 IN THE NEWS |
| Nexstar Media Group and Altice USA struck a carriage deal that restored Nexstar stations and NewsNation to subscribers of Altice-owned Optimum TV, in time for the weekend’s NFL playoffs. Nexstar stations were removed from Optimum on January 10. Optimum has yet to strike a deal with MSG Networks, which went dark on January 1.
Allen Media Group broadcast television station division Allen Media Broadcasting is rolling out a new format that will have local weather coverage powered by The Weather Channel across markets nationwide, based at The Weather Channel’s Atlanta headquarters. “We are one hundred percent committed to delivering next-level weather news to our local television stations 24/7,” said Tom O’Brien, President of Weather Group/The Weather Channel. The move means layoffs for many of AMG’s local TV station meteorologists, whose positions are being eliminated, reports TheDesk.
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 Norah O’Donnell’s last night anchoring “CBS Evening News” will be Thursday, January 23, one day earlier than had been previously announced. The date was shifted because CBS’ coverage of the PGA Farmer’s Insurance Open on January 24 will necessitate a West Coast-only broadcast of the news. O’Donnell announced in July that she was leaving the anchor seat. She’ll be replaced by Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson.
“The Neighborhood” could be expanding. The season finale of the CBS comedy will serve as a planted spinoff starring Marcel Spears and Sheaun McKinney.
CNN and Zachary Young, a security consultant who sued the network for defamation, settled the case on Friday, shortly after a jury awarded Young $5 million and was in the process of determining punitive damages. Young was featured in a 2021 report on the fees being demanded on the black market to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic US withdrawal. “We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case,” said a CNN spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Paramount Global execs have informally discussed the possibility of settling President Donald Trump’s suit against CBS, as the company prepares for its sale to Skydance. Trump is suing CBS over the editing done to a “60 Minutes” interview with is then-political rival Kamala Harris. CBS has filed a motion to dismiss, and Trump has until January 24 to respond.
Zeam Media is collaborating with three of their Chinese-language local broadcast partners, KTSF-TV(Bay Area), Sino-TV (LA and NYC), and Sky Link TV (LA and SF) to bring a lineup to US viewers. All Lunar New Year content from KTSF-TV, Sino-TV, and Sky Link can be found on their individual channels on Zeam and as part of the Lunar New Year Hub, which debuts January 28.
OAK9 Entertainment, producer of children’s media, announced that Boat Rocker will distribute its animated franchise “Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!” worldwide. The program is Lithuania’s first-ever animated franchise to secure international distribution.
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Cynopsis Awards and Events
Kick Off 2025 with Big Wins and Bigger Savings!
Good news! We’ve extended the deadline for our exclusive savings through January 31st. Save up to $2,500 on Cynopsis events and awards—your chance to celebrate achievements, showcase success, and connect with top industry leaders. Don’t miss this extended opportunity to start the year strong.
Save today!
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| NEW & RETURNING SERIES |
| VICE TV docuseries “Pitino: Red Storm Rising,” following Rick Pitino in his second season as head coach of the St. John’s University men’s basketball team, will premiere Tuesday, February 11 at 10p |
 Season two of “Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler” premieres Saturday, January 25 at 8p on Oxygen True Crime. The series’ freshman season of averaged 991,000 viewers across platforms through 35 days. |
Today’s Premieres
TBS: The Joe Schmo Show at 9p
Vice: The Verdict at 10p |
| COMING UP |
 “Gladiator II” starts streaming today, January 21 on Paramount+. The film was released in theaters on November 22.
Xfinity customers can get a free preview of Acorn TV through January 26. Available on X1 and the Xfinity Stream app, the preview includes a new season of “Darby and Joan: Open Road Detectives,” which on January 4 drove Acorn TV to the biggest day of new sign-ups in its history. The preview also coincides with the arrival of the first two episodes of New Zealand’s breakout new mystery series “The Gone.”
February’s Sunday Mystery Matinee on FETV features classic mystery movies “Rear Window,” “The Killers,” “North By Northwest,” and “Double Indemnity,” each week at 3p.
BBC Africa Eye has acquired the film “Our Land, Our Life,” following the journey of two Kenyan women who shine a light on British atrocities as they fought Mau Mau separatists.
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CTV Connect
Streaming Live Sports: The Future is Now
Streaming live sports is growing rapidly and shows no signs of slowing down. Discover the latest trends during our “From Rookie to MVP: The Future of Streaming Sports” session. Hear from industry leaders at Mindshare, Fubo, and NBC Universal about the challenges and opportunities in delivering live sports through CTV. With the most iconic events now streaming, what’s next for the future of sports media?
Don’t miss out – register today!
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| RATINGS |
| After seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, new comedy “Shifting Gears” has drawn 16.95 million Total Viewers, representing a 173% lift over the show’s initial Live+Same Day delivery.
Fox Sports drew 33.6 million viewers for Washington’s divisional upset over Detroit across Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming services on Saturday. It was the fourth most-watched Saturday NFC Divisional game in Fox history.
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 ABC kicked off its Tuesday drama night with record-setting results for “High Potential,” “Will Trent” and the season three return to “The Rookie.” On linear, ABC earned its most-watched night (7.56 million) of original scripted lineup in over four years, winning won the night in Total Viewers and A18-49 (0.65 rating).
The new season of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains” has been seen by more than 3.7 million P2+ cross platform viewers (across linear, Max and discovery+). The second episode posted a 0.67 P25-54 / 0.80 W25-54 L3 rating, up double digits vs. week one and up triple digits vs. prior six-week benchmarks.
