What’s Killing TV? Easy: No Car Ads.

Belo Corp. — the Dallas-based broadcaster that, of course, counts WFAA-Channel 8 among its 20 owned-and-operated TV stations around the country — announced this morning that on April 30, it will release its first-quarter earnings. Bloomberg today reports it could be an especially interesting read for investors, who so far…

The 10 Most Compelling People on TV

With the Rangers over and the Mavs resting and the Stars playing a meaningless hockey game – ugh, is there an uglier phrase in the English language? – I flipped around DirecTV for a moment last night before wondering aloud: If I had my choice, who would I watch right…

HD Radio: Yay or Nay?

I’m confused by the Rangers and their uncharacteristic 2-0 start. I’m confused by the Mavs and their 270 combined points and back-to-back victories after pratfalling in Memphis. And I’m confused how new Britney morphed from horrible Britney into bad Britney into a Britney that’s just as good as even original…

Good Dallas News From Around 1900

Last time Friend of Unfair Park PeterK directed our attention to a vintage Dallas photo for sale on eBay, we drove up the $9.99 opening bid to a whopping sale price of $23.50, what a deal. This one’s not quite so action-packed as a four-alarm fire in the Wilson Building,…

At The News Today, “D Day”

This morning, A.H. Belo Corporation announced that layoffs at The Dallas Morning News will begin promptly, with “the majority of the actions [taking place] today and tomorrow.” By the time the company’s done with its so-called “cost-cutting measures,” it will have eliminated 14 percent of its total workforce, as A.H…

Richie Whitt: Unplugged, Unmasked and Universally Apologetic

This is by far the most difficult post I’ve ever written. But it’s time. I can continue this charade no longer. Over the past 11 months on this blog I’ve spewed forth a plethora of radical opinions, most of which this morning I’d like to officially denounce. I admit, most of them…

Jeez, Merten, Did You Not Read Rodrigue?

Shortly before the 2007 referendum on the Trinity Turnpike, I discussed a Dallas Morning News editorial written by Colleen McCain Nelson, in which she had a hard time grasping the difference between a floodway and a floodplain. It wasn’t the first time I disagreed with her as she appears to…

News ME George Rodrigue Takes a Good, Long, Hard Look at Our Tiny Staff

Dallas Morning News Managing Editor George Rodrigue just posted his latest “Ask the Editor” column. And, even though nobody asked — we are soooooo blushing right now — it’s mostly about the Dallas Observer, otherwise known as “a sexually oriented weekly tabloid,” which sounds significantly more interesting than the paper…

February PPM Rankings: Ticket Dynasty Intact

Lose a basketball game. Win another ratings period. Ho-hum. With Arbitron’s new Portable People Meter (PPMs) ratings, instead of a three-month window we can check out the stats monthly. And what do the PPMs indicate for February? That, just like last month, 1310 AM The Ticket is as strong as…

At Least The Ticket Can Win a Ratings Book

Richie has the recap of last night’s Ticket-Lake Highlands High all-girls squad basketball game, and no doubt he’ll post the sports-talk radio ratings for February sooner than later. (Spoiler alert: KTCK’s No. 1 overall in the market with men 25-54 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, posting…

Girls 61, Boys 44

One player wore low-top running shoes and – duh – sprained his ankle. A guy in only a diaper was escorted out by security. And, in the end, the teen-aged girls reduced the middle-aged men to a hapless puddle of fart-and-fall-down. In other words, The Ticket’s game against a group of Lake…