NPR fact-check of environmental protest group Plane Stupid's latest commercial featuring polar bears falling from the sky. [Warning: graphic.] This is not the only commercial that has people upset. Enter PeTA's "Grace" which several NBC affiliates predictably refused to air during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
posted by cjorgensen on Nov 26, 2009 - 87 comments

Inside the White House in 2009 - 2002 - 1993 - 1990 - 1981 - 1977 - 1971 - 1962 - 1952
posted by Silune on Jun 9, 2009 - 10 comments

Every once in a while in the busy urban working environment, the boss buys hamburgers for everyone from Five Guys. [more inside]
posted by Xurando on Jun 3, 2009 - 139 comments

This is the city, Los Angeles California. I work Here. I carry a badge. My name's Friday. [more inside]
posted by tylerfulltilt on Jul 9, 2008 - 48 comments

Wikipedia Updater Fired For Scooping NBC on Tim Russert's Death -- "When Tim Russert collapsed ten days ago, his colleagues at NBC held off reporting the news for almost two hours so his family wouldn't hear about it from the media....The news appeared on Wikipedia 40 minutes before the NBC report, with all of the verbs in Tim's entry changed from present tense to past. It appeared on the New York Times's web site 5 minutes before the NBC story. It zipped around Twitter all afternoon. According to the New York Times, the person who updated the Wikipedia entry 40 minutes before NBC reported it worked at Internet Broadcasting Services, a company that provides web services to TV stations including NBC affiliates." [more inside]
posted by ericb on Jun 23, 2008 - 75 comments

Tim Russert dead at 58.
posted by swift on Jun 13, 2008 - 245 comments

NBC offers Way Back Wednesdays where you can watch full vintage episodes online of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Emergency, Battlestar Galactica, The A-Team, Buck Rogers, and Miami Vice.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner on Apr 3, 2008 - 24 comments

Actress Dani Miura talks about what it's like to work as bait on To Catch A Predator. Previously.
posted by miss lynnster on Jan 24, 2008 - 67 comments

The WGA strike has entered its third month. Since New Year's, Worldwide Pants, the Weinstein Co., and United Artists have reached interim deals with the WGA, with rumors of more to come. Microsoft announced new deals with Hollywood companies. And on Friday, ABC Studios terminated deals with more than a dozen writers. Tonight, CBS, NBC, and 20th Century Fox have followed suit. Names of producers, writers, and shows affected are still being revealed as letters are received. Force majeure. [more inside]
posted by Tehanu on Jan 14, 2008 - 169 comments

"You Don't Understand Our Audience" --what John Hockenberry (formerly of NBC, now at MIT Media Lab) learned about network news--good guys and bad guys, the "emotional center", synergy, facts, and why fewer and fewer watch nowadays.
posted by amberglow on Dec 31, 2007 - 65 comments

On December 24th, 1951, NBC aired television's first annual Christmas tradition and the first opera created specifically for TV, Amahl and the Night Visitors, composed by Gian Carlo Menotti (1911 – 2007). Maybe the cast recording, the children's book or one of the hundreds of local performances staged each year have been a staple of one or more of your holiday seasons. If so, you might be pleased to know that a kinescope of the original 1951 broadcast, long assumed lost, has in fact been found, restored, added to the Museum of Television and Radio and (most importantly) put on YouTube. [more inside]
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas on Dec 14, 2007 - 18 comments

NBC is once again dipping its toe into the waters of liquor advertising. Although liquor ads have been running on cable since 1996 their presence on broadcast TV remains controversial, due to the presumed influence of alcohol ads on underage drinking . However, at least one expert disagrees. Previous discussion.
posted by DiscourseMarker on Nov 30, 2007 - 15 comments

