by Joanne Zornow

Cord cutting — taking your TV without a cable or satellite connection — is a very real phenomenon. TV execs are twitching as they note a growing trend among subscribers to drop television but keep high-speed Internet access for watching TV programming. Although the current number of cord cutting households is low, it does appear to be a growing trend with about 1 in 10 households being Web connected by cable-free.

by Dave Zornow

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of Mediapost that Joe Mandese is no fan of Nielsen. Mandese, the Editor-in-Chief at MediaPost, has frequently skewered the ratings company for things they have done and much of the time, Nielsen critics applaud his efforts. But researchers say Mandese crossed a line with last week’s story, “Nielsen Discloses Major TV Ratings Glitch, Could Impact Millions In TV Ad Buys” because there was no major glitch — with the possible exception of how MediaPost reported the story.

by Peter M. Gordon

One of my favorite series this summer is Current TV’s “50 Documentaries to See Before You Die.” Hosted by Morgan Spurlock (Director/writer/star of “Supersize Me”), the series counts down the top documentaries of the last 25 years. Documentarians like Michael Moore and Penelope Spheeris, as well as an expert panel of film industry pros and critics, discuss the impact of the films and tell the stories of how they were made.

Fox News’ slant on Comedy Central’s Sanity/Fear rally raises questions about what is fair and balanced. But is the joke on us for even asking the question?

The partners at Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce would be happy to know that Mad Men’s audience likes advertising just as much as they do.

Comcast will launch a network version of their VOD Fearnet channel — suggesting that VOD-only distribution isn’t ready for prime time. Or that prime time is still the best time for ad supported content.

As the 2010 Tour de France prepares to climb the Pyrenees, TV ratings are up while TDF numbers are down. Crashes and injuries have forced 20 cyclists to drop out.

But riders’ pain may be cable’s gain. Versus’ live morning coverage is setting ratings records.

Nielsen has announced organizational changes which will give set top box data greater visibility in the ratings company as well as testing to see how STB data compares to the ratings currency.

Arbitron is going high tech with their portable people meter rolling out a replacement for the 80’s-like pager-looking device with hardware that uses cell phone technology.

High Definition TV has been good to TV manufacturers, program producers and consumers. HD helps sell more high-end TVs to consumers who like the Big Picture and richer viewing experience. Now new research suggests there might be good HD news for media buyers and sellers, too.