Filed under: MISC | Tags: DreamWorks, Michael Bloomberg, New York Times, Paramount Pictures, Rupert Murdoch, Steven Spielberg, Viacom, Wall Street Journal
Since buying the Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch now wants to own the New York Times, according to Vanity Fair columnist Michael Wolff, who is writing a biography of the media titan. “I’ve watched him go through the numbers, plot out a merger with the Journal’s backroom operations …” (Iwantmedia 9/2, http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/10/wolff200810 9/08)
Steven Spielberg is expected to announce a deal with India’s Reliance Communications to restart the DreamWorks studio that he is relocating from Viacom‘s Paramount Pictures in an acrimonious split. Reliance could become a 50% owner of the Hollywood director’s new studio. (Iwantmedia 9/2, http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2008/db2008091_384222.htm 9/1)
Fewer people went to the movies this summer than last, confirming Hollywood’s fears that this year’s slate of pictures would not match the crowd pleasers of 2007. But higher ticket prices and a “Batman’ sequel delivered near-record revenue to the major studios. (Iwantmedia 9/2, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/business/02movie.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 9/2)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: AOL, Carl Icahn, Google, Jerry Yang, Microsoft, Rupert Murdoch, Time Warner, Yahoo
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
After making all that fuss about bringing an offer, Yahoo spurned another proposal from Microsoft on Saturday, this one brought jointly with Carl Icahn as a 24 hour take-it-or-leave-it ploy. The deal called for a complex restructuring of the company that would have given Microsoft control of Yahoo’s search business and what was left to Icahn and his dissident slate of replacement board members. So in other words, they were asking Roy Bostock and Jerry Yang to sell off its most valuable asset then fire themselves. And Microsoft sent a man they view as a shameless corporate raider as the messenger. In its rejection letter Yahoo dismissed the proposal as “erratic and unpredictable” and questioned Mr. Icahn and his alternative board members’ ability to run the technology firm in the wake of such a fire sale. (Cynopsis 7/14)
In the background throughout Microsoft’s neverending Yahoo courtship has been the News Corp factor. Yahoo ran to Google to avoid an MS tie-up first time ‘round; could it also seek solace in Rupert Murdoch’s arms? It’s “very unlikely”, Rupe said (via Reuters) at Allen & Co’s Sun Valley shindig. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-murdoch-on-yahoo-microsoft-will-walk-away-deal-with-us-unlikely 7/11)
Time Warner’s AOL is “definitely looking prettier” to both Yahoo and Microsoft this morning, as the latest round of talks by the tech giants to partner in some way have collapsed yet again. AOL is described as “the number two choice of both of them.” (http://kara.allthingsd.com/20080714/is-jeff-bewkes-now-the-belle-of-the-microhoo-ball 7/14)
TechCrunch is said to be in off-and-on acquisition talks with Time Warner’s AOL. Heather Harde, CEO of the tech industry blog founded by Michael Arrington, says: “My policy is not to comment on rumors.” AOL acquired Jason Calcansis’s Weblogs Inc. in 2005. (Iwantmedia 7/14,http://kara.allthingsd.com/20080711/paidcontents-rafat-ali-speaks-so-heres-whos-next/ 7/11)
If behavioral targeting is the great hope for display advertising on the Web, can it work for videos as well? Web video startup Veoh thinks it can and is bringing its behavioral targeting advertising program out of beta today. The ads are targeted at one of nine groups, including viewers interested in action videos, cars, pop culture, sci fi, anime, and family fare. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/14/veoh-targets-video-ads-based-on-past-viewing-patterns 7/14)
Viacom wants to know which videos YouTube employees have watched and uploaded to the site, and Google is refusing to provide that information. The dispute is said to be the reason the two companies have failed to reach a final deal on anonymizing the personal data of YouTube users. (Iwantmedia 7/14,http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9989783-93.html?hhTest=1 7/12)
VH1 will pay tribute to The Who on Tuesday streaming sneak peek performances by Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips, Incubus and Jack Black’s Tenacious D taped on Saturday at UCLA, two days before the performances air in a tribute show on July 17. Rainn Wilson will host the coverage on Rock.VH1.com, featuring an exclusive jam session with The Who. Additionally VH1 has launched a new Facebook app called VH1 Framed You, allowing users to insert their own images in photos and videos of rock stars. It’s sort of digital version of those cut outs you see at beach. (Cynopsis 7/14)
I advise not adding the Facebook app which only gives you a few frames to choose from. Among them, only 1 is female. Lame.
