Coda
by Staff -- Multichannel News, 10/26/2008 8:00:00 PM
MSNBC Elects To Go HD in ’09
New York — MSNBC, having missed the window to launch in HD for this year’s election season, expects to have its high-definition simulcast ready for affiliates in the second quarter of 2009.
The news network had been aiming to launch its HD offering in the fourth quarter of 2008. That turned out to be “a little aggressive,” MSNBC president Phil Griffin said.
“Look, I’d love to be in HD right now,” he said. “The idea of the announcement before the election appealed to me. I pushed our guys hard.”
Last year, the network moved into NBC Universal’s Manhattan headquarters. MSNBC had one HD-ready control room ready to go, but a second was not converted and could not be readied in time for the fall election.
“We don’t want to do it in parts. We want to be fully ready,” Griffin said.
MSNBC, the third-place cable news network in the ratings, also will be the last of the three to offer an HD feed. CNN launched its high-definition simulcast in September 2007, while Fox News Channel’s premiered this May.
All three news networks have seen their ratings skyrocket this year, thanks to intense public interest in the presidential primaries and general election pitting John McCain against Barack Obama.
For the third quarter, MSNBC boosted 18-49 viewers by 53% over the year-ago period, to 294,000, according to Disney-ABC Television Group analysis of Nielsen Media research.
CNN more than doubled its audience in the same demographic over those periods, increasing 104% to 420,000, and Fox News was up 63% to reach 439,000 viewers 18-49.
It’s not certain how much lift the HD services have given CNN or Fox News, as the split between standard-definition and HD viewers for simulcast channels is not generally available.
Griffin said more important than the picture quality afforded by HD is having a slot in the high-definition “neighborhood.”
“Really this is the price of admission,” Griffin said. “You better be in HD in the next year or so, because you have to be in that tier.”
— Todd Spangler
Fox: More Life O’Reilly
New York — Continuing to firm up its lineup, Fox News Channel has re-signed Bill O’Reilly to a multiyear deal.
The deal will keep cable news’s top-rated show, The O’Reilly Factor, on Fox News for four more years. Published reports indicate that the controversial conservative host will receive between $10 million and $12 million annually.
The contract extension comes on the heels of the recent renewal of Sean Hannity and the hiring of Glenn Beck from CNN Headline News, and as network mainstay Britt Hume is set to depart, sometime after the election.
O’Reilly joined Fox News Channel in 1996 as host of The O’Reilly Report. Two years later, it was rechristened The O’Reilly Factor and has been the highest rated cable news program for the past 94 consecutive months. His show has been particularly hot of late, averaging 4.02 million viewers weeknights at 8 p.m. from Sept. 29 through Oct. 22.
He also hosts The Radio Factor on Westwood One stations and FoxNews Talk. Debuting on 205 stations in 2002 — the biggest launch in the history of talk radio — The Radio Factor is produced by Fox News Radio, and currently heard on Sirius XM Radio, as well as more than 400 radio stations nationwide.
“Bill O’Reilly is the most prominent and influential name in all of cable news, and his contribution to the network’s success cannot be overstated,” said Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes in a statement. “After 12 years, The O’Reilly Factor maintains remarkable and consistent viewership growth, and has firmly established itself as the top destination for newsmakers to reach a wide, diverse audience.”
Added O’Reilly: “I decided to come back because under Roger Ailes, Fox News is a great place to work. And, if I retired, I know my friends in the elite media would miss me greatly.”
Earlier this month, Fox News reached a new multiyear pact with Hannity to continue hosting his two shows. Hannity, who joined Fox News Channel in 1996 as co-host of Hannity & Colmes, will remain with the show, which has led its weekday 9 p.m. time slot for almost six years. He will also continue to host Hannity’s America on Sunday evenings.
Moreover, Fox News lured Beck from CNN Headline News. He is scheduled to begin hosting a weekday show at 5 p.m. next spring, plus a weekend program.
— Mike Reynolds
BET J Rolls Out New Fall Series
New York — BET J will debut four new reality series this week as part of its fall 2008 lineup.
Beginning Oct. 27, the 27-million subscriber network will premiere Urban Cuisine, a unique cooking show featuring upscale and healthy cuisine created by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
The next night, BET J will debut MPR: Profiles of Urban Entrepreneurs, which documents today’s young, black entrepreneurs and explores the lucrative business ideas that made them a financial success; and Carmelo’s Way, which follows the on- and off-the-court life of NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
On Oct. 29, the network will premiere Leading Men, a new series that highlights the dynamic lives and profound impact of today’s prominent African-American men like Hill Harper, Wyclef Jean and Terrence Howard.
— R. Thomas Umstead
Vyyo Receives $45M Offer
Norcross, Ga. — Vyyo, a struggling vendor of cable bandwidth-expansion systems, is being offered a buyout deal worth about $45 million by an investment consortium led by the company’s former chairman and CEO, Israeli businessman Davidi Gilo.
Vision Acquisition, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilo Ventures II, announced it has made an offer to buy 7,967,781 shares of common stock of Vyyo at 17 cents per share. The $45 million price tag is inclusive of debt and equity.
The company, based in Norcross, Ga., had very limited success selling its UltraBand spectrum-overlay system, which is supposed to deliver up to 3 GHz in a coaxial cable network.
The company last year named Cox Communications as a customer.
In January, Vyyo shut down its research and development operations in Israel and laid off more than 70 employees there.
Vyyo said it expects the company to continue to be led by chairman Jim Chiddix and CEO Wayne Davis.
— Todd Spangler
O’Reilly Remains A Fox News Factor
10/24/2008O’Reilly Hit with Sexual-Harassment Suit
10/14/2004Fox News Remains Dominant In October
10/26/2009Geraldo Returning to Fox News
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