June 11, 2008

Solid Upfronts for Broadcast Nets

Broadcast matches last year's upfront sales and more news.

By Steve Goldstein

News Briefing for Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The broadcast networks exceeded expectations for this year’s upfront advertising market, matching last year’s numbers, the New York Times reports. [New York Times]

ABC News is changing the format of its “World News” Web show, an online counterpart to Charles Gibson’s news report on the broadcast network, the Wall Street Journal reports. The news divisions at the broadcast networks have been unable to attract large numbers of online viewers for their Web news shows. Older viewers of the broadcast news shows aren’t moving to the Web, and younger Web users are turned off by authoritative news anchors and by hard news in general. [Wall Street Journal]

Fox News Channel’s 5 p.m. news hour will feature a rotating series of hosts. [New York Times]

HBO bought a stake in Will Ferrell’s comedy website FunnyorDie.com. [Variety]

Ars Technica deconstructs NCTA chief Kyle McSlarrow’s recent speech about cable regulation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. [Ars Technica]

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