By Phil Rosenthal | Nearly a third of Chicago households were glued to their sets as the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime Wednesday for their first Stanley Cup title in 49 years.
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Filed under: Media
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Suze Orman recovering in Chicago after surgery
Associated Press | Personal finance adviser Suze Orman is
resting at a Chicago hotel after having an emergency appendectomy over
the weekend. Spokeswoman Kristin Bouton says the surgery was performed
on Orman on Saturday night at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Oprah.com moves from Harpo to OWN
From Broadcasting Cable | Government regulators granted permission for the Web property Oprah.com to be transferred from Harpo Productions to Oprah Winfry’s new cable venture OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.
Get the full story: broadcastingcable.com
Tweet all about it: DirecTV DVR down
By Kristin Samuelson | A technology upgrade has caused DirecTV’s HDDVR service to go down. The satellite TV provider is hearing all about it on Twitter, and offers a solution on the social media site too.
Read the full story: problemsolver
Tribune expected to begin polling creditors
Reuters | Tribune Co modified the description of its reorganization plan on Friday
to add language requested by a bankruptcy judge, likely clearing the
way for the media company to put the proposal to a vote by creditors.
The owner of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and New York
television station WPIX was directed by Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Kevin
Carey on Friday to change the description of how it treats holders of
bridge loans.
Tribune Co. bankruptcy plan to go to creditors
Dow Jones Newswires | Tribune Co. won final court approval Friday
to send its Chapter 11 plan out for creditor votes, after the media
giant includes a mention of the latest in a series of management bonuses
it will be handing out this year.
Judge Kevin Carey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del.,
authorized the Chicago media company to mail out an explanation of its
plan, supplemented by letters from supporters and foes of the
restructuring proposal.
Desiree Rogers working with Johnson Publishing
From the Chicago Sun-Times | Johnson Publishing announced today that former White House social secretary and Illinois Lottery director Desiree Rogers is working as a consultant with the company, which owns Ebony and Jet magazines. She will help with corporate strategy.
Get the full story: suntimes.com.
WTTW parent plans to cut 12% of workforce
By Phil Rosenthal |
The parent of public broadcaster WTTW-Ch. 11 said Friday it plans to cut around 12 percent of its workforce as part of an effort to cut $3 million in operating costs in response to declining revenue.
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Publishers see signs the iPad can restore ad money
(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Associated Press | Good news for the news business: Companies are paying newspapers and
magazines up to five times as much to place ads in their iPad
applications as what similar advertising costs on regular websites.
This doesn’t mean Apple’s tablet computer will live up to its hype as a
potential lifeline for the media industry. Online ads still generate a
small fraction of news companies’ advertising revenue, and it’s an open
question whether print ads will return to what they totaled before the
recession.
WGN TV to air primetime Bears game
By Phil Rosenthal | WGN-TV Ch. 9 will air the game between the Bears and Miami Dolphins Nov. 18 under an agreement with the National Football League. Tribune Co., parent of WGN and the Chicago Tribune, also snagged five other games schedule do be shown on the NFL Network.
Read the full story: Tower Ticker
Barnett replaces Cole at helm of Ebony
By Phil Rosenthal | Amy DuBois Barnett has been named the new editor-in-chief of Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Co.’s Ebony magazine, replacing Harriette Cole, who is leaving the company.
Get the full story: Tower Ticker.
Judge postpones ruling on Tribune plan docs
By Michael Oneal | Tribune
Co. inched closer Friday to having the disclosure statement in its
Chapter 11 bankruptcy case approved by a federal judge in Delaware. But it will be at
least next week before the judge actually rules on the document.
At a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing Friday morning in Wilmington, Del.,
lawyers for the Chicago-based media conglomerate said they resolved most
issues creditors had raised with the disclosure statement, but still
must deal with objections coming from Wells Fargo, as agents for holders
of a $1.6 billion unsecured bridge loan.
Simon Fuller makes bid to buy back ‘Idol’ company
Producer Simon Fuller, center, in 2008, with former American Idol contestants Jordin Sparks, left, and Chris Daughtry, right. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Associated Press | The owner of the “American Idol” reality TV
show said Friday it has received an acquisition offer from a group of
investors led by British media mogul Simon Fuller. CKX Inc. said it is
evaluating the proposal and other strategic alternatives. Fuller
created the “Idol” franchise but sold his company, 19 Entertainment, to
CKX in 2005.
CKX did not say how much it was being offered but The Wall Street
Journal said former Barclays Capital banker Roger Jenkins is one of the
investors joining Fuller in a $600 million bid for CKX. The company
also owns the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley
and Muhammad Ali.
Reports: Motorola plans Android tablet computer
From Information Week | Comments by Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha at an investor conference suggest the company may release this year an Android-based tablet computer 7- to 10-inches in diameter that would be a companion to a TV.
Get the full story: informationweek.com
Oprah shuts down Angel Network charity
Associated Press | Oprah Winfrey’s charity, The Angel Network, is shutting down as her talk show draws to a close. The network stopped accepting donations this week and said on its website that it plans to dissolve as soon as its remaining funds are disbursed.
