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Volume 24, Issue 139, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Wednesday Morning July 18th, 2007
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TV News ®
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 WCPO to lose its newspaper twin sisters
Even with a grandfathered newspaper-TV crossownership situation, E.W. Scripps Co. says it can't keep its Cincinnati Post and Kentucky Post newspapers alive. The dailies will cease publication December 31st when Gannett terminates its joint operating agreement. That will leave the Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the Queen City. Scripps will still have WCPO-TV (Ch. 9, ABC) in the Cincinnati market. "It's always a difficult decision to cease publication of a newspaper, especially two with such fine traditions of journalistic excellence and community service as The Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post," said Rich Boehne (pictured), COO for Scripps and, coincidentally, a former Post staff member. Gannett gave notice three years ago that the JOA would not be renewed. After exploring options, such as switching to a free circulation paper, Scripps decided to shutter the operation. According to circulation numbers posted on the Post website, circulation for the afternoon daily was only 28,549 last year, compared to 197,962 for the weekday Enquirer (and 288,030 for the Sunday edition). Back in 1976 the Post actually beat its morning competitor during the week, with circulation of 198,694, compared to 188,092.
TVBR observation: Will this add to the weight of evidence in Washington for elimination of the crossownership rule? Perhaps not, since Scripps had a grandfathered crossownership and still couldn't keep the market's #2 daily newspaper alive. But it certainly shows again just how much trouble the newspaper business is facing.
The Dow Jones deal is done...maybe
Directors of Dow Jones & Co. were scheduled to meet last evening to consider approval of a tentative deal to sell the company, including the Wall Street Journal, to News Corporation for five billion bucks. But that's the easy part. The controlling Bancroft family meets Thursday to hear about the terms of the buyout offer. Their decision may not come until next week. After weeks of negotiations, the Dow Jones representatives who've been talking with Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation have a deal to present to the full board. With no other bidder in sight, Murdoch didn't boost his 60 bucks per share bid, so the five billion bucks price tag stands. And all details have been worked out on an agreement to guarantee the editorial independence of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, without actually barring News Corporation from picking its own management team. According to the Wall Street Journal, which has been following this very close, the deal was being presented to the full board last night. If it is accepted, which seems likely, the Bancrofts will get a full presentation on Thursday. That's where it gets interesting, since some family members don't want to sell to Murdoch - but are under pressure because there is no other bidder willing to ante up five billion. According to the WSJ, the outcome of the family vote is too close to call.
TVBR observation: Most of the focus has been on the Dow Jones side, but is this a good deal for News Corporation? Bank of America analyst Jonathan Jacoby says yes. He says the Dow Jones deal is not that dilutive to News Corporation on an EBITDA basis and is actually accretive on an earnings per share basis. He also thinks it is strategic and does not signal any plan by Murdoch to go on a buying binge. Meanwhile, he notes that News Corporation has been shedding some non-core assets, such as putting its smaller TV stations up for sale and preparing to sell Gemstar-TV Guide. As far as Jacoby is concerned, News Corporation stock is a "Buy."
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One word, one fine
 Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), pictured, is not going after violent content with S. 1780, the "Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Act." He and his co-sponsors, Ted Stevens (R-AK), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Dan Inouye (D-HI), are merely trying to provide a legislative underpinning for the FCC to be able to drop the hammer on speakers of a fleeting expletive. Here's the scoop: It is a bill "To require the FCC, in enforcing its regulations concerning the broadcast of indecent programming, to maintain a policy that a single word or image may be considered indecent." The bill does not do anything else, not a single thing. It goes to the full committee for markup Thursday afternoon, 7/19/07. Rockefeller's planned assault on broadcast violence will wait for another day.
TVBR observation: This means the FCC would be able to bring out its heavy artillery, the full 325K punitive fine, if it so desires, assuming that this bill makes it through both houses of Congress and gets an autograph from the president. You never can tell on Capitol Hill, but this bill has the virtue of being extremely uncomplicated, and if Rockefeller can keep it free of excess amendment baggage, it could well be a bill members of both parties can support. The bottom line is that if this passes, the arsenal of delaying tactics will be thinned yet again. We've been through a major round of consent decrees and we've had the narrowly focused court ruling that led to this bill. Sooner or later the whole indecency infrastructure is going to get its day in court, probably after the FCC uses its new six-figure fine on somebody who already signed a consent decree and becomes a repeat offender.
