Posts

Showing posts from February, 2012

Time Warner Cable completes its $3 billion takeover of Insight Communications

Image
Time Warner Cable announced Wednesday that it has completed its $3 billion purchase of Insight Communications , a cable, internet and telephone provider which serves Evansville, Henderson, and several other Tri-State communities. “Today we are pleased to welcome new customers, new employees and new communities to Time Warner Cable,” said Glenn Britt, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable. “With this acquisition, we have expanded in areas that fit well with our Midwest operations at an attractive price. We are excited to begin building on Insight’s successes and serving our new customers.” For the short-term, Insight's 760,000 customers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, will notice no major changes to their service. New products and services will be rolled out over the next few months. As with Time Warner's rollout of its brand in the former NewWave service territories it purchased last year in Kentucky and Tennessee, it will be some time before customers see the ne

UPDATE: NOAA Weather Radio transmitters back on the air

Image
UPDATE #2, 3:16 a.m.:  All NOAA Weather Radio transmitters are now back on the air.  Kudos to the folks in Paducah for their FAST work! UPDATE, 2:55 a.m.:  I have added the counties where folks will be affected by these outages this morning.  If you know someone who lives in these areas, call them and let them severe weather IS on its way ... it's just a couple of hours (maybe less) west of us.  They will need to know that the weather radio might not wake them up. The National Weather Service office in Paducah reports early this morning that several of its NOAA Weather Radio transmitters are down due to mechanical difficulties. The affected transmitters which serve portions of the Tri-State are: KIG76 (162.550 MHz) in Evansville - which serves all or part of Edwards, Wabash and White counties in Southeastern Illinois; Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties in Southwestern Indiana; and Henderson and Union counties in Western K

Ill. residents can win a weather radio from IESMA and IEMA

Image
March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois, and the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are joining forces to encourage Illinois residents to have National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) all-hazards weather alert radios. A weather alert radio provides potentially life-saving alerts about approaching severe weather and other hazards in your area 24 hours a day. As part of their awareness campaign, IESMA and IEMA are sponsoring the "Weather Alert Radios Save Lives" contest throughout March to promote the use of weather alert radios. The contest is open to all Illinois residents. To participate, simply click on the contest link at ready.illinois.gov , read a narrative about weather alert radios and take a quick five-question quiz. After completing the quiz, you'll need to fill out the entry form and click "submit." A total of 100 NOAA weather alert radios wi

Ky. congressman receives Champion of Public Broadcasting Award

Image
U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky./5th) A Kentucky congressman has received an award for his support of public broadcasting. The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) with the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award during the 2012 APTS Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C. “I am honored to accept this kind award from the Association of Public Television Stations,” Rogers said. “I applaud APTS for their efforts to bring quality programming and educational content into the homes of all Americans.” The award is given to members of Congress and other individuals who safeguard the ability of local public television stations to provide educational, informational, cultural and other essential public services to their communities. “We’re so proud to see this Champion of Public Broadcasting Award be presented to our great Kentucky Congressman, Hal Rogers,” said KET executive director and CEO Shae Hopkins. “Thro

Glee cast members now rank 8th in the Top 10 digital U.S. artists of all time

Image
Fox's smash hit show, Glee , won't have another new episode for more than a month, but there is good news for Gleeks as the show's cast has reached another milestone this week.  Music performed by the show’s cast now ranks eighth in the Top 10-selling digital U.S. artists of all time, according to SoundScan . With over 32 million Glee songs digitally downloaded in the U.S., the show’s cast is in the company of pop icons Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Black Eyed Peas. Most recently, the Glee cast’s versions of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” (45,292 tracks sold to date), Michael Jackson’s “Bad” (48,766 tracks sold to date)  and “Smooth Criminal” (161,495 tracks sold to date) have been added to Glee's groundbreaking record for most charted songs by a single act in the Billboard Hot 100 chart history. These standout tracks bring the Glee cast’s grand total of Hot 100 entries to 193, surpassing Elvis Presley, The Beatles and James Brown.  Fr

New round of DWTS premieres Mar. 19; ABC announces this season's participating stars

Image
This season’s dynamic lineup of stars – including a Super Bowl champion, a telenovela star, a tennis legend, a Disney Channel star, a classical singing star and a music legend – will perform either the Foxtrot or the Cha Cha for the first time on live national television with their professional partners during the two-hour season premiere of Dancing with the Stars , which dances back onto the air on Monday, Mar. 19 on ABC. As announced today on ABC’s Good Morning America by DWTS hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet , the 12 celebrities, with their professional partners, heading to the dance floor this season are Gavin DeGraw, Donald Driver, Roshon Fegan, Melissa Gilbert,  Katherine Jenkins, Gladys Knight, William Levy, Maria Menounos, Martina Navratilova, Sherri Shepherd, Jack Wagner and Jaleel White. ▼ Read the stars' bios and more info after the jump.

