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Wednesday, 1/25/12  
Recent Headlines Media news by sector GO TO: MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS TELEVISION & RADIO INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA ADVERTISING & MARKETING MEDIA COMPANIES MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS News Corp Phone Hacking Tabloid Misled Police Reuters Journalists from the News of the World tabloid misled police after hacking the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, action which sparked a scandal engulfing News Corp., a letter from police published on Monday said. Police said reporters had lied to them. Lee Enterprises Wins OK to Exit Bankruptcy Bloomberg Lee Enterprises, owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 47 other daily newspapers, has won court approval of a restructuring plan that spares shareholders and sets it on the path to exit bankruptcy by Jan. 30. Equity holders will retain their interests in the company. Chicago Tribune to Add For-Pay Book Section Chicago Tribune The Chicago Tribune is introducing a Sunday books section, to be offered to subscribers at an additional cost. The publication represents an effort by the newspaper to explore the concept of premium paid content as a means to bolster revenue beyond traditional models. Chicago Sun-Times Ends Political Endorsements Chicago Sun-Times The Chicago Sun-Times said in an editorial that the newspaper will no longer endorse political candidates for office. "We have come to doubt the value, especially in a day when a multitude of information sources allow a casual voter to be better informed than ever before." Hearst Replaces Editor in Chief of Woman's Day Adweek Hearst has replaced the editor in chief of Woman's Day. Susan Spencer of Time Inc.'s All You will take over for Elizabeth Mayhew, who "has decided to leave the company," according to Hearst, which acquired the title along with the rest of Hachette Filipacchi Media last spring. Meredith to Buy Allrecipes from Reader's Digest AllThingsD Meredith is set to get a big digital boost. The publisher is buying Allrecipes, the world's biggest food website, from Reader's Digest, according to a source familiar with the transaction. Reports have suggested that Reader's Digest could get $200 million for the property. Time Out Acquires Theater Website Whatsonstage Whatsonstage Time Out has acquired Whatsonstage.com, a U.K. theater information website. The purchase is the latest step in Time Out's development as a digital media group. The Whatsonstage website and business will be retained by Time Out as a separate but complementary brand. LexisNexis Sale by Reed Elsevier Seen Possible Guardian Reed Elsevier is said to be facing growing investor calls to make a "big strategic decision," such as a possible sale of its LexisNexis operation. Bloomberg L.P. is seen as a likely buyer. The sale of LexisNexis and other assets could generate a big boost for shareholders. Conde Nast Rumored to Revive Domino Magazine Curbed Domino magazine, the defunct shelter magazine published by Conde Nast, is rumored to be heading for a revival in a new form. Conde Nast said that while it is possible the company would release special issues of its "legacy brands," there is no official word of a relaunch. Hearst: Esquire Survived Publishing's Dark Days New York Times David Granger, Esquire's editor in chief, departed from standard design templates and modernized the magazine, helping to revive a publication many had left for dead. "Relative to [Hearst Magazines'] other 20 businesses, Esquire was No. 1 in year-over-year performance." American Media: Tough Launch for Reality Weekly WWD American Media Inc. has only published a handful of issues of its new Reality Weekly so far, and official figures won't be ready for six weeks, but sources claim the first issue sold just over 100,000 copies � even though the magazine delivered 500,000 copies to newsstands. New Republic Sale Deal Expected Within Weeks Atlantic Wire Despite part-owner Martin Peretz implying that a sale of The New Republic is not happening, sources at the liberal opinion magazine have said that a deal is weeks away. Also, the process of bringing in Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes is "moving forward." Washington Post Grows Foreign Policy Magazine Washington Business The Washington Post, whose circulation and advertising revenue continues to fall, will seek a new revenue stream from its Foreign Policy magazine. The Post has formed the