FTC set to examine childhood obesity
And you can bet that commercials aimed at children will be a big part of the all-day session at the Federal Trade Commission Conference Center in Washington. The session is called, "Weighing In: A Check-Up on Marketing, Self-Regulation, and Childhood Obesity." It will be long on regulators and academics and short on broadcasters. In fact, the closest thing to a representative will be Lynda Dorman of the CATV-oriented BET Foundation. aT any rate, if Ed Markey's (D-MA) opinion is considered, the self-regulators may be getting a low grade. Markey had praised Kellogg's unilateral decision to limit its marketing to the preteen set, and challenged other food manufacturers to do the same. Last week he said he had received responses from Coca-Cola Company, General Mills, Kraft Foods, McDonald's and PepsiCo. "I'd like there companies to 'supersize' their commitment to public health and take steps to refrain from targeting young kids with certain food marketing - if Snap, Crackle and Pop can do it, why can't Ronald McDonald?" he asked. "The vague and incomplete responses form these companies, at a time when our country is facing a serious childhood obesity crisis, again raise the question of whether voluntary industry action will be sufficient to combat this important public health issue." Markey said that of the named companies, only Coca-Cola had already unveiled a program with any impact, and that the others planned to announce initiatives at the FTC workshop.
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 Fisher expands online local news
with Pegasus News buy
As part of its initiative to develop new online-only content for its key local markets, Fisher Communications has acquired online start-up and hyper-local media pioneer Pegasus News, which specializes in providing personalized local news, information, and advertising. The acquisition underscores Fisher's commitment to expand its Internet presence by offering a deeper, richer, more highly localized online experience for its audiences. Fisher plans to take Pegasus's news, information and advertising model to additional U.S. markets in the coming year. Based in Dallas, Pegasus News launched its website at pegasusnews.com in 2006 with a small editorial team and key content partnerships focused on providing the latest, most relevant news and information about the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan scene. It delivers easily accessible local information that simply could not be found anywhere else on the Web, including time-sensitive information on area garage sales, daily specials, local sports, and more. In 2007, Pegasus News rolled out an innovative feature called The Daily You, an automatically personalized news service for registered users that, unlike other news services, doesn't require users to go through the hassle of setting up a profile first. Pegasus News will continue to operate from Dallas, Texas.
Iraq report card fuels the news
A report card on the progress of the Iraqi government toward meeting 18 benchmarks thrust the Iraq policy debate front and center, dominating the newshole for the week of 7/8-13/07, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. In fact, it led to a rarity in the young history of this survey. It's the first time we can remember that the top two stories from the previous week were knocked completely off the chart, and we mean not even on one medium's individual top ten list (the stories were terror in Britain and the Scooter Libby commutation). The 20% grabbed by Iraq policy also contributed to quite a bit of coverage diffusion in its wake, especially if you add in other mideast and terrorism topics, which combine for 34% of all coverage. Two old scandals received new life, the attorney firing scandal, and the DC madam story, the latter thanks to Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), who became the highest-ranking official to be tied in thus far.
| Top ten lists here |
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| Wall Street Media Business Report TM |
 Clear Channel resets record date
With time moving on for its proposed buyout by Bain Capital Partners, Thomas H. Lee Partners and the Mays family, Clear Channel Communications has again reset the record date for voting on the going private transaction. Shareholders of record on July 27th will be eligible to vote at the special meeting of shareholders. However, CCU has still not set a date for that special meeting.
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Ad Business Report TM
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Cable upfront solid despite ratings challenges
According to a recent Thomas Weisel & Partners report, the cable upfront is looking to be a strong one this year, as strong scatter market and upfront CPM increases should offset ratings weakness: "While Viacom is still in the midst of its upfront, with only a few deals reported in the press, we believe the company's networks are likely to perform in line with our estimates despite disappointing ratings. We believe the kid's TV upfront is solid as well. We estimate MTV Networks could see double-digit CPM gains which should offset ratings declines and a move to commercial ratings, where retention levels are lower than average at MTV Networks. We remain comfortable that Viacom's cable networks can post 5-6% advertising sales growth (including international and digital sales) in 2H07 and 2008 despite recent ratings challenges. We note that if ratings were to improve in response to new and planned programming initiatives our estimates could prove conservative."