NATIONAL NOTES: Spader leaving The Office, Sawyer and Cooper are favorite anchors

Image
Let's take a look at a few items making news across the nation this morning: SPADER LEAVING THE OFFICE James Spader , who joined NBC's The Office as eccentric boss Robert California for last season's finale, will leave the show at the end of this season.  The AP reports that Spader only wanted to do one season of the show, and NBC obliged him. [ AP via TVNewsCheck ] SAWYER, COOPER NAMED FAVORITE "CURRENT EVENTS PERSONALITIES" Harris Interactive polled more than 2,000 adults recently, asking which "current events personality" was their favorite.  And, while NBC's Brian Williams may hold a substantial ratings lead among the broadcast network anchors, he could only muster third place in this survey - ABC's Diane Sawyer was first, with 23%.  Anderson Cooper was second with 19%. Blustery radio host Rush Limbaugh came in first in the "least favorite" category, with 46% of those surveyed choosing him.  Bill O'

REMINDER: KET's Education Matters to look at the importance of arts education

Image
On the newest edition of Education Matters , “New Directions in Arts Education,” guests take a look at how arts education contributes to a student’s overall academic success. The program airs tonight at 8 p.m. CT on KET . In the program, arts educators explore the growing body of research that links the study of dance, drama, visual arts and music to overall academic success. They also discuss Kentucky’s new Program Review for assessing each school’s arts and humanities program. In addition to the panel discussion, the program features a visit to Berea for the annual Walk with the Arts, where students interact with storytellers, potters, musicians and other artists making a connection between creativity and learning. Panelists on the program include: Robert Duncan , arts and humanities consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education Sara Francis , orchestra teacher at Edith B. Hayes Middle School in Fayette County Scottie Billiter , assistant principal a

WOW! named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana for second straight year

Image
For the second year in a row, WOW! , which provides internet, cable TV and phone service in and around the Evansville area, has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana by Best Companies Group, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, BizVoice, Inside Indiana Business, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The top companies are chosen based on employer reports about workplace practices and policies, combined with comprehensive employee survey results. While completing the survey is optional for employees, over 90% of WOW! employees participated in the survey. The designation recognizes Indiana employers who create an environment in which employees feel valued and therefore are part of a workplace structure that's positive and productive for their business and the community. WOW! employs nearly 150 people in the Evansville region. "Our team members work hard every day to create a WOW! experience for each other and our customers.

Non-duplication rules force changes in Wabash Independent Networks channel lineups

Image
Wabash Independent Networks (WIN) digital video and cable customers in Southern Illinois are seeing some big channel lineup changes in their choices for broadcast channels. JDTVB Southern Illinois Correspondent James Hampsten reports that the company's former offerings, which included local stations from Evansville , Terre Haute , Paducah-Harrisburg-Cape Girardeau and St. Louis , have been heavily modified because of the FCC's non-duplication rules. For example, in Flora, where WIN operates the cable system, the only Evansville station now carried is independent Local 7 WTVW .  St. Louis' KDNL (ABC), KMOV (CBS), KTVI (Fox) and KSDK (NBC) are now the only affiliates of those networks available to viewers.  WSIU out of Carbondale is the PBS choice. Digital video customers' local network choices will now depend upon where they live.  According to the company's website, these are those lineups: CLAY & MARION counties (St. Louis Network Affil

The Weekender - Reviewing the week in TV and radio, Feb. 18-24

Image
It's Friday afternoon, and that means it's time to look back at the week in TV and radio. All of this week's headlines can, as always, be found below for your convenience. Once you're done catching up, be sure to check out JDTVB's Facebook page , which now includes special exclusive items which aren't posted here, and follow me on Twitter for all the latest information, as well as comments on a host of other topics, too. Have a great weekend! FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY Non-duplication rules force changes in Wabash Independent Networks channel lineups Sandman goes national:  103GBF rocker to host Loudwire beginning in mid-March on all Townsquare Media rock stations WPSD to air Louisiana St./Mississippi game Saturday instead of PGA golf KET TeleFund 2012 to include exciting programs, rewards for supporting Ky.'s public TV network Scripps, Gray report fourth-quarter revenues THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY CBS, Kennedy Center extend Kennedy Ce