FP Group, which will branch out into live events, education, books and research services. Gannett: USA Weekend President to Step Down min Chuck Gabrielson, the longtime publisher and president of USA Weekend, has announced that he will be leaving the Sunday newspaper magazine effective in late April. "I've had a great career here, and Gannett has been very good to me. I'm ready for new challenges." AP Longtime President-CEO Curley to Retire USA Today Tom Curley, Associated Press president and CEO, will retire after nine years leading the company through a media landscape reshaped by unprecedented upheaval. AP's board has set up a committee to find a replacement. Curley, 63, will stay on through the transition. Wall Street Journal Names Digital Network Czar Dow Jones The Wall Street Journal has named Raju Narisetti as the new managing editor of its digital network, with oversight of WSJ.com, SmartMoney.com, MarketWatch and the foreign-language editions of WSJ.com. Narisetti oversaw digital at the Washington Post's flagship publication. Reuters Nabs Media Journo from Businessweek TalkingBizNews Ron Grover, the longtime Los Angeles media reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek, has resigned to accept a position with Reuters. The move is seen as an important hire in that Reuters now has a deal for much of its Hollywood business coverage with The Wrap. Murdoch's Sunday UK Sun Set for April Launch International Business Times Rupert Murdoch is said to be due to launch the Sunday Sun � the News of the World's replacement � in April. Tom Watson, who sits on the culture, media and sport select committee that grilled News Corp. chief Murdoch over phone hacking, tweeted about the purported plan. Newspapers.com Domain Name Offered for Sale Editor & Publisher Internet Express, the company that owns the domain "newspapers.com," has indicated it will accept offers for the name. "Newspapers.com" often appears as the first or second result in a Google search for newspapers. "This is a highly visible domain name." Conde Nast CEO Plans Meeting for Editors WWD Early next month, for the first time, Conde Nast CEO Charles Townsend will host a meeting for all company editors-in-chief to give them a review of activities on the business side. In a company-wide note, Townsend wrote of an "exceptionally sunny forecast for 2012." Hearst Castle Hosts Ford for Historic Screening KSBY Hearst Castle will relive its Hollywood heydays of the 1920s and '30s for a star-studded night as part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. On March 9, actor Harrison Ford will appear at a VIP event that will include an historic screening of "Citizen Kane." Rodale: Staffers Grumble as Top Execs Depart Fortune Rodale has quietly suffered a series of high-level departures over the past year. The company said it is simply feeling the same pressure as other publishers. But former staffers blame CEO Maria Rodale's management. Her "folksy" memos have left people "shaking their heads." Reuters Mulls Launch of Business Magazine New York Post Thomson Reuters is said to be mulling the launch of a new monthly business magazine. A one-off magazine will be distributed to the titans of industry and government assembling for the annual Davos conference in Switzerland next week. The magazine is entitled "Reuters." Int'l Herald Tribune Seeks Reader 'Rendezvous' International Herald Tribune The International Herald Tribune has launched IHTRendezvous.com, a place where the newspaper's community of readers can engage with both IHT journalists and one another for the first time. "Think of us as the conversational menu for your next global dinner party." McClatchy Mulls Merging of Calif Operations Sacramento Bee McClatchy's Sacramento Bee said it is exploring whether to consolidate some editing and design functions with its sister newspapers, the Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star. The main goals are to improve "economic efficiencies," as well as journalistic quality. Magazine Biz: Tablet Role Expected to Increase Media Life What does 2012 hold for magazines? Tablets are "on everybody's mind," according to Starcom exec Brenda White. "It's a huge opportunity for the publishing companies. You'll start to see people moving to tablets specifically. You're already seeing that on the newspaper end." Hearst Hires Its First Chief Technology Officer San Francisco Business Hearst has hired Philip Wiser as its first chief technology officer. Wiser, who was once CTO at Sony of America, starts his new