Family gets $16.6M
in radio contest death
Other shorts: Programming notes: Swardson getting new show
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Oct 30, 2009
Family gets $16.6M in radio contest death
The parent company of a Sacramento radio station that conducted a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest was culpable in the death of one of its participants, according to a superior court jury, which awarded the family of the woman $16.6 million yesterday. The family of Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, sued Entercom Communications and its subsidiary, Entercom Sacramento, after Strange died in early 2007. She and other contestants were tasked with drinking as much water as possible without puking or peeing to win one of Nintendo's popular game consoles. The contest continued despite the fact that some callers warned that it could be dangerous and an employee at the station, KDND Sacramento, expressed concern over the concept. The plaintiffs argued that the parent company failed to provide proper legal training to management that would have made them realize such contests were dangerous. The damages awarded were less than half what the plaintiffs, including Strange's widower, were looking for.
Programming notes: Swardson getting new show
Another “Reno 911!” alum is getting his own show. Comedy Central has ordered a sketch comedy series starring Nick Swardson, who played Terry Bernadino on “Reno.” This comes a couple weeks after “Reno” co-creators Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant signed on with NBC to work on a new comedy project. Swardson’s Comedy Central show will launch sometime in 2010. Meanwhile, in other programming, Disney Channel has ordered 21 episodes of “Fish Hooks,” its first animated series in three years. The show, which combines digital animation and photo collage, is scheduled to premiere next fall. Discovery Channel has made a couple of moves, including picking up the reality series “Airplane Repo,” about a jet a helicopter repossessor. The network has also picked up a second season of “Swords: Life on the Line,” which averaged 1.4 million total viewers during its first season. And on broadcast, NBC is working on a new series about a magician who turns into a detective. The show is being developed by “NCIS” writer Dan Fesman, movie director Jon Amiel and producer David Percelay.
Sorry, Miley: Teens voted you worst influence
Perhaps teens just don’t understand the artistic integrity of a well-executed pole dance (insert eye roll here). "Hannah Montana's" Miley Cyrus, who performed a controversial number that involved a pole at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, has been named the worst celebrity influence in the first-ever Just So You Know Awards, a poll conducted by AOL web site JSYK.com. Cyrus garnered 42 percent of the votes in the poll in the Worst Celeb Influence category, followed by Britney Spears (27 percent) and Kanye West (19 percent). In a development sure to flame Cyrus' rivalry with her fellow Disney Channel star, "Wizards of Waverly Place's" Selena Gomez won the Best Celeb Influence award, getting 30 percent of the vote to Taylor Swift’s 28 percent. Many of the other awards were dominated by the “Twilight” craze. Stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner won the awards for favorite female and male movie stars, respectively, while Lautner won the Cool Guy You’d Like To Hang Out With award. Also, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which just finished shooting early yesterday morning, won the award for Most Anticipated Film of 2010.
CNN's Dobbs: Somebody shot at my house
It sounds like the start of a liberal joke: Who would want to shoot Lou Dobbs? But that's the very real question being investigated by New Jersey police after an unknown gunman fired a shot at the outspoken CNN host's house. Dobbs' wife, Debbi Lee Segura, was standing outside the house at the time of the shots, which occurred Oct. 5, but Dobbs just revealed on his syndicated radio show this week. Dobbs said the shots came following weeks of threatening phone calls, which he did not report to police because they've essentially become a way of life for him. Dobbs said Segura was standing outside of the couple's Wantage, N.J., home when the bullet hit their attic. Police have said the incident is still under investigation. Listening to Dobbs' nightly show might lead one to believe there are plenty of suspects. Dobbs has adamantly called for U.S. border enforcement, raising the ire of such groups as the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Council of La Raza and America's Voice.
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