According to several dozen editors-in-chief, publishers, producers, developers, executives, consultants and media experts, a handful of media brands are likely to disappear in the next year. The insider group, assembled by columnist Jeff Bercovici, says BusinessWeek is top on the list of the doomed. "I don't think anyone will buy it, and McGraw-Hill will not stomach its continued loss," says one newspaper exec, speaking for many. Actually, all weeklies appear susceptible to competition from the Web. After BW, comes Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek and TV Guide. Business magazines in general are also expected to see closures. "You can take your …

Digital out-of-home video seems to be popping up in any public space that has room for a screen. About 67% of persons 18 or older have seen a digital video display in the past month at one of 17 types of public venues, per a new Arbitron study. Of that that total, 76% recalled seeing digital video at multiple venues. Digital video displays in retail locations alone reach more than half of all American adults. Digital video at gas stations and movie theaters reach over one-in-five adults per month. Nearly 20% have also seen a digital screen in a …

Playboy Enterprises says its second-quarter 2009 revenues were $62.2 million, down 15.3% from $73.4 million over the same period in 2008. The company reported a net loss for the quarter of $8.7 million, up from a $3.2 million net loss in 2008. On the digital side, revenues were down to $8.9 million from $11.6 million in last year's second quarter. This was the result of "lower paysite, e-commerce and advertising sales," says the company. If things look bad now, new CEO Scott Flanders warns that the second half doesn't look much better, "with fewer near-term opportunities to …

Dish Network has sued Walt Disney's ESPN over licensing agreements, claiming ESPN offered better deals to Comcast and DirecTV Group. Dish learned in May that the sports channel entered into licensing agreements with Comcast and DirecTV on better terms than those offered to Dish in violation of their 2005 contract, says the suit. Dish seeks at least $1 million in damages. Dish's agreement says if ESPN offers a lower net effective rate or other more favorable provisions to others, it must make the same offer to Dish. But ESPN refused to give the same deals to Dish, according …

Rentrak, one of several research firms offering TV measurement services based on set-top box data, has signed up Sprout, a channel aimed at preschoolers. As part of its agreement with Rentrak, Sprout will have access to viewing data based on more than 3.8 million TV set top boxes in 48 markets. Sprout is available in 47 million households on cable, on demand and online. It is one of several unrated niche networks turning to Rentrak for TV viewing estimates. Others are: HDNet, WealthTV, and Inspiration Network. "With this technology, Sprout can now leverage census-level, second-by-second analysis of viewership …

Time Warner's cable networks are uniquely positioned to take share from broadcast television, says Pali Capital media analyst Richard Greenfield. "We feel increasingly comfortable with Time Warner as more of a pure content play," he says. Greenfield has a "buy" rating on shares of Time Warner and has maintained a $28 price target. Only Time Warner's struggling 115-magazine Time Inc. division, which includes Time, Sports Illustrated and Fortune, is vulnerable because of its exposure to ad-spending volatility. Like most print publications, the Time Inc. magazines are in trouble. Operating income was off by more than half for the second …

Upfront negotiations with the five major broadcast TV networks are close to wrapping up, according to media buyers, but the numbers aren't pretty. The onetime $9 billion-plus market is expected to be off by as much as 10% to 15%. That means total broadcast volume could fall as low as $7.8 billion this year. A good portion of the cable marketplace has moved as well. Cable secured about $7.5 billion in commitments last year; volume is likely to be down anywhere from 7% to 12% this year, say buyers. Among networks, buyers believe CBS may have taken some …

Joe Mansueto, Morningstar founder and owner of Inc. and Fast Company magazines, has expressed interest in pursuing a deal to buy BusinessWeek. Representatives of Mansueto Ventures are expected to meet with BusinessWeek management in the next several days for a detailed presentation of the magazine, say sources. In 2005 Mansueto bought Inc. and Fast Company from Gruner & Jahr for around $35 million in cash plus the assumption of certain liabilities. Since then, he magazines enjoyed some prosperous years, but for the first six months of this year, Fast Company's ad pages dropped 34% to 171.3, and Inc.'s …

Catherine Mathis, The New York Times Co.'s chief of public relations, is leaving the company to go to Standard & Poor's after 12 years. She served as the chief communications strategist and company spokesperson "through some of the most challenging chapters in our history," says the publisher. Even before the announcement, the newspaper had been shifting its communications strategy as a way to deflate speculation about the future of the business. Now top company office-holders respond directly to criticism of the company on the Web and elsewhere, including contributing to the comments section of Gawker.

Dylan Jones, a former executive with Premier Retail Networks, has launched Jones Digital Media and will serve as executive creative director of the San Francisco-based venture. The new firm will provide strategic, creative and production services to retailers, network providers and marketers in the digital-out-of-home industry. Jones brings more than 20 years experience in the emerging DOOH space. He served as vp of content strategy and creative for Premiere Retail, where he worked with marketers such as Gillette, Pfizer, Kraft, Disney, Unilever and Nestle. He also helped develop in-store networks for Wal-mart, Costco, Best Buy and others. …