Will NFL’s Sunday afternoon lineup blitz prime-time showcase?
Afternoon NFL games on CBS and Fox could prove the ratings winners over the league’s prime-time broadcasts on NBC. Fox, with a 10.5 rating so far this season, holds a narrow lead over CBS (10.4) and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (10.3), according to Nielsen Media Research. Mediaweek

Gemstar-TV Guide to be acquired by Macrovision for $2.8B
Gemstar-TV Guide will be acquired by Macrovision in a $2.8 billion deal. The purchaser, which has been making deals to expand beyond its digital protection technology base, is expected to use Gemstar-TV Guide’s content guidance tools with other multiplatform content. Broadcasting & Cable

Obituary: Roger M. King, 63, distributor behind “Oprah,” “Dr. Phil”
Roger M. King, who helped make household names of Oprah Winfrey, Alex Trebek and Dr. Phil McGraw during his tenure as chief of CBS Television Distribution and King World Productions, died on Saturday of a stroke, at a hospital in Florida. He was 63. King was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004. The New York Times,  Google/Associated Press,  TVWeek.com,  TVNEWSDAY 

• NAB mourns King’s passing: NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr released a statement mourning the death of television executive Roger King. “Roger was a broadcasting giant whose flair for sales and showmanship were unique to the field of television entertainment,” Rehr said. Click here to see the full statement from the NAB.

Other News

• WGA strike could push politics into prime-time slots
  The Hollywood Reporter