"Satire with the Blessing of Lady Luck Herself" is a review of Black20, the comedy site that started when a couple of disenchanted NBC writers decided to go off on their own. Why were they lucky? They made their startup budget by gambling everything they had at roulette, and won. They have produced a number of shows and viral videos that you might enjoy, such as Wheels , Sheffield Quigley: Professional Myspace Photographer, Bathroom Adventure, (pt. 2), Phortal, and Percussion Eruption.
posted by farishta on Nov 18, 2007 - 12 comments

NBC's most controversial "news" program finally hits an all-new low. ThisJustIn.com presents To Catch A Predator: The Reunion Special. Bloopers are included free! [2-video blog link]
posted by beaucoupkevin on Aug 16, 2007 - 27 comments

To Catch a Reporter. NBC Dateline producer Michelle Madigan tries to go undercover at the DefCon 14 security convention - and bites off more than she can chew. Having been alerted to her presence days before the event, DefCon staff baits the trap with a fake “Spot the Fed” contest. Once she is seated, DefCon organizer Jeff Moss suggests they play “Spot the Undercover Reporter” instead. Knowing the gig’s up, Madigan bolts – and a comical parking lot chase ensues. (Not a good week for Dateline NBC – its producers are being sued for bribing local law-enforcement officials to help them arrange their stings.)
posted by micketymoc on Aug 5, 2007 - 75 comments

Without Breasts There Is No Paradise NBC wunderkind Ben Silverman's first new series is a Spanish-language soap opera called Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso. It's about Catalina, a teenage prostitute seeking breast implants to win the heart of a cocaine smuggler, whom she hopes will free her from a live of poverty. Can a sweet young thing from a small town find happiness in a fast-paced world of easy money and drug trafficking?
posted by Yakuman on Jul 9, 2007 - 48 comments

Steve Carell may be hilarious in the office, but how much would his jackass behavior cost in real-life? clips (youtube)
posted by tylerfulltilt on Feb 13, 2007 - 47 comments

Supertrain. A show about a supertrain that costs an assload of money and has no real direction or over arching story? why the hell not? link clips(youtube)
posted by tylerfulltilt on Feb 8, 2007 - 35 comments

Strange Bedfellows: Xavier Von Erck dropped out of college, started a pedophile-hunting vigilante group, and spent months posing as a woman to trick an online enemy to fall in love with him. Meet the new savior of NBC News.
posted by P-Soque on Sep 7, 2006 - 68 comments

Media-opoly from Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse skit created by Robert Smigel broadcast in 1998 on NBC, a subsidiary of GE. Not broadcast since, apparently.
posted by riotgrrl69 on Aug 12, 2006 - 25 comments

And the winner is . . . irrelevant, as NBC has canceled The West Wing after seven seasons. Sagging ratings—not John Spencer's death—have been blamed for the axe falling on the unconsummated ascendancy of Matt Santos or Arnold Vinick.
posted by Saucy Intruder on Jan 22, 2006 - 50 comments

iTunes Gets NBC Shows. And not just this season's: like a page out of Infinite Jest, iTunes and NBC are serving up classic NBC programs, including Knight Rider and Hitchcock Presents. (note: sorry - first link goes to iTunes Music Store -- no press releases available yet to link to.)
posted by eustacescrubb on Dec 6, 2005 - 32 comments

From See It Now to Download it Later. A possible milestone in internet broadcasting: on Monday, NBC's Nightly News will become the first national network news broadcast to be made available for free over the internet.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Nov 2, 2005 - 47 comments

Goodnight, Johnny. The King of Late Night is dead at 79.
posted by Vidiot on Jan 23, 2005 - 171 comments

In 1967 the television program Bonanza enjoyed a three-year run as the most-watched television show in the United States. Bonanza had not started well; its first two seasons returning disapointing ratings but kept alive by the bequest of (then) NBC-parent RCA. RCA had a vested interest in keeping the color series alive in order to push sales of their color technology.