Michelin consolidates media with MediaCom
AdAge reports Michelin North America has consolidated its 112 million media account with MediaCom. The marketer announced the decision of its four-month-long search yesterday. The shift includes brands such as BF Goodrich, Uniroyal, Michelin Maps and Guides and the TCI Tire Centers distribution network. "We are enthusiastic about our new relationship with MediaCom, and eager to apply the expertise and innovations they demonstrated during the search to our media planning and buying activities," Dave Murtaugh, director-corporate image, Michelin North America, said in a statement. "The scale and scope of our business matches MediaCom's strengths, and we expect they will improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of the media planning and buying for all of Michelin North America." Campbell-Ewald previously handled planning; it keeps creative.
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| Media Business Report TM |
Tribune Co. newspapers to sell ads on Page 1
The Chicago Tribune reports that aced with a steady decline in revenue and cash flow, Tribune Co. plans to run ads on the front pages of most of its daily newspapers, breaking a long-standing tradition of keeping Page 1 of its biggest dailies ad-free. Chicago Tribune Publisher Scott Smith said Monday that his paper will offer select advertisers a 1.5-inch strip along the bottom of the Tribune's front page, a format that will be duplicated across Tribune Co.'s other papers. Smith did not say when the ads would begin to appear. The Los Angeles Times, Tribune's largest newspaper, reported on Saturday that it also planned to launch Page 1 ads. But Times Publisher David Hiller said the paper is still sorting out pricing and guidelines and that he had not determined when the paper would start selling front-page ads, the Trib said. Tribune's decision to sell front page ads isn't unique. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today already do. Both Hiller and Smith have faced stiff resistance to the idea of front-page ads from their editors, said the story. But as the company strives to close its 8.2 billion plan to go private in conjunction with Chicago billionaire Sam Zell, they face even greater pressure to reverse declining revenues and circulation brought on by competition from the Internet and other sources of news.
 iPhone may dramatically alter market for mobile video
According to research conducted by new media research firm Interpret, LLC, the iPhone has the potential to be a catalyst for growth in mobile video usage, among both iPhone owners and owners of regular cell phones. Despite owning their new iPhones for a short period of time, 63% of iPhone owners have already used the widescreen-enabled device to watch video (compared to only 28% of regular cell phone owners). Half of iPhone owners (51%) have watched a YouTube video on their phone, while 46% have watched a music video, 34% watched the news, and 32% have already watched a movie trailer. The study shows that it's not the consumers who are different, it's the iPhone - prior to buying the iPhone, few owners had watched video on their cell phone (only 17% had seen YouTube clips, 21% had watched a music video, 16% had seen the news, and only 15% had watched a movie trailer on a phone). The study also shows how the iPhone could have a "halo effect" for mobile video, even among non-owners. Only 28% of non-iPhone owners have ever watched video on their cell phone, and interest in watching video on their current phone is not strong. One-quarter or fewer are interested in watching music videos (25%), TV shows (25%), movies (24%) or video clips like on YouTube (24%). However, after seeing a 2-minute video about watching video on the iPhone, nearly three-quarters (73%) of non-owners say they are interested in watching video on an iPhone, and 42% say they are "extremely" or "very" interested. Further, widescreen video is a compelling selling point for the iPhone - half (50%) of non-owners who are open to buying the device say that seeing the iPhone's video capabilities makes them more interested in buying one. The survey was conducted online among a representative sample of 1,000 cell phone users, including 200 iPhone owners and 800 non-owners.
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| Washington Media Business Report TM |
Reps fire another salvo at XM/Sirius
Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) have become the latest to object to the proposal to merge satellite audio services Sirius and XM. The grounds for opposing the merger, however, are pretty much the same as those others are citing. In a nutshell, why should the government sanction formation of a monopoly? The duo sent a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Barnett. After noting the unique spot the DARS companies occupy on the entertainment spectrum, the duo noted, "With no viable competition in the national market, a combined XM-Sirius satellite radio monopoly could easily raise prices without losing existing subscribers. Even the promised price caps would provide only temporary protection to consumers, and are an acknowledgement themselves of the monopoly power resulting from the merger."
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| Entertainment Media Business Report TM |
 Hey, Jay! Better get
the doughnuts ready
It's a pretty good bet that when a major new movie comes out, you'll find the star on a nighttime network TV talk show. "The Simpsons Movie" is no exception. Movie star Homer Simpson, who plays his animated self in the flick coming out July 27th, has been booked for NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Tuesday, July 24th. It's being billed by NBC as Simpson's "only publicity stop." Be sure to tune in for the very beginning of the show. "Due to scheduling restrictions, the first time film star will be restricted to making a brief appearance during the show's monologue," said NBC's announcement.
