A potentially hot news battle is shaping up this fall among the cable business channels: CNBC and Bloomberg will get competition from Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Business News channel when it begins Oct. 15.
Unless you’ve been living in a prairie dog hole, you know that the newest corner of Murdoch’s empire, The Wall Street Journal, will be a major resource for the new channel to make Fox Business an instantly credible player.
Where will the new channel turn up in Denver, and what shuffling of the lineup will it incite?
The answer is it won’t – at least not right away. A Comcast spokeswoman said via e-mail that Fox Business hasn’t yet landed a local spot.
“Fox Business will be made available on Oct. 15th. We as a company have 90 days to launch the network. We are still evaluating where the content will be located on our lineup at this point.”
Programming notes
Edie Falco’s first TV role since her Emmy-winning turn on “The Sopranos” will be on Tina Fey’s “30 Rock” on NBC in a three-episode arc. Jerry Seinfeld will appear in the season premiere on Oct. 4.
What do you do with the person who has more “friends” on MySpace than anyone in the world? If you’re MTV, you give her a “reality” show. “A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila,” billed as a bisexual dating show, is scheduled to premiere on MTV Oct. 9.
It’s down to the final two on TV Guide channel’s “America’s Next Producer” and one is from Colorado: Gwen Usuzko, formerly a Web producer for Fox’s KDVR-Channel 31. Usuzko was one of 10 in July. They’ve been writing scripts, shooting footage, pitching stories, sniping and snipping ever since. The winner will be determined in the two-hour season finale, Wednesday at 6 p.m. on TV Guide. (Comcast digital Channel 99)
Natalie Vickers joins The Mtn. (MountainWest Sports Network) as co-anchor with Marius Payton while Courtney George is on maternity leave.
Different “View”
Actress Sherri Shepherd (“Less Than Perfect”), who has served as guest host on “The View” many times, will be announced as the newest member of the roundtable today, one week after Whoopi Goldberg signed on. Her addition will mark the first time the cast has been at full capacity since Rosie O’Donnell came and went.
Anyone else catch Monique Coleman (“High School Musical 2”) on “The View” Friday? She was verklempt at meeting her hero, Whoopi, and ignored Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Whoopi, for her part, had too little to say – which was the theme of the first week of her co-hosting duties. Only her unfortunate, inflamatory comments about Michael Vick made headlines. Better luck this week.
“GMA” digital
ABC has quietly launched a third hour of “Good Morning America” online, on cellphones and other handheld devices. The extra hour of “GMA,” called “Good Morning America Now,” is anchored by Chris
Cuomo. Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Sam Champion will make occasional contributions. The network says the hour is available to more than 32 million users across cable, broadband and mobile.
“Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center,” the enlightening documentary that’s had a hard time making it to PBS’ airwaves, will get a screening on KBDI-Channel 12, Wednesday at 9 p.m. The film gives mainstream Muslims a forum to denounce fundamentalist Muslims’ views. After the film, author and NPR host John Hockenberry will lead a discussion in the studio with a panel of guests to explore what it means to be a Muslim in the world today.
Crawford Broadcasting is flipping two station frequencies effective this week: KLVZ the Spanish Christian radio format formerly at 1220 AM, moves to 810 AM. KLDC, the gospel station formerly at 810 AM, moves to 1220 AM.
“NFL Anywhere”
They promise it’s great for use during brunch with the in-laws, but some nonfans will not be amused. DirectTV NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers now can get the entire lineup of games via webstreams, cellphone, handheld, what-have-you, in high-definition, plus in-progress highlights and stats. For residential Direct TV subscribers, the “NFL Anywhere” package starts at $280.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
