Bloomberg LP Hires Pearlstine For Content
New York Times
Norman Pearlstine, an adviser for private equity's Carlyle Group and a former editor in chief of Time Inc., is joining Bloomberg LP as chief content officer, a newly created position. Pearlstine will be charged with seeking "growth opportunities" and enhancing Bloomberg News's operations.

Big Media Slam Ownership Rule Roll Back
Ars Technica
Thirteen U.S. broadcast and newspaper groups are filing denunciations of an appeal by public interest groups to redo the government's recent relaxation of the TV station/newspaper cross-ownership ban. The scheme is "perilously out of sync with the realities of today's media marketplace," says CBS.

Time Warner Expected to Sell Magazines
The Deal
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, who just shut down two of the company's film studios, is expected to turn to the Time Inc. publishing unit for more cost cutting. A sale of the slow-growth Southern Progress division, which publishes Sunset and other magazines, is seen as a "no-brainer."

Cablevision Acquires 97% Stake in Newsday
Newsday
Cablevision is announcing an agreement to acquire Newsday from Tribune in a $650-million deal. Cablevision will own about 97% while Tribune will retain about 3% and ownership of real estate assets. Rival bidder Rupert Murdoch withdrew his $580-million offer on Saturday.

News Corp, Google Rumored to Eye Blinkx
Reuters
Shares of the British video search engine firm Blinkx surged 50% to a seven-month high Friday on talk that News Corp. and Google may bid for the firm. Speculation of a bid "does not sound ridiculous," says Piper Jaffray analyst Rajeev Bahl. Blinkx has "very intelligent" technology.

Microsoft: We're Not Acquiring Facebook
Fortune
Microsoft didn't approach Facebook about an acquisition after it walked away from its bid for Yahoo, despite recent news reports, say sources at the software giant. Microsoft expects to make Internet acquisitions of various sizes over time. Also, the Yahoo pursuit "really is over."

Viacom Blog Buy Rumor 'Not Very Accurate'
Wired
A rumor that music blog tracker Hype Machine is being sold to Viacom for $10 million is "not very accurate," says its creator, Anthony Volodkin. The rumor may have started because "we've been talking to lots of people." He adds that the firm later may have "something to announce."

AOL Exports Online Ad Portal to Australia
Australian
Speculation is mounting that Time Warner's AOL is set to launch its Advertising.com network in Australia. Advertising.com serves up video, mobile, display and search advertising on independent Web sites using technology to target and follow individual users.

Liberty Media Appeals IAC Breakup Ruling
Bloomberg
John Malone's Liberty Media, owner of a 30% stake in the Internet company IAC/InterActiveCorp, is appealing a court decision allowing IAC chairman Barry Diller to split his firm into five parts. IAC says in a statement: "We are quite confident that the decision will not be reversed."

Microsoft Player to Combine Chat, Video
Bloomberg
Microsoft, seeking more revenue from Internet advertising, is introducing software that allows users to exchange messages while watching online videos. Users of Messenger TV, initially available in Europe, will be able to watch and share clips from companies such as MTV Networks.

Yahoo, Google: Favorite Brands Online
JupiterResearch
Google is nosing ahead of Yahoo as the top online brand, according to a consumer survey by JupiterResearch. Social sites MySpace, Facebook and YouTube rank high among young adults. "The kids like the social media," observes JupiterResearch analyst David Card.

Google to Launch Social 'Friend Connect'
TechCrunch
Google is said to be launching a "Friend Connect" service, allowing users to send personal data to external applications. MySpace and Facebook are launching similar services. The benefit "is to allow users to maintain a single friends list and coordinate social activities across different sites."

BBC World News Tops Other Media Brands
TelevisionPoint
BBC World News and its Web site beat out many leading media brands in terms of "trust and influence," in a survey of business professionals across Europe, Asia and the United States. BBC World News says it ranks ahead of outlets including CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Time and Newsweek.