job on Feb. 1. Hearst president Frank Bennack Jr. said the company hired Wiser to "help our business grapple with the changing landscape." Conde Nast's Wired, Reddit Join Web Protest Advertising Age A wide variety of websites protested the proposed anti-piracy bills on Wednesday. Among the best efforts: Wired revealed its blacked-out headlines when visitors hovered over them; Reddit offered video, a petition and a mechanism to call visitors' representatives. >> MORE TELEVISION & RADIO Comcast to Help Launch Sean Combs Network Broadcasting & Cable Sean "Diddy" Combs, the entertainment impresario, plans to launch a music cable network called Revolt. Former MTV programming chief Andy Schuon is involved. Comcast will provide distribution as part of its commitment to help launch minority owned networks. News Corp to Launch Sports Channel in Brazil Wall Street Journal News Corp. will launch a new, all-sports TV channel in Brazil as part of a planned expansion in Latin America's largest country. The company's Fox Sports unit will officially kick off its Fox Sports Brasil channel Feb. 5. The new channel will have a total of 120 employees. NBCUniversal to Launch Book Publishing Arm Digital Book World NBC News is launching a book publishing arm to capitalize on growth in e-reader and tablet adoption, the decreasing cost of e-book production and a backlog of over 1 million hours of video content. NBC Publishing will produce both enhanced e-books and print-based e-books. CBS Comedies Push Barriers with Risque Jokes Associated Press Last week seemed typical for CBS' sitcoms on Monday night. A quick count found 53 "adult" jokes on the network's four sitcoms, including "Mike & Molly" and "Two and a Half Men." Said CBS exec Nina Tassler: "Strong ratings growth means those shows are resonating." ABC News, Yahoo to Launch Political Web Shows TV Newser ABC News's partnership with Yahoo has resulted in several new web shows launching this week. Two of the shows are extensions of blogs from George Stephanopoulos and Jake Tapper. Another new show will be hosted by ABC senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl. Time Warner, MSG Face-Off Could Last a Year New York Post Time Warner Cable's three-week-old standoff with MSG Network is said to be nowhere near an end and could continue for quite some time. Top execs at Time Warner and MSG are having phone conversations, but "there's precious little progress to speak of." Comcast Challenges FCC on Tennis Channel Broadcasting & Cable Comcast has challenged the Tennis Channel's carriage complaint decision by the Federal Communications Commission. The cable giant claims that the Tennis Channel was trying to rewrite its contract. Also, the complaint was filed "after the statute of limitations expired." Comedy Central's Colbert Holds Political Rally Washington Post Comedian Stephen Colbert and former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain teamed up Friday for an entertaining sideshow the day before the South Carolina primary. More than 3,000 people turned up for the event on the College of Charleston campus. Oprah Confident Obama Will Win Re-Election Associated Press Oprah Winfrey has said she is confident that President Obama will win another four-year term in this year's election. Winfrey praises Obama's handling of the presidency. She backed Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign in her first-ever political endorsement. Katie Couric Talk Show Cleared in Most of U.S. Deadline The clearances for Katie Couric's upcoming live daily syndicated talk show "Katie" have reached 93% of the country, including 95 of the top 100 markets. "Katie," executive produced by Couric and Jeff Zucker and distributed by Disney-ABC, premieres in September. RLTV Cable Channel Targets Aging Boomers Los Angeles Times John Erickson, a 68-year-old who made his fortune building retirement communities, has created RLTV, a cable channel for senior citizens. Fronting the shows is a collection of aging TV presenters, including Joan Lunden, Sam Donaldson and Florence Henderson. Fox Drama to Debut with Historic Global Ad Deal Advertising Age News Corp. will launch "Touch," a Fox drama starring Kiefer Sutherland, in 100 countries with a global marketing effort from Unilever. The concept illustrates the pressures media companies face as social media make it easier for consumers worldwide to follow TV programs. NBC Turns to Betty White to Revive Network New York Post NBC hopes that 90-year-old Betty White can help revive its sagging prime time, after