That same year Bill and Joyce Anderson created The Ponderosa Ranch tourist attraction near Incline Village, Nevada on the site allegedly shown by the burning map in the opening credits. The property annually attracts nearly 350,000 tourists to Lake Tahoe's north shore to enjoy the surroundings of a period recreation including mock gunfights, cowboy rope tricks and an honest 1860's-style saloon. (more inside)
posted by Ogre Lawless on Aug 5, 2004 - 12 comments

Iraq run by the Corleone family? Found a good story on Saddam Hussein’s two sons who seem to be poised to rule. It's reported that Saddam's favorite movie is The Godfather and the similarities between the film and the family is pretty interesting.
posted by rampage on Oct 16, 2002 - 23 comments

American Dreams premierd last night on NBC. "This evocative drama -- set against the memorable, upbeat sounds of the 1960s -- depicts a more innocent America as seen through the youthful Pryor family of Philadelphia as they brace for cultural turbulence ahead that still resonates in this contemporary era." Several things along those lines in the show caught my attention. One being the way the 1960's mother role is portrayed. Is she content or is she oppressed? What happend to the everyday sit-down family dinner, where some things are not appropriate to say at the dinner table? Why did it seem like such a simpler place and time? Would America today feel the same pain if we lost our president? The show is not a whole lot different from the concept of the Wonder Years but it seems fresh compared to some of the other NBC dramas.
posted by Recockulous on Sep 30, 2002 - 53 comments

Timmy leaves his Princess. Josh Ryan Evans, the actor who played Timmy on my favorite soap opera (Passions) died Monday evening from a heart condition.

What's creepy is that the exact same day on the show, his character died.

The producers are editing out anything to do with Timmy, although I really hope that there's a legitimate memorial on the show for the character. He's been the soul of the series, and he simply can't be replaced.

Of course, I expect Tabitha to go full on evil now...
posted by Pinwiz on Aug 6, 2002 - 55 comments

NBC is pulling out of air hard liquor ads.
Citing congressional pressure and public outcry, NBC announced today it has reversed its alcohol advertising policy. The decision comes the same day MADD proposed new stricter rules on TV ads for all alcohol, including beer and wine, that are based on the NBC's now-scuttled "time, place and manner restrictions" set for the hard-liquor ads. (See also this AdAge story on MADD's proposal) A spokesperson for the Distilled Spirits Council called NBC's decision decision "unfortunate" and a "disservice to the American public."
posted by me3dia on Mar 21, 2002 - 19 comments

Am I the only one who notices that Scrubs is the best new show on television? Great writing and a great cast make me wonder who is Watching Ellie and putting the Seinfeld Curse at 3 for 3 with 2 RBI's and a double. If you haven't seen Scrubs, check it out. If you have, tell other people to watch it. Don't let quality television go off the air because of a bad time slot! (Tue. at 9:30 Est on NBC)
posted by McBain on Mar 8, 2002 - 41 comments

Healing Games? NBC announces "that if things go well at the Salt Lake City Olympics, then these could be America's 'healing Games.' Plus, NBC stands to make a lot of money."
posted by jacknose on Jan 30, 2002 - 9 comments

News actuality from September 11th, 2001, from the Television Archive. Live coverage includes programming from ABC, BBC, CBC Newsworld, NBC, NTV Moscow, and China Central Television.
posted by tranquileye on Jan 28, 2002 - 14 comments

Hold on, Mr. President - you forgot your makeup! NBC is showing this special tonight about the "real" West Wing, but of course the President's handlers have manipulated the day so it looks good on tv. But it's not just Bush - theatrics in the same vein of "Look, he's being presidential" have been going on a long time in Washington. Is it good, bad, or just the nature of the beast? Who's your favorite "The Real World: Pennsylvania Ave." cast member?
posted by owillis on Jan 23, 2002 - 4 comments

NBC to begin broadcasting hard liquor ads - so it seems that in a depressed advertising environment, priorities begin to shift. Smirnoff vodka is set to go first. The rules: Ads are to be broadcast only after 9 pm, only after the advertiser spends four months broadcasting a "responsible drinking" campaign, and "no consumption of alcohol can be depicted in the ads and that no active professional athletes may used in the ads either". Also "85% of the audience for any show must be at least 21-years old and the actors in the ads must be at least 30 years old."
posted by kokogiak on Dec 14, 2001 - 15 comments

Evangelist Franklin Graham, stands by his statements that Islam is "wicked, violent".

