WME and IMG play ball! ‘Duck Dynasty’ star Phil Robertson benched.

After the coffee. Before seeing how “Anchorman 2” fared on day one.

The Skinny: Caught the first episode of HBO’s “True Detective.” Might as well hand Matthew McConaughey the Emmy now and save everyone else some time and money. I’m saving the other episodes for next week. Headlines today include analysis of the WME-IMG deal. Also, the FCC wants to get rid of its sports blackout rules and “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been benched from the A&E reality show for his comments about gays.

Daily Dose: The consolidation in local television shows no signs of slowing down. Nexstar Broadcasting Group and Mission Broadcasting are buying six television stations from Gray Television Group. The six stations are in two cities, which probably will raise eyebrows among media watchdogs who fear such consolidation is limiting the number of voices and opinions.

From the studio to the stadium. Talent agency WME’s acquisition of IMG, the premiere sports representation firm, is yet another signal that sports is where the money is these days. With the film business maturing and television going through a technological transition, athletes and media rights fees are seen as growth industries. A look at how the IMG deal will transform the agency wars and what it says about the entertainment business from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Variety.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

No more blackouts. The Federal Communications Commission is pushing to eliminate the almost 40-year-old sports blackout rule, which these days primarily applies to the National Football League. Although blackouts, which occur in a home team’s market if the stadium isn’t sold out, are few and far between, the NFL still wants to keep the rules. Cable and satellite operators (as well as some lawmakers) want to gut it for reasons too complex to explain here. More on the FCC’s blackout rules from the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Broadcasting & Cable.

Stop quacking. Phil Robertson, one of the “stars” of A&E’s “reality” hit “Duck Dynasty,” has been put on “indefinite hiatus” from the show for remarks he made about homosexuality in an interview with GQ. Robertson said he believes homosexuality is sinful. That led to harsh criticism of him, which put pressure on A&E to respond, which it did by benching him. Guess that will mean some extra work for the editors on the show. Wonder whether the rest of the Robertson family will talk about the suspension on the show and how they feel about it. Now that would be some reality. Coverage from the Hollywood Reporter and USA Today.

Back on top. Viacom’s Nickelodeon has regained its king of kids crown from Disney Channel for the fourth quarter. Thanks in large part to the new show “Paw Patrol,” Nickelodeon has been on a roll this year after struggling a little in 2012. Details from Bloomberg.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: If you’ve never listened to Chuck Cecil’s big band show on KKJZ-FM every Saturday morning, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Follow me on Twitter before I start charging people. @JBFlint.