her two specials Monday night gave the network its best numbers in years, excluding Olympics coverage. The results moved NBC to re-arrange Saturday night's lineup to repeat both shows. Fox 'American Idol' Season Debut Hits Sour Note Reuters The audience for "American Idol" dropped by some 18% to 21.6 million viewers when the TV singing contest returned for its 11th season. But despite the fall-off, which Fox had expected, the season premiere was still the most-watched show by a huge margin. CBS Bashed for 'Disruptive' Product Placement New York Times A product placement in Monday night's episode of "Hawaii Five-0" has attracted comments on blogs and Twitter, calling the action "jarring and insulting." For nearly 60 seconds, the actors stepped completely out of the story in order to plug Subway sandwiches. Cuban, Seacrest Team on Pop-Culture Channel Los Angeles Times Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest, concert giant AEG and Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency are teaming up to launch a new cable channel. Called AXS (short for access), the network will be a rebrand of Cuban's HDNet channel with a new focus on popular culture. Fox's 'American Idol' Predicted to Remain No 1 Media Life "American Idol" will remain the top show on U.S. television in both total viewers and adults 18 to 49 in its upcoming season, although ratings for the Fox show will begin to decline again. That is the prediction from media buyers and planners, responding to a survey. ABC 'Modern Family' Cussing Toddler Draws Ire Associated Press An anti-profanity crusader has asked ABC to pull this week's "Modern Family" episode in which a toddler appears to use a bleeped curse word. "Our goal is to stop this from happening," said McKay Hatch, an 18-year-old college student and founder of the No Cussing Club. Drudge: ABC Debates Airing Gingrich Ex Interview Drudge Report ABC News debated whether or not to air an "explosive" interview with Newt Gingrich's ex-wife Marianne ahead of the South Carolina primary, according to the Drudge Report. A "civil war" erupted inside the newsroom over the interview that "could end" Gingrich's career. Verizon TV Returns Volley to Tennis Channel Bloomberg Verizon pay-TV subscribers regained access to the Tennis Channel two days into the Australian Open tournament, after the two sides reached an agreement that ended a four-month blackout. The multiyear deal gives Verizon FiOS customers immediate access to the channel. CBS Sports Invitation Rejected by Tim Tebow USA Today Denver Broncos star quarterback Tim Tebow has turned down an invitation to be an analyst in the CBS' NFL studio on Sunday, according to network sports head Sean McManus. "Tim Tebow has decided not to appear," but the network "is perfectly fine with the lineup we have." >> MORE INTERNET & DIGITAL MEDIA YouTube Video-Game Channel Eyes Next Level Los Angeles Times With 125 million viewers watching 1 billion videos a month, Machinima may be the most-watched channel that's not on TV. The YouTube channel devoted to video games is a hit among young males. "Machinima is to gaming what MTV was to music in its early days." Execs: Web Will Turn to Premium Content in 2012 Broadcasting & Cable The digital battle in 2012 will be waged over premium content, according to News Corp. digital chief Jon Miller and Yahoo exec Ross Levinsohn during the opening panel at NATPE. "The premium space is up for grabs. It's a battleground, and it's a battle worth fighting." Google Tweaks Search to Punish Ad-Heavy Sites Wired Google has tweaked its search algorithm to punish websites with excessive advertising "above-the-fold," that is, websites that stack the top of the page with nothing but advertisements. According to the Internet search giant, "users want to see content right away." Survey: Tablet, E-Reader Ownership Doubles Reuters The number of Americans owning a tablet computer or e-reader nearly doubled over the holidays as Kindles, Nooks and iPads proved to be popular gifts, according to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Men and women are equally likely to own a device. Gawker Trolls for Traffic in Open Experiment New York Gawker this week is asking some of its writers offer up posts "they feel would garner the most traffic," while others spend time on more substantive stories. "Just because this is technically a 'blog,' there is plenty of room for pieces that aren't aggregated and repackaged." WikiLeaks Founder to Host His Own TV Show Next Web WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to