AOL, Google, MS want NBCU, sports leagues investigated
Broadcasting & Cable’s John Eggerton hears a consortium of computer companies will ask for a federal investigation NBC Universal, the NFL and Major League Baseball. Why? That’s not clear yet. The suit will center on “consumer deception” – but more is expected to roll out in a Wednesday press conference. Eggerton thinks the suit may [...]
NFL silences Sanders, speaks out on vests
Two items of note from the National Football League today: – NFL Network killed a column written by employee Deion Sanders after a prior item showed sympathy for Michael Vick. The network cited its non-compete – but some obviously wonder if that’s the real story. – A spokesperson for the league wrote a guest opinion [...]
MySpace News still a snooze
Just because a company with a big marketing muscle and good track record tries something… doesn’t mean it will work. MySpace put its “News” section into beta several months ago, and is featuring it with ads on the MySpace homepage and a link in the new “toolbox” section. Despite this, I still have not seen [...]
Do advertising media buyers ‘get it?’
One of the things I hear most often from media outlets is how difficult they find their dealings with ad agencies. Specifically, they say that the agencies aren’t all that interested in buying web advertising. I’d like to hear your experiences – especially if you’re a media buyer. Are agencies interested in online media? Local [...]
Update on Phoenix chopper crash
A memorial service was held for KTVK’s Scott Bowerbank and Jim Cox, and over 800 people attended. Services for KNXV’s Craig Smith and Rick Krolak are set for Thursday and Saturday. Meanwhile, prosecutors have charged the man accused of leading police on the car chase that started it all, but they’re holding off on any [...]
Done deal
The Dow Jones board has voted to sell to News Corp., reports Reuters. – WSJ: Deal will test a media titan’s instincts – WSJ: Don’t count on Murdoch ruining the Wall Street Journal – NYT: Murdoch’s history with other papers may provide clues on his plans for WSJ – NYT: “Purchase is a reminder that [...]
Helicopters, news gathering and lives lost
Four of our colleagues died last week. They died doing what they loved – covering news. We all love it, but most of us don’t have to take the kind of risk Scott Bowerbank, Jim Cox, Craig Smith, Rick Krolack and their airborne colleagues across the country must take each day. The crash raises many [...]
Newspapers beat TV at local video
That headline got your attention. So should the latest blog entry from Bill Adee, the associate managing editor for innovation at the Chicago Tribune. While he might have an awesome title, he’s coming right at you with a challenge: “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be the main online source of video for Chicagoland users.” And [...]
What if you leak a show for publicity, but it sucks?
So there’s this thing called the Internet, and people have figured out how to put their favorite shows on it. Then, in some board room somewhere, an executive had the great idea of leaking their fall shows to get the people who use them Internets to watch the show and want more of it, like crack or Krispy Kremes. TV Week confirmed for us that the shows are online. The sarcasm could end here, but it’s just getting good. Click for the best part.
Ad ‘perfectly’ targeted to story
Here’s your funny for today: check out this screenshot of a WGN story on oil company BP dumping mercury into a lake. Notice the ad in the upper right corner…
NY Times, NBC, MSNBC.com join forces for ’08 Election
The New York Times and NBC News said today that they would work together to cover aspects of the 2008 presidential campaign. Both news organizations say they will share breaking news back and forth. The agreement spans all their mediums: on their web sites, in video and in print. NYtimes.com will also get NBC News political video. “The 2008 campaign is already the biggest political story of our lifetimes, and getting bigger and more complex with every passing day,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, vice president of Digital Media for NBC News. (The full press release is available after the jump.)
The hot new thing is… Pownce
Pownce is a new social networking site under construction that marries the functionality of Twitter with file sharing and events. And Digg’s Kevin Rose is one of the founders, so naturally, everyone wants an invite to the private beta. But there are so few available, some are selling on eBay for $10 a pop. Update: [...]
Belo reports Q2 losses, but big web growth
The second quarter hits keep coming. Belo reported a 15 percent drop overall, largely due to dismal newspaper returns that pointed fingers on softening real estate, a scapegoat we’ve heard named from other publishers. On the broadcast side managed to produce slim increases, with local business advertising sales climbing 3.9 percent compared to national spot [...]
Another news helicopter crashes
Dallas Fox affiliate KDFW’s chopper crash-landed this morning – just days after a fatal accident in Phoenix killed four people aboard two news helicopters. This time, the station is calling it a “emergency landing” – but the pictures make it look much worse. Three people were onboard — and all made it out OK.
Down to the wire for Dow Jones
The deadline is 5 p.m. ET today for the Bancroft family to decide whether or not to sell Dow Jones to News Corp. WSJ reports that negotiations are too close to call. (Sub req.)
NowPublic lands funding, challenges ‘hyperlocal’
The citizen journalism site NowPublic — which is partnered with the Associated Press — just landed $10.6 million in series A funding. In many respects, NowPublic may be one of the only “citizen journalism” success stories out there right now. CEO Len Brody may surprise you with this interview on GigaOm. “I’m not a believer [...]
Memphis Fox station launches blog aggregator
WHBQ-TV in Memphis has debuted OnMemphis, a city blog aggregator. Web manager Darrell Phillips said the site launched three weeks ago and “it’s doing well already and we haven’t even begun to market it.” Screen grab…
Spiked column shows up online
LA Times columnist Patrick Goldstein wrote a piece that proposed that his struggling paper follow the lead of Prince, who gave away 2.9 million CDs inserted into editions of The Main newspaper in the U.K. Despite the fact that Goldstein was just trying to help his paper, an editor killed the column. But it ended [...]
