My Turn

August 18, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I was almost out of the room when I thought I spotted Michael Chiklis, and ambled over to chat.

It wasn’t too surprising to see the star of The Shield at last Thursday night’s event, a reception thrown by Fox Cable Networks for local advertisers in the New York City area. Actors, producers and writers of FX’s Damages and Rescue Me were there, and The Shield, FX’s hit cop drama, returns Sept. 2 for a seventh and last season. So of course that was “Vic Mackey” himself, puffing on a stogey at the outdoor rooftop bar in New York’s Hotel Gansevoort.

Being a fan of the show, and remembering how nice he was when he came to our show-daily newsroom at the National Show in New Orleans in 2002, I went over and, after askin...Read More

June 6, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Warning: This post is a group effort by a few Multichannel News editors who watch Sci Fi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica. The opinions expressed are solely those of the editors; standard spoiler warnings and disclaimers apply. 
Midway through the final season of Battlestar, the ever-present tease to reveal the final Cylon was kicked into overdrive during the preview to this week’s episode. 
In the teaser, we see the unboxed model No. 3, D’Anna (Lucy Lawless), say to someone, “You know about the final five, but you don’t know you are one of them.” It sounds a lot like tonight’s episode will reveal that missing Cylon. Here’s the promo. (Note to legal department: Sci Fi emailed us the actual file but it’s so huge we decided to use this YouTube posting instead.) 

...Read More

April 16, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

Verizon’s being required to seek a franchise to offer fiber-based cable television service in New York City is likened to “legalized bribery” today by an analyst who follows one of Verizon’s key FiOS TV vendors.

To which the response here is: um, yes, but so is every cable franchise. Should Verizon be any different?

Anton Wahlman, a prominent technology analyst with ThinkPanmure, sent out a note this morning (not posted online so not linkab;e) related to Verizon and vendor BigBand Networks and concerning the telco’s application to provide FiOS TV service throughout the Big Apple. Its headline was “Verizon's Struggle With Mercantilism And Institutionalized Bribery.”

“We think it is a sad day in America when Verizon has to apply for a permit in order to offer consumers an alternative. This ‘...Read More

March 4, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Some survival tips for cable's last (at least for a while) "Spring Break" week in New York City, which hits a peak today (March 4).

First, don't be deceived by the balmy 61 degrees and sunshine this morning. The forecast is for rain, starting early this afternoon. Bring an umbrella.

Second, don't forget the day's events are not all in the same location, the way they have been some years past. This morning's Horowitz Associates multicultural forum and the Multichannel News/WICT New York chapter Wonder Women luncheon are a...Read More

February 14, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Can it really almost be time for the Cable Positive dinner? Yes.

The HIV-AIDS information organization, producer of public service announcements and funder of local assistance outfits through six local chapters, will on March 4 host its biggest single fundraiser, a benefit event at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

This year what they're calling the Power Awards are going to three honorees (a first): Michael Willner of cabler Insight Communications; Bill Roedy, of MTV International and MTV Networks; and Dr. Helene Gayle, CEO of CARE and former head of the HIV-AIDS initiative at the Gates Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control.

Cable Positive CEO Steve Villano sent a letter out to supporters this week, say...Read More