Web Producer, KGO-TV
San Francisco
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Archive for May 18th, 2007
Offline Account Optimization Coord., Google
Mountain View, CA
Read the full post 1 comment May 18th, 2007
Full text of new NFL web rule
Here’s the full text of the new NFL rule that effectively bans video of NFL press conferences, interviews and practices from media websites. For TV sites, this is a huge blow. Our only competitive advantage in sports coverage is video, and now the NFL has essentially yanked it. Well, unless we want to send out web video photographers to track down players and coaches off NFL property, at all times of the day and night. Hmmmm.
1 comment May 18th, 2007
Discovery shutters shops
David Zaslav has been cleaning house since he took over at Discovery Communications, stripping out low-performing units and supporting Internet video and high-def TV, which promise higher revenue potential. Discovery has announced they are closing up shop in their 103 retail stores around the nation, a move that eliminates a cool 25 percent of the private company’s workforce. While Discovery is shedding the outlet overhead, they are not getting out of the business completely. The edutainment-focused toys and other merchandise will be distributed through other retailers like Toys-R-Us and also be available at discovery.com’s online store, where sales have jumped 144 percent YTD. There is speculation that Zaslav is gearing up to take the company public, having already simplified the ownership structure by buying out partner Cox communications. Dumping the low-margin, high cost retail outlets is the kind of move private investors will like. They’re also going to like that Discovery’s Q1 revenues are up 10 percent and cash flow is up 24 percent compared to last year.
4 comments May 18th, 2007
Microsoft scoops up aQuantive for $6 billion
In its largest acquisition ever, Microsoft is acquiring Seattle-based online ad company aQuantive for $6 billion — an 85 percent premium over yesterday’s closing price. “Today’s announcement represents the next step in the evolution of our ad network from our initial investment in MSN, to the broader Microsoft network including Xbox Live, Windows Live and Office Live, and now to the full capacity of the Internet,” Microsoft’s chief executive, Steven A. Ballmer, said in a statement. Microsoft had lost out in the bidding on a number of online ad companies over the last several months, most notably Google’s $3.1 billion purchase of Doubleclick. And judging by the huge premium, Microsoft wasn’t about to lose out to someone else on the aQuantive deal. aQuantive is made up of Avenue A/Razorfish, Atlas and DRIVEpm.
2 comments May 18th, 2007
No newspaper for my parents this morning
I’m visiting my 60-year old parents in Florida right now. Their newspaper, Florida Today (a Gannett newspaper), is usually delivered by 7am each morning. Well, it didn’t come today. This has happened to them a few times in the last couple of months, even though they have a prepaid subscription and everyone else on the street got their paper! When my mom called Florida Today they told her it would be coming on a “later truck”. She knows it’s not coming and she keeps telling my father, “I hate being lied to.” OK newspapers, your last core demo are people like my parents and this is how you treat them? My mom is canceling their subscription and says she’ll be getting her news online from now on, but she won’t be going to FloridaToday.com. A double whammy: loss of a subscriber and negative word of mouth marketing. Ouch!
22 comments May 18th, 2007
ABC News crew killed
“Cameraman Alaa Uldeen Aziz, 33, and soundman Saif Laith Yousuf, 26, were returning home from work at the ABC News Baghdad bureau yesterday afternoon when their car was reportedly ambushed and they were killed by unknown assailants,” according to ABCNews.com. This brings the total to 176 journalists and media assistants killed in Iraq since March 2003, according to Reporters Without Borders.
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