Verizon is offering a new package to customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic that allows them to bundle four services onto one bill. Called a “quad-play,“ the bundle lets customers pay for their cellular phones, television, Internet and landline phone services on one bill that will be discounted each month for a year. The average savings, depending on the speed of Internet service, will vary between $59 and $179 per year, Verizon said in a news release.

Forget red. The arrivals-line carpet leading into Barker Hangar was yellow - appropriate, given the night’s honorees: Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie Simpson, all on hand to celebrate 20 years of “The Simpsons.“ Their series is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and it recently surpassed “Gunsmoke” as the longest-running American primetime scripted entertainment program.

Comcast Corp. is in preliminary talks to take a 20 percent to 50 percent stake in NBC Universal and increase its ownership of the TV shows and movies it distributes to its cable subscribers.

People magazine recently reunited the cast of the 1990s teen television show “Saved by the Bell.“ Its 20-years-later photo portrayed the stars of the show just as many of their once-young fans remember the once-young actors the embodiment of wholesome kids next door. The day I saw that People shot, I also happened to run across a weeks-old cover of Rolling Stone featuring Leighton Meester and Blake Lively two of the main characters of this decade’s hit teen show “Gossip Girl.“ Both actresses were suggestively enjoying an ice cream cone.

Winfrey Oz Oprah Winfrey is getting some competition from one of her own contributors. The new season of “The Oprah Winfrey” show begins Monday on local ABC affiliate WRIC with her exclusive sit-down with Whitney Houston. The show will air at 4 p.m. weekdays. Airing at that same time on Richmond’s CBS affiliate WTVR is the new syndicated program “Dr. Oz.“ Dr. Mehmet Oz has been a frequent visitor to “Oprah,“ making more than 50 appearances in the past five years.

Ed Reimers, the actor who told television viewers “you’re in good hands with Allstate” for decades, died Sunday in upstate New York. He was 96.

Lee Richman installs high-end home theater systems that can cost as much as $170,000. Lately, he’s noticed that some of his clients—or their interior designers—are perking up when they hear about ultra-slim TV sets, which come off the wall only about an inch. The difference between these thin models and regular flat-panel TVs, which generally are about 3 or 4 inches deep, is pretty small. It’s nothing like the aesthetic shock that consumers had when flat panels were introduced to replace fat old cathode ray tube TVs.

WTVR: (804) 254-3600
  WWBT/WUPV: (804) 230-1212
  WRIC: (804) 330-8888
  WRLH: (804) 358-3535
On its Web site, WWBT suggests that if re-scanning, calling the station and other tips from the station fail, a home visit may be necessary. Call (888) CALL-FCC or go to http://www.dtv.gov.

Years in the making and days into the doing, television’s conversion to a digital transmission system is baffling many local viewers. One of the toughest transitions is occurring at NBC affiliate WWBT, where Vice President and General Manager Don Richards and staff members worked until midnight Saturday fielding calls from viewers. “It’s been a team effort,“ he said.

By now, either you have a TV picture or you don’t. The federally mandated conversion from analog to digital television was completed at all but one Richmond station by yesterday morning. The local CBS affiliate, WTVR, was scheduled to switch at 11:59 last night. Early risers yesterday might have noticed some issues with NBC 12 (WWBT), which flipped at 4 a.m. Technical glitches with the digital transmission affected satellite TV customers and some over-the-air viewers.

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  R&D Training & Technical Service Inc.: (866) 202-4596 (though June 30)
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If you turn on your television and can’t receive your usual overthe-air signals, it means that you didn’t properly prepare for today’s national transition from analog to digital broadcast TV. The digital transition, scheduled since 2006 and postponed by the government from February until today, affects viewers who don’t have cable, fiber optics, a satellite dish or a television set with an internal digital tuner.

The four Richmond TV stations switching to digital today plan to have their offices staffed through the weekend to assist viewers. WUPV, the local CW affiliate, is pooling resources and personnel with WWBT and sharing the WWBT phone number. Local Fox affiliate WRLH already made the change in February but will have someone available during regular business hours to address digital-transition questions.

Networks announced their fall lineups this week.

• The CW will reimagine “Melrose Place” and add “The Vampire Diaries” about vampires competing for teenagers’ souls. “The Beautiful Life” is about the downsides of being a glamorous and sexy model.

• CBS is canceling “Without a Trace,“ “The Unit” and “Eleventh Hour.“ A new series with Jenna Elfman, “Accidentally on Purpose,“ is based on a San Francisco film critic who got pregnant after a one-night stand. Julianna Margulies will star in “The Good Wife,“ about a stay-at-home mom forced back to work when her politician husband, played by Chris Noth, is sent to prison.

The Walt Disney Co. is taking a stake in Hulu.com. This means titles from The Walt Disney Studios library of films and full-length episodes of ABC television shows will join the online video site.