rupert murdoch-related stories
Posted Aug 11th 2009 9:03AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: News, Industry, Celebrities, Reality-Free

It seems the never-ending feud between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly has become a kangaroo boxing match. The worst thing you can do is get in the middle of it.
That's exactly what the parent owners of Fox News and MSNBC tried to do when they arranged a "cease-fire" between them and their top-tier shows' "lieutenants."
The cease-fire, however, didn't last long. It's another case of the ol'
Rufus T. Firefly conundrum for peace. Either side might be willing to do whatever it takes to end this war, but they've already paid two months' rent on the battlefield.
Continue reading Olbermann, O'Reilly told to end personal feud, which just creates another feud
Posted Aug 6th 2009 9:25AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free

Rupert Murdoch thinks so. In fact, he's betting that folks will
pay to watch all of his television properties on their respective websites.
A friend of mine once suggested something like this. Basically, news would be free, but premium content online would come at a cost. Sort of like how stock quotes are delayed 20 minutes unless you pay a premium to see the prices instantly. And those with extreme political opinions, like sports fans, would pay any price to see their favorite commentators/players do their thing.
Continue reading Would you pay to watch Bill O'Reilly online?
Posted Mar 18th 2009 11:11AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Industry, 24, Reality-Free

Fox's charge to make
24 a completely green show is admirable.
It's not only expensive and harder to do than one might think, but it also flies in the face of
24's core audience. Of course, that's not its boldest effect. These days, pissing off the right wing is more "in" than Twittering about your Snuggie.
The boldest move is the effect these new measures could have on the body of the show in ways you may not expect. You might even see Jack Bauer tie a guy to a chair and hook up his nipples to a car battery to get him to admit he doesn't put his plastics and newspapers in separate recycling bins.
Continue reading Will 24's greener measures affect the show?
Posted Dec 21st 2007 9:02AM by Jay Black
Filed under: Industry, Web, WGA Strike

As the last few hours of our scripted entertainment disappear like canned foods in a fallout shelter, any new entertainment on the horizon is good news (unless, of course, you're talking about ABC's
Duel or the prospect of a
Tonight Show that rises and falls on Jay Leno's wit alone).
Today's offer of putrefied pond water to us thirsty masses is StrikeTV.com. Wired.com
is reporting that after the holidays, the striking writers will use the site to post "videos and other media supporting the strike." It's not much and, when you get right down to it, it's less "entertainment" than "snarky rhetoric," but hey, it's something.
Continue reading StrikeTV.com coming in 2008
Posted Feb 25th 2007 10:02AM by Erin Martell
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, Lost
Lost fans in the UK could soon have more to complain about than slow plot development. A halt in Virgin Media's deal renewal with British Sky Broadcasting might prevent Virgin Media customers from getting the Sky One channel, which airs Lost.
If the Virgin Media group and Sky cannot agree on a renewal price, Virgin subscribers will lose access to popular shows like 24, Lost, and The Simpsons, when the current deal ends on March 1. This means that viewers would be cut off from the show midseason. To make matters worse, customers would pay the same amount for less programming should the channels be cut.
On the plus side, a deal between the two companies has already been made for Virgin Media to offer the first two seasons of Lost on demand. Customers also have the option of subscribing to Sky's television service.
Continue reading UK Virgin Media customers may lose Lost
Posted Jan 1st 2007 7:01PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Celebrities
Citing sources close to OJ Simpson, Time is reporting that certain publication rights from his book, If I Did It, Here's How it Happened, could revert back to him before next Christmas. That means the book may still see the light of day, somewhere. Several European publishers have expressed an interest in the book, a "fictional" account of how Simpson would have committed the murders he was accused of had he actually done it. If the book ever gets published, here or abroad, Simpson is welcome to use this hypothetical blurb, written in the spirit of the book, based on what I would have said had I actually read it:
Continue reading Could OJ's book still go public?
Posted Nov 20th 2006 4:17PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, FOX, Industry, Celebrities, Cancellations

Who says Rupert Murdoch isn't a sweetheart?
According to the
Associated Press (by way of ESPN), the hue and cry over
If I Did It, Here's How It Happened has led News Corp. chairman to cancel both the book and TV special planned for next week. In both the book and special, O.J. Simpson would describe how "in theory" he would have killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1994. "In theory," by the way, is Latin for "I got away with it and now I can unburden myself for profit, suckers."
Continue reading O.J. book, TV interview cancelled by News Corp. - UPDATE
Posted Apr 14th 2006 10:05AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: FOX, Video

I suspected that Rupert Murdoch
was bluffing when
he said he didn't think there was a future for video on the internet. According to the
Wall
Street Journal, FOX just inked a six-year deal with its 187 affiliates to play reruns on the internet. The agreement
allows FOX to make 60% of its schedule available online the morning after it airs.
It's not yet clear how FOX
will distribute the online video or how much it will cost and it probably will cost something because the deal gives the
affiliates a 12.5% cut of the profits.
Posted Feb 20th 2006 7:13PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: FOX, TV Royalty, Web

While ABC, NBC, and CBS have been quick to offer up shows on their websites and in iTunes, FOX has been mysteriously
silent about the whole
online
video craze. It's surprising, since FOX tends to take more chances and be more cutting-edge than its competitors.
Now we know why. Rupert Murdoch recently
told
Newsweek he's not convinced that putting television shows online is a good idea (I think NBC would
disagree).
Said Murdoch,
"We're not knocked out by iPod so far. We've talked to them, to Google and others. But how many people really want
to get video on a tiny screen when they already have TiVo or a similar service from their cable company or
DirecTV?"
Continue reading Rupert Murdoch doesn't see the benefit of online video