Daily News Feed 8.19.08

Wendy Williams Will Go Nationwide ‘09
Following a summer test run, “The Wendy Williams Show” is poised to go national with the Fox Television Stations agreeing to launch the Debmar-Mercury-distributed series in mid-2009. “Everything about the Wendy preview clicked for our stations, from conception to promotion to hitting the air,” said Frank Cicha, senior vice president of programming for Fox Television Stations. “It completely broke the mold. The show is now a proven winner, and we can’t wait to see it debut across the country next year.” Fox’s owned and operated station group is comprised of 27 stations in 18 markets and covers nearly 37.34% of homes with television in the U.S. “The Wendy Williams Show” will conclude its six-week preview this Friday. During the trial, it ran in New York (WNYW-TV), Los Angeles (KTTV-TV), Dallas (KDFW-TV) and Detroit (WJBK-TV). (Continue Reading…)

Countdown is on for Obama’s VP Announcement
With the Democratic convention just a week away, the countdown is on for Sen. Barack Obama to make his VP announcement. While there is a chance Obama could wait until the convention to announce his pick, he’s expected to end the guessing game this week. Obama’s campaign says that when the senator from Illinois makes up his mind, an alert will be sent to supporters via e-mail and text messages. The presumptive Democratic nominee hasn’t dropped any hints about who’s on his shortlist, but several people stand out as likely contenders for the No. 2 spot. Obama on Monday is campaigning in New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson’s home state. Richardson is considered a good pick because he could help bring in support from the Latino community. (Continue Reading…)

Forbes: Hip-Hop’s Cash Kings 2008
It’s been some year for Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. In the past 12 months, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born hip-hop demigod released a platinum album, signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation and tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. Quite a record. But only good enough for a silver medal. While Jay-Z topped Forbes.com’s inaugural Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning people in the business last year, in 2008 he cedes the throne to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who raked in $150 million over the past 12 months–almost twice what Jay-Z made. (Continue Reading…)