Chelmsford, MA-based online music discovery service OurStage unveiled a new matchmaking tool to help musicians find and apply for gigs. The OurStage Marketplace will work in conjunction with promoter Live Nation using the site’s user-based “Mojo” rating system to help national bands scout up-and-coming local acts to open their shows. The system will serve venues in New England, Denver and the San Francisco Bay Area to begin with. (Cynopsis 7/14)
Walt Disney Co. in October will release a 50th anniversary edition of the classic “Sleeping Beauty” animated movie on Blu-ray disc. The disc will showcase a half-century of progress in consumer-electronic technology: It will enable viewers to interact with each other via a new system called BD Live that links the disc with the Internet. (The New York Times 7/14)
Kevin Martin, head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, says he will seek “enforcement action” against Comcast for slowing down heavy Internet users who are downloading movies and other large data files. The cable giant used “too blunt an instrument,” says Martin. (Iwantmedia 7/14, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/24585014.html 7/12)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Barack Obama, Barry Diller, Dianne Feinstein, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Rupert Murdoch, Society and Culture, United States
Jeff Bewkes, Barry Diller, Jerry Yang and other big players in media and technology don’t appear to possess a clear crystal ball on the future of the media world, writes Jon Fine. Rupert Murdoch withdrew his bid for Tribune’s Newsday because, he says, “I got scared.” (Iwantmedia 6/6, http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_24/b4088099687791.htm 6/5)
Diller sees passive story consumption making way for interactivity
Asa Mathat/AllThingsD.com
Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, had a lot to celebrate Tuesday night, and so did CNN. The cable news net outperformed rivals MSNBC and Fox News Channel by averaging 3.52 million total viewers in prime time on the last night of the long primary march. (Mediaweek 6/5)
The country’s growing Hispanic population — and the broader appeal of soccer among all demographic groups — has made the sport a top priority for ESPN, according to this report. And the cable sports net, which holds the rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups through 2014, will demonstrate its interest by covering 31 matches of soccer’s European Championship this year. (The Boston Globe/Associated Press 6/5)
Former child actor Danny Bonaduce, former basketball star Dennis Rodman and former Playboy playmate Nikki Ziering are among the celebs who have signed up to participate in CMT’s upcoming “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling.” The show is currently in production and is expected to debut this fall. (The Hollywood Reporter 6/6)
It appears the final tally in sales will be only a few hundred million short of the $9 billion total from last year, as there were more dollars in play from larger advertisers than originally expected. Earlier this week, it had been predicted the networks would come in -14% in total sales compared to 2007. NBC finished its sales yesterday netting about $1.9 billion and getting a 5%-7% rate increase in CPMs for its 80% of inventory sold. Projected CPM rate increase ranges for the other networks are: +9% to +10% for FOX; +8% to +10% for ABC; +7% to +8% for CBS; and CW +6% to +8%. (Cynopsis 6/6)
Dennis Hopper will star in the original drama series Crash from Starz Entertainment and co-produced by Lionsgate based on the Oscar winning Best Picture. Production has begun in Albuquerque on the 13-episode one-hour series which will premiere in October. (Cynopsis 6/6)
Described as a “passionate TV fan” film actor Samuel L. Jackson made a first-look two-year pact with CBS Paramount Network TV to develop and executive producer projects for television. (Cynopsis 6/6)
CBS Outernet signed a deal with gaming retail chain GameStop to install its in-store digital video ad network to over 4,000 GameStop locations. (Cynopsis 6/6)
John Martin, the chief financial officer for Time Warner, said the media conglomerate would be “extremely price-disciplined and price-sensitive” in its bidding on The Weather Channel. But Martin conceded that the Landmark Communications cable network would be a nice programming companion for its CNN offering. (The Wall Street Journal 6/6)
Time Warner Cable is being sued by Los Angeles over claims the company improperly raised prices and let cable-television and Internet services decline following its 2006 purchase of two cable providers. Time Warner “must be held accountable,” says city attorney Rocky Delgadillo. (Iwantmedia 6/6, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=agfOor9ekrtk 6/5)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Facebook, Fox Interactive Media, Google, Myspace, News Corp, News Corporation, Peter Chernin, Rupert Murdoch
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
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. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121017846020274243.html 5/8)
