Create your Benton.org account today. Registration is quick and easy. Creating an account gives you access to special features, click to learn more.
Variety
CBS to sell 50 radio stations
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 31, 2008 - 7:29pmLast updated: August 1, 2008 - 11:14am
CBS Corp CEO Leslie Moonves said Thursday the company is putting 50 radio stations in 12 markets on the block in a move to combat a sour economy, which is squeezing local advertising.
In TV Campaign, $300 million won't go far
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 27, 2008 - 6:46pmLast updated: July 27, 2008 - 6:47pm
Even in these tough economic times, $300 million doesn't go as far as it used to. So if that's really the figure the Obama campaign fundraising machine generates, how should it best use it?
Hollywood floods Dems' red carpet
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 27, 2008 - 6:45pmLast updated: July 27, 2008 - 6:45pm
It's probably not far from the truth, as the Democratic National Convention is fast becoming a ticket as prized as the Oscars, as much a destination as Sundance and as much a media moment for "Entertainment Tonight" and "Access Hollywood" as it is for MSNBC.
Newsies hope to hold viewers' votes
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 20, 2008 - 7:54pmLast updated: July 20, 2008 - 7:54pm
The most recent Nielsen ratings showed that politics -- and nearly wall-to-wall coverage of it -- have been very good for CNN and MSNBC. And as the country heads toward a historic election in an increasingly charged atmosphere, the cablers' good fortunes will likely continue.
Japan lags on digital TV, study finds
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 24, 2008 - 7:39amWith three years until the analog signal is switched off, only 43.3% of TV households in Japan own TVs able to receive digital broadcasts.
French minister attacks TV for tots
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 22, 2008 - 3:00pmFrench culture and communications minister Christine Albanel has called for greater awareness among broadcasters and parents of the potential dangers of TV aimed at very young children, such as US-based channels Baby TV and BabyFirst.
Internet growth cut for broadcasters
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 13, 2008 - 7:17amIn a major setback for ARD and ZDF, Germany's state leaders have agreed to restrict the pubcasters' expanding Internet activities as a result of mounting pressure from the EU Commission.
SAG rallies against AFTRA
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 10, 2008 - 7:27amThe SAG-AFTRA hatefest has shifted into high gear, with fighting on multiple fronts over the upcoming membership vote on AFTRA's primetime deal.
The battles between the two unions came into sharp focus Monday as the guild hosted a boisterous anti-AFTRA rally at its Hollywood headquarters -- an event with echoes of the 100-day writers strike as dozens of WGA members donned their familiar red-and-black shirts and hoisted picket signs.
Panel says old media into new
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 6, 2008 - 9:35amMedia deals combining old-line and new-model assets, a la CBS-CNET or Time Warner-Bebo, will happen at a steady clip in coming months, predicted several prominent dealmakers Thursday.
The moneymen, all with stakes in the media biz, appeared on a panel on the closing day of Ad Age's Advertising 2.0 confab at Gotham's New World Stages.
U2 manager slams Internet providers
Submitted by Benton Foundation on June 5, 2008 - 7:36amU2 manager Paul McGuinness launched a blistering attack on the world's Internet providers Wednesday, accusing them of strangling the music industry. Speaking at the Music Matters confab in Hong Kong, McGuinness likened ISPs to "shoplifters" and accused them of "turning their heads" away from the music industry's troubles and "rigging the market." "The recorded music industry is in a crisis and there is crucial help available but not being provided by companies who should be providing that help -- not just because it is morally right, but because it is in their commercial interest," McGuinness, said.
