More than any year in recent memory, the survival of shows this season did not hinge on ratings.
You don't have to read between the lines to get a sense of how close Warren Sapp was to losing his NFL Network gig. The network's executives on Friday afternoon were blunt about it. "We decided not to fire Warren," said Mark Quenzel, senior vice president of programming and production.
When he heard a pair of familiar voices speaking some unfamiliar language early in last year's NCAA tournament, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus sensed something interesting was happening on his network. "I thought we had some magic when in a space of a fairly short period Marv Albert did a promotion for the Masters and Augusta National, and then shortly thereafter, Jim Nantz did one for 'Hardcore Pawn,' said McManus. "And I have never heard Jim Nantz say three words so slowly."
FIRST FOUR on truTV Tuesday, March 13 *All times EST Dayton, Ohio 6:30 p.m. -- Western Kentucky vs. Mississippi Valley State (truTV) 9:00 p.m. -- Iona vs. BYU (truTV)
Hours before legendary football coach Joe Paterno died, some media outlets pounced on an early, inaccurate report and announced that he was dead .
Evaluating sports broadcasting talent is subjective. We each have our favorites. I like Mike Mayock. You like Phil Simms. We all dislike Craig James. While discussing NFL broadcasters over coffee a couple of months ago, James Andrew Miller, the author of the best-selling "These Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World Of ESPN," and I decided it would be fun to pick the 10 people in NFL broadcasting circles who we considered the most indispensable to their networks. (You can follow Miller on Twitter at @ESPNBOOK).
SI.com highlights a select group in the sports media who were newsworthy, both for positive and negative reasons, in 2011.
If you are looking to determine the winners and losers from Wednesday's announcement that the NFL had extended television deals with CBS, Fox and NBC, we'll make it easy for you:
updated: Thu Dec 01 2011 11:29:00
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit by NYC Mayor Bloomberg and Tishman Speyer CEOs Jerry and Rob Speyer.
Members of Congress and their staffs would be prohibited from using insider legislative information for investment purposes under legislation filed Tuesday in the wake of a CBS News "60 Minutes" report.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi fired back Sunday at a CBS News' "60 Minutes" report that highlighted several instances of what it suggested could be "soft corruption."
Saturday night's GOP presidential debate at Wofford College in South Carolina was the first debate to focus exclusively on foreign policy, so my expectations of the candidates were as low as bottom-shelf booze, for two reasons. The first is that foreign policy is a huge topic. The breadth can be overwhelming, especially to candidates who have little direct experience with it.
Government fines against CBS for airing Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" on national television were again tossed out by a federal appeals court, the latest free speech episode over indecent, if fleeting, images and words on the public airwaves.
A California judge Wednesday threw out a claim by cast members of the hit television show "Happy Days" that CBS committed fraud by not paying them for merchandising sales.
One need look no further than the Nielsen Top 25 to see that funny fare is doing some serious damage this fall TV season.
The most remarkable story in television these days might be NFL viewership. Last year overall ratings were up 13 percent over 2009, and games on CBS, Fox and NBC averaged 20 million viewers, more than twice what networks receive for their prime-time programming. Last season's Super Bowl between the Packers and Steelers set an American television record with 111 million viewers.
College football writer Bruce Feldman, whose reported suspension from ESPN last month produced an uprising on Twitter, has joined CBS as a college football analyst. He will write for CBSSports.com and report on college football across multiple CBS platforms.
Like all "value" managers, John W. Rogers, Jr. wants stocks that are priced cheap relative to their earnings. But a low P/E ratio is just the start.
The Supreme Court said Monday it will take another look at government efforts to regulate profanity and sexual content on broadcast television.
(Each month SI.com highlights those in the sports media who have proved newsworthy, both for positive and negative achievements.)
How would going through a near-death experience change you? It's one of those questions that few of us ever ponder or could ever answer until, heaven forbid, it happens.
She is joined by clips of Presidents Bush and Obama, Sarah Palin, Captain Sully and Betty White
The patron saint of March Madness buzzer-beaters will not be calling the NCAA tournament next year.
updated: Tue Apr 05 2011 06:16:00
Fans celebrate after UConn defeats Butler to win the NCAA's men's basketball national championship.
The men's NCAA Division I hoops championship game is tonight, and we can't tell you whether UConn or Butler is going to win. We can predict two things, though. The winning team will cut down the nets. And CBS will show a highlight montage set to the song "One Shining Moment." Let's take a look at the origins of these traditions.
updated: Mon Apr 04 2011 09:28:00
Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Price talks about Congressional budget negotiations with AM's Ali Velshi.