host his very own TV show, which will see him interview "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries" from around the world. The series will kick off in March. WikiLeaks is inviting interested parties to request a licence. Google, Facebook Protests Halt Antipiracy Rules CNBC Google, Facebook and Wikipedia did a brilliant job rallying millions of their users to oppose antipiracy legislation being debated in Congress. It worked. In the wake of a massive outcry, congressional leaders are sending the bill back to the drawing board. Apple: How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Production New York Times Apple execs believe the vast scale of overseas factories as well as the flexibility and skills of foreign workers outpace their U.S. counterparts. Said one Apple exec: "We don't have an obligation to solve America's problems. Our only obligation is making the best product." Hulu, YouTube to Be 'Dwarfed' by TV Everywhere Hollywood Reporter Needham & Co. analyst Laura Martin estimated in a report that the TV Everywhere industry initiative could add $12 billion in annual revenue to the U.S. TV ecosystem. "These dollars dwarf any near-term revenue streams from digital platforms (Hulu, YouTube, etc)." Netflix Replaces Marketing Chief After User Revolt Bloomberg Netflix has replaced its top marketing exec after a customer revolt over changes to prices and terms. Leslie Kilgore, chief marketing officer for the past 12 years, will leave her post and join the board. She will be replaced by Jessie Becker on an interim basis. Zynga Eyes Partners for Online Gambling Initiatives AllThingsD Zynga has confirmed that the social network game developer is investigating opportunities in online gambling. "We know from listening to our players that there's an interest in the real money gambling market. We're in active conversations with potential partners." Groupon Acquires Online Social Retailer Mertado CNET News Groupon has acquired Mertado, an online social-shopping company that used Facebook as its distribution platform and sold product deals matched to users' lifestyles. Groupon may be looking to ramp up after its less-than-stellar stock activity in 2011's fourth quarter. Gilt Groupe Lays Off Staffers Amid 'Leaner Times' New York Gilt Groupe CEO Kevin Ryan recently responded to rumors that the company would lay off 170 employees by claiming he only planned to "selectively trim" the staff by 50. But one source said the company has laid off more than 100. Gilt insists that the number is lower. Facebook Seeks to Replace YouTube on Vevo CNET Facebook is said to have held talks with Vevo about moving the music-video service away from YouTube and over to the social network's platform. Facebook would stream Vevo's music videos and the two companies would sell ads and share in the profits. Google Still Searching for New Revenue Stream Wired Google reported earnings of $8.13 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter, missing analyst expectations. The Internet giant still earns nearly 100% of its money from online ads, and Google doesn't want to rely solely on search advertising as its primary revenue stream. Twitter Acquires Social News Reader Summify Next Web Twitter has acquired the social feed summarizing tool Summify. The startup works to automatically identify the most important news stories across all of a user's networks, enabling the user to access a summary of the most interesting stories of the day. Apple Unveils Digital Textbooks to Boost iPad Bloomberg Apple has introduced a product to make digital textbooks available on the iPad and beef up the education content available for the tablet computer, which is gaining popularity in classrooms. The new iBooks 2 service aims to make textbooks more interactive and searchable. Barnes & Noble Without the Nook? Not Really Bloomberg Businessweek Barnes & Noble's stock tanked when it said it may spin off its Nook e-reader. But CEO William Lynch said investors who panicked got it all wrong. Nook will remain intertwined with Barnes & Noble stores because that is where a majority of the devices are sold. WebMD: Sale Talks Never Led to Formal Offers Bloomberg WebMD, the Internet provider of medical information, said talks with potential buyers led to the conclusion that any proposed offers would be less than the market value of the company. No formal proposals were ever received, the company said in a regulatory filing. YouTube to Hold 'Your Film Festival' for Users Associated Press YouTube has