threaten the "openness" of the Web. CNET's Kara Tsuboi reports.

#SOPA sets Twitter aflame during blackout day. Social media has been buzzing about the Stop Online Piracy Act for days, but today, talk about the bill exploded on Twitter and elsewhere. Mentions were up by more than 3,300 percent.

SOPA copyright bill draws fire. The Stop Online Piracy Act is intended to target "rogue" Web sites, but critics say it'll knock the stuffing out of legitimate sites as well.

Huffington Post: Rupert Murdoch Attacks Google, Obama In Pro-SOPA Twitter Rant. Supporters of the legislation--including Murdoch's News Corp, which owns 20th Century Fox films and various successful TV shows--argue that the bills would help protect copyright.

Why We’ve Censored Wired.com

Black Wednesday: The day the Web went dark

Los Angeles Times: Silicon Valley, Hollywood at Odds Over Piracy Bills. As many as 10,000 websites reportedly went dark or limited their access on Wednesday in protest against online piracy bills that they say will limit their ability to operate. Why This Matters: Until this week, the entertainment industry thought it had the full support of Congress to pass new federal legislation cracking down on foreign websites that traffic in pirated video content and music. But then Silicon Valley struck back and thousands of websites, including Google, Wikipedia, Craigslist and countless others, went dark in protest, claiming the bills will limit their freedom of speech and some congressmen hailed their efforts.

Radio Wires

Radio Ink: On February 2 and 3, The Bob & Tom Show will broadcast live from Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. During the two-day remote, the Indy-based syndicated show will welcome special guests, comedians, celebrities and others, including comedian and Fox NFL Sunday Pregame Show contributor, Frank Caliendo.

TV Wires

Tennis Channel, Verizon FiOS Ace New Carriage Accord. Agreement Returns Channel To Telco's Systems During Australian Open Coverage

Tennis Channel Asks FCC to Force Comcast Compliance With ALJ Ruling. Network's Complaint Requests MSO Carry It At Same Service's Levels as Golf Channel, NBC Sports Network

Sports Wires

Darvish, Texas agree to $60M, 6-yr deadline deal

USA Today: CBS: Tim Tebow turns down invitation to be analyst Sunday

Biz Wires

AT&T hikes data prices, caps for smartphones

Tech Wires

Wi-Fi has become 'must-have' feature on entertainment devices

Comcast, TWC, AT&T To Join 'World IPv6 Launch 2012'. Event Hosted by Internet Society Aimed at Driving Transition to Next-Gen Internet Protocol

Consumer Wires

Experts Reveal: 15 Small Diet Changes for Big Weight Loss. Suggestions: drinking water with lemon, salads every day for lunch, drink fresh vegetable and fruit juice, eat almonds cashews and walnuts, add psyllium and flaxseed to your diet, eat protein in every meal, eat 1/3 cup max of pasta, swap hot mustard for mayo, ditch sugary drinks, and more.

The ‘Check Engine’ Light Should Be Banned. Jalopnik has started a petition urging the White House to require that automakers replace the “check engine” light with a display that tells you exactly what’s wrong.

Smart Planet: Fatty foods cause brain scarring, study shows.

Misc Wires

Never-Before-Seen Van Halen! ‘You Really Got Me’ Acoustic

ClearChannel, Chargers reach new deal (Jan 18, 2011)

The Chargers have agreed to a new three-year deal with ClearChannel to broadcast all of the team's games on radio.

The San Diego Chargers have agreed to a new three-year deal with ClearChannel to broadcast all of the team’s preseason, regular-season and postseason games on radio. The new contract runs through the 2014 season.

Chargers games will continue to be simulcast on KIOZ-Rock 105.3 FM and KLSD-XTRA Sports 1360 AM.

“We are happy to continue our partnership with ClearChannel for the next three years,” said Chargers Executive Vice President-CEO A.G. Spanos. “We’ve had a very good relationship with ClearChannel and the variety of stations they own in the San Diego market allows us to reach Chargers fans through a wide range of platforms and music genres. It’s a winning combination.”

“We’ve built a strong partnership with the San Diego Chargers over past seven years and look forward to bringing San Diegans the excitement of NFL football on KIOZ-FM and KLSD-AM for another three seasons,” said Debbie Wagner, Clear Channel San Diego President and Market Manager. “Whether supporting and promoting team rallies, interviewing players or covering pre-season activities, the partnership fostered between the San Diego Chargers and Clear Channel Radio San Diego extends to our entire cluster of stations, including World Class Rock 101.5 (KGB-FM), Channel 93.3 (KHTS-FM), Star 94.1 (KMYI-FM), News & Talk (95.7-FM / AM-600 KOGO).”

In addition to live play-by-play coverage of all Chargers games, both Rock 105.3 and XTRA Sports 1360 air locally produced shows prior to and following each game, while XTRA dedicates programming time year-round with the “Chargers Power Hour” airing weekdays from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Wiremania (Jan 18, 2011)

Radio Wires

Los Angeles Times: Looking to expand its foothold beyond the AM-FM dial, radio giant Clear Channel has tapped entertainment industry veteran John Sykes to lead a push into television, digital and live events

FMQB.com: Dwayne Taylor is named Director of Marketing & Digital Media for Broadcast Company of the America's three San Diego stations. Additionally, Jack Cronin takes the PD reins at Sports XEPRS-AM and XEPE-AM/San Diego.

Delilah Adds Los Angeles Market

sdradio.net: Josiah’s Dream Ride on Sunday; Clint August of KGB Leads Ride.

Inside Radio: LPFM supporters look for large market signals. It’s been one year since President Obama signed the Local Community Radio Act into law, allowing low-power FM to expand to third-adjacent channels. Those rules haven’t been finalized, but it’s the second-adjacent frequencies that could make the real difference for low-power supporters.

