televisions

In an article about 2012 upfront week "disappointments," Broadcasting & Cable incorrectly stated that CBS promised cupcakes at its upfront afterparty but did not deliver. I contacted them to set the record straight -- we promised cupcakes and delivered cupcakes (handed out by servers in "Two Broke Girl" waitress outfits no less)! B&C issued the following correction in the May 28, 2012 issue.

Couch potatoes everywhere have lost a true hero. Eugene Polley, inventor of the first wireless remote control, died on May 20 at the age of 96. As an engineer at Zenith Electronics in 1955, Polley created the Flash-Matic remote control, a device that, for the first time ever, gave viewers the ability to change channels without leaving the comfort of their couches and recliners.

Read the full obituary in The New York Times.

Read my post about remotes "Clicking into the Future."

Visit our Remote Control Gallery on The CBS Attic.

The influential Jack Myers Media Business Report gave CBS 5 out of 5 "Jacks" (the equivalent of 5 out of 5 stars) in its annual Television Upfront Report card.

Here is Ed Martin's review:

CBS (5 Jacks) Anyone who might wonder why CBS usually takes top honors for the week need only have walked through Carnegie Hall before its presentation even began to understand why it remains the network to beat for upfront effectiveness. For the better part of a half-hour before the show started, a vivid display of glamorous and exciting images and videos featuring all … Read more

If you want a glimpse into the way Amazon sees your digital future, look no further than Jeff Ragsdale's new book, "Jeff, One Lonely Guy."

Last October, after being dumped by a girlfriend and mired in depression, Ragsdale posted a flier around New York City on a whim that read, "If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me." It listed his mobile phone number. Calls streamed in, by the dozens, then the hundreds, and now well into the tens of thousands.

Some callers left messages. Others texted. And many spoke with Ragsdale, sharing their … Read more

And we're off! On May 16, we held CBS's 2012 Upfront presentation, the annual show-and-tell at Carnegie Hall where we introduce our new fall schedule to advertisers. The upfront is a tremendous source of pride for us at CBS. It's a celebration of broadcast television and the fun and important business of entertaining America. (See my post from May 2010 for a full description of how the upfronts work.)

In addition to bringing in the stars of CBS's numerous hit shows, we often feature surprise appearances and performances from special celebrity guests. This year, hip hop … Read more

In today's show, the postman always scans twice, a new Kindle could let you read in the dark, and catch all the Pokémon hiding in your living room:

We're keeping a close eye on Facebook as it prepares to go public on the Nasdaq this week. Values for its initial public offering are in the $34 to $38 range. At the high end, it would make Facebook worth more than $100 billion. But we will find out Thursday what the actual initial stock price will be.

But will it keep that high value for long? A poll shows … Read more

Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn says its chief executive made no such mention of working on an Apple TV set at a news conference in Shanghai last week, and that any reports otherwise are inaccurate.

In a statement issued to The Next Web, the company said that Chief Executive Terry Gou "made it very clear that he would neither confirm nor speculate about Foxconn's involvement in the product," and that it is the company's policy not to talk about what it is working on for any customer.

"At no time did [Gou] confirm that Foxconn was … Read more

In today's show, we're buying status updates, finding a new route and building a new game addiction:

Would you pay $2 to get your Facebook status message seen by more people? It's something Facebook is testing in New Zealand. (And tell me your two-cents on the issue via Tout!)

The Foxconn factory for Apple products is preparing to build the much anticipated Apple television set. The chief at the Foxconn spilled the beans in a news conference.

According to 9to5Mac, the next version of iOS will not include Google Maps. Rather, it will have Apple's own mapping software. … Read more

Last updated: May 14 at 9:48 a.m. PT.

It seemed for a moment as if Foxconn chief Terry Gou had let slip that his company is getting ready to start producing an Apple television.

According to China Daily, Gou on Friday, May 11, held a news conference in Shanghai about his company's plans for the future. During that conversation, he seemed to indicate that Foxconn is currently preparing its facilities to start producing Apple's long-rumored television, though "development or manufacturing has yet to begin," the China Daily report said.

Gou's comments were notable … Read more