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| Internet Media Business Report TM |
81 million people in US watch broadband
An estimated 81 million people, or 63% of the 129 million people who access the Internet over broadband in the U.S., watch broadband video at home or at work, according to new research conducted by The Nielsen Company for The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). This number increased from 70 million in September 2006 to 81 million in March 2007, a jump of 16% in just six months. The analysis also showed traditional home television ratings are minimally, if at all, affected by broadband video viewing over the net, because broadband viewing was found largely to be incremental new viewing rather than a substitute for traditional television viewing. Commissioned by CTAM and conducted by Nielsen Entertainment and NielsenConnect. Findings were derived through online research based on the Nielsen//NetRatings MegaPanel and NetViews services, extensive interviews conducted in the Nielsen Entertainment digital lab, and a "fusion" of the quantitative online survey data with television viewing data from Nielsen's National People Meter sample. "Nielsen was delighted to work with CTAM on this report, which reflects the value we can create by integrating data and analysis from across our company," said Susan Whiting, EVP/The Nielsen Company and Chairman, Nielsen Media Research. "This approach allows us to deliver new insight into our clients' customers and markets."
| Key findings from the report |
TVBR observation: It would be interesting to see what percent of broadband viewing was forwarded humorous emails and YouTube/Google video. Seems the percentage of folks watching traditional television or being driven from traditional television is still small.
 3 Out of 4 internet users
streamed video online in May
comScore says nearly 75% of U.S. Internet users watched an average of 158 minutes of online video per user during the month. Google Sites topped the monthly rankings with both the most unique video streamers and most videos streamed. May saw Americans view more than 8.3 billion video streams online, and Google Sites once again ranked as the top U.S. streaming video property with 1.8 billion videos streamed (21.5% share of streams), 1.7 billion of which occurred at YouTube.com. Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 680 million streams (8.1%), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 387 million (4.6%) and Viacom Digital with 237 million (2.8%). In total, nearly 132 million Americans viewed online streaming video in May. Google Sites also captured the largest streaming video audience with more than 64.9 million unique streamers, followed by Fox Interactive Media with 52.7 million and Yahoo! Sites with 35.0 million. Other notable findings from May 2007 include: Online viewers watched an average of 158 minutes of streaming video per streamer. The average video stream duration was 2.5 minutes. Nearly three out of four (74.3%) U.S. Internet users streamed video online. More than one out of three (35%) U.S. Internet users streamed video on YouTube.com. The average online video viewer consumed 63 video streams, or more than two per day.
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| Ratings & Research |
Play ball!
Fox grabbed an easy win in the 18-49 demo and a close second in Households with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on its schedule for the past week. But while the game had the highest rating, the premiere of "The Singing Bee" on NBC had a slightly larger total audience. For 18-49 overall, the rundown was Fox, NBC, CBS, a tie by Univision and ABC, CW, another tie by Telemundo and TeleFutura, MyNetworkTV, Ion and Azteca America. For HH, it was CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, Univision, CW, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo, TeleFutura, Ion and Azteca America.
| Here are the top 20 shows for the week |
 Back-to-School spending
to top 18 billion
Though the summer is still in full swing, families across the nation are already planning back-to-school shopping trips. According to the National Retail Federation's 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School survey, conducted by BIGresearch, families with school-age children are expected to spend 563.49 on back-to-school merchandise, up 6.9% from last year's 527.08 average. Total back-to-school spending this year is expected to reach 18.4 billion. According to the survey, the electronics category will see the biggest increase in sales this year, with families spending 13.0% more on electronics than last year (129.24 vs. 114.38). Footwear will also see a higher-than-average sales increase, with sales expected to rise 10.3% over last year (108.42 vs. 98.34). Families are also expected to spend 94.02 on school supplies, up from 86.22 a year ago. Though the majority of shoppers will be purchasing clothing and accessories this year (95.4%), spending in that category is expected to be flat, with consumers spending an average of 231.80 on those purchases, similar to last year's 228.14. Clothing and accessories remains the largest spending category at 7.6 billion.