Social networking platforms are still waiting for traffic to translate into revenue. MySpace parent Fox Interactive Media’s revenue actually fell during Q1 from $233 million to $210 million as News Corp. CEO Peter Chernin admitted in a conference call that FIM will fall about 10% short of its optimistic $1 billion revenue projection for FY ’08. The company is still dealing with several challenges, he said, including an abundance of inventory, a dearth of top shelf sponsors and the difficulty of establishing new metrics to prove FIM’s value to advertisers. (Cynopsis 5/8, http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSWNAS255720080508 5/8)
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. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a1t9ASFGIJlY 5/7)
Google and Viacom are prepared to take their battle over whether or not YouTube is responsible for pirated uploads all the way to the Supreme Court, according to comments made executives from each company. (Cynopsis 5/8, http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/05/07/google-viacom-draw-lines-in-youtube-suit 5/7)
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.” (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2008/05/07/LI2008050701103.html 5/7)
Women’s content is all the rage in the digital world these days. NBC unveiled a new Virtual Woman’s Network dubbed Women@NBC that will differentiate itself by firing on multiple platforms and brands including Bravo, Oxygen, iVillage and Green is Universal as well as other female-skewing properties such as the Today show, The Biggest Loser and Lipstick Jungle. Bravo & Oxygen Media President Lauren Zalaznick has been chosen to oversee the venture with the new title of President, Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, still reporting to Jeff Gaspin, President & COO, Universal Television Group. Women@NBC gives the company another shot at mastering the demo after the $600 million iVillage acquisition has failed to bear much fruit. (Cynopsis 5/8)
Former CBS Early Show anchor Rene Syler will join Meredith’s multiplatform network Parents TV hosting its first long-form show, It Moms, beginning in June. Parents.tv is available as a Comcast VOD channel, a Sprint TV offering and on broadband at parents.tv. (Cynopsis 5/8)
Facebook’s webmail platform is so inefficient that even minor changes (like adding the ability to send to outside email addresses last year) can make a big difference in usability. They are now adding basic search functionality to email (see screen shots). Previously there was not way to find emails other than scrolling through the pages one by one. Some users have thousands of emails in their inbox, so old messages became essentially unfindable. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/08/facebook-email-gets-better-with-search 5/8)
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. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9938035-7.html 5/7)
The MPAA won their copyright infringement case against P2P file sharing site TorrentSpy.com. Site operator Valence Media was ordered to pay $30,000 per violation for facilitating nearly 3,700 illegal movie and TV downloads. The site has been shuttered since March. (Cynopsis 5/8, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_on_hi_te/mpaa_torrentspy 5/7)
Comcast, with 14.1 million Internet subscribers, is weighing a plan that would set a limit for monthly online downloads and charging those who go beyond that amount, the company confirmed Wednesday. One plan being bandied about would set the limit at 250 gigabytes per month, which is enough to download about 250 standard-definition movies or 6,000 songs. (MSNBC/Associated Press 5/7, INQUIRER (U.K.), the 5/8)
Brad Greenspan’s Live Universe continues its acquisitions spree: they’ve bought troubled Silicon Valley startup MeeVee, we’re heard from multiple sources. This comes less than a month after they announced the acquisition of Pageflakes, another northern California startup. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/07/meevee-acquired-by-live-universe 5/7)
Adobe has beefed up the beta version of its new online Photoshop application by including support for the Flickr photo service and introducing other features. (Pocket-lint.co.uk 5/8)
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. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/FREE/842905424/1078 5/7)
MySpace received nearly 3/4 of the market share of U.S. visits to social networking sites in April 2008, according to a custom report from Hitwise. (Cynopsis 5/8)
Top 5 Social Networking Websites Ranked by Market Share of U.S. Visits
Rank Name Apr. 08 Mar. 08 Apr. 07 YoY% Change
1 MySpace 73.82% 73.59% 77.87% -5%
2 Facebook 14.80% 14.70% 11.21% 32%
3 myYearbook 1.33% 1.29% .23% 475%
4 Bebo 1.09% 1.20% 1.25% -13%
5 BlackPlanet .98% .95% .85% 15%
Source: Hitwise
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CBS, Jeff Bewkes, Jeffrey Bewkes, News Corp, News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, Television, Time Warner Inc
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)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: American Idol, Arts, Oprah Winfrey Show, Programs, Reality-Based, Rupert Murdoch, Sony, Television
Shares of Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp. fell the most in five years after Bernstein Research and UBS cut their outlook, citing growth concerns. “We are wary of News Corp.’s positioning in this intensely competitive business that features established players including Google and Yahoo.” (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wrap15apr15,1,1861426.story 4/15)