Sports Wires

ESPN is Bigger than Ever, and That Might NOT Be a Good Thing.

TV Wires

Lana Del Rey Bombs With “One Of The Worst Outings In SNL History”

Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA agree to merger plan.

Deadline.com: RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Alcatraz’ Off To Solid Start, Betty White Draws Crowd, CBS Tops

TV Technology: TV Antennas Thrive In a Down Economy. Some insiders in the video industry have praised the Terk HDTVa amplified VHF/UHF antenna for its performance. The WallTenna is a small, high-performance indoor flat antenna that can be hung on a wall or even stuck on a window. Snowdon Parlette, inventor of WallTenna, echoes some of these sentiments when explaining why sales are increasing. "Free, over-the-air signals are uncompressed and in most cases, higher quality than cable," he said.

Golden Globes Draw Nearly 17 Million Viewers. Ratings down a bit from last year's show.

Signs of Interest in OTA TV

Tech Wires

USA Today: Anxious parents worried about teens and distracted driving are tapping new technology to keep their young drivers from texting, surfing and even talking behind the wheel

USA Today: Pandora sees huge jump in audience

iPad 3 to get February intro, March release?

Windows 8 will not be kind to Intel this year, says analyst

McAfee software lets scammers hijack PCs to send spam

SOPA/PIPA strike is first of its kind

MPAA blasts 'dangerous' anti-SOPA blackouts as 'stunts'

Google to protest SOPA, alongside Wikipedia, Reddit, others

5 reasons why SOPA, PROTECT-IP and other legislative idiocy will never die

RAIN 1/17: Smartphone audio systems already pushing CD players out of cars

Radio Info: As consumers learn to love Spotify, artists are increasingly snubbing the streaming service.

More Re-Trans Fee Drama: DirecTV Loses Sunbeam Stations In Miami, Boston In Retrans Fight. Satellite Operator Claims WSVN Station Owner Asking for 300% Fee Hike

Newport, Verizon Reach Retrans Deal. Stations in Upstate, N.Y., Harrisburg, Pa. Back on FiOS Systems

Consumer Wires

Surprising Breakthroughs in Auto Technology

9 Things You Shouldn't Buy at Grocery Stores

Odd Facts About 7 Iconic Foods

How to Lose Weight All Day Long

Misc Wires

Sledding crow in Russia soars to Internet stardom

Countries consider time out on the 'leap second'

Kim Komando: Kim Komando's Cool Site of the Day - British website itvWILD pulls animal video clips from natural history documentaries and recent wildlife programs. It has years of amazing videos available to watch

Wiremania (Jan 17, 2011)

Radio Wires

Smooth jazz is coming to KOY, Phoenix (1230), evenings and overnights. That’s right – to AM.

Sports Wires

Los Angeles Times: FCC Reviewing Sports Blackout Rules.

CBS wants Tim Tebow to join its broadcast as a guest analyst for the AFC Championship game between New England and Baltimore.

Media Wires

Follow the Media: Mobile devices are the trendy thing. For consumers, smartphones and tablets are fashion statements. For content producers they are the must-have platform. Will some have egg on their faces?

Tech Wires

CES Report: Top Trends on Exhibit

Murdoch on MySpace: ‘We Screwed Up in Every Way Possible’

'Star Trek' door chime sounds like the future

Wikipedia to join Web blackout protesting SOPA

Consumer Wires

10 cars to trade-in now for maximum return

Yes, You Can Dump Your Bank

Red light citations spike before traffic cameras turn off

Eight is Enough Season 1 To Be Released on DVD (on April 17, 2012)

Eight is Enough Season 1
*****

More Information About This Product

The Heartwarming Classic Tv Series About A Tight-Knit Family With Eight Children Makes Its Highly-Anticipated Debut On Dvd

From Warner Home Video

DVD Features All Nine Season One Episodes in a Two-Disc Collector's Set

BURBANK, CA (January 10, 2012) - The Bradfords, one of television's best known and most loved families, are back for the first time to entertain viewers with their touching and memorable escapades on Warner Home Video's (WHV) DVD release of Eight Is Enough: The Complete First Season. Making its much-anticipated DVD debut on April 17, 2012, after long-standing requests from fans, Eight Is Enough is the top-rated classic television series that chronicles the lives of columnist Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten), his wife and their eight children. Eight Is Enough: The Complete First Season will be comprised of all nine episodes from the show's first season on two discs. The DVD set will retail for $24.98 SRP.

Eight Is Enough is the enormously successful series that focuses on the Bradford family, an endearing clan of eight children and their parents who reside in suburban Sacramento, California. Tom, the patriarch of the family, is a newspaper columnist for the Sacramento Register, and their mother, Joan (Diana Hyland), is a busy homemaker. Their large household, which is always run with a lot of love and humor, is the source of their endless sometimes comic, sometimes dramatic exploits.

The Bradford kids vary in ages and personalities. Each one couldn't be more different than the next. The youngest, Nicholas (Adam Rich), is an adorable and precocious eight-year-old. Tommy (Willie Aames) is a charming and handsome teenager with rock-star looks. Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth (Connie Needham) is a graceful beauty with enviable long locks. Next is Nancy (Dianne Kay), a sweet, sunny blonde. Susan (Susan Richardson) is the athletic one. Joanie (Laurie Walters) is an aspiring actress. Mary (Lani O'Grady), the oldest Bradford girl, is a pre-med student. Last but not least is heartthrob David (Grant Goodeve), the eldest of the kids, who no longer lives at home but is deeply entwined in the lives of his siblings.

