ABC Television Network

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:53am on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

ABC's Oscars telecast Audience Grows for Second Straight Year

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 9, 2010:

"The audience for Sunday night's Academy Awards grew for the second time in as many years, indicating that live events continue to draw big audiences amid the overall fragmentation of the television landscape.

An average of about 41.3 million people in the U.S. were watching the three-and-a-half-hour show at any given minute, according to preliminary Nielsen Co. estimates, up 14% from last year."

The full story:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954904575109973628632394.html

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:48am on Monday, March 8th, 2010

Disney-Cablevision Deal Struck in Time for ABC's Oscars Telecast...Almost

The Los Angeles Times reported on March 8, 2010:

"A week of brinkmanship ended Sunday when Walt Disney Co. and Cablevision Systems Corp. settled their dispute over a new contract, a breakthrough that allowed viewers in 3.1 million homes in the New York area to watch the Academy Awards -- starting 13 minutes into the telecast.

The post-deadline tentative accord came after the two companies spent a week exchanging barbs that led to Disney stripping its ABC signal from Cablevision's systems early Sunday. Many Cablevision customers spent the day trekking to electronics stores to buy digital rabbit ears so they wouldn't miss the Oscars.

The resolution marked a victory for Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, who orchestrated the gambit to bring Cablevision to the table and work out an agreement as the clock ticked down to one of television's biggest ratings grabbers."

The full story:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-ct-abc8-2010mar08,0,3602008.story

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:07am on Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Sen. Kerry Pressures FCC to Enter Cablevision-ABC/Oscars Dispute

Variety reported on March 3, 2010:

"As the war of words between Disney and Cablevision escalates, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is stepping up pressure on the FCC to take steps to prevent broadcasters from pulling their stations from cable systems amid wrangling over retransmission consent negotiations.

Broadcasters are sure to fight any effort to give the FCC any kind of referee-type power in retrans negotiations. Disney and Cablevision have been in a public battle over retrans coin since Monday over Disney's threat to yank WABC-TV New York from Cablevision system as of Sunday -- the day of ABC's live Oscarcast.

Cablevision has accused the Mouse of seeking $40 million a year for the right to carry the station, though Disney has privately disputed that $40 million figure. The Mouse House accuses Cablevision of refusing to budge after two years of negotiations, during which WABC-TV has issued monthly extensions of its previous retrans pact with the cabler that serves 3.1 million subscribers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, sent a letter Wednesday to Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski pressing the commission to use its clout to "urge the parties to stay at the negotiating table and continue transmitting ABC programming to Cablevision consumers."

The full story:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118016022.html

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:10am on Friday, February 19th, 2010

Putting Our Metal Where Our Heart Is With 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'

Louisville, Ky., February 19, 2010 -- Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation recently helped a worthy family receive the house of their dreams on the ABC-TV series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Each week, the popular prime-time series selects a family that has faced enormous challenges, or has had a positive impact on their community. An army of producers, designers, builders and contractors are given seven days to tear down an existing structure and replace it with a fully decorated, custom-designed home for the fortunate family. Hundreds of workers and suppliers volunteer their time and materials in a carefully choreographed effort to build a home from the ground up in only one week.

In early December, the show traveled to Gainesville, Florida. Don Hickman of Hickman Metal Roofing led an 11-member team of experienced installers on the project. The complex schedule required all vendors to complete their designated assignment within an extraordinarily tight time frame. The Hickman Roofing team began at 1:00 PM, and then worked throughout the night to install a durable Metal Sales roof as part of the fast-paced construction project.

All materials are carefully selected by the project's architects and must be of the highest quality to be considered for "Extreme Home Makeover." All contractors and installers must be nominated, based on a history of superior work.

"We were honored to be picked for the roofing contract," said Don Hickman, owner of Hickman Metal Roofing. "It was an outstanding experience, and I'm so glad we had a chance to be part of such a worthy cause."