CBS plans to run video advertising Entertainment Weekly.
posted by Pants! on Aug 27, 2009 - 48 comments

The quintessential gangfight of the 80s. Vintage afterschool specials, like wine, only get better with age.
On the day he enters Kennedy High in Manhattan wearing a patch over one eye, sixteen-year-old Horace Hobart is urged to join what he believes is the toughest gang at school.
Now you can enjoy the entire run of the 1985 CBS Schoolbreak Special, Ace Hits the Big Time. (1 2 3 4 5)
It's very likely the same minds were responsible for this scene.
posted by Christ, what an asshole on Aug 21, 2009 - 38 comments

Don Hewitt has passed away
posted by jsavimbi on Aug 19, 2009 - 34 comments

Apparently last.fm's parent company CBS did recently hand over last.fm user data to the RIAA. Most likely last.fm did not know until after the fact. Previously.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist on May 23, 2009 - 58 comments

Long-time CBS in-house designer Lou Dorfsman passed away this week. He did a lot of great work, but let's just focus on one part: His cafeteria wall at CBS, dubbed Gastrotypographicalassemblage. More about the wall. And an interview with Mr. Dorfsman about the wall.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner on Oct 26, 2008 - 14 comments

CBS has made full episodes of Twin Peaks available online. [more inside]
posted by PM on Sep 10, 2008 - 68 comments

Free Star Trek. The only Star Trek that matters -- the ones with Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the rest. [more inside]
posted by ardgedee on Feb 22, 2008 - 71 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

Milo Radulovich, RIP --thrown out of the Air Force during the Red Scares, he fought back--Radulovich's case (and the new medium of TV) showed millions the impact McCarthy was having and the absurd lengths he was going to. He himself wasn't ever accused of being a Communist himself tho: [more inside]
posted by amberglow on Nov 21, 2007 - 32 comments

Dan Rather sues Viacom and CBS for $70 million. Complaint (PDF). [more inside]
posted by starman on Sep 19, 2007 - 77 comments

"Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all." CBS News said, let's give Oscar the Grim Reaper Cat 349% more ink than FBI Director Mueller contradicting Attorney General Gonzales's testimony. Media Matters asks, "There are very real and very serious questions about whether the United States is currently a fully functional republic.... Isn't it time news organizations devote more resources to exploring these issues -- even if it means fewer stories about cats and cleavage?" Has Stupor Killed the Fourth Estate? Was James Fallows that the Media Undermine[s] American Democracy?
posted by orthogonality on Jul 28, 2007 - 101 comments

Social networking/music discovery site Last.FM has been sold to CBS for $280 million. Much as love the service, I can't help thinking that this feels like 2000 all over again...
posted by Cobbler on May 30, 2007 - 73 comments

Angry at CBS's canceling of Jericho, fans are sending nuts to CBS in an effort to get CBS to reverse their decision. At the time of this post, over four and a half tons of nuts have been sent. Why nuts? It refers to a term allegedly used in WWII by General A.C. McAuliffe at the Battle of Bastogne. The term was used as a plot device in the season finale. This is not the first time that fans of cancelled shows have used creative efforts to revive a canceled show with varying success. CBS's response so far has been tepid.
posted by shawnj on May 23, 2007 - 89 comments

Road Closed for Tribal Council: Vunivutu Villagers Latest Beneficiaries of the Survivor Boomtown Effect
The hit "reality" TV show, Survivor, premieres tonight on CBS in the United States. Over the past year, a sleepy village on Vanua Levu, the second largest island of Fiji has been hosting the production crew—and reaping the benefits. 150 villagers have been employed by the crew to work about 10 hours a day, seven days a week, for USD 5.00 per hour (and double time on Sundays and holidays). For some it was their first experience in any form of paid employment. This article from the Fiji Post, reposted by a Vanua Levu blogger, gives some behind the scene details. Meanwhile the island's new eco-resort village is putting finishing touches on their community hall. Globe-trotting gap year students and reality TV junkies, look north. Vanua Levu is for lovers. [Survivor Maps, Vorovoro, the eco-resort with a difference, Vorovoro's new bure (community hall), Google's hires satellite image of the area]
posted by rschram on Feb 8, 2007 - 3 comments

San Francisco, 1967. CBS news is there: "This is the house of a popular local band that plays hard rock music. They call themselves the Grateful Dead." In between some seriously heavy-handed editorializing from grand old man of the news Harry Reasoner, you can catch an interview with Garcia and company plus footage of a Golden Gate Park concert. Jump ahead 38 years, and another CBS newsman, a rather more respectful Ed Bradley, pays a friendly visit to grand old man of the 60's, Mr. Zimmerman. [links to Google video]
posted by flapjax at midnite on Jan 10, 2007 - 97 comments