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| EXECUTIVE MOVES |
| Hiroyuki Fukuda, former Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, has been promoted to Representative Director, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nippon TV. He replaces Akira Ishizawa, who will serve as the Representative Director of the newly established Yomiuri Chukyo FS Broadcasting Holdings Corporation. |
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This Day in History
1921 – Agatha Christie published her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Who was the only cast member on “The Jeffersons” (1975-85) to win an Emmy for the show? Isabel Sanford. Kudos to: Fred T. Jackson-Urban One/NYC; Mike Gioscia-NBCUniversal/NYC; Jackie Howell-Nexstar WCMH-TV/Columbus, OH; Rick Dascher-Haberdaschery Creative/Atlanta; Larry Hutchings/Pismo Beach, CA; Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Maggie Takei-Moore Media/Sherman Oaks, CA; Len Klatt-The Winning Run/LA; Dan Whitford-WTTW/Chicago; John Kukla-KDFW Fox 4/Dallas; Wendy Holmes/Denver
Today’s Trivia Question
Which 1964-65 sitcom and 1975 sitcom had the same name? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)
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SALES LEAD – AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
UPWAVE
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Build and manage relationships with our agency partners – mostly targeting media buyers and planners – and help them see the value of adding Upwave measurement to The Trade Desk campaigns. You will both leverage your existing network and open new doors to achieve aggressive but achievable sales targets. Full info HERE
VICE PRESIDENT, POLITICAL SALES
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NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP, INC./WASHINGTON, DC: Lead the company’s political advertising revenue across its dynamic portfolio of broadcast stations. Responsible for developing sales strategies tailored to the fast-paced, high-stakes political advertising market. You will possess an understanding of the political advertising landscape, and the ability to forge strong relationships with campaigns. Full info HERE
COUNSEL, LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS
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MLB NETWORK/SECAUCUS, NJ: Responsible for a variety of matters, including services agreements, production related agreements, talent agreements, software and other technology related agreements, licensing and programming agreements, third party rights clearances, distribution agreements, contract summaries, confidentiality, and general contract matters. Full info HERE
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA
CSI SPORTS
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Proven track record of monetizing digital assets on various social media platforms. Work closely with our production team in creating content and comprehensive marketing plans to increase market share. Full info HERE
INTERNATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
CSI SPORTS
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY
Create and execute sales strategies and proposals- generating new sales from past, current and future leads by networking, building relationships and identifying valuable sales opportunities. Manage existing accounts and excel at identifying clients’ needs. Requires a self-driven individual who is passionate about the sports and media industry. Full info HERE
NATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
CSI SPORTS
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY
Looking for another self-motivated, highly disciplined National AD Sales Executive that enjoys the sales process from beginning to close. If you bring the enthusiasm and determination we will supply the opportunity to make this the best position you’ve ever had. Full info HERE
LEAD BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE
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CASTIFY.AI/HYBRID: Expand our client base in the digital advertising industry and focus on business development, securing new clients and partnerships, and negotiating contracts with leading advertising brands and agencies as well as experience in the digital advertising sector, showcasing a proven track record of achieving targets and excelling in business development. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT REP: MPT NATIONAL CORPORATE SALES
MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION FOUNDATION
REMOTE
Call on current and prospective sponsors, providing high-quality customer service, in a manner consistent with standard industry practice, for the customer/client accounts for which they have cultivated or have been assigned as well as build sustainable, long-lasting relationships with existing clients. Full info HERE
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF AD SALES >>
HAYSTACK NEWS/NYNY, LA, CHICAGO: Responsible for developing large, meaningful partnerships to drive strategic and creative solutions for clients. You relish the opportunity to help advertisers build their brands by supporting the world’s most premium news publishers. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
INTERSECTION
LOS ANGELES, CA
Drive new revenue for our media around Los Angeles and beyond as well as building relationships with prospects and clients. Full info HERE |
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| CNN Original Series “Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103” premieres with two episodes on Sunday, February 16 at 9p. The four-parter tracks the circumstances behind the deadly terror attack.
“Great Migrations: A People on the Move” kicks off Tuesday, January 28 at 9p on PBS (check local listings). The four-hour series hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., explores how a series of Black migrations have shaped the US.
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 Slasher film “Terrifier 3” premieres Friday, February 14 on Cineverse streaming service Screambox (happy Valentine’s Day!). Making-of documentary “Art Attack! The Dissection of Terrifier 3” lands on the service March 14. |
| TECH |
| Microsoft has released pay-as-you-go chat service Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Copilot Chat includes free, secure AI chat; agents accessible in the chat; and IT controls like enterprise data protection.
DirecTV has acquired majority ownership of Invidi Technologies, a provider of addressable television advertising solutions including a consolidated campaign management and order distribution platform; a supply-side solution for distributors and programmers; and the ability to manage, serve, and optimize ad delivery across direct and programmatic sales channels for streaming services in a single interface. “The deal underscores our commitment to continue to invest in the future of addressability and leans into Invidi’s industry-leading solutions to deliver outcomes for brands of all sizes and across all categories,” said Amy Leifer, DirecTV Chief Advertising Sales Officer.
Gen AI is disrupting the ad testing market, enabling marketers to test the effectiveness of their content at a scale never seen before. Peter Daboll, Head of US at AI platform DAIVID, talks about the transformation in Cynsiders.
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During her time at CBS, O’Donnell has been a trailblazer in the industry, bringing a fresh perspective to the news and covering important stories with integrity and passion. Her departure will surely be felt by viewers and colleagues alike, as she leaves behind a lasting legacy of excellence in journalism.
As O’Donnell prepares to say goodbye to CBS News, we can only look back on her incredible career with admiration and gratitude. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and know that she will continue to shine wherever she goes. Thank you, Norah O’Donnell, for your dedication to the truth and for inspiring us all with your work.
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Norah O’Donnell, CBS News, exit date, Cynopsis, news anchor, journalism, television, broadcasting, farewell, career move
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