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| Transactions |
N/A WKRC-TV Cincinnati OH; WIVT-TV Binghamton NY; WHP-TV Harrisburg PA; WXXA-TV Albany NY; and KAVL-AM & KVVS-FM Los Angeles (Lancaster, Mojave CA); KSJO-FM San Francisco CA (San Jose CA); WALK-AM & WALK-FM Nassau-Suffolk NY (East Patchogue, Patchogue NY); WQTM-AM/WRUM-FM, WJRR-FM/WTKS-FM, WXXL-FM, WFLF-AM & WMGF-FM Orlando FL (Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Tavares, Pine Hills, Mount Dora FL); WONE-AM/WTUE-FM/WMMX-FM, WIZE-AM, WDSJ-FM, WLQT-FM, WXEG-FM & WDKF-FM Dayton OH (Dayton, Springfield, Greenville, Kettering, Beavercreek, Englewood OH); KTMS-AM/KBKO-AM/KIST AM-FM/KTYD-FM, KSBL-FM & KSPE-FM Santa Barbara CA (Santa Barbara, Carpenteria, Ellwood CA); KHTY-AM Bakersfield CA; WPCH-AM Macon GA (Gray GA); KABQ-AM/KPEK-FM/KZRR-FM/KBQI-FM, KTEG-FM, KABQ-FM & KSYU-FM Albuquerque NM (Albuquerque, Bosque Farms, Santa Fe, Corrales NM); KLEN-FM, KIGN-FM, KGAB-AM & KCGY-FM Cheyenne WY (Cheyenne, Burns, Orchard Valley, Laramie WY); WGAR-FM/WMVX-FM/WMJI-FM/WMMS-FM Cleveland OH; WIMA-AM/WIMT-FM, WZRX-FM, WBUK-FM & WMLX-FM Lima OH (Lima, Fort Shawnee, Ottawa, St. Marys OH); KUFX-FM San Jose CA; WJBT-FM Jacksonville FL (Green Cove Springs FL); WALC-FM Charleston SC; WISM-FM Eau Claire WI (Altoona WI); WMXR-FM & WTSM-FM Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction VT (Woodstock, Springfield VT); WNOE-FM/WODT-AM/WQUE-FM/WRNO-FM/WYLD-AM & KYRK-FM New Orleans LA (New Orleans, Houma); WOLL-FM West Palm Beach-Boca Raton FL (Hobe Sound FL); WAIL-FM/WEOW-FM/WKEY-FM, WKFZ-FM/WCTH-FM & WKEZ-FM Florida Keys FL (Key West, Plantation Key, Tavernier FL); WEBZ-FM Panama City FL (Mexico Beach FL); and KBRQ-FM Waco TX (Hillsboro TX) from Clear Channel Communications Inc. (Mark Mays), including stations from licensees AMFM Radio Licenses LLC, Citicaster Company, Central NY News Inc., Citicasters Licenses LP, Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses Inc. and Jacor Broadcasting Corporation to Aloha Station Trust LLC (Jeanette Tully). Stations going into trust pending sale. [File date 6/21/07.]
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| Stock Talk |
Dow just misses 14K
With the Dow Industrials setting new records this week, it seems like traders have forgotten about the rest of the market. The Blue Chip barometer closed just shy of the 14K mark on Tuesday, gaining 21 points to 13,972 as a new government report indicated that inflation is under control. But other stocks did not get much benefit. The S&P 500 was down for the day, although the Nasdaq Composite was up.
TV stocks were mixed. News Corporation rose 2.6% as it appeared likely to succeed in its takeover bid for Dow Jones & Co. CBS had a down day, with its Class A down 1.4% and Class B off 1.3%.
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| Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Acme
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ACME
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4.44
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-0.01
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Lincoln Natl.
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LNC
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69.15
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-0.32
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Belo
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BLC
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20.95
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+0.09
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LIN TV
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TVL
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18.89
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-0.05
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| CBS CI. B |
CBS |
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34.43
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-0.44
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McGraw-Hill
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MHP
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64.21
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-0.43
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| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
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34.39
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-0.49
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Media General
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MEG
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34.15
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+0.02
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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37.76
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-0.05
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Meredith
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MDP
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62.10
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+0.30
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Disney
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DIS
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34.68
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+0.21
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News Corp.
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NWS
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24.25
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+0.62
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Emmis
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EMMS
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9.00
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+0.17
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Nexstar
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NXST
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13.10
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-0.02
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Entravision
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EVC
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10.91
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-0.04
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Ion Media
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ION
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1.38
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-0.01
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| Equity Media |
EMDA |
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4.30 |
unch |
Saga Commun.
