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The new prime-time TV shows are out! OK, it's only been a week or two already. But I want to guage FR opinion. I know many of you are not too keen on network TV and that's fine - but there are a lot of us who do watch regular TV on occasion. What do you like (or dislike) for the new shows? Like I said, it's early but my favorites are: "The Unit" - carried over from last year "Jericho" "Shark" Well, tell me what you think!

Cable could benefit from merged WB and UPN while some local affiliates get left out in the cold. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Who will be the big winner from the creation of the new CW television network? Here's a hint. It might not be CW or even the other major TV networks. Media buyers said cable could wind up gaining more viewers once the CW, created from the merger of CBS (Research)-owned UPN and Time Warner (Research)-owned WB, begins broadcasting in the fall of this year. (Time Warner also owns CNNMoney.com) Sure, the WB and UPN will have the luxury...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Two small, struggling television networks, UPN and WB, will merge to form a new network called The CW, executives from them companies that own them said Tuesday. The announcement was made by executives from CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., which owns WB. Both UPN and WB had struggled to compete against larger rivals in the broadcast TV business, including Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, News Corp.'s Fox and CBS Corp.'s CBS.

World Wrestling Entertainment and UPN have heard from several concerned viewers following last Thursday's "WWE Smackdown," which depicted a terrorist-like attack involving a group of Arab-Americans and a wrestling opponent.

New York, N.Y. (May 25, 2004)— LOGO, a new cable television network targeted at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) viewers will be launched by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIAB) on February 17, 2005. The new channel will be advertiser-supported, targeting primarily gays and lesbians, 25-49, and will provide a mix of original and acquired programming that is authentic, smart, inclusive and open-minded. LOGO will launch in markets across America, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and San Francisco, through national cable operators, including Time Warner Cable, RCN and additional distributors that will...

UCC: "CBS, NBC refuse to air church's television advertisement" December 1, 2004 - According to a UCC press release, CBS and NBC have refused to air the new UCC television advertisement... and predictably, UCC leaders are going nuts. According to the release, CBS offered this explanation: "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations," reads an explanation from CBS, "and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast...

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON OCT 25 2004 22:45:05 ET XXXXX NBCNEWS: CACHE OF EXPLOSIVES VANISHED FROM SITE IN IRAQ BEFORE TROOPS ARRIVED... The NYTIMES urgently reported on Monday in an apprent October Surprise: The Iraqi interim government and the U.N. nuclear agency have warned the United States that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives are now missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. [The source behind the NYT story first went to CBSNEWS' 60 MINUTES last Wednesday, but the beleaguered network wasn't able to get the piece on the air as fast as the newspaper...

California College Republicans Chairman Michael P. Davidson issued the following statement on the use of the draft by MTV’s Rock the Vote and the KerryCampaign as a scare tactic this election year: "MTV and the Kerry campaign's use of the draft to scare young voters into voting is pathetic and disgusting. "While our servicemen are fighting for our country and the freedom of millions, military service should not be used as an instrument of fear. Military service is one of the most honorable deeds and any suggestion otherwise is grossly insulting. "In this campaign, there is only one person that...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Cher, Scottish actor Alan Cumming and comedian Kathy Griffin are among the stars who have come aboard the new gay-themed digital cable channel, Logo, which is scheduled to launch in as many as 15 million homes in February. Cher and her daughter, Chastity Bono, will executive produce "Family Outing," a chronicle of "coming-out" stories based on Chastity's book of the same name. Chastity will also host. "We're thrilled that Cher's first foray into television production is with Logo," said Matt Farber, who is expected to be named general manager of the Viacom-owned channel. Among the...

President Bush is facing increasing dissent among leading conservative politicians and pundits in the face of mounting U.S. casualties in Iraq. The war has become the long slog that some Republicans feared. Since Sunday, 32 Americans have been killed in fighting across Iraq. American body bags are on the front page of major U.S. newspapers. The Washington Post and The New York Times brandished images of charred U.S. civilian remains last week. The networks are leading their nightly news broadcasts with stories of dead Americans. "If we have two or three more weeks of this you are going to start...

Choose or Lose: 20 Million Questions for John Kerry Special MTV - Music Television Airing Time: Tue 3/30, 10:30PM (30 minutes) Categories: News, Special, News/Public Affairs, Special/Other Future airings of Choose or Lose: John Kerry Special: • Wed 3/31 11:00 AM MTV - Music Television Wed 3/31 8:30 PM  MTV - Music Television (Satellite) Fri 4/2 12:30 AM  MTV - Music Television (Satellite) And airing other times. Kerry gets 30 minutes to tell his lies to the youth of America. I wonder if they will also give President Bush his own "Choose or Lose" Special?

LOS ANGELES, March 3 — Several weeks ago UPN, a sister network to CBS, announced a new reality series tentatively called "Amish in the City," in which Amish teenagers would face the shock and temptations of the big city for the first time. The idea seemed similar to CBS's plan last year to fashion a reality comedy out of a 1960's sitcom, calling it "The Real Beverly Hillbillies." which was to follow the lives of a rural, lower-middle-class family as it moved into a luxurious Beverly Hills house. That plan foundered when rural groups protested that the show was intended...

National Coalition Launches www.STOPMTV.org 2/13/04 1:42:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk, Religion Reporter Contact: Maryam Kubasek of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, 513-521-6227, ext. 111; web: http://www.nationalcoalition.org CINCINNATI, Feb. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families has launched a new educational initiative regarding MTV and its negative impact on teens. The organization has launched a web site, http://www.stopmtv.org , which gives parents some startling facts about the music channel and encourages them to make some tough choices regarding viewing it. MTV's latest production, the halftime show at...

NEW YORK - Television networks somberly paused Thursday to remember the terror of two years ago, although coverage was scaled back from the first anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington. NBC's Katie Couric and Ann Curry wore black outfits on the "Today" show, with Couric saying, "Obviously, Sept. 11 will never be just another day on the calendar." Yet in contrast to a full morning of special coverage last year, ABC, CBS and NBC offered only brief reports during key moments of memorial services on Thursday, otherwise sticking with regular programming. "The coverage reflects the events of...

On February 14, a Florida Appeals court ruled there is absolutely nothing illegal about lying, concealing or distorting information by a major press organization. The court reversed the $425,000 jury verdict in favor of journalist Jane Akre who charged she was pressured by Fox Television management and lawyers to air what she knew and documented to be false information. The ruling basically declares it is technically not against any law, rule, or regulation to deliberately lie or distort the news on a television broadcast. On August 18, 2000, a six-person jury was unanimous in its conclusion that Akre was indeed...

Did anyone see the premier of the premier of the latest version of The Twilight Zone? If so, what did you think of it?

Is World Wrestling Entertainment down for the count? Long viewed as the best (if not most tasteful) way to reach teenage boys, the league has begun to suffer serious ratings erosion of its marquee shows. Vince McMahon and company have attempted to stem the slide by rolling out a new trio of cable shows whose appeal is limited mainly to wrestling's hardcore faithful. But such measures, or even better conceived ones, may not do much more than slow the WWE's descent, with wrestling's popularity entering one of its cyclical downturns in the view of some analysts. The slip in ratings...