Sandman goes national: 103GBF rocker to host Loudwire beginning in mid-March on all Townsquare Media rock stations

Image
THE SANDMAN There's big news on the rock radio scene this afternoon - 103GBF 's Mike Sanders (better known as The Sandman ) is going national! The Sandman will begin hosting a new two-hour weekend show called Loudwire , which will debut in mid-March on 103GBF and all of Townsquare Media 's rock stations across the country. "After 31 years in rock radio, this is another challenging step for me in my career.  I’m excited for the (opportunity) that my company has given me," he wrote on 103GBF's site earlier today.   "Loudwire will feature not only the top rock songs in the country, but also artist interviews and plenty of tasty rock news powered by the ultimate rock website, Loudwire.com ." Stay tuned to 103GBF and 103GBFRocks.com for more info, as the date and time of the show's premiere have not yet been announced. Congratulations, Sandman!

WPSD to air Louisiana St./Mississippi game Saturday instead of PGA golf

Image
Some Tri-Staters who tune in to Paducah NBC affiliate WPSD Local 6 on Saturday afternoon expecting to see the PGA Tour – WGC Accenture Match Play Championship will find something else on in its place. The station, because of its contractual obligation to the SEC Network , will instead air the men's basketball game between Louisiana State and Mississippi, which tips off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. WPSD will air the final round of the golf tournament on Sunday. Most Tri-State viewers will be able to see the tournament in its entirety, of course, on 14WFIE , so if you live in an area where both WPSD and WFIE are available to you on cable or over-the-air, and you want to see golf instead of basketball, simply turn to 14. EDITOR'S NOTE:  The LSU/Mississippi game will also be televised live on Local 7 WTVW (Evansville), WBKO-ABC 13.1 (Bowling Green) and WAVE-3 (Louisville).

KET TeleFund 2012 to include exciting programs, rewards for supporting Ky.'s public TV network

Image
Phantom of the Opera , Bob Ross and more highlight KET ’s TeleFund 2012 , taking place March 3-18 . This year, viewers can expect an exciting blend of programs celebrating many legends of music, performing arts and so much more. TeleFund is an opportunity for viewers to donate toward KET’s mission to provide quality, trusted programs that educate, inspire and entertain. As always, those who donate during TeleFund will have the chance to receive tickets to a wide range of concerts and experiences, including Celtic Woman, Sesame Street Live and more. “KET serves all Kentuckians with our rich and diverse educational programming and services,” said Shae Hopkins, KET executive director and CEO. “Our more than 34,000 members that support KET help make this possible. TeleFund 2012 provides an opportunity for our viewers to help ensure KET can continue to purchase, produce and provide the quality programs they enjoy, value and expect.” During Telefund, viewers may donate by calling 1

Scripps, Gray report fourth-quarter revenues

Image
The E.W. Scripps Co. and Gray Television each reported their respective fourth-quarter 2011 revenue this morning, and in both cases, each company saw double-digit overall decreases, but non-political advertising revenue actually climbed. Scripps , which owns the Evansville Courier & Press and Henderson Gleaner , saw total revenue for the quarter fall by 16% compared to last year, with its overall newspaper division revenue declining by 3.3%.  Television revenue was likewise down, and the addition of the former McGraw-Hill stations (including Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV-6 ) didn't affect overall financial performance for the quarter. See Scripps' full fourth-quarter report here . Gray - the owner of Bowling Green, Ky. ABC/Fox/CW affiliate WBKO-13 , saw its overall revenue decline by 26% for the quarter compared to the same period in 2010; however, the company did record substantial increases in local, national and internet ad revenue, as well as retra

CBS, Kennedy Center extend Kennedy Center Honors TV deal through 2018

Image
CBS and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have reached a new agreement that will keep the annual Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on CBS through 2018. The new deal further extends one of the longest broadcast partnerships in television history.  The special has been broadcast on CBS each year since its debut in 1978. “The Kennedy Center Honors continues to be one of the most prestigious broadcasts on all of television, and we are honored to be its host,” said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.  “It is a unique event that reinforces our country's collective appreciation for the performing arts with tremendous class, style and, yes, entertainment.  We are proud to join forces with the Kennedy Center and our friends in Washington to continue presenting this annual event.” “We are pleased to renew this commitment with CBS,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein. “Every year, the broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honor

Nexstar names Zink new VP/GM of WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW

Image
Nexstar Broadcasting announced Thursday that it has named Arika Zink as the new vice-president and general manager of its Evansville-market television stations, ABC affiliate WEHT Local (ch. 25) and independent Local 7 WTVW (ch. 7). Zink, who has 25 years' experience in television broadcasting, comes to the Tri-State after two years managing Four Points Media's TV stations in West Palm Beach, Fla. Those stations include CW, MyNetwork TV and Azteca America affiliates. In addition to her time in Florida, Zink has worked at stations in South Carolina, Ohio and her home state of West Virginia. Zink replaces Mike Smith , who is retiring after nine years with Nexstar, the last six of those at WTVW. He became WEHT's general manager in December 2011 when the two stations combined their operations under Nexstar management. "I am excited to work again with Nexstar and the teams at WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW and Tristatehomepage.com , as we deliver ad

39th annual WNIN Action Auction set for Apr. 24-28

Image
WNIN has announced that its 39th annual Action Auction will be held Apr. 24-28, with a sneak peek at the items up for bid on Apr. 23 from 5-7 p.m. CT, as well as online at wninactionauction.org . The Action Auction is an annual televised WNIN fundraiser enjoyed by thousands of viewers, and will air from 6 to 10 p.m. each night.   Proceeds from the auction help fund WNIN's mission to serve the community with programming and outreach in education, health, arts & culture, business and government. Without support from viewers like you, WNIN could not keep these programs on the air. In addition, if you own a Tri-State business and would like to donate items for the Action Auction, you can click here for an informational packet, or you can call Ashley Murray at (812) 423-2973 for more info. Information for this story was provided by WNIN.

Townsquare Media stations hosting St. Jude Radiothon today, tomorrow

Image
The Townsquare Media radio stations in Evansville and Owensboro - 99.5 WKDQ , 103GBF , 105.3 WJLT , 106.1 KISS-FM , NewsTalk 1280 WGBF , 92.5 WBKR and NewsTalk 1490 WOMI - are hosting their annual Radiothon for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital both today and tomorrow. St. Jude's, founded by the late actor Danny Thomas, brings hope and help to thousands of critically ill children each and every year.  For 50 years, the hospital and research center in Memphis have worked to develop new treatments and search for a cure for childhood cancers, and you can help. If you'd like to help support the mission of St. Jude's, pick up the phone and call toll-free to become a Partner in Hope: (800) 201-8883 , (800) 779-5121 or (800) 942-8731 .

PHOTO FROM THE PAST: WTVW's news staff in the late '70s

Image
Click the photo to see it in full size. The photograph above - sent in by a friend of JDTVB, who kindly identified all of the folks in the photo - was taken sometime in either 1978 or 1979, and it shows WTVW-Channel 7 's news staff at that time, on the news set. If you have a Photo from the Past that you'd like to share with JDTVB's readers, please email me at jnewkirk77@att.net and let me know.

Announcers named for this year's NCAA Tournament

Image
This afternoon, CBS Sports and Turner Sports announced their lineup of broadcast teams for the second year of combined coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship .  Again this year, both companies will provide live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four networks – TBS , CBS , TNT and truTV – as well as across multiple platforms including NCAA March Madness Live . The tournament tips off on Tuesday, Mar. 13 and Wednesday, Mar. 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR on truTV . Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will be courtside calling the action from Dayton, Ohio on Mar. 13, with Tracy Wolfson reporting. The quartet will team up again when the tournament concludes on CBS Sports with the Final Four and National Championship game live from New Orleans, La. on Saturday, Mar. 31, and Monday, Apr. 2. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with courtside reporter Lewis Johnson, handle the call for the FIRST FOUR games on Wednesday, Mar. 14. Following

KET's Education Matters to show how arts education contributes to student success

Image
On the next edition of Education Matters , “New Directions in Arts Education,” guests take a look at how arts education contributes to a student’s overall academic success. The program airs Monday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. CT on KET . In the program, arts educators explore the growing body of research that links the study of dance, drama, visual arts and music to overall academic success. They also discuss Kentucky’s new Program Review for assessing each school’s arts and humanities program. In addition to the panel discussion, the program features a visit to Berea for the annual Walk with the Arts, where students interact with storytellers, potters, musicians and other artists making a connection between creativity and learning. Panelists on the program include: Robert Duncan , arts and humanities consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education Sara Francis , orchestra teacher at Edith B. Hayes Middle School in Fayette County Scottie Billiter , assistant principal at Letcher