Broadcasters Struggle After Writers Strike
Crain's New York
ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC posted a 14% decline in 18-to-49-year old viewers during the writers' strike, and those viewers are still down 13% since shows came back in April. Meanwhile, advertising-supported cable increased its share to 47%, from 43%, according to Turner Research.

'Upfront' Ad Spending Expected to Soften
Wall Street Journal
Starting this week, U.S. broadcast networks will host their annual presentations to advertisers and reveal their fall schedules. Media buyers say major ad-spending categories are likely to be down. Procter & Gamble is considering cutting its ad budget as much as 10%.

The CW Sells Stake In Prime-Time Block
Wall Street Journal
Media Rights Capital, an independent movie and TV studio, is buying a financial interest in a three-hour block of Sunday nights on the ailing CW network. MRC will create the programming in consultation with the CW, and both will work together to sell ads for the slot.

NBC Universal In Move on UK's All3Media
Telegraph
NBC Universal is understood to have asked for financial data about U.K. television production company All3Media, seeking a possible takeover. Last month, NBC Universal International received the go-ahead to begin buying into the TV production sector in Europe.

Fallon Officially Set for NBC 'Late Night'
B&C
NBC is scheduling a noon press conference Monday in New York at which the network is expected to formalize the naming of Jimmy Fallon as its new 12:30 a.m. late-night host. Fallon is to fill the post-"Tonight Show" spot that is scheduled to be vacated by Conan O'Brien next year.

MTV News Holds Contest to Hire Blogger
MTV
Viacom's MTV is asking its audience to audition to be a blogger to cover the network's MTV Movie Awards. MTV.com is seeking "someone who worships flicks and loves to blog about them." The winner may appear on the air, so "you'll just have to look to be between 18-30 years old."

Variety Editor Dismisses Blog Competition
Observer
Variety, the Hollywood industry trade publication, "used to own the beat," admits longtime editor Peter Bart. "But so many of the blogs are just gossip. They just run whatever anybody tells them." Variety parent company Reed Business Information has been put up for sale.

Playboy Plans Expansion Into Gay Market
XBIZ
Playboy plans to move into the gay market with an adult video-on-demand service with Time Warner Cable. Although Playboy has been linked with heterosexual men's entertainment since the magazine's first issue in 1953, the struggling company is seeking more ways to boost revenue.

Penthouse to Rename Company FriendFinder
Newsweek
Penthouse Media, which bought the social-networking firm Various in 2007, plans to change its name to FriendFinder Networks and go public later this year. Various's biggest asset is AdultFriendFinder.com. The company is now "in the social-networking business; not in the business of Penthouse."

02138 Magazine Sold; To Start Social Network
New York Times
Avenue magazine publisher Manhattan Media is acquiring 02138, a magazine for Harvard alumni, and plans to expand it into social networking and event sponsorship, then duplicate the operation for other schools. Social networks and events are the "new paradigm in publishing."

TV Guide: We're Part of New Media Paradigm
MinOnline
The sale of TV Guide magazine may be more difficult because new owner Macrovision plans to keep TVGuide.com. "I don't see it that way," says TV Guide president Scott Crystal. Wired magazine "did fine for years without Wired.com, because it developed new Web components."

Economist Unveils 'Cleaner' Web-Site Design
Economist
The Economist is unveiling a redesign of the home page for Economist.com, aiming to "make the page simpler, deeper and more enjoyable for the reader." The new page is "far shorter, cleaner," with fewer advertisements. Plus, "there is more breathing room for our blogs."

New York Times Chairman, Wife to Separate
New York Times
Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of the New York Times Co., and his wife, Gail Gregg, are ending their marriage in an amicable separation, they say in a statement. "This is a private matter and we will not discuss it further." Sulzberger is also publisher of the Times.