Top senators said Sunday that they believe Congress will reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown this week, but there was little consensus on two larger budget battles looming in coming months.
The burgeoning bromance between CBS and Turner Sports was on full display this week inside a third-floor hotel banquet room at the swank Le Parker Meridien hotel in Manhattan. With their bosses seated behind them at the head of the room, Turner's Charles Barkley and CBS analyst Len Elmore chatted amicably about the upcoming NCAA tournament. Barkley, who works exclusively on NBA coverage, conceded that the college game presented a staggering amount of players and teams. Elmore, a soft-spoken lawyer who has broadcast college basketball for CBS and ESPN the past decade, told Barkley he had covered nearly 70 college games this season and was happy to provide some tutelage. "Call me anytime if you need something, Elmore told Barkley. "Happy to help."
First Four on truTV Dayton, Ohio Tuesday, March 15 6:40 p.m. -- UNC Asheville vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (truTV) 9:20 p.m. (approx.) -- UAB vs. Clemson (truTV)
Answers for the burning media questions going into the NCAA tournament ...
updated: Wed Mar 09 2011 16:23:00
Joy Behar talks with HLN's Dr. Drew about Charlie Sheen's bizarre behavior after being fired from "Two and a Half Men."
Today Sports Illustrated and CBS News unveiled the results of an unprecedented investigation into the backgrounds of college football players. More than a dozen reporters, writers, researchers, editors and producers worked on the project.
Two different stories, two different quotes, the same cringe-inducing effect.
updated: Thu Feb 17 2011 11:10:00
According to a CBS statement, correspondent Lara Logan was beaten and sexually assaulted while covering a story in Cairo.
A CBS correspondent was brutally attacked Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square after the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the network said in a statement released Tuesday.
Get ready to serve as your own television programmer for March Madness. On Thursday, CBS Sports and Turner Sports released their joint television schedule for this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, and here is the big selling point: All of the games will be available live in their entirety across four national networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.
Twenty-three years after graduating from the University of Arizona, Steve Kerr is heading back to college.
It was the fall of 1995, and there was open warfare in Washington over the Republicans' Contract with America.
NEW YORK -- As Rafael Nadal smashed a forehand down the line and into his line of sight last weekend, Ken Aagaard, wearing 3-D glasses along with eight other colleagues inside a cramped CBS trailer behind Arthur Ashe Stadium, explained what made tennis one of his favorite sports to watch in 3-D.
Some of the greatest players never adjusted, if they even bothered to try. Pete Sampras knew he was doomed before the French Open even started. Bjorn Borg couldn't get his mind around the madness of New York City. Ivan Lendl tried to embrace grass courts, but he wasn't fooling anyone. John McEnroe skipped the French Open six times, and Jimmy Connors barely acknowledged its existence until he was 26 years old.
A bevy of stars will take part in a one-hour television special Friday night to raise funds for cancer research.
There is no programming more valuable in television than the National Football League. Last season an average of 16.6 million people watched regular season NFL games, which was 105 percent higher than the average primetime viewership (8.1 million) for the Big Four networks.
A top White House aide and the managing director of oil giant BP provided differing versions Sunday for who provided the initial inaccurate estimates of the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
1. Ernie Harwell His Southern voice -- rich and authoritative but not overbearing -- became as distinctive to Michigan listeners as baseball itself. That's how Detroit Free Press writer John Lowe described Harwell in his graceful tribute to the life of the broadcaster, who passed away last week at 92. Having lived in Michigan for eight months last year, I got a small slice of the love Michiganders had for the announcer. This intimate connection, forged by the medium of radio, is sadly becoming an endangered species. As SI's Tom Verducci wrote last week, Harwell had an understated elegance, which has become "a lost art given the audaciousness, trumped-up signature calls and desire to be noticed in broadcasting today." (Here's looking at you, John Sterling). His life and times produced some remarkable tributes, including here and here, and of particular note was this terrific compendium on the Free Press Web site. Lastly, watch this.
CNN's parent company Time Warner confirmed on Wednesday that it is in discussions with CBS News as well as other broadcast news organizations about a possible news-gathering partnership.
Men's basketball could be paving the way for the future of television. Last week, Turner Broadcasting System and CBS joined forces to broadcast the Division I NCAA men's basketball finals, starting in 2011. The $10.8 billion deal will last through 2024, and bump up the number of teams in the tournament from 65 to 68.