WOW! rolls out new Ultra TV service

Image
WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone has introduced Ultra TV , a next generation multi-services platform that includes a whole-home HD DVR and Emmy award-winning Smart Menu. WOW! Ultra TV is a breakthrough in home entertainment, providing cable customers with a variety of great features all in one easy solution. The whole-home HD DVR lets customers record up to six programs at one time and plays them back from any WOW! Ultra TV-connected television in the home. Customers can also manage their recordings remotely from a smart phone or computer. Smart Menu comes with category filters and television apps such as a real-time news ticker, Caller ID to TV, games and Flickr. Customers can also access advanced search functionality that enables them to look for programs available through their television channels, on their HD DVR recordings and On Demand all at the same time. The new platform also includes wireless home networking and the ability to play back personal content

Comcast announces first four of its 10 new minority-oriented cable networks

Image
Comcast announced on Tuesday that it has selected four new minority-owned independent networks which it will roll out on its cable systems nationwide over the next two years.  Out of more than 100 proposals submitted, two which are owned by African-Americans and two that are Latino-owned were chosen. “We are thrilled to work with such talented individuals to launch these new networks that will bring exciting and fresh content to consumers,” said David L. Cohen, Comcast executive VP. “Comcast is committed to delivering programming that reflects the interests of our customers, and we look forward to integrating these great networks into our rich programming line-up.” Below are descriptions of each of the new networks announced Tuesday. Aspire Spearheaded by entrepreneur and NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, in partnership with GMC TV, Aspire is dedicated to delivering enlightening, entertaining and positive programming to African-Americans families, including movie

Post-Dispatch: Roberts Broadcasting might sell WAZE, other TV stations

Image
Steven & Michael Roberts In an effort to raise the cash needed to pay back its creditors, St. Louis-based Roberts Broadcasting may sell one or more of its TV stations, the company's attorney tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Roberts owns what remains of WAZE-CW19 in Evansville, along with WRBU in St. Louis, WZRB in Columbia, S.C. and WRBJ in Jackson, Miss. In Evansville, WAZE no longer has a full-power operation, no local staff, and no local office. All that remains are three low-power analog "ghost ships" (translators WAZE-LP ch. 17, WIKY-LP and WJPS-LP) which will be forced off the air in three years if they're not converted to digital, and the FCC has no applications for conversion on file. But that's not stopping the station's owners ... "We discovered a month or two ago that the stations would be worth much more than we had anticipated," said Roberts attorney A. Thomas DeWoskin. "It's not inconceivable that

NBC announces spring schedule: Community set to return Mar. 15

Image
NBC rolled out its spring schedule today, and the lineup features the premieres of new comedies Bent (which debuts Mar. 21) and Best Friends Forever (starting Apr. 4), as well as the comedic hidden-camera series Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (which also premieres Apr. 4). But perhaps the best news is that Community will make its long-awaited return to the Thursday schedule starting Mar. 15. NBC’s spring schedule features the highest percentage of original programs in the network’s history with only 13 total hours of repeat programming from Sunday to Friday through mid-May. The announcements were made today by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment. "We are happy to have an unprecedented amount of original content on NBC this spring," said Greenblatt. "Bent, Best Friends Forever and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers are welcome additions to the Wednesday schedule, and we know that the loyal fans of Community will be pleased with its return to its hom

Washington, Ind. radio station offering bus trip to Apr. 11 Reds/Cardinals game

Image
Washington, Ind. radio station The General 95.9/1580 WAMW , which is one of the Cincinnati Reds ' radio affiliates here in the Tri-State, is hosting a "Business Day Bus Trip" to Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, April 11 for a game between the Reds and the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals . For $75, you get a box seat ticket, transportation on a motor coach bus, and refreshments. The bus will leave Washington at 7 a.m. Eastern time on the morning of the game. For more information and reservations, you can call the station at (812) 254-WAMW (9269) or toll-free at (877) 254-9269 .  You can also click here to submit your reservation online at the station's website. Information for this story was provided by The General 95.9 and 1580 WAMW.