Gannett Offers Buyouts to 160 N.J. Workers
Associated Press
Gannett is offering buyouts to 160 workers at five of its six New Jersey newspapers, as advertising revenues decline. Layoffs are possible if not enough buyouts are accepted, says Judi Dorsey, VP of human resources at the Asbury Park Press, Gannett's flagship paper in the state.

McClatchy Slashes Value In Seattle Times
Sacramento Business
McClatchy continues to slash its estimated value of its investment in the Seattle Times Co., as both the local daily and the newspaper industry continue to reel from lost revenue. McClatchy's 49.5% stake in the Times has a carrying value of $12.06 million, down 38% from December.

Christian Science Monitor Mulls Weekly Move
Boston Globe
The Christian Science Monitor is weighing changes with an eye toward remaining viable in an uncertain media environment. Managing publisher Jonathan Wells acknowledges that the newspaper is considering a "weekly product," along with "the staffing requirements to produce it."

Belo Names New Chief of Interactive Media
Dallas Morning News
Belo, owner of the Dallas Morning News, is naming tech exec Dave Ellett as senior VP and general manager of Belo Interactive Media. The company is bringing in Ellett to head up business development initiatives as newspapers face increased competition from the Internet.

Google: We're a Channel for Newspaper Content
Financial Post
Newspapers must view Google as simply one channel of many they use to distribute content, says Josh Cohen, the head of business development at Google News, in an address at the Canadian Newspaper Association conference. "We see a huge opportunity for publishers online."

Craigslist Battles to Maintain Independence
Financial Times
Craigslist is facing a lawsuit from eBay, accusing CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark of trying to dilute its stake to reduce the online auctioneer's potential influence. Buckmaster does not rule out a sale of the company in the long term: "We're trying to be as useful as possible."

Recent Headlines
Media news by sector

GO TO:
MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS
TELEVISION & RADIO
INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
MEDIA COMPANIES


 
MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS
 
Murdoch's London Times Opens Web Archive
Journalism.co.uk
The Web site of Rupert Murdoch's Times of London plans to launch a digital archive offering more than 200 years of newspaper content to Web users. The archive, featuring articles published since 1785, initially will be free. Subscription packages may be introduced later.

Anschutz to Launch Free Sunday Newspapers
Denver Business
Philip Anschutz's Clarity Media Group -- publisher of free daily newspapers in San Francisco, Washington and Baltimore -- is adding a Sunday edition in those cities. A "pre-weekend" edition on Thursday will be delivered to homes. The Sunday paper also will be home-delivered.

Tribune Sees Revenue Slump in Publishing
Chicago Tribune
Tribune is reporting a big first-quarter profit, thanks to a mammoth tax gain. However, the company's publishing operation saw an 11% slump in revenue. CEO Sam Zell notes that "print ad revenues continue to be challenged" by factors including loss of classified advertising.

Sun-Times Investors Eye Sale of Company
Crain's Chicago
A number of investors are expressing interest in buying at least part of Sun-Times Media, the publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times, says CEO Cyrus Freidheim Jr. Sun-Times announced earlier this year it had begun exploring "strategic options," including a sale of some or all of its assets.

Scripps Board OKs Split of Media Company
Cincinnati Enquirer
The board of E. W. Scripps is approving management's plan to split into two public companies, effective July 1. One company will center on national and global lifestyle cable and online media; the other will be a traditional newspaper company.

Hachette Cuts Digital Jobs in Restructuring
WWD
Hachette's digital operation is eliminating some 15 jobs from a staff of about 100. A spokeswoman claims the positions will later be refilled with hires possessing a "new skill set." At least two of the cuts came from Ellegirl.com, which lived on after the magazine's demise in 2006.

TV Guide to Be Sold Without Web Site
New York Times
TV Guide is back on the block, just days after it was acquired by Macrovision. The new owner wants to find buyers for the long-troubled weekly magazine while keeping TVGuide.com, a largely separate operation offering celebrity videos and a video search engine.