Eight Is Enough premiered on ABC in 1977 and became an instant hit with viewers. The top-rated show was based on a book by the same title, written by Thomas Braden, a syndicated newspaper columnist who also had eight children. The series pilot, included in this release, featured Star Wars star Mark Hamill in the role of eldest brother David, with Kimberly Beck as Nancy and Chris English in the role of Tommy. Eight Is Enough aired for five successful seasons.

"Eight Is Enough resonated with so many viewers because it offered something for everyone. With such a wide-ranging cast, there was always at least one character for everyone to relate to," said Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. She added, "It was a show that shared a lot of humor but would also tackle some very serious subjects. It touched the hearts of viewers with its unforgettable storylines and talented actors. Family dynamics can be complicated, especially with eight kids, but no matter how chaotic things got in the Bradford household, this is the family so many of us wish we had grown up in. Eight Is Enough: The Complete First Season is a must-have for anyone who appreciates great TV."

DVD Bonus Material:

Cast Reunion Special

About Warner Home Video:
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

Wiremania (Jan 14, 2011)

ALERTS

ID thieves masquerading as Facebook security team. The latest bit of skullduggery involves using ascii characters to impersonate Facebook¦s security team and steal credit card data from users of the social network.

Radio Wires

Clear Channel: Clear Channel Radio has changed its name to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to better reflect the evolution of its business. As part of the ongoing digital and multimedia makeover of the company, Clear Channel Radio is erasing the word (radioö from its masthead. It will now be known as Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. The company says the core business will remain its 850 radio stations, but the rebranding signals its continued expansion into new areas such as digital, satellite, dashboards and live events.

PR Newswire: The late radio-TV personality Bob Crane, who also portrayed Colonel Robert E. Hogan in the television series Hogan's Heroes, has been nominated posthumously for induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame for his extensive work in broadcasting. Crane's nomination is endorsed by WICC-600 AM radio in Bridgeport, CT, the Connecticut Broadcasting History organization and several of his radio colleague

TV Wires

New York Post: The days of the cigar-chomping network TV titan are long gone - but are still fresh in Hugh Downs¦ memory. Downs, who co-anchored NBC¦s (Today~ show for nearly 10 years (1962-71), can still recall the time he received a personal phone call from NBC¦s fearsome founder, (General~ David Sarnoff

Letterman Close to Extending His Deal With CBS (Report). Letterman's current contract ends in August and if he does not reup, he could leave as soon as May, following the end of the current season. Discussions are underway for a two-year renewal through 2014. Talks are also taking place to extend the run of Craig Ferguson as Late Late Show host. Why This Matters: In late-night, viewership is almost all about the host. Letterman and NBCÝs Tonight Show have virtually the same demo ratings. Advertisers and their media agencies want competition to play each talk show against the other in ad buy negotiations, so keeping Letterman on the air is good ad business. Plus, no clear successor plans for icon LettermanúFergusonÝs show lost 11% of its audience in fourth quarter and is in third place among late, late talkers.

Daytime dilemma: What's after soaps? Today ABC's "One Life to Live" becomes the fourth soap opera in three years to leave the air, and ABC's lone remaining soap, "General Hospital," is rumored to be on the way out as well to make room for Katie Couric's upcoming daytime talk show. If "GH" ends its run, there would be just three soaps with two on CBS and one on NBC. ABC, the network that once boasted four and a half hours of soaps in 1983-84, would then have zero.

Ratings: Good Week for B&B

Analyst Forecasts Continued Home Entertainment Revenue Declines. Nomura analyst Michael Nathanson on Friday predicted that U.S. home entertainment revenue will drop at a compound annual rate of 5.4 percent over the next three years despite recent data that suggests a slowing decline. ?

Sports Media Wires

John Maffei TV/Radio Sports: Local stories galore this NFL weekend.

CNBC and Business Insider: Pandora is pretty much a mobile company, says CEO Joe Kennedy. So it's only logical that the next big step for Pandora will be car integration.

Joe Namath¦s NFL Blog: The Divisional Playoff Round

Business Wires

Wii sales nosedive

Best Cars for the Money Awards 2012

Tech Wires

The Latest in TV Technology

CES 2012: Digital camera makers struggle to keep pace

Russian Mars Probe to Crash Soon, With World Watching

The unstoppable advent of the connected car

The great 2012 disk shortage

CES 2012: The five biggest surprises thus far

Consumer Wires

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer

A Perfect Day for Weight Loss. Excerpt: 7:30am, Exercise for 11 Minutes. Believe it or not, an 11-minute workout can help you burn more fat all day long, say researchers from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. In the study, people who lifted weights for that duration three times a week increased their metabolic rate even as they slept. "The process of breaking down and repairing your muscles increases your metabolism," says study author Erik Kirk, Ph.D. What's more, the participants were able to fit their workouts into their schedules 96 percent of the time. Read the rest at the link.

Top 15 Healthy, Trendy Foods for 2012

The #1 Scam That Makes You Fat

Men's Health: BellyOFF! 2012!

Misc Wires

Manhattanhenge. Who needs Stonehenge? New York has its own version of the ancient temple -- the canyons between skyscrapers that create a solar phenomenon called "Manhattanhenge" four times a year.

Rare White Penguin Spotted in Antarctica

Pixel Challenge 2

World's Prettiest Hotel Pools

Around the world in 6,237 pictures

Wiremania (Jan 13, 2011)

Radio Wires

Tom Taylor radio-info.com: Suddenly, Clear Channel co-owner Bain Capital is in the middle of the GOP campaign. Bain, the private equity firm co-founded by Mitt Romney, was also part of the private Cumulus Media Partners, until the public Cumulus Media Inc. bought out its interest. Nobody¦s mentioned Clear Channel yet in the debate over Bain Capital¦s role in the American economy. (After all, Bain¦s been involved in a hundred or more deals.) But one TRI reader says (it was a little weird watching Sean Hannity defend Bain Capital in a discussion of free market capitalism v when I know that Bain has an interest in Hannity¦s syndication company.~ That¦s Clear Channel-owned Premiere. It¦s going to be a strange year.

