• 'The Atlantic' Hosts Pols At 'History' Summit
    The Atlantic is partnering with the Aspen Institute and the Newseum to offer the magazine's first-time summit of journalists, politicians, and business leaders this week. "The First Draft of History" includes David Axelrod, John McCain and Michael Bloomberg interviewed by TV journalists, such as David Gregory, George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson. Atlantic editors got the idea for the event about a year ago and formalized the plan in early 2009, after partnering with the Aspen Institute and Newseum trustee Shelby Coffey. An expected 500 to 600 individuals will head to the Newseum over the course of the conference …
  • Jonathan Nelson Named Omnicom's Digital Czar
    He is finally official. After two years of advising Omnicom senior management on the company's digital strategy, Jonathan Nelson has been named to the new post of CEO of Omnicom Digital. Nelson joined Omnicom in 2002 when it purchased Organic, the interactive agency he founded nine years earlier. Nelson's duties now include spearheading Omnicom digital initiatives, vetting potential acquisitions and directing digital media strategy. His mandate covers ad exchanges and data and analytics work. Training will also be a big focus, since many Omnicom agencies have a heritage in traditional advertising, says Nelson. "We haven't been the …
  • News Corp. Shakes Up Digital Media Arm
    News Corp. chief digital officer Jon Miller has named executives for the News Corp. Digital Media group, or NDM, formerly called Fox Interactive Media. The group is charged with shaping digital strategy across the entire company. MySpace, IGN Entertainment, the Fox Audience Network, Photobucket, Beliefnet and the Fox Mobile Group are all part of NDM. Dan Fawcett has been named executive VP of business affairs, Jack Kennedy is executive VP of operations, Jorge Espinel is executive VP of strategy and corporate development, and Hemanshu Nigam is senior VP of safety, security and privacy. Fawcett is already president …
  • Tech Mogul Plans City News Sites
    In the latest challenge to local newspapers, tech entrepreneur Neil Senturia is aiming to turn his hyperlocal San Diego News Network into a national news outfit. Senturia plans to raise $40 million to bring his brand of local news to 40 U.S. and Canadian cities in the next few years. At an average of $1 million per site, that would be news on the cheap. Each city edition will belong to Senturia's U.S. Local News Network, which will manage sites as they power up. This year Senturia launched news hubs in San Diego and Riverside, Calif. A third, …
  • DVRs Change TV Ratings Equation
    Here's a twist: TV's fastest-growing network is turning out to be the DVR. During premiere week, viewers cranked up their DVR use, helping to bolster sampling for several new series. "In a world where it's difficult to get your product sampled, the DVR is an enabler," says David Poltrack, CBS chief researcher. DVRs extended prime time both earlier and later during premiere week. That means some viewers were consuming four or five hours of prime time fare a night instead of the usual three. Overall, that may have contributed to the strong launches of several new shows. For …
  • Time Warner Cable To Leapfrog DVR With Anytime Viewing
    Time Warner Cable is planning to let digital-television customers watch shows whenever they want without paying more for a video recorder. The new approach is designed to persuade customers to keep watching cable instead of switching to the Internet for shows. Time Warner has found 80% of people who watch on the Web do so to catch up on missed programs. The project, called Enhanced TV, has features that allow customers to watch hit shows without planning ahead. "It's a leapfrog over the DVR," says chief strategy officer Peter Stern. Subscribers can also restart programs if they …
  • Univision Sets Up Web Store for Show-Related Products
    Making its first foray into e-commerce, Univision Communications has opened an online store full of products tied to its three networks' programming fare. La Tienda Univision, created in collaboration with Delivery Agent, offers goods based on Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision TV shows. Branded products include watches, hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts, baseball caps, and aprons. Also sold are CDs, DVDs and books tied to popular programs. In addition, there is fan gear featuring insider sayings and images familiar to regular Univision viewers. Eventually, the product line will include items based on Univision Radio properties.
  • Ad Agency To Create Local Media Content for NBC, Others
    Mother, a New York ad agency, is spinning off a new unit to create local online media content. Called Mother Productions, the new entity has lined up NBC Local Media as its first client. The agency was originally tapped to handle design and communications around the relaunch of NBC Local Web sites a year ago. NBC Local consists of 10 owned-and-operated media properties in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles and elsewhere. As part of the project, the agency also created "properties and platforms that acted as content as well as traffic drivers," says Mother co-founder …
  • NBCU Studies Growing Role of Women
    NBC Universal is conducting a major study to examine female consumer behavior. Preliminary results show women are playing a much larger role in buying big-ticket items, such as cars and high-end consumer electronics than a decade ago. Women are also playing bigger roles in family financial planning and buying stocks and bonds, per the study. Complete results of the study, by the Women at NBCU initiative and market research firm GFK Roper, will be released in November. The study is a complement to a programming partnership between NBCU and Maria Shriver, a former NBC News correspondent, called …
  • CNN Tries Charging $2 for New iPhone App
    CNN is banking that people will pay $1.99 for an iPhone application that lets them contribute news and other information as amateur reporters. The CNN News app debuted yesterday. Media executives see an opportunity to condition consumers to handing over a few dollars for a constant stream of news updates to their pocket via a mobile device. News Corp., for instance, is charging a $1-$2 weekly subscription for access to The Wall Street Journal's mobile applications. But CNN is in new territory as a provider of general interest news -- many people think readers will only pay …
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