launched a film festival that will play out online and ultimately send 10 finalists to the Venice Film Festival. The Google-owned video site announced that the Your Film Festival will allow users to view the films on a special YouTube channel and vote for their favorites. Study: Home Media Landscape Shifting to Digital WorldScreen More than half of online U.S. adults watch streaming or downloaded video content in the home, according to a study from the Consumer Electronics Association. "Technology allows consumers to access almost any content they desire instantaneously on Internet-connected devices." Facebook Adds 60 Partners to Become Media Hub Bloomberg Facebook has added more than 60 partners to a service that lets users tell friends what they are doing online, from listening to music to reading news. The new partnerships � with Ticketmaster, Rotten Tomatoes, Gogobot and others � make Facebook more of a media hub. >> MORE ADVERTISING & MARKETING Report: Online Ads to Beat Print for First Time ClickZ Online advertising will edge out print in total spending this year, according to eMarketer. While it said that online dollars have already outstripped newspapers and magazines separately, the announcement marks the first time digital is projected to surpass the two combined. Study: 31% of Online Display Ads Go Unseen ClickZ Thirty-one percent of ad impressions are never seen by consumers, according to research by comScore. "The display advertising market today is characterized by an overabundance of inventory, often residing on parts of a web page that are never viewed." NBCUniversal 'Big Winner' of Super Bowl Ads MarketWatch The big winner of this year's Super Bowl could well be broadcaster NBCUniversal. Last year's game, airing on Fox, was the most-watched program in U.S. TV history and saw advertisers spend $228 million. This year's audience is likely to be of a comparable size. Conde Nast Ads to Offer Mobile E-Commerce ClickZ News Glamour magazine plans to run print ads in March allowing readers to purchase items with a scan of their smart phone. The Conde Nast property isn't revealing advertisers for the issue yet, but suggests there is no shortage of interest from brands and retailers. Twitter: Journos Are 'Obsessed,' Not Advertisers Financial Times Twitter is more of a journalistic than a marketing phenomenon, according to WPP digital exec Mark Read. "Newspaper editors and people in the media are obsessed" with the microblogging service. Some advertisers, however, give Twitter and its products mixed reviews. ComScore: Online Holiday Spending Up 15% Reuters U.S. online sales for the 2011 holiday season rose 15% to hit an all-time high, according to comScore. Retail e-commerce sales reached $37.2 billion, compared to $32.4 billion a year ago, with growth outpacing that of traditional brick-and-mortar stores. NBC Gets $4 Million for Super Bowl Ads Bloomberg NBC has sold out its 30-second advertising spots for this year's Super Bowl, getting as much as $4 million per slot � a record for the network. The average ad for the Feb. 5 game in Indianapolis sold for $3.5 million. NBC has also sold out its digital ads. Nielsen, ComScore Bury Patent-Spat Hatchet Washington Business Nielsen and comScore have settled their patent dispute. The two market-measuring firms will enter into a cross-licensing deal allowing each to use the technology of the other, among other agreements. Nielsen had claimed that comScore infringed on its software. FCC: Turn Down Volume on TV Commercials CBS News The Federal Communications Commission has voted unanimously to approve rules implementing legislation to make it illegal for advertisers to pump up the volume during TV commercial breaks. Americans have protested for years that commercials are too loud. Facebook Readies First Foray Into Mobile Ads Bloomberg Facebook is said to be planning its first push into mobile advertising by the end of March, giving the company a fresh source of revenue ahead of a possible IPO. An idea being considered is putting Facebook's sponsored stories ads within the mobile news feed. Google Owns Nearly Half of Online Ad Market TheWrap When it comes to online advertising, there's Google and then there's not much else. That's the takeaway from a new survey from ZenithOptimedia. The search giant gobbled up 44.1% of the global Internet advertising market share in 2010, up from 41.9% the previous year. Internet Ad Spending to Surpass Newspapers San Jose Business The Internet's share of global advertising revenue still trails