Forbes to Launch Online Social Network
BtoBOnline
Forbes.com is announcing the launch of AnswerNetwork, a social network for business execs. The network, which Forbes is developing with Cisco Systems, allows business professionals to set up profiles and exchange data on industry topics and business issues.

>> MORE


 
TELEVISION & RADIO
 
Gore Unveils Current TV, Web Site In Italy
Variety
Al Gore is launching an Italian version of Current TV, marking the first localized, non-English-language version of his youth-oriented network. The Milan-based outpost will offer a daily live talk show on current events, integrating input from emails sent via its Web site.

Cablevision Plans Wi-Fi Network for New York
PC World
Cablevision plans to build a wireless broadband network for New York City. The announcement comes a day after Comcast and Time Warner announced stakes in a new WiMax venture. Cablevision will allow its high-speed-access subscribers to use the network as part of their subscriptions.

Clear Channel Uncertain Buyout Will Close
Bloomberg
Clear Channel, the U.S. radio broadcaster trying to complete a $19.5 billion buyout, says its first-quarter profit jumped on outdoor advertising revenue and a gain from the sale of its television business. Clear Channel reiterates, however, that it isn't certain its sale will close.

NBC 'Gladiators' Enter Ring With Facebook
Hollywood Reporter
NBC is launching an application on Facebook based on its "American Gladiators" series. "The Official American Gladiator Challenge" will present interactive games based on the show's competitions. Users will be able to compete against their friends and the greater Facebook community.

ABC Entertainment Prez to Remain at Network
B&C
ABC is signing network entertainment president Steve McPherson to a new multiyear deal to remain in his current role. Under McPherson's leadership, "ABC has become a primetime powerhouse," says Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.

ABC to Open On-Campus News Bureaus
Reuters
ABC News, looking to bolster its connection with younger viewers, plans to open bureaus this autumn on the campuses of five universities across the United States. ABC News hopes to gain greater insights into the lives of the 33 million U.S. 18-to-25-year-olds.

MTV Launches Online Video Hub for Gays
CNET News.com
Viacom's MTV Networks, which is building hundreds of Web sites around its content, is launching video hub from its Logo network for gay audiences that will feature 3,000 ad-supported clips. LogoOnline.com aims to be the largest central library of videos for the gays and lesbians.

NBC Plans 24-hour Local News Channel
Crain's New York
NBC Universal plans to establish a 24-hour local news channel in New York. NBC's flagship station, WNBC, will transform its 30 Rockefeller Center facility into a multimillion dollar multiplatform "content center." The channel will compete with Time Warner's New York One.

>> MORE


 
INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA
 
Microsoft Reportedly Disbands Yahoo Slate
Los Angeles Times
Microsoft is continuing to distance itself from Yahoo, telling the people it had lined up to nominate to the board as part of a prospective hostile takeover battle that their services are no longer needed. The software giant insists that its pullback is not a negotiating tactic.

Google Plans to Roll Out YouTube Products
Reuters
Google expects to launch new products for YouTube in the next few months and sees reason for closer cooperation with Yahoo, says CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking at the Internet giant's annual shareholder meeting. Getting YouTube to make money is said to be a top priority.

MySpace to Share User Profiles With Others
InformationWeek
News Corp.'s MySpace plans to give users the option of sharing their profiles and other personal data with other Web sites, a move that could dramatically expand the reach of the Web's most popular social network. The "data-availability initiative" will be open to rival Facebook.

Facebook Agrees to Safety Plan for Children
WebProNews
Facebook is announcing an agreement with 49 U.S. state attorneys general and the District of Columbia to take significant steps to protect children on the social networking site. The move comes after a similar agreement was reached with MySpace in January.

Fortune Journalist to Write Facebook Book
New York Observer
Fortune magazine journalist David Kirkpatrick is writing "The Facebook Effect," for Simon & Schuster, due out in fall 2009. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg is said to have agreed to cooperate. The book "will chronicle the amazingly rapid rise of this company."

