TV

We're not sure how many Glenn Beck fans read FishbowlNY, but if you are familiar with the talk show host's conspiratorial style, you'll appreciate Jon Stewart's impression from last night's "Daily Show."

Related: FishbowlNY Editor On The Menu: Layoffs, Glenn Beck and Election Night

There haven't been too many media deals recently, so today's announcement is exciting. Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., which currently owns the lifestyle cable channels Food Network and HGTV, announced today that it has entered into a joint venture with Cox Communications that will result in Scripps owning a controlling interest in the Travel Channel -- valued at $975 million.

The transaction, which is expected to close in January, will leave Cox with a 35 percent stake in the Travel Channel, while Scipps will own 65 percent. Scripps is paying $181 million in cash and the partnership between Scripps and Cox will take on $878 million in third-party debt, the companies said.

"Adding the Travel Channel, and its related enterprises, provides us with a unique opportunity to meaningfully expand our portfolio into a lifestyle category that's highly desirable to media consumers, advertisers and programming distributors," said Scripps CEO Kenneth Lowe, in a statement on the deal. "Our vision for Travel follows the same script that's made Food Network and HGTV two of the most powerful brands in all of television. By lending our unparalleled expertise in developing successful lifestyle media businesses, we have every confidence that we can build on Travel's strong brand identity and leverage the successes achieved to date by the top-notch team at Travel Channel and our new partners at Cox Communications."

Full release after the jump

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WNET.org -- the parent company of New York's local television stations Thirteen and WLIW21 -- has some good news and some bad news. The good news is WLIW21 (which also happens to be the third most-watched PBS station in the country), is launching a new video portal for their Web site.

Though you can already watch some WLIW21 shows online, starting tomorrow, "You will see a video portal akin to www.pbs.org/video -- a one-stop shop for viewing thousands of hours of national and local programming," a WNET publicist told FishbowlNY. So, for the first time ever, you won't even need a television to zone out to Bob Ross. The future: Today!

The bad news?

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Last month, the New York City Voter Assistance Commission partnered with WNBC and NYC TV to launch the Video Voter Guide in order to give voters non-partisan information about all the candidates running for office as it led up to run-off elections.

Now, with the general elections looming next week, the Video Voter Guide is back, featuring recorded messages from candidates running for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and City Council from now through November 3.

If you're like us and know very little about any candidate besides those running for mayor, you can watch on NYC TV and WNBC's NY Nonstop channel.

Earlier: Video Voter Guide To Launch Next Week

Now here's a holiday window display we can get behind.

After reliving the 1960's last year with his "Peace & Love: Have a Hippie Holiday" theme, Barneys New York's creative director Simon Doonan has cooked up a plan to commemorate timeless New York City-based sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" and its 35th anniversary in the department store's holiday windows this year.

We got a peek at some of Doonan's sketches of the windows, which will debut on November 19. The windows will include tributes to famous "SNL" sketches like the Coneheads, Chris Kattan's Mango and Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.

"From Roseanne Roseannadanna to The Church Lady to Weekend Update there is an unlimited amount of brilliant material," Doonan said. "I have always wanted to pay tribute to the genius heritage of 'SNL.'"

Even "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels agrees the windows will be exciting. "The Barneys Holiday windows are a great New York tradition and I am very excited that 'SNL' is going to be the focus of this year’s celebration," he said.

(Sketches courtesy of Barneys New York)

Once you commit yourself to going on a show like the "Today" show, especially when you've decided to open up about something as private as your finances, you just have to give in and go with it. Even if you end up getting teased about it on Gawker.

Ever since I was laid off nearly a year ago from a magazine gig at Condé Nast, I have been afraid to check my bank statements and growing credit card balances. I knew I needed help, so when I heard that Jean Chatzky, a financial contributor for the "Today" show, was looking for subjects for a money makeover, I volunteered.

I was hoping she would help me budget, but instead she held my feet to the fire and motivated me to find more work. Unemployment barely paid my bills, and freelance jobs require work to find -- and that's before the any of the actual work is done. But by the time Chatzky deemed me ready to appear on the show, I had miraculously found a number of new gigs, including this one, and my finances are in slightly better shape.

After soliciting Chatzky's help, it was time to play my part and appear on the "Today" show.

Read on to hear about my experience plus the video

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The New York Times reported last night that CBS had worked over the weekend to scrub the Internet of any unauthorized videos of David Letterman's revelation of extortion on his show Thursday:

"Copies of the segment were uploaded almost immediately to YouTube by users, but many of them were flagged by CBS for removal, citing copyright claims. The network did not provide an official copy."