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SGA
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9.00
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-0.01
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Fisher
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FSCI
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50.35
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-0.45
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SBS
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SBSA
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4.14
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unch
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Gannett
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GCI
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54.85
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-0.10
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Scripps
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SSP
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46.73
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-0.27
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Gen. Electric
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GE
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40.71
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+0.59
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Sinclair
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SBGI
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15.03
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+0.27
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| Google |
GOOG |
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555.00
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+2.01
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SWMX
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SWMX
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0.16
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-0.04
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Gray
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GTN
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9.11
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+0.01
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Time Warner
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TWX
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21.12
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+0.19
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Gray, C1. A
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GTNa
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9.15
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unch
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Tribune
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TRB
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29.73
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+0.08
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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23.61
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+0.11
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Wash. Post
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WPO
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792.00
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-1.45
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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13.10
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-0.06
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Young
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YBTVA
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3.35
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+0.13
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Bounceback
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 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to tvnews@rbr.com
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Below the Fold
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Ad Business Report
Cable upfront
Solid despite ratings challenges...
Media Business Report
Tribune Co. newspapers
To sell ads on Page 1 since it is aced with a steady decline in revenue...
Internet Media Business Report
81 million people
In US watch broadband but analysis shows home TV ratings are minimally affected...
Ratings & Research
Play ball!
Fox grabbed an easy win
in the 18-49 demo...
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Stations for Sale
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 Market your Stations For Sale
in our daily epapers.
Contact
June Barnes
jbarnes@rbr.com
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TV Media Moves
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Duffy to Nielsen
The Nielsen Company announced that Tom Duffy has been named Vice President, Industry Services, ACNielsen. He had been Director, Business & Industry Partnerships for TDLinx. At ACNielsen, Duffy will be responsible for all internal and external marketing for supporting trade associations and other partnership organizations.
Burgess aboard
NAB Board
 Ion Media Networks President/CEO Brandon Burgess is the new Network Representative to the NAB Board, and will also serve on the NAB Executive Committee, where he replaces Disney's Preston Padden. Padden will remain on the NAB Television Board of Directors.
Fox Sports en Español taps Reyes
Fox Sports en Español announced the appointment of Pamela Reyes as advertising sales account executive for the Southeast. Based in Coral Gables, FL, Reyes will be responsible for further strengthening the network's base of Hispanic and general market agency and client relationships, as well as for creating integrated sales and sponsorship opportunities across Fox Sports en Español's distribution platforms. She joins on from OMD Latino.
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More News Headlines
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Liberman
settles lawsuits
Liberman Broadcasting and its parent, LBI Media, disclosed in an SEC filing that they have settled a lawsuit brought by some current and former employees in Los Angeles, one alleging violation of California labor laws pertaining to meal and rest breaks and another lawsuit alleging violations of overtime pay rules and wrongful termination. Liberman denies any wrongdoing, but says it has agreed to a proposed settlement of both lawsuits to avoid significant legal fees and other expenses. If the settlement is approved by the court, Liberman says it will pay a maximum of 825K, including legal fees.
Teaming up in Dayton
ACME Communications has cut a deal with LIN to have LIN's WDTN-TV (Ch. 2, NBC) produce a daily 10 pm newscast for ACME's WBDT-TV (Ch. 26, CW) in the Dayton market. The half-hour newscast will debut August 20th.
12 headed to Germany
For the 14th year in a row, the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation will conduct a two-week, expenses-paid fellowship to Germany this fall for broadcast journalists. Sponsored by the RIAS Berlin Commission, the German/American Journalist Exchange Program will run from September 29th through October 13th, featuring briefings with top-level political, business and media figures in Germany and with NATO and European Union officials in Brussels. Participants will travel to Berlin, Dresden, Prague and then Brussels. During the program, the American journalists will also meet with German broadcasters and tour German radio and television stations. The following 12 individuals have been selected to participate in the program this fall:
Cheryl Bacon,
video editor, KTTV/KCOP TV
Doris Bergman,
producer, NY1 News
Deb Brunswick,
news assistant, CNN
Noel Cisneros,
reporter, KGO-TV
Kathy-Ann Gobin,
producer, WTNH-TV
Deanne Goodman,
anchor/reporter, KTVZ-TV
David Louie,
business editor, KGO-TV
Paul Martella,
associate producer, KTTV
Petra Mayer,
associate producer, NPR
Sandy Rathbun,
reporter, KVOA-TV
Marilyn Torres,
reporter, RCN News
Robert Wilson,
reporter, KSFY-TV
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SmartMedia Magazine
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Coming in September
FALL NAB ISSUE
SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION:
NAB RADIO SHOW
Radio Roundtable:
Radio execs find solutions.