Comcast launches Xfinity Streampix, a new Netflix competitor

Image
Comcast today announced the launch of Xfinity Streampix , a new subscription video service that enables Xfinity video customers to instantly view favorite movies and TV shows in and out of the home, including numerous past seasons of current hit shows and full series, to multiple screens and devices including TVs (as a subscription On Demand folder), online platforms and mobile devices. The service is similar to Netflix 's online service and is likely to compete with that product. This new service complements the 75,000 TV shows and movies currently available on Xfinity On Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the Xfinity TV app. To launch Streampix, Comcast has entered into licensing agreements with leading movie studios and programming providers including Disney-ABC Television Group, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Cookie Jar Entertainment and built a line-up of top-rated content, which is available starting this week. “Xfini

FCC OKs WVJS power reduction, change to Class D status

Image
The Federal Communications Commission has approved the Cromwell Group's application to reduce the power of WVJS-1420 AM from 5,000 watts daytime and 1,000 watts nighttime to 980 and 20 watts, respectively. The change, which I told you about in November , is being made because of the difficulty in getting the station into compliance with FCC regulations using its current four-tower array located along Kentucky 331 (old U.S. 60) on the west side of Owensboro, behind Time Warner Cable's main building. WVJS will now broadcast using only the easternmost tower.  All four towers are currently owned by the cable company, so it's not immediately clear what will happen to the ones that will no longer be used. WVJS also has an FM translator, W263BG-100.5 FM , which is where most listeners now hear the station's programming, according to Cromwell Group owner Bayard "Bud" Walters .

Fox Sports Indiana Plus to televise tonight's UE/Creighton game

Image
UPDATE #2, 4:20 p.m.:  The Courier & Press reports additional channel changes for tonight's game.  See those below in red.  Also, many of you will also be able to watch the game online at ESPN3.com if your cable system is not carrying it on Fox Sports Indiana Plus. UPDATE #1, 1:40 p.m.:  The channel numbers for tonight's game have been updated.  You'll find them below. The University of Evansville Purple Aces will look for their second-ever season sweep of Creighton when the two schools face off in Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball action tonight in Omaha. The game is set to be televised by the MVC Network .  Due to the New Orleans Hornets at Indiana Pacers game on FOX Sports Indiana, FOX Sports Indiana Plus will clear the telecast in Evansville ( Insight channel 505 [for customers with a digital box] and 12.1 [no box] and WOW channel 224 ), and in Newburgh on Time Warner Cable channel 23 . Tonight's action will also be broadcas

Former KFVS GM returning to run KBSI, WDKA

Image
Mike Smythe The Fox and MyNetwork TV affiliates in the Paducah-Harrisburg-Cape Girardeau market are getting a new general manager, and his face is a familiar one in that area. Mike Smythe , who retired as VP and GM of Raycom Media's KFVS12 in Cape Girardeau late last year after 13 years heading up the CBS affiliate, is returning to the area to fill that role at KBSI-Fox 23 and WDKA-My49 . "It's a unique opportunity for me. [Sinclair Broadcast Group wants] to become more local, and they've started that with their local newscast," Smythe told the Southeast Missourian in a report published Sunday. KBSI's 9 p.m. evening newscast is produced by KFVS. Smythe will assume his new duties at KBSI/WDKA next week. EDITOR'S NOTE:  KBSI and WDKA can be seen in western and southwestern portions of the Tri-State via cable and over-the-air.

NATIONAL NOTES: TWC hands out antennas, Lohan to host SNL

Image
In honor of this Presidents Day , here's a special Presidential Edition of National Notes for this Monday, Feb. 20: TIME WARNER CABLE GIVES OUT ANTENNAS:   Time Warner Cable's retransmission consent dispute with a Corpus Christi, Texas NBC affiliate has led the cable giant to hand out some 21,000 antennas to its customers so they can watch the channel. So ... what happens when the customers find out that over-the-air picture quality is better than cable? [ FierceCable ] WHO WILL BE THE NEXT OPRAH?   Since Oprah Winfrey departed the broadcast airwaves last fall for cable, Ellen DeGeneres is probably the best talk-show host on the tube today. That hasn't stopped others from trying, nor will it ... a bunch of newbies (and some retreads) are in the works for this year. [ The New York Times ] LILO TO HOST SNL:   NBC announced this morning that Lindsay Lohan will guest-host Saturday Night Live on March 3. Will she be a hit, or will it be the lowest-rated SNL in his

REMINDER: PBS' Clinton biography debuts tonight on American Experience

Image
Starting tonight, PBS stations nationwide - including those which serve the Tri-State area - will air the biography of a president who rose from a broken childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history, and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage. From draft dodging to the Dayton Accords, from Monica Lewinsky to a balanced budget, the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton veered between sordid scandal and grand achievement. Clinton had a career full of accomplishment and rife with scandal, a marriage that would make history and create controversy, and a presidency that would define the crucial and transformative period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9-11. The latest installment in PBS' critically acclaimed and successful series of presidential biographies, Clinton follows the president across his two terms as he confronted some of the key forces that would shape the futu