(Diversity channels~ hit the Sirius XM lineup today. Two from National Latino Broadcasting, with one built around Cristina Saralegui, sometimes called (The Spanish Oprah~, and the other a Spanish music channel named (24/7 En Vivo.~ The May 17, 2011 TRI said (If National Latino Broadcasting was a relative unknown to the general-market broadcasting industry when it was selected to lease two Ýdiversity channels¦ from Sirius XM last month, it just upped its profile~ with the recruitment of Cristina. She¦s been a superstar for both Univision and Telemundo. The new (Cristina Radio~ occupies Sirius XM Channel 146. There¦s also a new Korean Channel, while the current folk-music (Village~ music channel is bumped off the roster to go online-only. The Sirius XM Discussion Board of Radio-Info.com takes notice of the changes.

KYSR (98-7fm)/L.A. Adds Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx

All Access: KTLK Adds David Cruz For Afternoons.

All Access: BCA Names Jack Cronin XEPRS, XEPE PD; Dwayne Taylor Dir./Digital Media Marketing

All Access: KYSR Slots Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx Weeknights.

All Access: KCSN Adds Terri Nunn, Mark Sovel, And Passport Approved With Sat Bisla To Weekend Lineup.

Sports Wires

News Corp.'s Fox Joins Battle to Buy Dodgers

Television Blackout Rule for Pro Sports Events Faces FCC Review

PGA Tour players like playing at Augusta National

TV Wires

CBS negotiating Letterman, Ferguson contracts, would give Letterman logevity record

High on the endangered list: 'CSI: NY'

TV Land Renews ÝHot In Cleveland¦, Picks Up Cedric The Entertainer Spinoff To Series

Could Failed Network Shows Have Had Longer Runs And Lasting Love On Cable?

TiVo: Recorded & Internet TV Exceeding Live TV Viewing

CES: Hulu Plus Subs Hit 1.2 Million in 2011. News Corp.'s chief digital officer expects them to grow by "a multiple" in 2012

Tech Wires

Best of CES Awards 2012: Best of Show

Business Insider: Music service Pandora is pretty much a mobile company, says CEO Joe Kennedy. So it's only logical that the next big step for Pandora will be car integration

The Guardian: BBC's head of audio Tim Davie says radio must offer more visual screen-based content and says radio needs to establish itself on smartphones and tablets to attract the young.

Ten little things to secure your online presence

Coolest new design concepts at CES. Among the standouts are new takes on the tablet and a space-age telephoto lens.

Biz Wires

5 hits, misses at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

Consumer Wires

The Best and Worst Fast Food Meal Choices

Misc Wires

Actress Heather Locklear in hospital after 911 call

Sports on TV (Jan 15, 2011)

All times Eastern. Programs live unless noted. Check local listings.

Friday, Jan. 13

Boxing: Teon Kennedy vs. Chris Martin, junior featherweights, in Las Vegas, ESPN2, 9

College men's hockey: Minnesota-Duluth at Nebraska-Omaha, NBCSN, 7:30

College men's basketball: Cleveland State at Butler, ESPNU, 7; Loyola (Md.) at Fairfield, ESPNU, 9

Golf:PGA European Tour, Joburg Open, second round, in Johannesburg, Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same-day tape); PGA Tour, Sony Open, second round, in Honolulu, Golf Channel, 7

Motor sports:Dakar Rally, Arequipa to Nasca, Peru, NBCSN, 1:30 a.m. (delayed tape)

NBA: Chicago at Boston, ESPN, 8; Miami at Denver, ESPN, 10:30

NHL: Tampa Bay at Washington, NHL Network, 7

Saturday, Jan. 14

College men's basketball: Connecticut at Notre Dame, ESPN2, 11 a.m.; Kentucky at Tennessee, ESPN, noon; St. Bonaventure at Xavier, ESPNU, noon; Texas at Missouri, ESPN2, 1; North Carolina at Florida State, ESPN, 2; Pittsburgh at Marquette, ESPNU, 2; Alabama-Birmingham at Southern Mississippi, Fox Sports Net, 2; Oklahoma State at Baylor, ESPN2, 3; Oregon at Arizona, CBS, 3:30; Ohio at Akron, ESPNU, 4; Colorado at Stanford, Fox Sports Net, 4; UNLV at San Diego State, NBCSN, 4; Tennessee Tech at Murray State, ESPNU, 6; Santa Clara at Brigham Young, ESPNU, 8College women's basketball: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Fox Sports Net, noon

Golf:PGA European Tour, Joburg Open, third round, Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same-day tape); PGA Tour, Sony Open, third round, Golf Channel, 7

Motor sports: AMA Supercross, in Phoenix, Speed, 9:30; Dakar Rally, Nasca to Pisco, Peru, NBCSN, 1:30 a.m. (delayed tape)

Mixed martial arts: UFC 142, Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes, in Rio de Janeiro, pay-per-view, 10

NBA: Toronto at Chicago, WGN, 8; Los Angles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers, NBATV, 10:30

NFL:NFC divisional playoffs, New Orleans at San Francisco, Fox, 4:30; AFC divisional playoffs, Denver at New England, CBS, 8

NHL: Chicago at Detroit, NBC, 12:30; Colorado at Dallas, NHL Network, 3; New York Rangers at Toronto, NHL Network, 7