Let's Go To the Mall!! Could Robin Sparkles be the patron saint of Black Friday? Ok, so maybe her myspace page is just marketing for a CBS sitcom, but her video is one of the funniest, most accurate (and too damned catchy for its own good!) 80's video parodies in recent memory. The show's not bad, either. Probably the best comedy not on NBC right now.
posted by ericbop on Nov 22, 2006 - 41 comments

What does everyone called Gary Smith, John Williams or Robert Johnson have in common with Saddam Hussein, the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, the President of Bolivia, and the dead 9/11 hijackers? They're on the No-Fly List, that's what, even if they're babies. But the 11 British suspects recently charged with plotting to blow up airliners with liquid explosives were not on it, despite the fact they were under surveillance for more than a year. They were deliberately left off the list. in case it fell into the wrong hands.
posted by unSane on Oct 5, 2006 - 65 comments

Survivor: Cook Islands' 20 castaways will be grouped by race, with competitors divided into four tribes consisting of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics. If your reaction is "oof," you are not alone. But host Jeff Probst says, "I found it to be one of the freshest ideas we’ve had going back to the beginning of this show."
posted by amro on Aug 23, 2006 - 102 comments

March Madness: 11th seeded George Mason upset UConn in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this afternoon, continuing their unexpected streak of upsets. Their wins validate not only their inclusion in the tournament, but the rising status of mid-major conferences. The most prominent critic of the inclusion of these smaller schools has been CBS analyst Billy Packer, who verbally assaulted the head of the selection committee on live TV just two weeks ago, and has yet to apologize for his obvious error.
posted by kyleg on Mar 26, 2006 - 49 comments

If the same journalistic standards applied to CBS by the independent Rathergate panel had been applied to the Pentagon Papers, they never would have seen the light of day, says James Goodale, former vice chairman of the New York Times.
posted by digaman on Mar 15, 2005 - 22 comments

He's going but apparently not fast enough for some. The long and storied career of Dan Rather began in Texas, catapulted after his reporting on the Kennedy assassination and is marked over the decades by on-air outbursts, tantrums and what some might call just plain weirdness. Among yesterday's inauguration coverage TV highlights was Dan getting choked up at a marching band playing a patriotic song. Meanwhile, the scandal that brought him down continues. Should Rather resign now? What does he owe to the producers who have been fired? What does he owe viewers? What is his legacy? And who (or what) should replace him?
posted by terrier319 on Jan 21, 2005 - 47 comments

To set the record straight: While the country was busy with CBS and Rather's mistake, the story of Bush going AWOL was lost.
posted by semmi on Jan 17, 2005 - 96 comments

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. First the NYTimes, then CBS. Who will face reality?
posted by HTuttle on Sep 20, 2004 - 113 comments

Dan Rather: : "If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story. Any time I'm wrong, I want to be right out front and say, 'Folks, this is what went wrong and how it went wrong.'" (reg. req.)

Andrew Sullivan: "Memo to Rather: you can't break that story, because someone else in pajamas already did. Check the frequency, Kenneth. You are so far from being out front on this, you are leagues behind in the dust. Have you heard of the Internet? You can find it on that weird machine in your office they call a computer."

Me: Is anyone else astonished as I am at how far CBS seems to have its head up its ass WRT news media in the 21st century?
posted by ericost on Sep 16, 2004 - 128 comments

Forged Documents? For Shame.
posted by alethe on Sep 10, 2004 - 168 comments

The BBC Motion Gallery provides access to film and video clips from the BBC and CBS. Registration required to view the clips, and only small, watermarked versions can be downloaded for free, but an interesting resource all the same.
posted by thatwhichfalls on Jun 27, 2004 - 0 comments

Viacom's CBS today rejected a request from liberal group MoveOn to air a 30-second anti-President Bush ad, saying the spot violated the network's policy against running issue advocacy advertising. This, despite running anti-drug and anti-smoking ads. So, is it only issues about which they disagree?
posted by dejah420 on Jan 16, 2004 - 57 comments

