Felix Gillette
On Thursday, Feb. 25, Hachette Filipacchi Media chief Alain Lemarchand sent an email to his several hundred staffers, informing them of an imminent new companywide social media network designed to better facilitate communication among cubicles. “The goal of this online community, which functions like Facebook,” read the memo, “is to bring us closer together and establish new... READ MORE»
Not long ago, Harvey Levin, founder of the gossip Web site TMZ, watched Barbara Walters on Fox News, explaining why she was giving up her Oscars special after 29 years. Hollywood had changed, said Ms. Walters. Legendary actors had given way to reality-show phonies. Katharine Hepburn was out. Octomom was in. Bestowing celebrity on those who hadn’t really earned it was growing... READ MORE»
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Ever since January, when Harold Ford Jr. began toying with a possible run for the U.S. Senate, disgraced urban cowboy Don Imus has been jabbing at the politician-turned-banker-turned-pundit on a regular basis. Along the way, Mr. Imus has called Mr. Ford a "little skunk" and a "gutless... READ MORE»
NBC's experiment in repurposed local news is about to expand. Sources tell The Observer that following the Olympics, WNBC-4, NBC's flagship station in New York, will begin airing a Gotham-themed version of its experimental repurposed news show, Daily Connection. The show will air weekdays at noon. NBC initially soft-launched Daily Connection at WRC-4, the network's station in Washington, D.C., back in September of... READ MORE»
Got a passion for state comptrollers? Want to mix it up with Curtis Sliwa? NY1 is looking for you. Recently, New York's premier 24-7, hyper-local news channel posted a job listing on the employment site Jobfox, seeking a new political anchor to moderate Inside City Hall, the hour-long nightly political... READ MORE»
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC News President David Westin wrote a lengthy memo to his staff detailing the network's plans to significantly reduce its work force in the weeks and months ahead. We're still digesting much of the memo, but one sentence immediately caught our attention. "Our programs are stronger today than they were ten years ago," wrote Mr.... READ MORE»
We’re smack-dab in the middle of those Olympics, and that means we’re up to our eyeballs in guys named Dick. Here, our handy guide to which is which. Click for slideshow... READ MORE»
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC News executives informed their staff that the division will be undergoing a major transformation. Mass buyouts will be offered. And several hundred staff members (up to perhaps one-quarter of the 1200 to 1400 total individuals in the division) are expected to lose their jobs. In the wake of grim news in the TV news business, one question inevitably rises--will there be any reduction in the network anchors' sky-high salaries? ... READ MORE»
For weeks, ABC News has been awash in anxiety about a round of looming cuts that are expected to significantly effect the entire division. Today, network executives made the bad news official. This afternoon, ABC News President David Westin sent out the following memo to... READ MORE»
On the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 10, George Stephanopoulos was sitting in the Good Morning America studio, overlooking Times Square, crossing his legs. Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper sat a few feet away. Outside a blizzard was swirling. Viewers were snowed in. Mr. Stephanopoulos sized up his guests. Ms. Lauper was wearing a black floppy outfit with lacy sleeves. Lady Gaga wore a crown of safety pins. Or was it a nest? The two pop... READ MORE»
Let the games begin!” said Natalie Morales. “O.K., maybe not just... READ MORE»
On the evening of Monday, Feb. 1, Katie Couric, anchor of the CBS Evening News, was wearing red. For the next half-hour, she tore through the headlines. There were allegations of bigotry among the federal air marshals in the U.S., an American church group accused of trafficking children in Haiti, faulty gas pedals in Toyotas, a suicide bombing in Baghdad, a massacre in Mexico and a bodybuilder in Latvia with a rippled back like... READ MORE»
In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, as NBC News employees return from the disaster zone, they will get the opportunity to relate their experiences to work-sanctioned therapists. “There is an impact on reporters from seeing all these things,” Alexandra Wallace, a senior vice president at NBC News, told The... READ MORE»
The Observer has learned that today, in yet another grim moment for broadcast television, ABC's Broadcast Operations & Engineering group laid off dozens of employees. The bulk of the cuts came from the groups New York work force, including many individuals from ABC's studios on West 66th Street. The division, which is led by president Preston Davis, provides technical support and maintains broadcasting facilities for ABC's entertainment, news, and sports... READ MORE»
"What Leno is doing now is slimy,” said Thomas J. Kelly. It was the afternoon of Monday, Jan. 18, and Mr. Kelly, a 33-year-old comedian, was standing on the outskirts of Rockefeller Plaza, catching his breath. For the past half-hour, Mr. Kelly had been striding back and forth in front of the NBC headquarters in New York, leading a crowd of rabid Conan O’Brien fans in a series of chants protesting the network’s handling of... READ MORE»