That's funny, because a clip of the segment that we included in our post on Friday seems pretty official looking, and it's still watchable -- even though its only three minutes or so of the entire 10 minute segment. Will CBS officials pull access to this clip, too? Either way, it's clear that it's still pretty easy to find clips on YouTube.

The Times also said that CBS is being "more lenient" with YouTube clips of Letterman's show that feature the host's former assistant Stephanie Birkitt, who is said to be among the staffers Letterman had sex with and who also had a relationship with the man who tried to extort him, "48 Hours" producer Robert Halderman.

This latest move by CBS is most likely just part of the first wave of stories to come out of this bizarre case as it unfolds. Letterman revealed Halderman's extortion plot on his show Thursday, in a confession that alternatively drew laughter, cheers and silence from his audience. In our post on Friday, we applauded Letterman for his candidness but said we thought he could have chosen a different venue in which to reveal the scandal. However, after talking to others within the industry and reading reviews and comments about the incident across the Internet, we agree with one commenter on our last post that it was "Classy, forthcoming and honest. Well-handled."

Letterman is known to mix uncomfortable honesty with his own brand of self-deprecating humor, and he has collected a devoted audience that tunes in every night to hear the host's thoughts on current events and pop culture, with some of Letterman's own life filtered in. Turns out, this was actually the ideal platform for him to talk about such a heavy topic. But as more revelations come to light, we'll doubt he'll mention it again, choosing instead to go on with the show as usual.

Update: Our colleagues at WebNewser take a look at some of the David Letterman clips that are still available on the Internet.

CBS Removes David Letterman's Mea Culpa From YouTube --New York Times

Earlier: Letterman Reveals Extortion Plot, Reveals Sexual Relationships With Staffers

Watch CBS News Videos Online

There were some awkward moments on the "Late Show" last night as host David Letterman revealed that he had testified before a grand jury about an alleged $2 million extortion attempt.

The audience laughed as he revealed the extortionist -- later revealed by TMZ to be "48 Hours" producer Robert Halderman, who has since been suspended by CBS -- has tried to reveal "creepy things" about Letterman, including the fact that he had sex with staffers on his show.

"The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who work for me on this show," Letterman said. "Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. Especially for the women."

Why did Letterman's audience find these revelations so funny? Perhaps it was because the late night host decided to talk about serious stuff during a segment that's usually filled with a Top 10 list. Although we're happy that Letterman could 'fess up, we think he could have picked a more appropriate -- and serious -- venue. Watch the video above and let us know what you think.

Our sister blog TVNewser has more information on the extortion story. The latest revelation from TMZ names one of the women who was involved with Letterman, his former assistant Stephanie Birkitt, who was reportedly Halderman's live-in girlfriend.

Earlier: David Letterman Marries Longtime Girlfriend

Rumors, theories and conjectures have been swirling since The Wrap reported yesterday that a deal between cable provider Comcast and GE-owned NBC Universal "had already been completed at a purchase price of $35 billion."

But reps from Comcast later told Bloomberg, "the report that Comcast has a deal to purchase NBC Universal is inaccurate."

However, that same report revaled that "negotiations for Comcast to buy about 50 percent of NBC Universal have been under way for at least two months." Such a deal would depend on whether French company Vivendi SA decides to sell its 20 percent stake in NBCU.

After the jump, what some people around the industry are saying about the possible deal.

Update: Our sister blog TVNewser has an email from NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker to employees. Of the future of Vivendi's stake, Zucker said, "They have not yet made us aware of any final decisions about their future with us; should they choose to exit, there are a number of possible things that could happen."

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Our colleagues at FishbowlLA have some exclusive news today: CNN is auditioning talent in the hopes of casting one conservative and one liberal host for a new "Crossfire" type of show.

FBLA has some ideas about who the news network might be looking at:

A few on the liberal side were Steve A. Smith of ESPN, Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks, Roland Martin who's already on Campbell Brown's show frequently and Errol Louis a CNN contributor.

On the conservative side were radio personalities Roe Conn from Chicago, Joe Watkins from Philadelphia and Steve Malzberg from New Jersey. Plus frequent Glenn Beck fill-in Joe Pagliarulo from Texas.

Who do you think would be good for the show? Leave suggestions for co-hosts -- and show names -- in the comments.

FishbowlLA: FBLA Exclusive: CNN is Auditioning Talent For New Show