CBS may cancel 'The Reagans' mini-series over GOP protests. Rep. John Dingall has some thoughts on the matter: As someone who served with President Reagan, and in the interest of historical accuracy, please allow me to share with you some of my recollections of the Reagan years that I hope will make it into the final cut of the mini-series: $640 Pentagon toilets seats; ketchup as a vegetable; union busting; firing striking air traffic controllers; Iran-Contra; selling arms to terrorist nations; trading arms for hostages; retreating from terrorists in Beirut; lying to Congress; financing an illegal war in Nicaragua; visiting Bitburg cemetery; a cozy relationship with Saddam Hussein; shredding documents; Ed Meese; Fawn Hall; Oliver North; James Watt; apartheid apologia; the savings and loan scandal; voodoo economics; record budget deficits; double digit unemployment; farm bankruptcies; trade deficits; astrologers in the White House; Star Wars; and influence peddling.
posted by skallas on Nov 4, 2003 - 102 comments

The CBS News American Idol Power Hour. Viacom, owner of networks CBS and MTV among many others, is aggresively pushing lucrative bribes offers for Private Jessica Lynch to get her on CBS News, including the possibility of her own video-hosting program on MTV and special editions of TRL. Corporate consolidation the way it is, are we in an era where synergy allows news-media-owning companies to offer not just material profit but flat-out media iconization in exchange for a good story? To put it another way: have we gone beyond using the news to promote entertainment owned by the same company to using entertainment as the currency to flat-out buy the news?
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Jun 16, 2003 - 12 comments

Hussein Translator on CBS Used Fake Accent? I thought this was an amusing tidbit in the also popular "news vs. entertainment" debate.
posted by oissubke on Mar 6, 2003 - 39 comments

How come Dan Rather can get to him, but the CIA can't?
posted by luser on Feb 25, 2003 - 32 comments

Plans For Iraq Attack Began On 9/11 "CBS News has learned that barely five hours after American Airlines Flight 77 plowed into the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was telling his aides to come up with plans for striking Iraq — even though there was no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the attacks." Rumsfeld: "Go massive ... Sweep it all up. Things related and not."
posted by owillis on Sep 5, 2002 - 61 comments

Beverly Hillbillies, Redux! No... not a new movie, but a reality series under development by the shiny and shimmering Tiffany Network. CBS scouts are scouring for a "rural, rustically telegenic" family to be whisked to a brand new home in Beverly Hills, and have a life of luxury bestowed upon them for a period of a year... cameras following them all the way. Crass exploitation of the poor when the gap between rich and poor gets larger and larger? Fun idea to see what happens when someone's dreams come true? Somewhere in the middle? What do people think?
posted by tittergrrl on Aug 28, 2002 - 33 comments

The transcript of the forum on the press coverage of the current Middle East fighting was presented by a panel of veteran newsmen hosted by Harvard University and the Brookings Institution on April 24. The session, "Tinder Box: How the Press Covers the Middle East," featured former CBS correspondent Marvin Kalb, Glenn Frankel of the Washington Post, Robin Wright of the Los Angeles Times, David Shipler of The New York Times, and Todd Purdum, the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of the New York Times.
posted by semmi on May 16, 2002 - 1 comment

NYT: CBS's JAG To Explore Terror Military Tribunal
    The Pentagon is reportedly very happy with the show. The episode portraying the secret trial of a Saudi-born terrorist will air on April 30. In this week's episode, a character feels stung when his coworkers favor someone else to win a race in a betting pool. (1, 2)
posted by rschram on Mar 30, 2002 - 4 comments

9/11 - the CBS documentary. Okay, so we've heard of, and discussed the footage of the attacks before, and many of us know that this will be airing on CBS (in the U.S.) this Sunday (interestingly from 9-11 pm). I wonder if anyone (or everyone) will watch? Some people have tried to halt or delay the showing, but CBS is going ahead, and promising not to show 'graphic footage'. I'm really torn between curiosity and a fear of "too much too soon", and really don't know whether I'm going to watch or not.
posted by kokogiak on Mar 5, 2002 - 49 comments

Survivor III Finale Flawed. If there's any doubt still that this show is a complete waste of time, check out this "news" tidbit that CBS is doing a good job of squashing. Turns out the ending was flawed; the other finalists have now been paid handsomely to behave.
posted by Fofer on Feb 22, 2002 - 13 comments

"Everything's changed"? No, very little has changed. Exhibit A: the upcoming broadcast of the complete "in-the-belly-of-the-beast" WTC collapse video by CBS. Only three "very special" sponsors, and 50 million are expected to watch. Including me. (Hey, I'm a complicated person and/or hypocrite)
posted by luser on Feb 6, 2002 - 16 comments

What would you pay for this stuff? CBS/Survivor auctions off gee-gaws from Survivor Africa to benefit Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation. Way to go Survivor! As much as you may not like this show, it's a pretty cool thing to do. Would you pay $25,000 for the Immunity Idol, though?
posted by aacheson on Jan 11, 2002 - 12 comments

When Fred Gwynne and E.G. Marshall died, I was a little depressed. Most people knew Fred from the Munsters and Mr. Marshall from movies; I knew them from work on the CBSRMT. My dog was named Marshall, in fact. It's strange that most people never knew there was another whole world of radio acting out there."