Google May Run Display Ads With Searches
Bloomberg
Google is considering running display advertisements alongside the results of Web queries for pictures, moving beyond text-based ads. "There's lot of potential for advertising revenue there," says VP Marissa Mayer. Google is seeking new revenue sources as its growth slows.

Microsoft Mulls Acquisition of Facebook
Wall Street Journal
Microsoft is said to have informally approached Facebook to gauge its interest in selling itself. Microsoft contacted the social-networking site as the software giant looked likely to back away from buying Yahoo. Discussions between the two are not believed to be active.

Google, Viacom Draw Lines In YouTube Suit
WebProNews
A Google settlement with Viacom over the media giant's copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube is not in the cards. "We're going all the way to the Supreme Court," says David Eun, VP in charge of content partnerships at Google. "We're very clear about it."

>> MORE


 
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
 
Murdoch Sees Economy Hurting Advertising
Reuters
Stress in the U.S. economy is squeezing advertising budgets, says chief Rupert Murdoch, adding that News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media will miss its $1 billion annual revenue goal by 10%. News Corp. is nonetheless seeing strong ad sales at the Fox TV network and Fox News Channel.

Google May Run Display Ads With Searches
Bloomberg
Google is considering running display advertisements alongside the results of Web queries for pictures, moving beyond text-based ads. "There's lot of potential for advertising revenue there," says VP Marissa Mayer. Google is seeking new revenue sources as its growth slows.

Spot Runner Web Ad Firm Attracts $51M
ClickZ News
SpotRunner.com, an Internet-based advertising network that puts local business pitches on television and radio, is reeling in another $51 million from investors including Grupo Televisa. Previous backers include CBS. The outfit may use the new financing to move into print.

NBC's Super Bowl Ads to Cost $3 Million
Wall Street Journal
NBC Universal plans to announce that $3 million will be the entry price for a commercial at the 2009 Super Bowl. While individual slots have sold at that level before, it has never been the starting point for negotiations for the dozens of 30-second ads sold for the game.

IAB Introduces Online Video Ad Guidelines
Mediaweek
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is introducing a set of guidelines aimed at bringing more standards to online video advertising -- and ultimately to make the still burgeoning medium easier for advertisers to buy. "This is a historic day," proclaims IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg.

Tom Cruise Stocks Up on Google AdWords
Hollywood Newsroom
Tom Cruise and his publicity handlers are said to be buying up advertisements on Google AdWords. When users type in "Tom Cruise" in a Google search, ads for the Scientologist's new TomCruise.com appear. The move may coincide with Cruise's recent "Oprah" appearance.

CBS Pitching Sticky Videos to Advertisers
TV Week
When selling marketers on digital deals at this year's upfront advertising market, CBS plans to claim that it engages audiences better than its competitors. The network is preparing research on how many video streams it serves and how audiences use streaming of its TV shows.

Fox to Reinforce That TV Is Still King
Mediaweek
While rivals NBC and CBS are approaching the upfront marketplace with sales presentations that include hefty pitches for their digital platforms, Fox is concentrating its efforts on selling television. Compared to online and print, TV advertising "proved the most effective."

Media Execs: Ad-Supported Content Is King
Hollywood Reporter
Advertising-supported content will remain the No. 1 business model and digital advertising will eclipse traditional advertising during the next five years, says a survey of media execs by Accenture. Companies "need to implement new digital technologies or be left behind."

Advertisers Urged to Embrace Digital Media
New York Times
Advertising execs need to embrace the changes in media, says Google CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking at the American Association of Advertising Agencies conference. Another speaker, TBWA chief Lee Clow, advises the 380 attendees to "stop whining" and "start hiring young people."

YouTube to Launch New Form of Advertising
CNET News.com
Google CEO Eric Schmidt admits that his company hasn't "figured out the perfect solution of how to make money" from its video-sharing powerhouse YouTube. He indicates that the company is developing new modes of advertising. New products "are coming out this year."

