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After only 18 months as head of National Public Radio, CEO Ken Stern stepped down on Thursday by “mutual agreement” with the board. Current reporter Karen Everhart says Stern’s ideas about the direction of public radio, including an aggressive push into digital media, met with resistance from influential member stations.
If you still get your TV from over-the-air analog broadcast, you'll receive only static in less than a year - that is, unless you get a new TV or a converter box. The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro says there's widespread confusion even though it's not that complicated.
Click here to get a coupon for $40 off a digital converter.
The Smurfs turn 50 this year and this week the first season of the U.S. television series was released on DVD. Over the years, the little blue creatures have been criticized by feminists, embraced as Communists, and even used by UNICEF in a shocking ad campaign.
The one time Barack Obama appeared on "Saturday Night Live," he played himself (at a Halloween party hosted by the Clintons). This weekend, however, "SNL" will debut an Obama caricature that head writer Seth Myers says proved a challenge to create.
MSNBC’s David Shuster, while not the only reporter in trouble for using a p-word this week, is the only one suspended for doing so. The Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar says Shuster’s suspension and NBC’s apologies may have more to do with Chris Matthews than a single inappropriate blunder.
The Writers Guild of America voted this week to end a 100-day strike that left many television shows in limbo. So did they get what they bargained for? NPR’s Kim Masters says the Guild has successfully spun the deal as a victory.
Now in its third month, the Writers Guild strike pits studio honchos against those who pen their programs – with advertisers caught in the middle. Jack Myers, of the Media Business Report, believes this game of chicken may last well into the summer.
Since they were first broadcast some four decades ago, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” have become as much a part of the season as tinsel and mistletoe. Reporters Alex Goldmark and Rachel McCarthy explore what makes the classic Christmas specials so ... special.