Like this writer, I also grew up listening to (and loving) The CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATRE. It's long gone, but if you search the web, you can find many devoted websites and even some episodes.
posted by grumblebee on Oct 18, 2001 - 8 comments

Phew, It's About Time! I'm sure CBS was starting to feel a bit left out. First, American Media gets Anthrax, then NBC, then ABC, . . . Imagine how bad it would've looked if CBS didn't get a letter. Or if FOX got Anthrax before CBS. Or, god forbid, WB or UPN. Anthrax equals significance. If you get it sent to you, you must be important enough to be a threat: newsworthy!
posted by jacknose on Oct 18, 2001 - 29 comments

When I think WTC attacks, I think...SITCOM? Uhhh, CBS, uhhh...hmmm...anyone?
posted by adrober on Oct 16, 2001 - 25 comments

"A Slight Case of Anthrax" CBS pulls tonights episode of The Agency (at least on the West Coast, don't know about East Coast). Hmmm...I can't imagine why: "The team works against the clock to stop an anthrax threat in the United States. A Belgian kennel has fallen victim to a terrorist attack in which the deadly disease anthrax was used. When the CIA discovers the perpetrator's identity and that Washington, D.C., is his next target, the team mobilizes to stop the criminal before he can reach the capital." Is the shrinking line between truth and fiction becoming too close for comfort?
posted by nix on Oct 11, 2001 - 6 comments

CBS posts 'Survivor: Africa' cast profiles If reality TV is even marginally relevant to anyone anymore, the bios of the latest Survivor contestants have been posted. My questions are: 1. are these people representative of the American population at large? Almost all of the women list In Style magazine as their favorite and one picks "shopping and ads" as her favorite section of the newspaper... and 2. will more or less people be watching Survivor post-WTC tragedy?
posted by popvulture on Sep 25, 2001 - 26 comments

CBS's Big Brother 2 is now over and it looks like a Snake v. Rat redux a la Survivor 1. This finale depressed me for its bleak depiction of humanity...
<< more inside, Spoilers >>
posted by hincandenza on Sep 21, 2001 - 9 comments

Gasoline price gouging reported. In the wake of yesterday's tragedies, I'm not surprised by the courage and resolve many have demonstrated. I'm also not surprised by the nauseating greed evidenced by others. What's the price of gasoline (or other goods and commodities) doing in your part of the country?
posted by Big Dave on Sep 12, 2001 - 8 comments

People paid $2500 for this. Marlon Brando talking about "children hacked to death with a machete;" Al Jarreau as the Tin Man; scary, scary Liza Minelli- all to tribute the man with the plastic face. Dear god, I hope at least half of this stuff ends up in the CBS version.
posted by ice_cream_motor on Sep 9, 2001 - 7 comments

25,000 people have subscribed to CBS' Big Brother live video stream. Triumph of "compelling" web content or fall of civilization? The article also says that 300,000 people have subscribed to GoldPass which is about $3,000,000...
posted by owillis on Aug 2, 2001 - 9 comments

CBS changes their mind!!!

I was one of the few people who was considering paying the $20 to watch the Big Brother feeds all summer long. I figured that I spend at least that much money on beer during a night out that three month's on entertainment for $20 seemed like a bargain.

However, CBS apparently listened to all the complaints and now instead of a "Free Trial", they are giving the internet feeds away for free.

Good CBS. Now expose Will, Justin, and Mike as the jerks they are on Tuesday's episode and you'll have a happy camper. Okay, and give me Hardy's phone number as well.
posted by Pinwiz on Jul 9, 2001 - 19 comments

Casting call goes out for Survivor III CBS issues a cattle call for idiots to broadcast their idiocy on national TV this fall. Is it me, or are the two current cast members who work in the computer industry total dolts or what? Who's the bigger embarassment to the high-tech industry, this guy or this guy?
posted by darren on Feb 16, 2001 - 19 comments