No matter how glorious this past NCAA tournament was -- the thrilling opening day, Butler's inspiring run to a hometown Final Four, and a title game that was good to the last shot -- it was difficult to leave Indianapolis without the feeling that something horrible was on the horizon.
@JaDaddy: You see any truth to Dana's comments re: SF betting on Hendo because they saw Shields as less valuable and headed to UFC?
The NCAA has reached an agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting to show the men's college basketball tournament from 2011 to 2024 in a $10.8-billion-dollar deal.
1. John Smoltz, Turner and MLB Network: Of all who signed with baseball broadcasting entities this offseason, from Aaron Boone to Nomar Garciaparra to J.P. Ricciardi, Smoltz has the best chance for long term stardom. The future Hall of Fame pitcher was pursued by ESPN, Fox, Turner and the MLB Network because their executives saw the same thing baseball beat writers did: an intelligent and thoughtful voice on the game. Smoltz will call regular-season and playoff games for Turner and do a handful of games for Peachtree Television (they broadcast Braves games along with Fox Sports South and SportSouth). He'll also work about 15 games for the MLB Network. As for a midseason comback, Smoltz said it's unlikely to happen.
With its durability, structure and life cycle, the NCAA basketball tournament is a kind of organism. And like most living things it has, over time, developed an immune system. There's no better example than what happened in 1989, when men in backrooms plotted to strip the little conferences of their automatic bids -- and were foiled when No. 16 Princeton came within a point of upsetting top-seeded Georgetown.
President Obama is expected to sign the final health care legislation into law this week, but while the action wraps up on Capitol Hill, the heated debate over reform shows no sign of cooling down.
updated: Wed Mar 31 2010 09:10:00
CNN's Susan Candiotti reports on a town hall meeting with Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania.
Who's going to win this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament? Your guess is as good as ours. Probably better, actually.
Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that he would make his return to golf on April 8 for the 2010 Masters Tournament, and media analysts say the broadcasters covering the event have reason to be giddy.
The calendar turned to March this week, which means one of our nation's most celebrated sporting events is just around the corner. Two Sundays from now, CBS studio host Greg Gumbel will read off the names of 65 college basketball teams. Millions of fans around the country will race to fill out their brackets. Many will find excuses to skip work or take long lunch breaks the following Thursday and Friday, as another NCAA tournament tips off.
There was a moment during last week's Super Bowl conference call that revealed the prevailing mood at CBS Sports these days. Asked by a reporter for the network's coverage plans for Sunday's broadcast, CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus responded like a man holding pocket aces in a Texas hold 'em game. "This year we're going to do nothing interesting or surprising," McManus cracked. "It will be the same old crap you see on pregame shows."
The midterm elections are nine months away, but it's not too early to begin handicapping them -- from a dollars and cents vantage point, that is.
Super Bowl network CBS rejected an ad Friday from ManCrunch.com, a gay dating Web site.
So many years, so much noise. Here's our best and worst of the decade in sports broadcasting.
Longtime fans of the soap opera "As the World Turns" are mourning the loss of their daily date with the folks in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, after CBS announced the cancellation of the long-running daytime drama this week.
Plummeting advertising sales have severely wounded media companies, but CBS is scoring big with the broadcast of this season's Super Bowl XLIV.
Last week, I posed five questions worth considering through November. We won't know the answers to four of them until later this month, but on the issue of Fedor Emelianenko's marketability, there appears to be some movement, at least anecdotally.
A New York appeals court on Tuesday dismissed Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit against CBS, in which the television news anchor accused his former employer of breach of contract.
Tonight's 61st ceremony features new host Neil Patrick Harris and new nominees
Walter Cronkite, the CBS anchorman known as "Uncle Walter" for his easygoing, measured delivery and "the most trusted man in America" for his rectitude and gravitas, died Friday night in his New York home, CBS reported.
The case of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" on national television -- and subsequent fines against CBS -- will be re-examined at the order of the Supreme Court.
The venerable CBS soap opera "Guiding Light" will go dark in September after 72 years and 16,000 episodes, the network announced Wednesday.
Two new national polls suggest that support for an $800 billion stimulus plan to pump up the economy has slipped since mid-January, but may have stabilized in the past week.
A federal appeals court threw out a $550,000 indecency fine against CBS Corp. for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction"
A Philadelphia appeals court Monday threw out the $550,000 indecency fine levied on CBS in connection with Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl.
