REVIEW: 'The Beast'
Much has been written over the past year about the failing health of cancer-stricken star Patrick Swayze. But in his new A&E Network drama The Beast, the former Dirty Dancing star looks strong and convincing as a tough FBI agent.

Dish Adds Seven More Local HDTV Markets
Dish Network has added local HDTV in seven new markets, officials said Thursday.

DirecTV Picks Up Sportsman Channel
The Sportsman Channel and DirecTV Thursday announced a distribution pact that will bring the hunting, fishing and shooting channel to the direct-broadcast satellite provider’s CHOICE XTRA package subscribers on Channel 605, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 21.

WGN America Adds ‘The Next Generation’ To Lineup
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20, just as America gets a new President, WGN America makes a new addition to its roster: Star Trek: The Next Generation, officials said Thursday.

Fox News Channel’s Baier Gears Up For Inauguration
It’s been a busy 2009 for Bret Baier, who has moved into the anchor chair on Fox News Channel’s Special Report and is now gearing up for a couple of key presidential events.

Charter Misses Interest Payment
After purposely missing a Jan. 15 interest payment, Charter Communications appeared to be moving closer to a restructuring.

MSNBC Brings Live Inauguration Coverage To Theaters, Starbucks
MSNBC will enable viewers to take in the inauguration of Barack Obama with popcorn or a vanilla latte

ESPN Deportes Enhances Boxing Programming
Looking to better serve the U.S. Hispanic boxing fan, ESPN Deportes is launching a new weekly analysis show and adding production enhancements to its fight cards.

TCA ’09: Falco Cuts Carmela Ties For 'Nurse Jackie'
Los Angeles -- Edie Falco has left HBO and her role as a Mafia wife behind for Showtime and a turn in a comedy Nurse Jackie.

Motorola To Lay Off Another 4,000
Motorola announced Wednesday it would lay off an additional 4,000 employees this year, including 3,000 positions in the Mobile Devices business and 1,000 in corporate functions and other business units.

TCA '09: Showtime’s Greenblatt Reveals Details on ‘L Word’ Spin-off
Showtime President of Entertainment Bob Greenblatt spilled some details of the recently-piloted The L-Word spin-off: It will star The L Word’s Leisha Hayley and will be a “very different, substantially different show” from L-Word, he says.

McDowell Hits Martin On DTV Plans
Washington—Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell is concerned that chairman Kevin Martin has failed to prepare the agency for "a crush of inquiries" stemming from the national switch to all-digital broadcast TV on Feb. 17.

Disney Channel To Premiere Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus Videos
Leading into its Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future special on Martin Luther King Day, Disney Channel will premiere new videos from the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus

McCall, Former Discovery Execs Form International Media Consultancy
Led by Dawn McCall, ex-president of Discovery Communication’s international division, a number of former employees from that unit, have banded together to form a media consultancy.

TCA ’09: Online Expansion Fuel’s Showtime Sub Growth
LOS ANGELES -- Showtime "continues to thrive" despite daunting economic conditions, growing by 1 million subs, to 16.5 million customers, through the end of 2008.

Obama Adviser Lowers Broadband Expectations
Washington—An Obama transition adviser on communications policy said Wednesday that the economic stimulus package will not be the vehicle for addressing all of the new administration's concerns about the availability of high-speed Internet access nationally.

G4 Names Berghammer Director of Gaming Editorial
G4 Wednesday announced that Billy Berghammer will become the network’s new director of gaming editorial where he will oversee all nonlinear and browser-based content platforms.

Dish, NFL Net Both Claim Victory In Court Ruling
A court has refused to immediately order Dish Network to put NFL Network back on one of its most widely distributed tiers, the satellite company said Tuesday.

EchoStar To Deliver Satellite Services For Emergency Management
EchoStar reached an agreement with Vredes Inc. to provide satellite services for emergency management and other remote-location broadcast demands, officials said Wednesday.

TCA '09: Programmers, Advertisers Struggle to Cash In on ‘Digital Playground’
Los Angeles—There’s still a race on to figure out how to monetize entertainment on the Internet before the platform has been so embraced that viewers are creating their own viewing schedules online instead of on ad-supported broadcast, according to executives participating on digital streaming panel at the Television Critics Association meeting.