FCC hits ABC stations with $1.43M in fines over “NYPD Blue” episode
Fifty-two ABC affiliates have been hit with a combined $1.43 million in indecency fines for airing an episode of “NYPD Blue” with female nudity before 10 p.m., on Feb. 25, 2003. The network said it will appeal the fine, which would be the second-largest such penalty ever, saying “the FCC’s finding is inconsistent with prior precedent from the commission.” TVNEWSDAY (free registration), Variety, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Analysis: The “stealth” drivers of the Web TV trend
By 2013, roughly 70% of U.S. consumers will have the ability to watch TV shows and Web video on the same device, but it’s not cablers or telecoms that are best poised to take advantage of this development, according to Herve Utheza, VP and executive producer for TV properties at Orb Networks, and Gary Morgenthaler, a partner at Morgenthaler Ventures. The three “stealth drivers” of this technological trend, according to Utheza and Morgenthaler, are: providers of free, digital broadcasts paired with on-demand pay content over home broadband; TV makers that include an Ethernet jack; and the TV-compatible video game console. BusinessWeek

Entercom’s Field, Disney’s Iger among “Best CEOs in America”
Institutional Investor magazine has named Entercom President-CEO David Field, Disney President-CEO Robert Iger and CBS Corp. President-CEO Les Moonves to its list of “The Best CEOs in America.” Other top media executives to make the cut are News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch, Time Warner’s Richard Parsons and Liberty Media’s Gregory Maffei. Radio Ink

ESPN reporter benched for off-color commentary
Dana Jacobson, an ESPN reporter and University of Michigan grad, reportedly received a one-week suspension from her co-hosting duties on “First Take,” for off-color comments made at an Atlantic City roast of Notre Dame alumnus, Mike Golic. Jacobson in a subsequent statement apologized, calling her remarks “foolish and insensitive.” Detroit Free Press

Best Buy to offer converter boxes by mid-February
DTV converter boxes will be available in all Best Buy stores by Feb. 18, a company spokesman said. The announcement was made in response to a letter from NAB President-CEO David Rehr, asking Best Buy and seven other major retailers to time the launch of the boxes to the distribution of the first government-issued coupons to purchase them, according to this article. Broadcasting & Cable

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