• Delegating up?  That new SuperCongress with the 6 v. 6 implication just might be certain to include spectrum auctions with Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) in the mix.  Cue the broadcast lobby ... and the wireless one, too.

• The Fox (Broadcast) Network, said exec Kevin Reilly at TCA last week, will try to program original shows almost every night (except most Saturdays and Sundays).  That certainly shows the impact “cable” networks and their original series programmed during “off times” are having on the competition for viewers and ad dollars.  Just another step toward ad CPM parity.

• And the blur continues as ESPN Radio is doing sports news updates on New York’s WABC-TV’s morning reports ... soon to all O&Os?

• Remember all the trees promised during the heydays of cable franchising?  Looks like the leverage is still there as the renewals in New York City by Time Warner Cable and Cablevision promise free (sort of) WiFi hot spots in 32 city parks and doubling of public access channels.  The sort of is a pretty good deal ... free for 3 monthly 10-minute sessions or 99¢/day unless the user is a paid broadband cable subscriber ... then it is always comped.  Good deals for the city and the ops.

• John Chambers promised to “focus on products with the most money-making potential” ... and in the midst of all that market volatility, Cisco jumped +7% for the week.  Meanwhile, AOL dropped, huffing I suppose, almost 27%.

Meanwhile, one thing I can say about politics, makes great (if sometimes unnerving) reality shows.•

Verizon's "Wireless" Conflict

It's been a week since unionized workers at Verizon went on strike, and since the company has reported upwards of 100 separate incidents of vandalism and sabotage to its infrastructure. The company says its management team is working diligently to minimize service outages and customer inconvenience, but the physical damage being done to its network is undeniable.

As evidenced by the photo below, Verizon network cables are being targeted by vandals in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the company's footprint. While it is unknown who is responsible for the vandalism, the damages seem to be concentrated in areas where the work-stoppage is most visible.



Verizon is now working with the FBI to investigate what the company is calling "these acts of sabotage." The company is also offering a reward of up to $50K for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. •

ETC: Bids For Hulu Coming - UK to Block Social Media? - Retail #'s Up Slightly

$$$: Bids for video service Hulu are expected the start coming in this week, sources say. Hulu's owners are supposedly expecting bids of $1.5B (and up) for the site and its licenses. --- TiVo's board authorized a repurchase of up to $100M of outstanding common shares over a 2-year period funded through company cash. --- Bloomberg says "Angry Birds" developer Rovio is in talks to receive funding that would value the company at about $1.2B w/ likely investors including News Corp. and Disney. --- Knology's board authorized a repurchase of 2M shares of the company's common stock.

Gov't: U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron hinted that the gov't may block social-networking services such as Twitter and Facebook during violent unrest in light of the country's worst riots in decades.  That's after praising their use during the Arab Spring.

Online: Google+ is giving Facebook even more competition by adding online games to its social-media platform. --- Now you can check in on foursquare from 28K Redbox kiosks nationwide. Why you would is beyond us - who wants to be 'mayor' of a kiosk?

In Court: ActiveVideo filed for an injunction against Verizon to prevent the wireless company's use of AV's technology in FiOS TV. The "cease and desist" request comes on the heels of AV's $115M judgment in its patent infringement case v. Verizon last week.

Programming: NBCU will run a 1/2hr. promo show teasing its fall line-up (including The Playboy Club) across broadcast, digi and cable platforms. --- NYT says DVRs and increasing competition is breaking up the latenight audience, with George Lopez being the latest casualty. --- Syfy's The Haven is going integrate a storyline that incorporates Twitter into several episodes. Read about the innovative details at LostRemote.

Retail: AT&T held a ribbon-cutting event with NY Yankee 2B Robinson Cano to open its new wireless store in Washington Heights, NY. ---  The National Retail Federation says retail industry sales in July increased 0.3% over June and 4% y/y.

Up, Down & Over There: Sky Deutschland has hit 4 consecutive Qs of sub growth, adding 100K so far this year, totalling 2.76M. --- PBS is making its UK debut on Nov. 1 as part of Sky's entertainment package.

Folks: IABM named Joe Zaller as North American market developer. •