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02/10/2003
Emmy Aggression
BY VERNE GAY In the greater Los Angeles area, there was a broadcast executive — quite possibly two or three or even a whole crowd of them — whose jaw noticeably slackened as the evening of Jan. 19 wore on, minute after grueling minute. By night’s end, this person may have had the overwhelming sensation […]
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02/10/2003
Getting ‘Taken’ Was Good
BY JON LAFAYETTE More amazing than any of the special effects seen on the Steven Spielberg miniseries Taken may be the fact that Sci Fi Channel just about broke even on the $40 million epic the first time it aired. On cable, big-budget original programming usually pays for itself only after repeated airings, if then. […]
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02/10/2003
Hi-Def Outlook Getting Sharper For Showtime
BY JON LAFAYETTE Premium networks are putting a premium on picture quality. Showtime Networks said it will be making a bigger commitment to high-definition television by producing six of its series and all of its original movies in HDTV. “We have been investing and growing our investment as the marketplace grows,” said Glenn Oakley, SVP […]
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02/10/2003
Late Breaking News
BY JON LAFAYETTE Jerry Kent’s Cequel III is close to making an investment in either a cable or telecom company, according to a company spokesman. Cequel has hired an arsenal of cable executives, mostly from Charter Communications. (Kent left his CEO post at Charter more than a year ago.) Cequel has already purchased a wireless […]
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02/10/2003
LINES ARE DRAWN
BY ALICIA MUNDY Among Catholics, Jesuit priests are called “God’s shock troops.” It’s important to remember this, because the Federal Communications Commission’s Commissioner Michael Copps, once a professor at Loyola University, is well-versed in Jesuit zeal. Last week, armed with righteous fervor, he single-handedly launched a full-scale assault at the FCC — and established his […]
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02/10/2003
Next time you're in the phone center, say something nice to a CSR.
MIKE LUFTMAN In my old line of work I had more than a few strange phone calls. When our wonderful receptionist, Vera, couldn’t figure out what to do with a particular caller, she punted to me. Some were irate customers claiming they’d been mishandled by one of our local cable companies. I was generally able […]