Running: Trials, in Houston, same-day tape, NBC, 3

Sunday, Jan. 15

College men's basketball: Indiana at Ohio State, CBS, 4:30; Duke at Clemson, ESPNU, 6; Washington State at Washington, Fox Sports Net, 7; Wichita State at Indiana State, ESPNU, 8; UCLA at Southern California, Fox Sports Net, 9College women's basketball: Syracuse at Georgetown, ESPNU, noon; Kansas at Missouri, Fox Sports Net, 12:30; Temple at Dayton, ESPN2, 2; Baylor at Texas, Fox Sports Net, 2:30; Miami (Fla.) at Florida State, ESPNU, 3:30; Ohio State at Michigan State, ESPN2, 4; California at Utah, Fox Sports Net, 4:30

Golf:PGA European Tour, Joburg Open, final round, Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same-day tape); PGA Tour, Sony Open, final round, Golf Channel, 7

Motor sports: Dakar Rally, final stage, Pisco to Lima, Peru, NBCSN, 1:30 a.m. (delayed tape)

NBA: Phoenix at San Antonio, ESPN, 9

NFL: AFC divisional playoffs, Houston at Baltimore, CBS, 1; NFC divisional playoffs, New York Giants at Green Bay, Fox, 4:30

NHL: New York Rangers at Montreal, NBCSN, 7

Prep basketball: Friends Central (Pa.) vs. St. Mark's (Mass.) in Springfield, Mass, ESPNU, 2 Brewster (N.H.) vs. Tilton School (N.H.), in Springfield, Mass., ESPN, 4

Tennis: Australian Open, first round, in Melbourne, ESPN2, 6:30 and 3 a.m.

Wiremania (Jan 12, 2011)

Radio Wires

Tom Taylor of radio-info.com: Supreme Court hears oral arguments on broadcast indecency - and it's not encouraging. Not encouraging, that is, if you're a broadcaster who feels the 1978 Pacifica decision is way out of date. But Justice Antonin Scalia uses the airwaves-belong-to-the-public rationale and says "government can insist on a certain modicum of decency" from licensees. Chief Justice John Roberts (per the L.A. Times ) says "all we are asking for is a few channels" where parents can trust that kids won't hear profanity or see sexual material. (Roberts has two young children.) Even Justice Elena Kagan seems to be of two minds. When broadcasters bring up the fact that the FCC didn't sanction ABC TV stations for airing "Saving Private Ryan", she said "it seems no one can use dirty words, except Steven Spielberg." Then she says "it seems to be a good thing to have a safe haven" during television's prime time hours. The appeal being heard by the court is brought by ABC owner Disney and Fox owner News Corp., after they were tagged for "fleeting expletives." The Pacifica decision rested heavily on "scarcity of spectrum." That's not an argument that you can make very easily today, given cable/satellite TV and the Internet. So will this Supreme Court find a new reason to sustain the "George Carlin rule"?

Los Angeles Times: Fox lawyer says radio, TV should have different indecency rules.

Market Watch: Press release: HD Radio(TM) Technology Continues Momentum with Additional Automakers Committed, More Vehicles and Increased Standardization--Now 22 Brands Across 109 Vehicle Models --More Exciting Content, iTunesr Tagging, Artist Experience, Digital Sound Quality, Traffic Data and Value of HD Radio Digital Pipeline Driving Widespread Adoption

Forbes: We're all aging, including SiriusXM's premier talent Howard Stern. Will radio audiences continue to find it entertaining as a male 60-something radio star interviews 20-something strippers, porn stars and hookers? What's the expiration date on that?

Sacramento Bee: TuneIn Radio app will offer drivers more than 50,000 AM, FM, HD and Internet radio stations featuring music, sports and news from around the world.

Sports Wires

The 2012 MLB Season will open April 4th on ESPN. ESPN will begin its 23rd Major League Baseball season with a telecast of last year's World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals at the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, April 4, at 4 p.m. PT. The telecast will mark the start of the 2012 MLB regular season and the grand opening of Marlins Park, the new home of the Miami Marlins. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise five games over the first three days of the season. On Thursday April 5, ESPN2 has the Boston Red Sox at the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers at 10am. Then, the Marlins visit the Cincinnatti Reds at 1pm. On Fruday April 6, ESPN 2 has the San Francisco Giants at the NL West Champion Arizona Diamondbacks at 4pm, followed by the Kansas City Royals at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at 7pm. The Angels will feature the AL debut of Albert Pujols.

Was Tim Tebow's game-winning touchdown illegal?

ESPN's Jim Rome Moving to CBS Sports. CBS has snagged long-time ESPN host Jim Rome, who will now host a new half-hour daily series to air on CBS Sports Network and help create a show for Showtime as well. Why This Matters: Rome had been with ESPN for the last eight years and was best known for hosting Rome is Burning . At CBS, he'll contribute to CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL, NCAA basketball, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, among others. He'll also do a show on Showtime, details of which haven't yet been revealed. Showtime has been beefing up its sports lineup and Rome's defection gives the network an opportunity to expand its sports empire across multiple platforms.

ESPN Scores Cable's Second-Largest Audience Ever as 24.2 Million Watch Alabama-LSU

Dodgers settle with Fox, ending battle over TV rights sale. The Dodgers and Fox Sports ended their legal hostilities late Tuesday night, with the team agreeing to abandon its proposed sale of television rights and Fox agreeing to withdraw its objection to the settlement between Major League Baseball and outgoing owner Frank McCourt. Why This Matters: It means McCourt can proceed to meet an April 30 deadline to sell the Los Angeles baseball team and command a higher sale price by being able to market its TV rights now vs. after the sale. As part of the settlement, the Dodgers agreed to honor the existing Fox contract, which expires after the 2013 season. That leaves a new owner free to launch his own Dodgers cable channel starting in 2014, or leverage that threat into a bidding war between Fox and Time Warner Cable.

