News

The logo for Sinclair’s comedy broadcast network Tbd. (Still frame via broadcast)

Fox Corporation’s local broadcast television stations will be adding Sinclair’s comedy-centric multicast network Tbd in a handful of top TV markets, the companies announced on Tuesday.

Starting January 15, Fox-owned TV stations in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Phoenix will begin distributing Tbd on a digital sub-channel of their main network signal, making them available in closer proximity to a major network affiliate in five of the top 10 TV markets.

In two markets — Los Angeles and Chicago — Tbd will move from a Nexstar-owned CW Network affiliate, where they already had premiere reach. The realignment allows Sinclair to take advantage of Fox’s position in larger markets, securing the network’s placement in closer proximity to a “Big Four” network.

“We are excited to launch Tbd TV on 5 powerhouse Fox Owned Television Stations, including...

Warner Bros. Discovery wants to bring one of its “zombie” cable networks back to life with a big jolt of sports.

The media company intends to create a new nightly sports block for TruTV, the reality-series cable network that has largely been left to show endless episodes of the popular prank show “Impractical Jokers” and the caught-on-camera serial “World’s Dumbest.” In doing so, Warner no doubt hopes to create new value where there has only been a little. A new sports schedule would likely draw broader viewership and new ad dollars to the network, and might even spur cable distributors to accord the outlet more value in future carriage contracts.

The sports schedule will not consist only of simulcasts of NHL, MLB and NBA matchups that typically turn up on the company’s flagship TBS and TNT cable networks. Warner intends to air new “alterna-casts” that target different audiences; a...

Comedy Dynamics Acquires Worldwide Rights to the First Gay Male Stand Up Comedy Anthology Feature Special‘Brash Boys Club’ from Brash Girls Club’s and Comedy InvAsian’s Creator Quentin LeeLos Angeles — Ahead of the show’s world premiere and taping, Comedy Dynamics has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Brash Boys Club, the first gay male stand up comedy anthology feature special staring Owen Alabado, Dash Kwiatkowski and Brad Loekle to be directed and produced by the creator of Comedy InvAsian and Brash Girls Club’s producer Quentin Lee through his shingle Margin Films.Scheduled to be taped on January 30, 2020, Brash Boys Club is a one-night stand of gay comedy, daring to be the first gay male stand up comedy special and addressing the dearth of gay male comics in the stand up world. Come watch Brad Loekle, Owen Alabado and Dash Kwiatkowski record a 90 min. comedy special on Thursday,...

Gibbs and company investigated after a Navy lieutenant was found dead in a trash compactor aboard a ship on NCIS Season 14 Episode 4, which struck me as one of those "love it or hate it" hours.

Do you like not being able to finger the killer right off the bat? Well, you're pretty much golden with "Love Boat," because the killer and his motive weren't at all clear until the grand reveal at the end of the episode.

I have no problem with this strategy overall, though sometimes it has a tendency to come off as "out of left field." It may possibly have something to do with the fact that I've seen so many episodes of cop shows over the years that it's become all too easy to spot the perpetrator before the first commercial break.

To be honest, I'm still on the fence as to whether the motive reveal worked here or not.