Tag: NBC

Canon Purdy had just arrived the town of Minamisanriku, Japan when the deadly tsunami tore through the area, leaving more than half of its residents missing. Canon's sister, Megan Walsh, was desperate to find her; with the phone lines down, she turned to the Web for help. Megan began firing off tweets, both to the Internet at large and to specific media outlets, like CNN and the Japan Times, ...

On Tuesday, the FCC and the Department of Justice finally approved a major merger between Comcast and NBC, after more than a year of debate and what federal regulators called the most acute scrutiny a media merger had ever faced. The deal gives Comcast control over NBC Universal's TV and movie subsidiaries, in exchange for about $13.75 billion in cash and assets. Comcast will own 51-percent of ...

Al Franken thinks Net neutrality is "the most important free speech issue of our time," and he seems determined to fight for it. On Saturday, the Democratic senator delivered a blistering floor speech, in which he criticized the new online regulations proposed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. On Tuesday, the FCC will vote on both the regulations and a proposed merger between NBC and Comcast. ...

It seems like only yesterday that an ingenuous, doe-eyed George W. Bush was innocently extolling the virtues of the ol' Internets. Well, a touching talk with Matt Lauer (previewed in advance of tonight's interview special on NBC) indicates that our W. has finally shed his n00b status. The former President recently made his Facebook debut, and he now apparently owns an iPad, too. Bush purportedly ...

Our review unit hasn't even arrived yet and the networks are already raining on the Google TV parade. ABC, CBS and NBC are blocking Sony and Logitech devices packing Google's TV-oriented implementation of Android from streaming television shows. The appeal of Google TV is the ability to access streaming video from the Web, but limiting the content it can stream also limits our interest. The ...

Today Google TV got its own website to call home. While largely an exercise in marketing hype, the new site offers the first serious glimpse of Google TV apps in action. You'll be able to get your social network on, thanks to an official Twitter app, but more exciting are the apps offered by content partners that blur the line between Web and television. The 'NBA Game Time' app, for instance, ...

NBC has struck a deal with Netflix that will bring content from the company's repository of network and cable TV shows to the streaming video service. Episodes from the most recently completed seasons (but not the current ones) of 'The Office' and '30 Rock' will now be accessible, as will entire series like 'Battlestar Galactica.' Subscribers will also be able to stream every episode of 'Saturday ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... After 12 suicide attempts, an undercover expose and a public statement from Apple, Foxconn factory officials finally vowed to take meaningful steps in addressing the tragic and surreal phenomenon. The Chinese gadget factory will reportedly implement 20-percent pay raises for its employees, who start out earning $130-per-month to ...

NBC's marketing team is either full of geniuses or really, really lazy. The network's new affinity program, called Fan It, asks MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and myNBC users to promote and discuss the network's shows in exchange for NBC merchandise, store discounts, "virtual goods" and early previews of new episodes. We don't really like the term "affinity program," because it's ...

Want to be hated by every kid in your dorm, forever and ever? Well, Warner Bros. is offering the internship of your dreams. For the not-unreasonable-for-an-undergrad sum of $26,000 per annum, the Bros. want "IT literate" interns to double-cross their crimethinking media pirate roomies by issuing takedown requests for WB and NBC/Universal properties. You're sure to be the apple of Big Brother's ...

The 2010 Winter Olympics are raging in Vancouver, and a slew of medals have already been awarded. If you're looking for the best way to keep track of the games, you now have more options than you could imagine -- thanks to the Web. Thankfully, Tech Crunch has compiled a list of the sites that'll best keep you abreast of the Winter Games. The granddaddy of them all happens to be NBC's Olympic ...

If you've missed the recent late-night imbroglio at NBC, you have missed a great deal of comedy, and some tragedy. The shakeup, which involves bumping Conan O'Brien to the midnight time slot, and moving Jay Leno back to his old time slot for half an hour, has been widely panned by the media and the online community alike. So what's the best way to fight back against the suits at NBC? A good ...

NBC took a huge gamble when they decided to move Jay Leno this fall from his 11 p.m. slot that he'd come to dominate in the ratings. Why change a winning game plan? Well, sure enough, early ratings returns from Leno's 10 p.m. gig are disappointing, and the AP suggests it's DVR devices. The theory goes that since 10 p.m. is a popular time for people to catch up on shows they missed earlier, ...

It's time to brush up on those spells, you would-be wizards. Monday, Universal Studios revealed more details about its 'Harry Potter' theme park than you can shake a wand at. According to an Associated Press report, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which will open in the spring of 2010 at Universal Orlando Resort's Islands of Adventure, will offer a journey deep into into the heart of ...

Like Heather Locklear of 'Dynasty,' 'TJ Hooker,' 'Melrose Place' and 'Spin City' fame, Greg Grunberg is one of those actors fortunate to have starred in three back-to-back hit series. His first big roles came in the J.J.-Abrams-produced 'Felicity' and 'Alias,' but now he is best known for the NBC show 'Heroes,' in which he plays Matt Parkman, a policeman who can hear what other people are ...