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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.
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.
Viacom, Google 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."
YouTube In HD Coming to Living Rooms
Beet.TV
HP is announcing that it working with YouTube to allow consumers to watch and share full-screen videos from the site on their HDTVs and to create multiple playlists from anywhere they watch TV. YouTube is creating specially curated channels for the new service.
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.
Hollywood to Win $111M From TorrentSpy
Associated Press
Six major Hollywood studios are accepting a $111 million judgment for copyright infringement from the former file-sharing site TorrentSpy.com for nearly 3,700 illegal movie and TV-show downloads. The site shut down in March, saying the legal climate was too hostile to continue.
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.
NBC Universal to Launch Women@NBCU
Mediaweek
Lauren Zalaznick is being named president of the new NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Networks, adding oversight of iVillage.com to her duties leading Bravo and Oxygen. Zalaznick is launching Women@NBCU, a marketing initiative to align advertisers with NBC's female demo.
NBC to Move Some Operations From 30 Rock
Hollywood Reporter
NBC Universal plans to revamp its operations in Manhattan by 2009, keeping several units at 30 Rockefeller Center but moving the rest to a new facility. The new facility, with up to 3,000 employees, will include a fitness center, commissary and a childcare and health center.
Cablevision Buys Sundance, Bids on Newsday
Bloomberg
Cablevision, the cable television operator, plans to buy Sundance Channel from NBC Universal, CBS and Robert Redford. It is also bidding on Tribune's Newsday. Cablevision is "generating tons of cash flow" after adding thousands of customers for phone service and Web access.
Sirius-XM Merger Deal May See More Static
BusinessWeek
Legislators want the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to force stiffer restrictions on the possible merger of XM and Sirius, which could make it harder for the satellite radio rivals to eke out their expected revenue increases. Deal approval might not come until June, if not later.
Sinclair Is Mulling Going Private, CEO Says
MediaPost
Frustrated that performance is not being rewarded by Wall Street, Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO David Smith says that the company has considered going private. He adds that the troubled credit markets would make it difficult to obtain financing for such a move.
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.
Murdoch Sees Newsday Deal Within Week
Bloomberg
News Corp. plans to wrap up an deal to buy Newsday from Sam Zell's Tribune in the next seven days, says chief Rupert Murdoch. "We are at a pretty advanced stage. I trust Mr. Zell absolutely." He adds, "I don't think Cablevision will prevail" in its rival bid. "Wait a couple of days."
Tribune Promotes Digital Chief to COO
Chicago Tribune
Randy Michaels, Tribune's chief executive of Interactive and Broadcasting since December, is being promoted to chief operating officer of Tribune. "People are saying 'newspapers are dead,'" Michaels says. "So naturally I want to take on even more responsibility for our print business."
New York Post Raises Price to 50 Cents
Portfolio
Rupert Murdoch's New York Post is increasing its cover price from 25 cents to 50 cents. A year ago, the Post raised its price, but reversed course 10 days later after suffering sales declines. Murdoch may be thinking that a Post-Newsday combo will eliminate the rival New York Daily News.
Sun-Times Media to Be Delisted from NYSE
Chicago Tribune
Sun-Times Media, the publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and other Chicago-area newspapers, expects its shares to be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange because its share price doesn't meet the Big Board's minimum. The publisher warned of the delisting in March.
New York Times to Cut 15 Newsroom Jobs
New York Post
The New York Times is laying off 15 journalists after the company acknowledges it fell short of its goal of getting 100 people to take voluntary buyout packages. Executive editor Bill Keller says he hopes this will be the end of the newsroom cuts. "There are, of course, no guarantees."
Print Media Have a Future, Pearlstine Says
TheDeal
Newspapers "remain a viable business," says Norman Pearlstine, a senior advisor at the Carlyle Group and former editor in chief of Time Inc. He adds that he is more optimistic about magazines. "But I do think that magazines need to reinvent themselves."
Craigslist Founder Honored by Digital Center
CNET News.com
The Eyebeam Art & Technology Center in New York is honoring Craigslist founder Craig Newmark at its annual benefit. Craigslist is "illustrates that people at heart, when given the chance, are basically good, helpful, and trustworthy," says Eyebeam founder John Johnson.
TechCrunch Teams Up With Washington Post
Washington Post
Beginning Thursday, the latest news, scoops and analysis from the blog TechCrunch will appear on washingtonpost.com. TechCrunch, founded in 2005, describes itself as "a weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies."
Perez Hilton Expands Brand Into Clothing Line
Celebrity Truth
Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton is set to release a clothing line through U.S. retailer Hot Topic. The line will include T-shirts, hoodies and shoes. The self-proclaimed "Queen of all Media" says: "2008 is all about expanding the Perez brand."
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