newspapers but that may change in 2013. ZenithOptimedia projects that newspaper ad revenue will decline by about 6% to $88.8 billion by 2013, while Internet advertising will grow by almost 53% to $97.7 billion. Zenith to Cut Global Ad Spending Forecasts Financial Times Europe's economic crisis is dragging down the outlook for the global advertising industry, according to ZenithOptimedia, forecasting growth of just 4.7% in 2012. Encouraged by U.S. activities, however, Zenith has raised its 2012 forecast for North America to 3.6%. Facebook NYC Expansion Includes Ad Talent ClickZ News Facebook has announced plans to expand its New York City operations to include engineers. Tucked into COO Sheryl Sandberg's comments were her brief remarks that Facebook would also expand its advertising sales and marketing team on Madison Avenue. >> MORE MEDIA COMPANIES Media Execs 'Cautiously Optimistic' About 2012 BtoB Media execs are "cautiously optimistic" about this year, according to a survey by Jordan, Edmiston Group and Econsultancy. Just 65% anticipate organic growth as a key growth driver in their business. Large companies appear poised to be the most active in mergers and acquisitions. Martha Sued by Macy's Over Pact with JC Penney Advertising Age Macy's is suing Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia over a plan to sell Martha Stewart-branded products in J.C. Penney stores. J.C. Penney agreed last month to sell Martha Stewart merchandise as part of a deal to buy a stake in the media maven's company. Comcast to Help Launch Sean Combs Network Broadcasting & Cable Sean "Diddy" Combs, the entertainment impresario, plans to launch a music cable network called Revolt. Former MTV programming chief Andy Schuon is involved. Comcast will provide distribution as part of its commitment to help launch minority owned networks. News Corp to Launch Sports Channel in Brazil Wall Street Journal News Corp. will launch a new, all-sports TV channel in Brazil as part of a planned expansion in Latin America's largest country. The company's Fox Sports unit will officially kick off its Fox Sports Brasil channel Feb. 5. The new channel will have a total of 120 employees. NBCUniversal to Launch Book Publishing Arm Digital Book World NBC News is launching a book publishing arm to capitalize on growth in e-reader and tablet adoption, the decreasing cost of e-book production and a backlog of over 1 million hours of video content. NBC Publishing will produce both enhanced e-books and print-based e-books. Old Media 'Not Cool' in Debate Over Antipiracy New York Times Old media appears to be struggling to keep up with the web in the debate over antipiracy legislation. The Internet community's message is seen as sexier. "Downloading stuff on the Internet for free is cool," said a person close to MTV parent Viacom. "Our message isn't cool." CBS, Universal Music Sites Hit by Anonymous PC Magazine The hacktivist group Anonymous continued its cyber-revenge for the demise of file-sharing site Megaupload with an attack on CBS.com on Sunday morning, taking the site down for about 20 minutes. Also, the primary site for Universal Music was taken offline again. Disney: Steve Jobs Family Absent from Board Reuters Disney shareholders will re-elect directors at the annual meeting in March, but neither Steve Jobs' wife nor a rep from his trust will be on the ballot � even though the trust is the media giant's largest shareholder. Apple has expanded the scope of its products since Jobs' death. News Corp Plans Spanish-Language Network Wall Street Journal News Corp. is teaming up with Colombian TV broadcaster RCN to create a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network, aiming to take on Univision and Comcast's Telemundo. The new MundoFox reflects a rush by media companies to cash in on the booming U.S. Hispanic population. Time Warner, News Corp Eye Media in Turkey Wall Street Journal News Corp. is said to be considering a bid for Sabah-ATV, Turkey's No. 2 media group. The sale has already drawn interest from bidders including Time Warner and private-equity firm TPG Capital. Sabah-ATV owns the popular Sabah daily newspaper and TV station ATV. News Corp 'Cuts to Chase' Amid Phone Scandal New York Times Chase Carey, Rupert Murdoch's No. 2, has increased his influence at News Corp. while the company struggles to recover from the phone-hacking scandal. Some regard Carey as the emerging face of the company. "He's the Rock of Gibraltar. He's running the business." NBCU: Should Universal Remain in the Portfolio? New