UPDATE: FCC Allows Media Mergers

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The FCC last week approved the mergers of Belo Corp. and Gannett Co. (see "TUOL" post 6/13/13) and the Tribune Co. acquisition of Local TV LLC (see "TUOL" post 7/1/13), Broadcasting & Cable's Web site reported.

The FCC found that neither consolidation violated its rules and considered both acquisitions in the public interest.

August Debut for Al Jazeera America Network

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Al Jazeera America ("AJA") will launch sometime during the week of August 24, Ehab al Shihabi, executive director of international operations for the Qatari government-funded broadcaster announced, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.

Based in New York City, AJA, which will feature 11 hours of rolling news programming, also unveiled some of its prime time lineup, including Real Money, hosted by Ali Velshi, a newsmagazine program styled after 60 Minutes and America Tonight, which will offer analysis of major issues. Al Jazeera acquired the Current TV cable network earlier this year (see "TUOL" 1/3/13) to broaden its reach to viewers across the nation through cable and satellite. Presently, Al Jazeera English's audience is  largely confined to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Also in development at AJA are sports and entertainment programming, as well as a morning show. The news operation has yet to name a president, according to the Broadcasting & Cable article.

Cable News Ops Join Network News in Downward Spin

Image by trainman74 via FlickrCable news viewership has stalled and network evening news ratings continued to shrink for a thirtieth consecutive year, according to the annual Project for Excellence in Journalism State of the News Media report released today.

As reported by Broadcasting & Cable and The Hollywood Reporter, evening newscasts by the former "Big 3" networks plunged 3.4 percent in viewership compared to the previous year. The Brian Williams-anchored NBC Nightly News suffered the least in 2010, dropping 1.4 percent to an average 8.5 million viewers nightly, compared to a 3.9 percent decline in viewers to 7.43 million for Diane Sawyer's ABC World News and the free-falling CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which plummeted 5.5 percent to an average audience of 5.65 million.

Meanwhile, the news wasn't so bright for CNN, Fox News and MSNBC either, where the median prime-time  audience collectively shrank by 16 percent to 3.2 million, based on Nielsen Media Research figures. CNN led the march off the cliff, dropping 37 percent to 564,000 viewers, compared to Fox's 11 percent decline to 1.9 million viewers, and MSNBC's 5 percent drop-off to 747,000 watchers. Daytime viewership fell 12 percent for the cable threesome.

Online media, alone, saw its audience increase in 2010 by 17 percent. A December 2010, survey cited the Internet as the source for national and international news among 41 percent of respondents.

Cable Operators Survey: FNC Cable MVP

Image via WikipediaSports networks aside, Fox News Channel ("FNC") is the network cable operators crave the most, according to an article in the latest Broadcasting & Cable magazine.

A Beta Research-conducted survey of 110 cable operators between August and November 2010, 42 percent of whose systems boasted more than 200,000 subscribers, estimated FNC's value at 58 cents per subscriber per month. Fox News finished ahead of the Disney Channel and USA Network and was worth a dime more than rival CNN.

The cable operators principally embrace sports outlets, with  ESPN and ESPN2 assigned perceived values of $1.16 and 71 cents per subscriber per month, respectively. The NFL Network and TNT, which hosts NBA contests and will air the NCAA tournament this year, also are considered valuable stations.

In its quest to remain the darling of cable moguls, Fox News coverage will continue to reflect the no-holds barred, bare-knuckle approach of the NFL Network and the fantasy world of the Disney Channel.

Martha Stewart and Hallmark Cable Venture in the Cards?

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Broadcasting & Cable reports that talks are underway between Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia("MSLO") and Crown Media Holdings-owner of Hallmark Channel and Halllmark Movie Channel--concerning a new joint venture cable tv lifestyle network.

Talks are in the nascent stage, so its difficult to predict whether the outcome will be a new mega-company owned by the two entities or a more modest new cable channel, tentatively named Hallmark Home. Beginning in September, Hallmark will air the Mark Burnett-produced "Martha Stewart Show," which previously was a syndicated program. This week saw the debut of Stewart programming running seven hours daily on Hallmark, which is a lot of doilies and potpourri for a 24-hour viewing cycle.

Both companies would just as soon forget 2009, as Crown Media had a net loss of $22.5 million, and MSLO a net loss of $14.5 million. "TUOL" wonders if the Hallmark Movie Channel will air the "chicks in chains" movies featuring Linda Blair as a tribute to Stewart's brief incarceration in 2004.