Programming

A lawsuit to stop lawsuits? That's the latest twist in the fight between Aereo, a start-up company that streams broadcast TV signals over the Internet, and the networks trying to put it out of business. Aereo recently announced that it would expand its service -- currently only available in New York City -- to Boston. CBS, one of the companies that has sued Aereo in New York for copyright theft, promptly said it would sue in Boston as well. "Stealing our signal will be found to be illegal in Boston, just as it will be everywhere else," a CBS spokesman tweeted.

This season "Terra Nova" has exhumed the Cretaceous period, but can it also help resurrect another block of time that would seem equally challenging to revive — the family viewing hour? The heavily promoted prime-time show, dubbed internally at Fox as "Little House on the Prairie with Dinosaurs," is an eco-action-adventure series built around a family of five that travels back 85 million years to give humans a second chance at caring for Earth. The ratings have been solid for the show, which counts Steven Spielberg and former News Corp.

The legal battle between Dish Communications and the broadcast networks over the satellite broadcaster's new feature that makes it easier for its subscribers to skip commercials may be the biggest issue between the two sides -- but it isn't the only one. In an interview, David Shull, Dish's senior vice president of programming, expressed frustration over the networks' growing willingness to offer their content on digital platforms such as Hulu...

Soviet state television, currently trying to expand its programming, started broadcasting news for the deaf Sunday.

Dayna Kalins has been promoted to the newly created position of senior vice president-drama development and current drama programming for the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corp. In addition, Michael Klein has been named senior vice president-comedy development and current comedy programming for the division.

I was suspicious of the Fox Family Channel's announcement that it will be launching two companion networks, the Boyz Channel and the Girlz Channel, "slated to carry gender-specific programming for 2- to 14-year-olds" (Morning Report, Oct. 28). What, pray tell, is "gender-specific programming"? We'll wait and see, but I'm concerned that this approach only serves to reinforce to young people sex-role stereotypes that breed sexism and homophobia in adulthood. What exactly is "boys' programming"?

Margaret Loesch has been named president of Fox Childrens Network, Los Angeles. She previously was president and chief executive of Marvel Productions. The Fox Childrens Network is a cooperative venture of Fox affiliates to supply childrens programming beginning in September.

ABC, responding to concerns from stations across the country that the network's new Saturday morning cartoon "Tales From the Cryptkeeper" might be too scary for young children, has decided to replace the rotting, cackling corpse puppet who was going to introduce the show with a milder, animated version in striped pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers.