Fox Television Network

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:36am on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Simon Cowell To Leave "Idol"

The New York Times reported on January 11, 2010:

"Simon Cowell, the acerbic British music producer whose caustic commentary as a judge on “American Idol” has guided the program to the top of the television ratings, announced on Monday that he would leave the program after this season to begin producing and judging a new talent competition, “The X Factor,” for the Fox network in the fall of 2011.

The move is guided in part by the fact that Mr. Cowell owns “The X Factor,” a version of which has been broadcast in Britain since 2004, while he is simply an employee on “American Idol.”

The full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/arts/television/12idol.html

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:06am on Friday, January 8th, 2010

Fox Postpones Kiddie Quiz Show Over Integrity Concerns

The New York Times reported on January 7, 2010:

"Mark Burnett, the creator and executive producer of the new show, said in a statement that he had “recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the preproduction of ‘Our Little Genius.’"

“As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without reshooting them,” Mr. Burnett added. “I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes.”

Mr. Burnett did not respond to a telephone message left at the office of his production company, and a Fox spokesman declined to expand on Mr. Burnett’s comment."

The full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/business/media/08genius.html

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 7:32am on Monday, January 4th, 2010

Time Warner And Fox Reach Cable Deal, The New York Times reported on January 1, 2010:

"The two companies said Friday evening that they had agreed on new terms for a contract covering Fox stations in New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and other markets, averting a blackout of the weekend’s college bowl games in millions of homes. They did not disclose the terms.

In tense negotiations with Time Warner Cable, Fox had demanded about a dollar a subscriber per month, far more than other stations have received. Time Warner Cable thought 30 cents was more reasonable, said people briefed on the talks who insisted on anonymity because the specifics of the talks were confidential.

Most likely, the two companies reached a compromise on the price, but both refused to comment Friday on the figure."

The full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/business/media/02cable.html

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 12:16pm on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Free TV Business Model Unraveling At Fox, Other Networks, the Associated Press reported on December 29, 2009:

"For more than 60 years, TV stations have broadcast news, sports and entertainment for free and made their money by showing commercials. That might not work much longer.

The business model is unraveling at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and the local stations that carry the networks' programming. Cable TV and the Web have fractured the audience for free TV and siphoned its ad dollars. The recession has squeezed advertising further, forcing broadcasters to accelerate their push for new revenue to pay for programming.

That will play out in living rooms across the country. The changes could mean higher cable or satellite TV bills, as the networks and local stations squeeze more fees from pay-TV providers such as Comcast and DirecTV for the right to show broadcast TV channels in their lineups.

"Good programing is expensive," Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns Fox, told a shareholder meeting this fall. "It can no longer be supported solely by advertising revenues."

The full story:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/APFN_US_FREE_BROADCASTERS_IN_PERIL