Category: Television

Andrew Puzder: Carla s Jr. Racy Ads Saved the Company

In an exclusive interview with Neil Cavuto on the FOX Business Network , CKE Restaurants CEO Andrew Puzder said the suggestive ad campaigns starring female celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum saved the company. CKE’s franchises, which include Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., were infamous for using racy ads that generated backlash from women and other groups who found it demeaning and sexist.

European TV Giant RTL Group Reports Record Full-Year Earnings

The parent company of Germany’s RTL, France’s M6 and ‘Young Pope’ producer FremantleMedia saw profits and revenue hit new highs thanks to German TV and digital expansion. Its annual results published Thursday saw RTL post record revenue and profits, thanks mainly to a still-booming German TV market and to strong growth in the company’s digital operations.

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Dr. Oz over fake olive oil claims

Television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz won a legal victory after a judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging he violated a Georgia food libel law after making claims on his show that some imported olive oil sold in U.S. supermarkets could be fake. The New Jersey-based North American Olive Oil Association filed the lawsuit against Oz last November in the state court in Fulton County, Georgia, seeking an unspecified amount in damages and payment for the group’s legal fees.

Dog Nation’s Cesar Millan: I’m an Immigrant Success Story

It's a ruff business! Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, talks pitfalls and success of building his brand Expert dog trainer, Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) shares insight on his success, coming back from failure and his new show. Since beginning his career nearly three decades ago, Cesar Millan, aka the “Dog Whisperer,” has become the world’s leading voice in dog training and rehabilitation.

Tribune Media, Time Jump on Reports of Potential Deals

Mergers among media companies, much anticipated for at least three years, may be finally unfolding as WGN owner Tribune Media and magazine publisher Time talk to potential acquirers. Shares of Tribune Media and Time were surging on Wednesday before the market open amid reports that the companies, two of the country’s oldest media operators, may be close to sales.

No AT&T-Time Warner merger review expected

The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission does not expect to review AT&T Inc’s planned $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc , a spokesman for the agency said on Monday. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai had told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that he did not foresee a role for the FCC on the takeover and his comments were confirmed to Reuters by FCC spokesman Neil Grace.

Lawmaker: ‘I got confirmation’ my Russia-Ukraine plan was…

The Ukrainian lawmaker who met with President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and businessman Felix Sater in New York last month to discuss a controversial peace plan for Ukraine “got confirmation” from Sater that his plan was delivered to the White House, he told Business Insider. Andrey Artemenko, a member of Ukrainian parliament and former member of the country’s far-right Radical Party, said he met with Cohen and Sater at the Loews Regency New York on January 27 to discuss Artemenko’s proposal for solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Gretchen Carlson in talks to join MSNBC, sources say

Gretchen Carlson, who settled a multi-million lawsuit late last year against former Fox News chief Roger Ailes, is in talks with MSNBC to join the network, sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider. A source familiar with the matter said Carlson’s deal had not yet been finalized, but was nearing completion.

Time Warner to Sell TV Station Amid AT&T Merger

“Time Warner Inc. agreed to sell its Atlanta television station to Meredith Corp. for $70 million,” confirms the Wall Street Journal , “removing a significant factor that could have prompted the Federal Communications Commission to review Time Warner’s $85 billion sale to AT&T Inc.” New FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has yet to say whether he plans to have the agency review AT&T’s mega-purchase. As of press time, he has also declined to remark on what impact the Atlanta station sale might have on any possible FCC review.

ISPs who don’t want competition get good news from FCC chair

The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to eliminate a requirement that Charter Communications compete against other ISPs with new broadband deployments spurred by its purchase of Time Warner Cable. The FCC’s approval of the merger last year required Charter to deploy broadband with download speeds of 60Mbps to at least 2 million residential and small business locations, of which at least 1 million must be in areas served by at least one other high-speed provider.

Poll shows Mark Cuban in surprisingly competitive position…

Billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban would be competitive in a prospective presidential race against President Donald Trump, according to a new poll. The poll, set to be released Friday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, found that Cuban, if he were to seek the presidency and be Trump’s Democratic opponent, would trail the sitting president by a single percentage point.

FCC proposes ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV standard

Suggesting that a move to upgraded technology would foster innovation in the broadcast TV marketplace, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on a proposal that would allow television broadcasters in the US to use the ATSC 3.0 ‘Next Generation’ broadcast television transmission standard on a voluntary, market-driven basis. According to the FCC, ATSC 3.0 has the potential to greatly improve broadcast signal reception on mobile devices and television receivers without outdoor antennas.

Ajit Pai adopts a ‘light touch’ leading Trump’s FCC

The head of the Federal Communications Commission wants to embrace a “light touch” approach to regulation under his leadership and the new administration. “Light touch regulation means that we create broad regulatory frameworks that can protect consumers to ensure an overall competitive marketplace,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” last week.

UPDATE 1-Mexico broadcaster Televisa to slash investment in 2017

Feb 23 Mexico’s Grupo Televisa said on Thursday that it would slash its capital expenditures by more than a third to around $1 billion in 2017 as it prepares for tougher times with a weaker Mexican peso. The broadcaster and world’s largest Spanish-language content provider said most of the cuts would come in its cable division, which had almost finished a large network upgrade anyway.

Paramount’s Brad Grey to Leave Studio as Viacom Cleans House

Viacom CEO Bob Bakish continued his aggressive reorganization of the media conglomerate on Wednesday, announcing that Brad Grey will leave as CEO of Paramount Pictures. In a mover that follows a reorganization of Viacom’s cable TV network group, Bakish on Wednesday announced that Brad Grey will leave Paramount Pictures after 12 years atop the Hollywood studio.

FOX’s Brenda Buttner Passes Away

Longtime friend and colleague Neil Cavuto, managing editor and anchor for both Fox News Channel and FOX Business Network, delivered a heartfelt tribute to Buttner, describing her as “incredibly brave.” Cavuto said “She took stock of life much more than any stock in life.

Milo Yiannopoulos Book Canceled By Simon & Schuster

The Breitbart editor had signed a $250,000 book deal in December with Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, but the publisher announced on Monday that it halted plans for the book, after “careful consideration,” according to Publisher’s Weekly . Yiannopoulos, who also appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher last week to discuss his views on Hollywood liberalism, was disinvited from this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, where he was supposed to deliver the keynote address.

Host Alec Baldwin, ‘SNL’ Cast Skewer Trump White House

Alec Baldwin, who has scored in guest shots on “Saturday Night Live” with his mocking impersonation of Donald Trump since the campaign’s final weeks, presided Saturday night as guest host of the NBC comedy show, serving up yet another Trump masquerade. In his spoof, President Trump made good on a tweeted vow to “see you in court” directed at the three Ninth Circuit federal judges who last week refused to lift a stay preventing his immigration ban from being enforced.