A couple of true war horses are finally making the jump to HD. The Oprah Winfrey Show will be produced in HD beginning with the 2008-09 fall premiere, becoming the first daytime production from Harpo to be broadcast in HD. CBS‘ granddaddy of competition reality shows (well this generation anyway) Survivor will also shoot using Sony’s XDCAM cameras, beginning with the start of its 17th season scheduled to premiere in the fall. Survivor joins American Idol, American Gladiators and Dancing with the Stars among primetime HD reality shows. (Cynopsis 4/15)
Before Tim Robbins appealed to their compassion and human spirit, NAB President David Rehr urged broadcasters to embrace the challenges before them as they execute the DTV transition. He spoke of an “explosion of possibilities” that will result from the switchover in his last NAB conference keynote address before D-day on February 17, 2009. He said the NAB is working toward getting digital TV on multiple platforms and devices (345 million of them in all), which could result in an additional $2 billion a year in revenues by 2012 in mobile video alone. He touted NAB initiatives such as the Fastroad technology advocacy program and the Open Mobile Video Coalition. And he advised that broadcasters look to make the internet “part of our DNA.” To reassure those who feel like the digital world is passing them by, Rehr pointed to YouTube’s motto – “Broadcast Yourself.” “They use the word ‘broadcast.’ They obviously don’t think the word is outdated, or tired, or irrelevant. But the question is, do we?,” he asked. (Cynopsis 4/15)
ABC is set to announce shortly that its late-night “Jimmy Kimmel Live” broadcast will integrate live commercials into each episode of the program subject to interest on the part of advertisers. The first live commercials are expected to begin in May. (Iwantmedia 4/15, http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3ie7fe42fc9f2f03b81c071d7d85ad8f51 4/14)
Lifetime introduced an aggressive slate of original programming Monday at its upfront meeting in New York with ad agencies, including three new comedies and a soap opera titled “Trump Tower,” which will be executive produced and narrated by The Donald. The network also announced several new reality projects that will go along with its controversial acquisition of “Project Runway,” including “The Big Match,” in which 100 men try to break through the clutter for the affections of one woman. (The Hollywood Reporter 4/14)
While most of the news media is focused on the future of “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric, CBS CEO Les Moonves also faces pressure to improve profits and make a digital acquisition. Plus, CBS’ interactive division will open a Menlo Park, Calif., office to foster development. (Iwantmedia 4/15, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/business/media/14cbs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 4/14)
Leslie Moonves, the CBS chief, faces a decision on whether to retain Katie Couric as evening news anchor. Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
After being held hostage for two months in Iraq, a British freelance journalist, Richard Butler, was rescued yesterday and appeared in good condition. Richard was working for CBS’ 60 Minutes and was grabbed with a translator in Basra on February 10. CBS News did not release any further information. (Cynopsis 4/15)
NBC Universal parent General Electric is predicting 2008 profit will increase no more than 5%, calling CEO Jeff Immelt’s forecasting and strategy into question. Portfolio manager Peter Sorrentino says: “The board needs to ask, ‘Are we really headed in the right direction?’ ” (Iwantmedia 4/15, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aCRRYe5brU3w 4/14)
Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive officer of General Electric Co., speaks at the 20th World Energy Congress in Rome, Nov. 14, 2007. Photographer: Chris Warde-Jones/Bloomberg News
Fox News is launching an initiative called Fox Fusion that will offer advertisers a streamlined system for buying space on the flagship channel and newcomer Fox Business News, as well as the Wall Street Journal and News Corp.’s various digital properties. (Iwantmedia 4/15, http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003788894 4/14)
ESPN Films has partnered with Robert Redford to produce a theatrical about Brooklyn Dodgers star Jackie Robinson. Redford will help produce the film and play Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, whose signing of Robinson broke the sport’s color barrier. (The Hollywood Reporter 4/14)
Cablevision will carry 25 New York Mets home games in Spanish this year on its iO en espanol service. The games — offered at no extra charge — will be announced by Max Perez Jiminez and Juan Alicea. (Multichannel News 4/14)
With the February 2009 transition to all-digital TV signals looming, cable and broadcast providers are coming up with novel ways to work together to promote awareness. Raycom Media and Comcast have found common ground, as have Time Warner Cable and Advance/Newhouse Communications. “Without being hostile, it takes two to tango,” said Robert Miron, chief executive officer of Advance/Newhouse. “It takes a willing recipient.” (Multichannel News 4/14)
