News
The latest stories published on The Desk.
CNN analyst Peter Bergen donates September 11 archive to Georgetown
The archive documents Bergen’s decades covering al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and the U.S. war on terror, including material from CNN’s 1997 interview with bin Laden.
WKRC expands Cincinnati news lineup with new newscast, political program
Sinclair, Inc’s. local television station in Cincinnati will expand its local news offerings by debuting a new afternoon newscast later this month. Starting September 21, viewers of WKRC (Channel 12, CBS & CW Network) can get local news, weather and ... Read more
Texas TV station KSAT to use artifical intelligence “anchor” voices
The artificial intelligence craze has come for the local television news set.
John Robertson promoted at Hearst to SVP, Strategy & Distribution
The newly-created position takes effect immediately and follows the recent announcement that Roger Keating, Hearst Television’s Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, plans to retire at the end of the year.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
RedSquid TV, Watch TV partner on AI-powered television platform in Brazil
RedSquid will provide TV and set-top box middleware and operating-system software, while Watch TV will distribute its entertainment service through the RedSquid platform.
RTBF shifts ad monetization to server-guided insertion with Bitmovin, AIP
The deployment combines AIP’s AdBlendr platform with Bitmovin’s Player, allowing RTBF to monetize live and time-shifted streams without generating per-user manifests.
After CTV, Stingray sees karaoke as next front in car entertainment
The global music company is betting big on karaoke being a smash hit in car entertainment. Demand is already strong in some parts of the world.
ONLY ON THE DESK
Sony fires “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton
Sony Pictures Television has fired Jim Thornton, the announcer for its game show "Wheel of Fortune," following an internal investigation into his alleged behavior while on board a commercial flight earlier this year.
A Parent Media Company enters receivership after Victory Plus woes
A large investor said APMC faced the likelihood of insolvency; the company owns Kidoodle.TV and Victory Plus.
DIRECTV expands college football campaign with campus tour, championship giveaway
The sweepstakes coincides with the Super Bowl and will gift one lucky DIRECTV subscriber with a trip package valued at $30,000.
Supreme Court restores lower political ad rates for party committees
The Court said the Fourth Circuit likely lacked jurisdiction because the challengers sought judicial review before the full FCC acted on their appeal.
NEW DETAILS
Don’t call it a firing, attorney for fired Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo says
The attorney, Bryan Freedman, spent considerable effort trying to spin the narrative, but didn't provide proof that earlier reports were wrong.