"It wasn't Methodists flying into those buildings, it wasn't Lutherans," Graham told NBC. "It was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith."

Is it strange that the son of the popular and eloquent Billy Graham hasn’t come under much fire for his anti-Islamic statements while the goofy duo of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell are still being roasted for their own inflammatory 9.11 statements against liberals and gays?
posted by wfrgms on Nov 19, 2001 - 47 comments

It was bound to happen. "The NBC TV network is looking to revive the old fantasy TV series FANTASY ISLAND -- as a reality series."
posted by donkeyschlong on Oct 30, 2001 - 11 comments

NBC employee in New York tests positive for anthrax. Not much yet, still an un-clickable "breaking news" link at the top of msnbc.com
posted by ebarker on Oct 12, 2001 - 71 comments

"The Olympics isn't so much a sporting event as it is an unfolding drama." Not content with denying American viewers the chance to watch the Sydney games in real time during the infomercial hours, NBC now plans to show events from Salt Lake City on a tape delay to viewers on the west coast, in order to reach a prime-time audience. A sign that they're more interested in the ad revenue (or in shaping the Games to their own melodramatic style guide) than in being a broadcaster of record?
posted by holgate on Jun 28, 2001 - 14 comments

It must hurt for M$NBC to report NT hacks. Then again, I suppose the article wasn't about security but rather another triumph for deception and chicanery. For the 'good' guys this time. FYI [thanks for the lowdown Mike Brunker] (MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)
posted by donkeysuck on Apr 24, 2001 - 8 comments

Another one bites the dust NBC said Monday it is shutting down its loss-ridden Internet subsidiary, acknowledging that any hopes of it becoming profitable had vaporized along with the online advertising market. Many of the 300 jobs there will be eliminated as the unit’s assets are integrated into NBC.
posted by Brilliantcrank on Apr 9, 2001 - 14 comments

WSJ/NBC conducted a pretty extensive poll about the state of the country ranging from taxes to energy concerns to the Golden Dollar. I got the phone call to participate in the poll on Saturday and the questions were thought provoking and relevant...here are the results.
posted by Princess Buttercup on Mar 8, 2001 - 5 comments

NBC apologizes to Latinos for 'Law & Order' episode The network's action was swiftly criticized by Dick Wolf, executive producer of the long-running legal drama. So a TV network caves into a lobbying group, even though the episode was based on real events.
posted by fleener on Jan 28, 2001 - 25 comments

NBCi relaunches as probably the most boring, blase portal site I've ever seen and their stock goes up? Is it just me, or does it look like they bought the site from "Al's Do It Yourself Portals"?
posted by owillis on Sep 25, 2000 - 7 comments

Reuters 09/22 6:34PM -- NBC, which in August bid for the exclusive right to host a presidential debate, said on Friday it would broadcast a baseball game instead of the first showdown between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush. "We have a contract with major-league baseball. You don't seriously think we have any interest in democracy, do you?,'' said NBC spokeswoman Barbara Levin. "If we were offerred more than the value of the baseball contract, we would be televising it.''
posted by sudama on Sep 22, 2000 - 6 comments

NBC pulls slasher parody ad. Could someone please explain to me how this ad encourages violence towards women?
posted by Awol on Sep 20, 2000 - 35 comments

NBC isn't to happy with 2600 Magazine registering the domain www.fucknbc.com. They have threatened legal action against 2600. Is this fair, or is it another example of Big Business wanting to control other people's opinions and expressions?
posted by da5id on Mar 27, 2000 - 3 comments