In reaction to Jeff Zucker's comment that the old TV business is dying, CBS exec Les Moonves is adamant that "the model ain't broken. The model works." Moonves also harped on the importance of local television, saying "We do not want to bypass the importance of local broadcasters to their communities", which could "change the whole economic model drastically." Of course, CBS is the highest rated network these days and is winning 4 out of 5 nights a week during the 10 o'clock slot, while NBC ranks fourth overall.
SAG has notified its members that strike authorization ballots will be sent on January 2nd. The vote would need the support of at least 75% of members paid in full, which would still only give SAG the authority to call a strike if they have to. Ballots are expected to be counted by January 23rd, with a decision following shortly.
Verizon is hoping to rollout LTE service in 2009. Verizon CTO Dick Lynch told a crowd at a Cisco conference that he expected LTE service to be available "this time next year." LTE, which can transmit 100Mbps down and 50Mbps up, is the wireless providers next generation wireless service, and will compete with the Wi-Max, neither of which are interoperable.
CBS's The Mentalist took in 18.8 million viewers to take number one on Tuesday. The show has been so popular that a rerun garnered an equally impressive 14 million viewers. CBS is hoping that the Simon Baker show will become its next bona fide hit.
Plus, today's consulting question, "Is Microsoft going to announce a Zune Phone at CES?" Shelly has the answer on today's MediaBytes.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net