Media Markets and Money:
What's attractive to equity capital these days?
Ad Biz:
Gennele Niblack, Katz Political President
Sales:
Dial Global's Eileen Decker on radio ad sales
News/Talk:
Valerie Geller: "Video streaming on your station's website"
Political Advertising:
Gregg Skall: "The FCC rules on political ads-Network exception issue"; Greg Pinello, GMMB.
Engineering & Technology:
Conditional Access for HD Radio
New Media:
Money-making opportunities for on-demand web video
For advertising
information, contact:
June Barnes
jbarnes@rbr.com 803-731-5951;
Jim Carnegie
jcarnegie@rbr.com 813-909-2916 or
Carl Marcucci
cmarcucci@rbr.com 703-492-8191.
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TVBR Radar 2007
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Television News you won't read any where else. TVBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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Is private equity inconsistent
with public interest?
A pair of powerful US Reps are concerned about private equity companies, saying the term "suggests a financial management style focused on cutting costs, increasing revenues and the ultimate resale of the enterprise," which may conflict with the public interest obligations of FCC licensees. On the other hand, they note, such enterprises are somewhat insulated from Wall Street pressure to boost stock prices, which could be a plus. They want to know how the ins and outs of such companies when cutting deals on the FCC's turf.
07/17/07 TVBR #138
Indecency/violence bill
headed for markup
The attempt by Sam Brownback (R-KS) to attach measures to an FCC funding bill which would restore the FCC's right to punish fleeting expletives and open a new FCC line of attack against violent programming was defeated. But it was in large part a procedural matter, since Dan Inouye's (D-HI) Commerce Committee claims jurisdiction.
TVBR observation: Although we couldn't look at S. 1780, we dug up a copy of its abandoned big brother, S. 616, which also addressed the issue of violent programming. It directed the FCC to come up with rules of the road for curbing violence. Of course, a key to this would be defining the crime, something S. 616 makes no attempt to do. When the FCC turned in its less-than-landmark study this spring, it also ducked that particular issue and suggested that Congress come up with a definition. (There is more to read in TVBR)
07/16/07 TVBR #137
Warshaw in; Goodman out
Jeff Warshaw will replace Dean Goodman as CEO of the new company backed by American Security Capital Partners (ASCP) to buy 187 stations from Clear Channel for 452.1 million dollars - the single largest package of the Clear Channel Radio divestitures in medium and smaller markets. Relations between Goodman - former President of Ion Media Networks and its predecessor, Paxson Communications - and his equity backer had been deteriorating for a couple of months as ASCP delayed approving the management team that Goodman had chosen and resisted buying TV stations as well.
RBR observation: Don't shed too many tears for Dean Goodman. He got five million bucks when he left Ion and millions more when Citadel Capital took Ion private and bought out all of the public shareholders, including Dean. Now he gets a few million more from ASCP to walk away. With his own cash and that of the investors he had brought to the table (including Eddie Fritts, Larry Patrick and Carl Hirsch), Dean will be able to build a substantial radio and TV company without having to answer to a private equity partner. More in RBR.
07/16/07 RBR #137
Frustration sets in for Murdoch
Dow Jones & Co. stock fell last Thursday after AP reported that Rupert Murdoch was frustrated with Bancroft family negotiators changing their minds during negotiations over a sale of the company.
TVBR observation: Some members of the Bancroft family have been pressing for all possible options other than a sale to News Corporation to be explored, as has the union representing some Dow Jones employees. So far the only names that have surfaced publicly as being interested are Burkle, a supermarket billionaire, and Greenspan, an Internet multi-millionaire. That they met together with Dow Jones representatives on Tuesday indicates that they are interested in working together. Even so, there's no indication that they plan a full buyout to match the Murdoch offer - but, rather, a partial buyout at 60 bucks a share and a financial restructuring. That is not likely to satisfy Dow Jones shareholders who want to sell all of their shares at the premium price of 60 bucks.
07/13/07 TVBR #136
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