The Hollywood Reporter
"Today" show co-host Meredith Vieira is planning to leave in June, almost three months before her contract ends. Ann Curry, currently newsreader, will be promoted to co-host, and correspondent Natalie Morales will take Curry's place. Vieira replaced Katie Couric (remember her?) in 2006.Hollywood Reporter cites "sources with direct knowledge of the situation" for this piece of news.
Boston.com
Wellesley, Mass. entrepreneur Aaron Kushner is readying a bid of more than $200 million to buy the New England Media Group, whose properties include the Boston Globe, from the New York Times Co., according to a source cited on Boston.com, one of the properties that would be part of the sale. Kushner, who plans to make a formal offer in the next few weeks, is reportedly working on a way to "transform the way [the Globe] does business" by "developing new products to connect readers to advertisers."Meanwhile, The Times Co., which previously tried to sell the Media Group but has …
Gigaom
HBO just released its video-streaming app a few days ahead of its projected launch date. Subscribers can now access movies as well as every episode of every HBO original shows on the iPhone, iPad and select Android devices. Get ready for the mobile "Sopranos" marathon.
Advertising Age
Our plane was actually landing in London in 1997 while Princess Diana's funeral was going on, and we were moved by the mood of countrywide sadness (no, we're not British). But the current royal hoopla leaves us cold. For those of a similar bent, there's the report on the special button you can click on
The Guardian's Web site to get rid of all coverage of Kate and William's wedding, as
profiled by the Huffington Post.And the video clip of "The Colbert Report"'s "My Fair Steven" segment, which
Ad Age's Simon Dumenco calls "the deftest, funniest deconstruction …
Talking Biz News
Mike Williams has resigned as page one editor of the Wall Street Journal to become enterprise editor of Reuters -- the latest former WSJite to become part of the news service since Steve Adler was named Reuters editor in chief. WSJ deputy managing editor Alix Freedman will become page one editor.
Broadcasting & Cable
TV station group owners have asked the FCC to withdraw its proposal to reclaim spectrum for wireless broadband by auctioning off broadcast spectrum. The owners, filing a statement collectively as Local Television Broadcasters, say such a move is against the law and contrary to the public interest. They also claim that the spectrum crisis noted by the FCC "does not exist."Reps from state broadcast associations also gave a thumbs-down to the FCC's plan.
Deadline Hollywood
Jean-Briac Perrette is no longer president of NBCUniversal Digital & Affiliate Distribution and Content Distribution Strategy, becoming the latest top executive from the previous regime to exit after the NBCU and Comcast merger. Perrette previously oversaw broadcast distribution relationships, strategy for content distribution across all platforms, affiliate relations and marketing.
Broadcasting & Cable
CBS affiliates are reported to be surprised and confused (actually, the word used is "non-plussed") by Katie Couric's announcement about leaving their network's Evening News, reports Broadcasting & Cable in a round-up of affiliate reactions to the widely reported news. Many "said they hoped CBS News would take some of the major money allotted to a star anchor (Couric makes a reported $15 million annually), and spread it out to get more newsgathering resources on the streets." Said an anonymous station GM, "I don't think any talent is worth that kind of money."
Follow The Media
Reuters, formerly known as a British news agency, is now basically American, since its new senior editors are based in New York and it's no longer listed on the London Stock Exchange. Which means that there are now two U.S. news agency of note, AP and Reuters (UPI isn't a household name anymore) -- while Britain has none. So says this piece by Follow The Media's Philip M. Stone that dissects "a new world order in international news agencies."
Folio
Health magazine's May issue garnered advertisers new to the publication with a program allowing readers to access bonus sideshows and videos by scanning a Microsoft tag app with their smartphones. In fact, ad pages in that issue were up 22.5% over the May 2010 issue.The feature went live on April 19, and by yesterday had generated 5,000 consumer downloads. The company plans to use the tag program again for its October issue.