Mediaworks: Tuning In

Is a Dress Code Required for NBC's 'Prime Suspect'?

Is a Dress Code Required for NBC's 'Prime Suspect'?

Here's a bit of a head-scratcher: Why is the tough New York detective in NBC's new "Prime Suspect" wearing such a fashionable chapeau?

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CBS Is Giving Hulu a Brief Kiss, Not a Bear Hug

CBS Is Giving Hulu a Brief Kiss, Not a Bear Hug

Some people will say a new pact means CBS is finally falling for Hulu, but they'll be missing the point.

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How Fox's New Video 'Window' Helps Close the Door on TV's Free Lunch

How Fox's New Video 'Window' Helps Close the Door on TV's Free Lunch

By no longer providing fresh TV episodes to online viewers who watch TV on the web, News Corp.'s Fox is hastening the demise of "Free TV."

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How Netflix's New Prices Are Like Selling Coke on a Summer Day

How Netflix's New Prices Are Like Selling Coke on a Summer Day

Coca-Cola once tested vending machines that would charge more for a cold drink when the temperature outside was hot.

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ESPN Unifies Wimbledon Coverage; Will Others Follow?

ESPN Unifies Wimbledon Coverage; Will Others Follow?

Sports events have been increasingly divvied up among TV outlets, but Wimbledon's organizers said they liked the idea of unifying its coverage at one network.

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How Loudly Will 'The Voice' Carry Come Spring?

How Loudly Will 'The Voice' Carry Come Spring?

"The Voice" is performing very well for NBC, but media buyers predict its commercial ratings next season won't come close to similar programs such as "American Idol," "The X Factor" and "Dancing With the Stars."

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Is There Still a To-Do About Hulu?

Is There Still a To-Do About Hulu?

As Hulu's board weighs an acquisition offer, the video site's challenges are becoming more clear.

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Katie Couric Isn't Oprah, but Could She Be Barbara?

Katie Couric Isn't Oprah, but Could She Be Barbara?

Pundits seem to be falling all over themselves to compare Katie Couric to Oprah Winfrey. Are we out of line to suggest they should be looking to Barbara Walters instead?

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Why All This TV Upfront Excitement Needs a Grain of Salt

Why All This TV Upfront Excitement Needs a Grain of Salt

Regarding "Love Bites" and other upfront pitches that don't pan out quite as promised in the spring.

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Happy Viewers Aren't the Reason 'Two and a Half Men' Could Return

Happy Viewers Aren't the Reason 'Two and a Half Men' Could Return

Viewers aren't often hungry for a show to continue after its star exits, but networks and producers have plenty of incentive to try out replacements.

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Bin Laden Death Means Ads Can Run in News Reports from Ground Zero

This evening's broadcasts will till the same difficult ground as earlier coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks. What's changed is the twist at the end.

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New Siblings NBC News, E! Link Hands to Boost Content

New Siblings NBC News, E! Link Hands to Boost Content

NBC News and E! have been working together on subjects such as Charlie Sheen and the royal wedding since becoming siblings under Comcast.

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Why Katie Couric May Not Become Queen of Daytime Either

Why Katie Couric May Not Become Queen of Daytime Either

Katie Couric will have at least as much competition, and perhaps more, during the daytime cycle as she did at the evening news.

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Hoover's Soap-Opera Support Sounds Like a Wash

Hoover's Soap-Opera Support Sounds Like a Wash

Hoover says it's yanking advertising from ABC to protest the cancellation of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." It's getting good publicity for the stunt, but ABC won't feel much sting.

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Does a Shadow Loom Over the Upfront?

TV networks rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a spectacular upfront may want to stop for just a few moments.

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Why 'Mad Men' Needs to Embrace More Advertising, Not Shun It

Why 'Mad Men' Needs to Embrace More Advertising, Not Shun It

You might think the people who write a show that's so much about the advertising industry would want to have more advertising, not less.

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Bravo Gets Ready for Its Upfront, but Don't Tell the Viewers

Bravo Gets Ready for Its Upfront, but Don't Tell the Viewers

Bravo will show scenes from its upfront parties for advertisers during the finale of "Top Chef," but viewers won't hear the word "upfront."

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Before You Get Excited About Netflix TV, Read This

Before You Get Excited About Netflix TV, Read This

For all the heated talk of a "Netflix original series," this high-flying tech firm could still run into the same old problems that have snagged other purveyors of TV favorites for decades.

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Is Starbucks' 'Morning Joe' Brew Too Strong?

Is Starbucks' 'Morning Joe' Brew Too Strong?

Should MSNBC's "Morning Joe" have mentioned its Starbucks sponsorship during its lengthy chat with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz this morning?

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Tonight's 'Event': The Possible Death of a TV Genre

Tonight's 'Event': The Possible Death of a TV Genre

When we look back on the NBC show one day, we may well think its big happening was really the end of the complex serial-drama genre previously made hot by "Lost" and "24."

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