Sinclair Broadcast Group’s CEO David Smith says DVR usage has had little impact on his stations — all of which seems to be some narrow TV watching. Take look at the networks’ current May sweep period, which has seen ratings drop by an alarming 20% or more. You can’t blame all of this on the cable networks, or even the Internet. Those ratings are being time-shifted — a lot. But not with Sinclair, apparently,

Think about a better plan NBC could have worked out for trying to dramatically raise the price of a Super Bowl commercial spot — instead of using The Wall Street Journal as its sales sheet.

Just when you thought the network, The CW, was in trouble, it opens up another daypart and another demo — original programming in daytime for older women viewers. The CW Television Network is teaming up with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to create a daily two-hour afternoon 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. programming block — a new one-hour TV court show, “Judge Jeanine Pirro,” as well as two half-hour off-net comedies, “The Wayans Bros” and “The Jamie Foxx Show.”

It’s May — and where are all the big TV shows? The May sweep should be the biggest month of the year, with season and series finales and maybe even a few network show finales. But “Grey’s Anatomy” was down 9% from its first airing in the May sweeps; “Lost” was down 8%; and “American Idol” was off 5% versus the week before (which wasn’t in the May sweeps).

Viacom and CBS Chairman Sumner Redstone doesn’t like blood on his hands — and, if he had his way, his network wouldn’t be airing a mixed-martial arts fighting series.

TV technology is so wonderful, I have yet to get on the HD bandwagon. How’s that, you say? Why am I missing out on one of the biggest technology improvements to hit the business in several years? Because there is something better, of course. The next technology is here from Sony, who is proving me to be a master of my home electronic budget.

Vanity Fair is a magazine for adult readers. Fifteen-year old Disney phenomenon Miley Cyrus of “Hannah Montana” is not an adult — yet.

Cross-marketing TV shows across fiercely competitive networks is always a tough job. Now the word is that NBC is taking an even more diplomatic approach when it comes to that network’s seven-year ending run of “Scrubs” — which will move over to ABC next year. NBC is calling the comedy’s last show a “season finale” –which to be fair, it is. But NBC is barely giving the show any sort of major send-off.

It’s a new season for the NFL Network — and hopefully there’ll be new plays. Once again, the network is working to convince the biggest cable operators in the land that they need to put NFL on their basic tiers that go to most TV consumers.

New Federal rules say TV stations should keep lists of local programming — but not necessarily run any programming on that list. Huh?