TV Wires

Four "One Life to Live" Characters Moving to "General Hospital". Four actors from canceled soap One Life to Live are set to reprise their roles and join ABC's General Hospital for a unique arc. Kassie DePaiva, Roger Howarth, Michael Easton and Kristen Alderson will return as their One Life to Live alter-egos when production begins later this month in January.

Can You Predict The Price Is Right Wheel?

How HD is the New BluRay Star Trek: The Next Generation? As a Star Trek fan from the very beginning, I love watching all the old series. We just got our first HD TV and Blu-ray player last month, so I was thrilled to hear that CBS Home Entertainment will be releasing Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray. According to their press release, bringing the 1987 series to Blu-ray involved coming up with a process to create true 1080p HD masters with true HD visual effects.

Microsoft scuttles plans for TV subscription service over high fees

Time Warner Cable Launches HBO, Max Go

TV-Tuning Phones To Hit With MetroPCS-Dyle Deal

Tech Wires

Tech gets personal at CES

The 12 Best, Quirkiest CES Gadgets We've Seen So Far

Scam: Switch to Black Red Pink Facebook (Limited Time!)

Facebook hoax: this child's got a cancer.

Symantec accused of using 'scareware' tactics to sell full-version products

Biz Wires

Twinkies maker Hostess seeks bankruptcy protection

GM may put brakes on Volt electric vehicle production (WSJ report)

Misc Wires

Bad Couponing: 9 Tips to Avoid It

Monster Galaxy Cluster 'El Gordo' Packs Mass of 2 Quadrillion Suns

Wiremania (Jan 11, 2011)

Radio Wires

Clear Channel: Clear Channel Radio has an affiliate program for iHeartRadio, the Company's free digital radio service. The Developer Program will enable third parties and developers to easily integrate iHeartRadio's unique content and services into their own products, web pages and applications

Radio-info: Disney's all-sports "710 ESPN" KSPN in Los Angeles drops its HD Radio transmission, and has begun using the recently-approved power-saving MDCL (Modulation-Dependent Carrier Level) technology. That news was reported by Radio World , and amplified by the CGC Communicator. That's the southern California engineering newsletter written by Robert Gonsett. He says Disney pulling its AM IBOC (in-band on-channel) system out of the audio chain is good news for "the listeners of adjacent channel stations who will no longer receive HD splatter." KSPN runs 50,000 watts daytime and 10,000 watts at night. The FCC is allowing AM operators to request a waiver to use the MDCL technology that's already in widespread use in Europe.

TV Wires

ABC Exec Addresses Future of General Hospital

Vizio to ship ultra-wide-screen TVs by February. The company's CinemaWide models, dubbed the XVT3D0CM series, offer three screen sizes (50, 58, and 71 inches) that have an aspect ratio of 21:9, which in person is noticeably wider than the normal 16:9 rectangle shape used by typical HDTVs.

C-Net.com: Dish aims high with new Hopper DVR allowing recording of every show during prime-time hours from the four major networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox) for eight days and high-speed satellite broadband service with downloads of up to 12 Mbps and uploads of up to 3 Mbps speed.

Justin Timberlake Launches Myspace TV

TCA: Disney Junior Network to Launch March 23. New 24-Hour Preschool Channel Set to Replace SOAPnet.

Sports Media Wires

Even ESPN experienced trouble focusing during the BCS title game

CES: NBC To Deliver 2012 Olympics In 3D With Panasonic. First Time Summer Games Will Be Available in Stereoscopic Format.

Biz Wires

Detroit Auto Show 2012: Acura NSX reborn in America as a hybrid

Detroit Auto Show 2012: Luxury cars come back with a vengeance

Tech Wires

How using an iPhone 4S can kill your entire network (true story)

San Diego Radio News Unofficially Morphs Into Just SDN (Jan 10, 2011)

When HBO, CNN, ESPN, and all of the other cable networks first started out, each of the letters stood for something. Today, few people outside of the media industury care anymore.

When this blog first started on the now-defunct Geocities website in 1999 as Dave's Radio Waves, we just covered commentaries and observations about the San Diego radio news industry from an outside point of view. It also touched on television a bit.

When this blog started in 1999, we had Don Barrett's LA Radio website, John Fox's Fox Trots weekly web blog, Gary Lycan and Richard Wagoner covering Los Angeles radio news in print, Randy Dotinga doing his San Diego radio commentaries in print, and a few other websites covering some degree of radio industry news for the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. There was also All Access, CGC Communicator, Radio and Records, and others.

Today, we still have radiodailynews.com and allaccess.com, plus the CGC Communicator covering radio engineering news and notes, plus new websites that came in since then such as fmqb.com, radioink.com, sdradio.net run by Chris Carmichael, and radioinsight.com among others. John Fox has moved on, Don Barrett is in semi-retirement still updating his laradio.com website every now and then weeks after "retiring" in September of last year, Radio and Records folded into Billboard Biz in 2009, and others. We also got new upstarts like Kurt Hanson, Inside Radio, and others.

Back in 1999, we used to cover the world of funny music and comedy plus the Dr. Demento radio show. Nowadays, funny has been relegated to just visual entertainment such as movies, videos, and DVD releases, while funny audio recordings outside of "Weird Al" have disappearred into oblivion for today's generations. We no longer cover the world of funny music because of this.

As time marched on, Dave's Radio Waves changed names and locations into the present San Diego Radio News at sandiegoradionews.com (since 2003), and since last year, we decided that since radio industry news about San Diego and Los Angeles alone wasn't getting much reader interest, we decided to expand our hand-picked news links into covering other topics of interest. SDN has in a sense morphed into just SDN or SDRN as some readers prefer, but San Diego Radio News has unofficially morphed into more than just covering radio industury topics, as people are interested in media, especially sports media that is full of competetive drama within itself, and there are many websites covering various top stories about it each week.

