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Bill Carter
TV Casting May Feel an Obama Effect
Submitted by Benton Foundation on December 1, 2008 - 8:40amLast updated: December 1, 2008 - 8:40am
It may say something about the state of American television that there is one more black president-elect of the United States than there are black actors with individual lead roles in a network television drama.
2 Fox and NBC Stations to Pool Video News Gathering
Submitted by Benton Foundation on November 14, 2008 - 8:30amLast updated: November 14, 2008 - 8:30am
In a move intended to save money in the economically pressed business of local television news, two stations in Philadelphia owned by NBC and Fox are combining some of their video operations with a plan to provide the service to all the stations owned by each company.
Palin Effect on Ratings Only Modest for CBS
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 1, 2008 - 7:22amLast updated: October 1, 2008 - 7:23am
Katie Couric's newsmaking interviews with the Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, last week had only a slight impact on the ratings for her CBS newscast. But if the network could have added up all the other viewers the interviews (and its spoof) racked up, on places like CNN, YouTube and "Saturday Night Live," Couric would surely have been more seen and talked about than in any week since she began her tenure as anchor.
Reticence of Mainstream Media Becomes a Story Itself
Submitted by Benton Foundation on August 10, 2008 - 9:37pmLast updated: August 11, 2008 - 7:52am
For almost 10 months, the story of John Edwards's affair remained the nearly exclusive province of the National Enquirer — through reports, denials, news of a pregnancy, questions about paternity and, finally, a slapstick chase through a hotel in Beverly Hills.
Want Obama in a Punch Line? First, Find a Joke
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 15, 2008 - 7:28amLast updated: July 15, 2008 - 7:28am
Note to all you media funny guys: Barack Obama is not funny. There is no comedic "take" on him, nothing easy to turn to for an easy laugh, like allegations of Bill Clinton's womanizing, or President Bush's goofy bumbling or Al Gore's robotic persona.
Behind in the Ratings, CBS News Hopes for Help From a Debate
Submitted by Benton Foundation on March 26, 2008 - 10:15amLast updated: March 26, 2008 - 8:16pm
It is an axiom of political debates that lagging competitors always want them more than front-runners. CBS News, which lags well behind its competitors in most areas of television news, wants a debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the worst way.
NBC Wants Its Old Favorite Night Back
Submitted by Benton Foundation on October 20, 2005 - 9:01amLast updated: April 15, 2008 - 12:27pm
The significance of winning Thursday night is all about money. It is, by far, the biggest night for television advertising because many advertisers who need to do big weekend business - starting with movie companies, but also including car companies and fast food restaurants - will pay a premium to reach viewers on Thursday night, the last big night of television before the weekend starts.