Google TV Ads Emerges from Beta Testing
Google AdWords
Google is introducing Google TV Ads, which the company describes as a "flexible, all-digital system for easily and efficiently buying more accountable and measurable TV advertising." The program, which has been in beta since June 2007, is now available to all U.S.-based advertisers.

>> MORE


 
MEDIA COMPANIES
 
Old Media Still Struggle With Web, Execs Say
Red Herring
Traditional media are still having trouble dealing with the new era, according to execs speaking at the Argyle Executive Forum on Leadership in Media in New York. Microsoft counsel Thomas Rubin argues that Internet players must become "stewards of intellectual content."

Time Warner to Close Two Independent Studios
Wall Street Journal
Time Warner's Warner Bros. is shutting down its Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures film studios, cutting 70 jobs. The move comes as new Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes seeks to pare costs across the media company as part of an effort to kick-start the moribund stock price.

Disney Fan Creates Citizen Journalism Web Site
Wall Street Journal
Twisney.com, created by a 34-year-old software developer and Disney fan, offers live updates from ordinary people walking around the Disney World recreational resort, using their cellphones to share their experiences via text and photos. Twisney allows users to share "real-time intelligence."

Media Journos to Discuss Industry's Future
I Want Media
I Want Media is holding its first-ever discussion forum, "The Future of Media," on June 4. A panel of leading media journalists will exchange ideas and opinions on how newspapers, magazines and television are being shaken up by blogs, social-networking sites and online video.

Media CEOs Address New Business Models
BtoBOnline
Tony Uphoff, CEO of TechWeb, says his company was about 85% print just a few years ago. Today, TechWeb is about 25% print, 30% online and 45% events. "We have completely and radically transformed our company" in order to "put us where the dollars are going."

Murdoch Sees Economy Hurting Advertising
Reuters
Stress in the U.S. economy is squeezing advertising budgets, says chief Rupert Murdoch, adding that News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media will miss its $1 billion annual revenue goal by 10%. News Corp. is nonetheless seeing strong ad sales at the Fox TV network and Fox News Channel.

Media, Tech Giants Back Wi-Max Network
USA Today
Sprint and Clearwire are forming a new $14.5 billion venture to build a nationwide "WiMax" wireless network, with the goal of offering advanced wireless Internet services to millions beginning next year. Google, Intel, Comcast and Time Warner are major investors.

Cablevision Nears Deal to Buy Sundance
Wall Street Journal
Cablevision is close to an agreement to buy the Sundance Channel, jointly owned by NBC Universal, CBS and Robert Redford, in a deal valued at $500 million. The deal could be the first of two big purchases for the cable operator, which has also made a $650 million bid for Newsday.

Disney Profit Rises Despite Slow Economy
Dow Jones
Disney's fiscal second-quarter net income is up 22%, led by growth in the company's ABC, ESPN and Disney Channel, among other divisions. CEO Bob Iger points to the company's "proven ability to create high-quality content across wide-ranging distribution and promotional platforms."

News Corp Could Lose Trial Over Murdoch
ABC News
If Rupert Murdoch doesn't testify in a lawsuit that accuses one of his companies of corporate espionage, it could cost News Corp. hundreds of millions of dollars, says the federal judge in the trial. News Corp. unit NDS is accused of hacking into EchoStar/DISH Network's security code.

Redstone: No 'Battle' Between Viacom, CBS
AP / Reuters
Sumner Redstone is downplaying speculation of a "battle" between his Viacom and CBS, saying such talk "has been manufactured" by the media. Redstone also says: "We cannot tolerate piracy by anyone, including YouTube." Plus: "I will not object" to the return of Tom Cruise.

Media Execs: Ad-Supported Content Is King
Hollywood Reporter
Advertising-supported content will remain the No. 1 business model and digital advertising will eclipse traditional advertising during the next five years, says a survey of media execs by Accenture. Companies "need to implement new digital technologies or be left behind."

>> MORE