SDN covers links to some tech news, television as an industry, consumer news, and other news we find interesting to note.

sandiegoradionews.com is still the home of just plain SDN. We still do radio industry links as well as commentaries and views, but now, the links cover more topics than it did before.

We want to thank our readers who stuck with what is now just plain SDN since 1999. Radio is still #1 as a topic, but if you want to contribute radio articles and links, even commentaries and thoughts for publication, feel free to use the "CONTACT" or "E-Mail" link. If you got some links about the cable industry carriage dispute dramas, automotive, sports media news, television industry, and more, send in those links. We also do hand-picked news from cnet, zdnet, wired, yahoo, and more.

For live news updates, check out our other subsite, Dave's Wires at http://news.davesfunstuff.com/.

We're not goint to change our name or website URL to confuse readers. We're still going to use sandiegoreadionews.com, and our name will remain SDN.

Wiremania (Jan 10, 2011)

ALERTS

Zeus returns: FBI warns of 'Gameover' ID-theft malware. Summary: The newest strain of the notorious Zeus malware family is capable of defeating common methods of user authentication employed by financial institutions. From the FBI warning: The malware is appropriately called "Gameover" because once it's on your computer, it can steal usernames and passwords and defeat common methods of user authentication employed by financial institutions. And once the crooks get into your bank account, it's definitely "game over." Gameover is a newer variant of the Zeus malware, which was created several years ago and specifically targeted banking information.

Radio Wires

Reuters: SiriusXM Radio ended 2011 with nearly 21.9 million subscribers.

Inside Radio: ESPN Radio Goes Live on Slacker.

BlackBerry Turns on FM. In a breakthrough for the radio industry, Research In Motion will add FM radio capability to two BlackBerry models already in the hands of consumers. In an announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, RIM says with the download of a new application, people who own a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphone will now be able to tune to local FM stations.

Tom Taylor of radio-info: AFTRA announcers would get a raise under the tentative renewal of the "Sound Recordings Code." The old deal expired ten days ago and the new one would run through December 31, 2014. The National Administration Committee of AFTRA is recommending membership approval of the contract terms, and votes are due back by January 31. Among the specifics - AFTRA says it "achieved an increase in base rates [2% annual increases), as well as the key objective of increasing employer contributions to the AFTRA Health and Retirement Funds." The Sound Recordings Code covers "session singers, royalty artists, announcers, actors, comedians, narrators and sound effects artists who work on recording in all new and traditional media, and all music formats." It also covers audio books. AFTRA has other contracts that cover other kinds of jobs.

Radio World Online: KSPN Is Running MDCL in L.A. KSPN no longer runs AM IBOC and runs full 125% positive peak, full NRSC modulation.

Register-Herald: Legislator's bill would make certain copper thefts a felony. Law would target thieves who disrupt communications .

Radio World Online: Proponents Push for FM HD Asymmetric Power. Public comments filed at the FCC overwhelmingly support the notion of routinely allowing FM stations transmitting an HD Radio signal to raise their power levels unevenly. Right now, those stations need a waiver from FCC rules to operate with asymmetric, rather than symmetric, digital sideband power levels.

Sports Media Wires

Moorad group to finalize purchase of Padres. Excerpt: MLB sources have indicated that the delay in approval of the Padres' local television rights deal with Fox Sports was tied to the transition in ownership; that it was unlikely to move forward until Moorad had replaced Moores as the franchise's "control" person.

New Jersey News Room: Your cable TV bill will be rising in 2012 and beyond and there is a simple reason for that. Sports programming is about to become more expensive. The local hikes will come shortly after the Madison Square Garden Network is back on Time Warner cable systems when the two sides reach a more expensive agreement for consumers. The hikes nationally will arrival when ESPN and other cable TV sports carriers renegotiate carriage deals. Regardless cable TV prices will be escalating. Read more at the link.

Variety: Colleges reduce cost of sportscasts. People have traditionally been able to "ooh" and "aah" at big-money sports contracts and TV rights deals with cool detachment, as if the salaries paid star point guards or fees extended to football owners were bits of gee-whiz accounting, otherwise divorced from reality. Moving forward, though, consumers and a mostly docile sports media contemplating those mind-boggling figures will have to start to realize the shit is going to start hitting the fans -- and even more so, the non-fans. Read more at the link.

Sports Media Wires: Charles Barkley Draws Mixed Reviews for His Latest SNL Hosting Job.

Sports Business Daily: MLB to Make TV, Timing Decisions on New Playoff Games.

Hollywood Reporter: TV Ratings: Tim Tebow's Wild Card Victory Drives CBS, 'The Firm' Falls Flat The AFC Wild Card game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers tops Sunday, while ABC's "Once Upon a Time" rebounds in its return.

Advertising Age: More Marketers Going Long With Super Bowl Spots. This Year, Viewers Can Expect to See Fewer Short Jokes and More Epic Ads in the Mold of Chrysler.

NBA Still Has Game With Viewers. Any concerns about whether basketball fans would embrace the NBA after the lockout were dunked recently as the league's cable media partners reported stellar viewership returns for the first week of the league's truncated regular season.

Tom Taylor of radio-info: Jim Rome is splitting from his longtime TV partner ESPN for the new CBS Sports Network, says the Big Lead Sports site . ESPN offered him a multi-year renewal, but instead he'll take advantage of the ground-up opportunities at CBS, which will be the new home of his "Rome Is Burning" afternoon TV show. That doesn't affect Jim's radio syndication with Premiere. ESPN book author James Andrew Miller tweets an amazing statistic - that Rome's radio show revenue is $30 million. The National TV Board of Radio-Info.com is talking about all the angles (like, did NBC make a run at Rome for its new NBC Sports cable network?)

