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BROADCAST/CABLE by Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Several media conglomerates are set to report earnings in the coming weeks. Deal talk will be a hot topic as Time Warner and News Corp. look at plays for Yahoo, Rupert Murdoch closes in on Newsday, and Viacom unveils its plans for a premium television offering. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i820fd1a4c711cf225dfb4817cfe2d496 4/28)

CBS says its Q1 profit rose 14% as the company sold its “CSI” series abroad and a 100-day writers’ strike temporarily lowered production costs. The radio division’s operating profit fell 27%. Outdoor advertising may surpass radio as CBS’s second-biggest profit center after TV. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a754MV3h7fyk 4/29)

Shareholders of Time Warner are urging CEO Jeff Bewkes to get rid of the cable-television unit and buy back shares after the stock fell 30% from a 2007 high. Bewkes could announce plans to unload the unit when Time Warner reports Q1 earnings on Wednesday. (Iwantmedia 4/29, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aaEEOfY0Uj5s 4/29)

Jeffrey Bewkes, president and then chief operating officer of Time Warner Inc., takes a lunch break during the annual Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, July 11, 2007. Photographer: Matthew Staver/Bloomberg News

U.S. media companies are expected to shrug off the economy’s woes in the first quarter, but “growth will slow as the year progresses,” analysts say. Media giants buoyed by strength in their “maturing” cable networks might find bigger pay-offs in faster-growing areas like the Internet. (Iwantmedia 4/29, http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN2540910320080428 4/28)

Blockbuster is reportedly considering taking an ownership role in a new pay-TV service being developed by Paramount, MGM and Lions Gate that would compete against entrenched cable networks such as HBO, Showtime and Starz, according to this article. Executives for the joint venture, expected to launch in fall 2009, also are in talks with cable companies about distributing the still-unnamed channel. (The Wall Street Journal (free content) 4/29)

Boosting its image across all platforms, A&E will introduce new branding that includes a fresh logo and look both on-air and online centered on the tagline “Real Life. Drama.” The re-branding campaign, utilizing national and local television commercials, online, print and out-of-home in key markets, kicks off this Memorial Day during the miniseries premiere of The Andromeda Strain and then will continue throughout the summer, coinciding with the network’s debut of its first scripted series, The Cleaner starring Benjamin Bratt. (Cynopsis 4/29)

Season five of Reno 911! on Comedy Central opens with all-new episodes May 22 at 1030p. (Cynopsis 4/29)

For the 15th and final season of NBC’s ER, THR reports producers have added Angela Bassett as a regular cast member and one of the original cast members Noah Wyle will return for at least four of the 19 schedule episodes. (Cynopsis 4/29)

The Republican National Committee is calling on CNN and MSNBC to yank a new commercial from the Democratic National Committee about John McCain. The RNC says the ad, which suggests McCain would maintain a U.S. military presence in Iraq for up to 100 years, is a “gross distortion.” (Iwantmedia 4/29, http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/04/republicans_want_cnn_msnbc_to.php 4/28)

Viacom-owned Spike plans to launch its first original comedy June 29, an improvised series titled “Factory.” Spike’s Bill McGoldrick, vice president of original programming, said “Factory” would capture the lives of four regular guys who work in a small factory town. (TVWeek.com 4/28)

Cox Enterprises, the parent of Cox Communications, will buy online-advertising company Adify Corp. for $300 million. Adify’s technology helps companies build ad networks that allow advertisers to more efficiently target niche audiences. (The Washington Post/paidContent.org 4/29, Google/Associated Press 4/29)

Verizon added 263,000 net new FiOS TV subscribers in Q1, bringing its subscriber base up to 1.2 million customers. Such success is bringing out attack ads from cable providers, points out WSJ. Verizon earned $1.64 billion during the quarter – up 9.8% from a year ago – attracting more higher end wireless customers with its all-you-can-gab $99/month plan. (Cynopsis 4/29)

Cablevision appears poised to make a bid for Newsday with an offer expected to top two competing $580-million bids by Rupert Murdoch and Mort Zuckerman. Meanwhile, Murdoch is said to be employing former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato to smooth the Newsday purchase with politicians. (Iwantmedia 4/29, http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bznews0429,0,1089746.story 4/28)

Cablevision in the next month or two will stop offering cable nets such as A&E, TLC, Animal Planet, E!, the Sci-Fi Channel and Travel Channel in analog. With the change, the company’s analog-only customers will receive one free digital set-top box and its digital subscribers may have to buy additional set-top boxes. (Multichannel News 4/28)

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