The first story in today’s Broadcast News is of some concern… imagine if the NEWS went on strike!

CBS News writers vote to authorize strike
CBS News employees represented by the Writers Guild of America East have voted to authorize a strike. Their contract expired in April 2005. In a statement, CBS said: “We hope there is no strike. Should there be, however, CBS News, CBS Television Stations and CBS Radio remain fully prepared and ready to continue producing the highest-quality news programming for our viewers.” Los Angeles Times (free registration) (11/20),  The Hollywood Reporter (free content) 

NBCU first major TV broadcaster to use TiVo audience data
Under a new pact, NBC Universal will become the first top broadcaster to use TiVo’s audience data and interactive ad tags. NBCU plans to use the second-by-second viewing data to help marketers create and test new ad formats. The interactive tags are designed to be readable in fast-forward mode. The Wall Street Journal (free content)

Advertisers, viewers want production value
For all the chatter about the rise of user-created content, the big-ticket advertisers and, increasingly, viewers, are showing a preference for professionally produced content. According to Blinkx CEO Suranga Chandratillake, advertisers will pay $60 and more per 1,000 views of a professionally produced video, as opposed to about $7 for amateur content; meanwhile some marketers eschew user-generated video altogether for fear it will harm their brand’s image. BusinessWeek 

Future is here for online video
Online video has arrived as a major entertainment platform for users, media companies and marketers, who are eager to tap this burgeoning segment. “The proliferation, even in the last six or eight months, is where we see our chance, where we see opportunity,” said Craig Atkinson, digital director in Chicago of the OMD media agency. The New York Times 

Marginal TV shows may benefit from writers’ strike
NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” CBS’ “Shark” and other low-rated shows that otherwise might be on the brink of cancellation could get a chance to prove themselves through full-season runs, thanks to the writers’ strike, according to this article. “Some of these shows might do much better than they would have without the strike,” one senior network executive said. The New York Times 

NBC in pact to use TiVo’s viewership data: report (Reuters)