Cumulus already broadcasts Atlanta Braves baseball games in Surround Sound. Now they'll use the DTS Neural Surround technology for the NFL Kansas City Chiefs. Cumulus says that will be "football's first surround sound broadcast delivery across radio." Senior VP of Engineering and IT Gary Kline says they'll be "enveloping listeners with the sounds of the action and the stadium, giving them the best seats in the house." The DTS Neural Surround equipment is built by licensee DaySequerra, offering 5.1 surround sound on FM stereo. iBiquity senior VP Joe D'Angelo says "the combination of the DTS system and HD Radio technology provides crystal clear digital audio." The Chiefs Radio Network has more than 50 affiliates. The Cumulus-owned flagship is classic rock "101 the Fox" KCFX.

TV Wires

CBS News Launches Yet-Another Morning News Show. Commentary. NBC had it right 60 years ago with Today. CBS is back to day 1 once again.

In 2013, Fox Will Approach Network Animation As Digital-First

Los Angeles Times: Fox Will Now Try to Sell Late-Night Animation Block on Saturdays Fox will try to compete with NBC's Saturday Night Live through edgy adult animated shows similar to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" block and has hired Nick Weidenfeld, former head of development for Swim, to help build the Fox block. Fox will also launch a digital channel to showcase new animated shows it will develop. Why This Matters: Media agencies love a good fight, which gives them leverage when negotiating ad deals for clients. In this corner: SNL , perennially leader in both viewers and ad dollars. In the far corner: Fox, with previous failed attempts in the period with sketch comedy show Mad TV and talk shows hosted by Spike Feresten and Wanda Sykes. The block is also another outlet for advertisers to target hard-to-reach young men-if they're home.

Multichannel News: Dish To Launch Trio of New Univision Networks. Sports, News, Novela Services To Bow In First Half as Part of Broad Distribution Pact. Univision has signed its first affiliate deal for its trio of telenovela, sports and news channels, as part of far-reaching distribution pact with Dish Network. The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, calls for Dish to launch Univision Deportes, Univision tlnovelas and Univision Noticias, during the first half of 2012. The No. 2 DBS provider will also offer exclusive access to Deportes Dos, a second sports network.

DSL Reports: Deloitte: 1 Out of 5 Have (or Will) Cut The TV Cord. 9% Say They Already Have, 11% Say They Will Soon

Forbes Magazine: Accenture Survey Finds Traditional TV Viewing Is Collapsing.

Broadcasting and Cable: Five Key Issues That Will Shape the TV Business for Programmers, Distributors and Investors in 2012. As 2012 gets underway, the TV industry faces situations that can alter its economic foundation. Here's a rundown of some of the more pressing concerns.

Broadcasting and Cable: Primetime Ratings: 'The Firm' Has NBC's Lowest In-Season Drama Debut. NFL overrun helps CBS dominate Sunday.

Steve Martin on Twitter's similarity to television/

Tech Wires

802.11ac: Gigabit Wi-Fi Devices will be shipping in 2012

AT&T shows off new Windows Phones

iPhone Celebrates 5th Birthday - How Has it Changed?

Tablets, TVs and Ultrabooks: CES Day Zero Wrap-Up

CES 2012 Highlights: LG's Cinema Screen TVs get real thin, feature-packed

CES 2012 preview: What's ahead in TVs?

New York Times: The Consumer Electronics Show opens tomorrow - Tuesday and is unlikely to be where any blockbuster products of 2012 are introduced. Many of the hottest new gadgets in recent years - including Apple's iPad and iPhone, Microsoft's Kinect and Amazon's Kindle Fire - were first announced at other events, even though C.E.S. remains the world's biggest consumer technology convention

CES 2012: Motorola debuts Droid 4; road warrior's delight

ZD Net: Internet access isn't a human right, says Google VP.

Microsoft at CES 2012: Nothing to see here? Is CES Losing Its Clout? The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has long been the launchpad for some of the industry's biggest and most pivotal technological advances including the camcorder, the Xbox and videocassette recorder. But some of the hottest new gadgets in recent years - Micosoft's Kinect, Amazon's Kindle and just about every Apple product, among a few - have been introduced away from the glare and gluttony of the convention lights. Some industry pundits are beginning to wonder whether the bloom is off the rose for this mega-show that annually attracts hundreds-of-thousands of techies, consumers, Hollywood types, cable execs and regulators. Why This Matters: Apple has not exhibited at CES for years and Microsoft announced this will the last year it actively participates in the annual confab. Still, some 2,700 exhibitors are showing their wares and services at this year's show that is expected to attract over 140,000 people.

Multichannel News: Big (Cable) Tech Trends for 2012. And here we are again at the last issue of the year. This week, we'll go more "things in motion stay in motion" than "history is a great teacher," with a forecast of five big tech trends for `12.

Biz Wires

Detroit Auto Show 2012: Ford pushes the 2013 Fusion to 100 mpg

Primetime Shows With the Most Product Placement in 2011

Misc Wires

'Extinct' Galapagos Tortoise Reappears

SDN Updates (Jan 4, 2011)

The 91X Top 91 of 2011 List (Jan 4)

The Dave's Fun Stuff Radio Top 100 of 2011 List (Jan 4)

The San Diego Radio/TV Snapshot of 2012 is published. Read the entire list here:
San Diego Radio/TV Snapshot 2012 (Jan 2)

The rtdb (Radio TV Database) is located at http://rtdb.davesfunstuff.com/

Mutterings (Jan 1, 2012)

The State of San Diego Radio Address 2012. Read it now!
15th Annual State of San Diego Radio Address (Jan 1, 2012)

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