York Post Steve Burke, the NBCUniversal chief starting his second year at the media giant, is said to be facing "crunch time," as Hollywood studio Universal continues to underperform. Should Universal be part of the portfolio long term? Some say it is a question that is being asked. Universal Music Site Hacked in Web 'Revenge' New York Post Hacktavists with the group Anonymous have claimed responsibility for taking down at least six prominent websites, including those of the Department of Justice and Universal Music, in retaliation for charges leveled earlier against the content-sharing site Megaupload. Time Warner Cable Streams Live TV to iPhones Engadget After issuing a version of its TWC TV app for Android tablets and phones, Time Warner Cable has made its iOS version, which launched last March on the iPad, compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. There is no additional charge for the app, which allows for live TV. News Corp Faces FBI Phone Hacking Probe Telegraph News Corp. is facing an FBI investigation into phone hacking in America after its British newspaper unit admitted intercepting the voice mails of actor Jude Law while he was thought to be in the United States. An FBI spokesman said: "We are looking into it." Comcast-NBC Deal Gets a Jab from Bloomberg Los Angeles Times Bloomberg LP has used the upcoming one-year anniversary of the U.S. approval of Comcast's takeover of NBCUniversal to remind regulators that it thinks the cable giant is disrespecting the feds. Bloomberg wants its business channel placed near CNBC on Comcast systems. Media Moguls Eye Obama Donations Over Piracy Deadline Hollywood studio chiefs are said to be drawing a line in the sand with the Obama re-election campaign over the issue of piracy legislation. "God knows how much money we've given to Obama and the Democrats and yet they're not supporting our interests." Google TV Triggers Murdoch Tirade on Twitter Forbes Rupert Murdoch called Google a "piracy leader" on Twitter last week after reportedly viewing a demonstration of Google TV at the Consumer Electronics Show. The Google TV presenter told the News Corp. chief that the service would link to content-pirating websites. News Corp to Pay Damages to Hacking Victims Associated Press News Corp. has agreed to pay damages to 36 high-profile victims of tabloid phone-hacking, including actor Jude Law and soccer player Ashley Cole. In a handful of the settlements whose financial terms were made public, the amounts ran into the tens of thousands of dollars. Disney to Open First Store in China This Fall China Daily Disney is said to be on track to open its first store in China in fall 2012 and plans to open 25 to 40 stores in the most populous country during the next three years. Disney is looking beyond the United States, Europe and other developed markets for new sources of revenue. News Corp Stifled Hacking Story, Editor Says Journalism.co.uk James Harding, editor of the Times of London, told the Leveson inquiry in Britain that the newspaper should have covered his parent company's phone-hacking scandal "harder" and "earlier. However, publisher News International "poured cold water on the story." Disney's Steamboat Ventures Turning to Asia Fortune Steamboat Ventures, the venture capital firm launched in 2000 to invest in tech startups on behalf of Disney, plans to make most of its future investments in Asia. The refocusing has prompted two of Steamboat's three Los Angeles-based partners to leave the firm. Viacom Venture Brings Comedy Central to India Hindu BusinessLine Viacom 18 Media has entered the English general entertainment genre with its new channel, Comedy Central. The network will be the sixth channel in its offerings, which include Nickelodeon, MTV and VH1. Comedy Central will target "those who like light viewing programs." Disney Eyes Social Commerce with DisneyBaby New York Times Disney has unveiled DisneyBaby.com, a website intended both as a product showcase for infant apparel and as a type of community resource center. It's Disney's way of latching onto the "social commerce" bandwagon. The site is sponsored by Huggies diapers. New, Old Media in Battle Over Antipiracy Rules Wall Street Journal On Wednesday, some 10,000 websites � including Wikipedia, Craigslist and Reddit � have pledged to either shut down or turn their home pages black, in protest of proposed antipiracy legislation supported by media giants including News Corp., Viacom and Time Warner. >> MORE |
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