The drama around the possible defection from Paramount of the cinematic powerhouses behind DreamWorks is headline-grabbing - but it's only a distraction from what must really be driving Sumner Redstone crazy: In tough times for media giants, Viacom and CBS are doing even worse than their peers.
The violent sport of mixed martial arts was once banned in nearly every state. Now it's getting prime exposure on CBS. Get ready for the real blood
A decade after teaming up to cover the Nagano Winter Olympics for CBS, commentator Gus Johnson and Showtime boxing and mixed martial arts producer David Dinkins Jr. are together again.
Britney Spears, who proved she's worth a cool million viewers to How I Met Your Mother, is paying another visit to the CBS sitcom
Is Sumner Redstone simply looking for leverage in his negotiations with CBS's Showtime? It sure looked that way Monday when Redstone's Viacom announced that its movie studio Paramount Pictures is in talks with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate to create a new premium pay-tv cable channel - potentially making it a direct competitor to its current cable distributor and former corporate sibling over at CBS.
Richard Butler, the CBS journalist rescued by Iraqi soldiers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Monday, described a quick escape and "brilliant" military work that ended his two long months of captivity.
Though her contract ends in 2011, the anchor could exit in January 2009
You like him. You hate him. And if you are one of the nearly 5,400 people who signed this petition, you want him off the air immediately.
SI.com's Richard Deitsch checks in every Monday with the latest doings in TV, radio and the Web.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to jump back into the free speech debate over whether broadcast television networks should be penalized for indecent or vulgar language that slips through inadvertently on a live or unscripted broadcast.
It's no secret that the Internet, digital video recorders and video games are sucking audiences away from broadcast television and radio. Just how painful that shift is for traditional media hit home Tuesday when CBS, owner of the country's most popular television network, released its earnings.
Media conglomerate CBS Corp. will release quarterly earnings for the final three month-period of 2007 Tuesday. Whatever its final numbers look like for 2007, they are sure to be better than those the company will tally in the foreseeable future, say analysts.
Military prosecutors say unaired footage of a CBS interview given by a Marine squad leader contains admissions of crimes in an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians
The Hollywood writer's strike has ended, but that leaves the question of when favorite shows will return to television
1. Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn, ESPN reporters: Investigative reporting is hardly a glamorous endeavor. Where sports columnists and television personalities are the gliteratti of the profession, most reporters who specialize in muckraking rarely see the klieg lights of Pardon The Interruption or the seven-figure salaries of Kornheiser-Wilbon Inc. But such reporters are invaluable when it comes to the collective gravitas of a news organization.
updated: Mon Nov 19 2007 17:55:00
Some companies are implementing no e-mail Fridays to cut down on unecessary e-mails. CNN's Polly LaBarre reports.
About 500 unionized news writers, employees of CBS News television and radio, could soon join their creative colleagues on the picket line
On the night before the Colts-Panthers game last weekend, a group of CBS staffers including NFL on CBS coordinating producer Lance Barrow, game announcer Jim Nantz and analyst Phil Simms sat down with Colts coach Tony Dungy for the network's traditional pre-game information session with the head coaches. "So I guess you guys are doing the game next week," Dungy said to the CBS crew. Told the network was indeed broadcasting the Colts-Patriots game, Dungy smiled. "Who are we playing again?"
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather says the $70 million lawsuit he filed Wednesday against his former employer is an effort to strike a blow against political and corporate influence that he believes threatens the independence of American journalism.
updated: Wed Sep 19 2007 19:37:00
CNN's Mary Snow explains why former ''60 Minutes'' anchor Dan Rather is suing CBS.
Dan Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit Wednesday against CBS, alleging that the network made him a "scapegoat" for a discredited story about President Bush's National Guard service.
updated: Tue Sep 11 2007 05:24:00
MTV Video Music Awards
CBS Corp. should not be fined for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction" because the stunt was both fleeting and unauthorized, a lawyer for the company argued Tuesday.
CBS announced Tuesday that its board has approved an increase in the quarterly dividend as well as a $1.6 billion stock buyback.
Don Imus has reached a settlement with CBS over his multimillion-dollar contract and is negotiating with WABC radio to resume his broadcasting career there
U.S. broadcaster CBS has settled its termination dispute with fired radio shock jock Don Imus, the company said Tuesday, a possible step toward Imus going to work for a rival broadcaster.
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