Media News

Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Morning Media Newsfeed via email.

What To Expect From This Week's Consumer Electronics Show (TIME)
Here's the first thing you need to know about the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES): Despite the name, you won't find any consumers there. In fact, they're explicitly barred from entry. The 120,000 or so attendees descending on Las Vegas this week for the nation's premier gadget confab are employees of manufacturers, retailers, and other outfits in the electronics trade, along with professional industry watchers like, ahem, tech journalists. LA Times: It's about to get a lot harder to turn off the TV. A torrent of television-ready gadgets will hit the store shelves this year, including dozens of phones and tablet computers that will allow viewers to watch movies and TV shows from just about anywhere. The proliferation of viewing devices -- including a new generation of TV sets that connect to the Internet -- could boost the chances that viewers will do what cable and satellite companies fear most: cancel their $70-per-month subscriptions in favor of cheaper Web options. B&C: Consumer-electronics giant LG Electronics will be carrying out the first public demonstration of 3D TV transmitted by mobile DTV at CES as part of an effort by manufacturers and broadcasters to promote the technology. Also at the market this week, LG will run a "non-real-time" demonstration of how the technology can be used to deliver coupons. And some Las Vegas stations will broadcast mobile DTV signals during the show. All Facebook: Social media will feature prominently in Friday sessions during CES. Billed as the world's largest technology show, CES focuses heavily on software and hardware for entertainment purposes. The Facebook tie-in at this conference has to do with streaming multimedia and file sharing via social media. While this will doubtlessly come up throughout the show, it will be the focus of a block of sessions scheduled for Friday.

Comcast/NBCU Vote Unlikely Until At Least Next Week (B&C)
With all five Federal Communications Commission members scheduled to head to CES at the end of this week, FCC sources say the Comcast/NBC Universal deal is unlikely to get voted out until at least next week. The chairman is slated for a keynote interview Friday, and the other four commissioners for a panel session the same day.

Top 10 Monthly Magazines: Style-ish Gains (minOnline)
Tracking min's five-year ad and revenue monthly magazine charts is like riding a roller coaster, considering the highs and lows in the industry from 2006 to 2010. The just-completed 2010 was a welcome change from the dismal results in 2009 and 2008: Ninety-nine of the 149 monthlies increased ad pages in 2010. In contrast, just 10 had ad-page gains in 2009.

Viacom Sold "Rock Band" For A Song. A Really, Really Cheap Song (AllThingsD)
Here's what happens when a red-hot video game franchise goes cold: You can buy the whole company for the same price as a single copy of the game.

OWN Launch Shows Channel Position Isn't Everything (LA Times / Company Town)
A big concern from rival programmers about the proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal is that the combined entity will have the power and motivation to harm its competition. To be sure, there are plenty of reasons to be wary of the pairing of the nation's biggest cable and broadband provider with a programming giant whose holdings include the NBC broadcast network and several strong cable channels, including USA Network, Bravo, and Oxygen. But the strong numbers for the debut of OWN, the cable network launched by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, could throw cold water on one of the conditions on the deal that a chief rival is seeking.

Time Inc. Seeking New PR Head (WWD / Memo Pad)
In the latest shake-up at Time Inc., Jack Griffin is now shopping for a new public-relations person. Time said Monday afternoon that its PR chief since 2004, Dawn Bridges, is leaving the company. And the press release revealing her departure was full of the sugar-sweet euphemisms beloved of every PR person in the business. Griffin stated, "We will miss her and wish Dawn well as she moves into the next stage of her career." Bridges, after praising her colleagues, said, "I have decided that now is the right time for me to move on to new opportunities and challenges." She didn't say what.

BBC America Hires Discovery Exec Rachel Smith To Focus On Original Programming (TheWrap.com)
BBC America hired former Discovery, IFC, and Bravo executive Rachel Smith to the newly created position of vice president of original programming, a move that signals the network's focus on -- you guessed it -- original programming.

Register Editor Carolyn Washburn Moves To Cincinnati Job; Rick Green Named As New Des Moines Newsroom Leader (Des Moines Register)
The Des Moines Register has a new editor, publisher Laura Hollingsworth announced. Carolyn Washburn, editor of the Register since 2005, is leaving to become editor of her hometown newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer. She will be replaced by Rick Green, who is currently editor of the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif.

Manufacturers Turn To Smart TV After 3D Disappoints (WSJ)
After 3D TV failed to excite consumers last year, manufacturers are betting that following the app-laden path of smart phones and tablet computers will fatten up what have been ultra-slim profit margins.

Microsoft's Answer To Google TV Is The Same As Its Answer To Everything Else: Windows (Silicon Alley Insider)
Microsoft is set to demonstrate some new devices from partners running a stripped-down version of Windows 7 with the Media Center interface, according to reports. It appears that Microsoft is no longer willing to sit out the interactive TV resurgence being led by Apple, Google, and others.

The Top TV Show On Twitter In 2010 Was…Red Eye? (AllTwitter)
Klout, known for its influence measurements on Twitter, released its list of the most influential topics on Twitter, and there were some surprises. For instance, would you have guessed that Red Eye, a show on Fox News Channel, would be more influential than high-school musical phenomenon Glee? Or that #tcot (Top Conservatives on Twitter) was the most influential tag?

ESPN's Ron Franklin Apologizes For His Comments (SportsNewser)
ESPN announcer Ron Franklin has apologized for his comments directed toward Jeannine Edwards prior to last Friday's Chick-fil-A Bowl broadcast. "I said some things I shouldn't have and am sorry," Franklin said in a statement. "I deserved to be taken off the Fiesta Bowl."

Clinton Kelly: Sarah Palin Might Be Most Annoying Person Of All Time (HuffPost)
What Not to Wear host Clinton Kelly recently appeared on Joy Behar's show, along with Aol's Popeater columnist Rob Shuter and comedian Judy Gold, to wrap up the year in style…and the foursome got to talking about Sarah Palin and her TLC show, Sarah Palin's Alaska. Kelly revealed that he wasn't so happy to hear that his makeover series would be on the same channel as Palin's program. Gawker: The former vice presidential candidate and reality television star has remained quiet over the recent repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. But she may have just made a statement by retweeting a conservative lesbian's columnist's tweet about "homos."

Brian Williams' Junk Was Touched By The TSA (Gawker)
On Monday night's Late Show with David Letterman, Brian Williams stopped by to chat about his holiday vacation. What did we learn? Williams' junk was felt up multiple times (by the TSA). Also: Williams never ceases to be hilarious.

Facebook, Twitter, And The Bubble Of 2011: Why It's Different (TheWrap.com)
The news that Facebook raised $450 million from Goldman Sachs and $50 million from a Russian firm raised a ruckus in the financial blogosphere Monday that signaled a broad worry: Are we in the midst of a new technology bubble? The new investment puts Facebook's valuation at $50 billion. The last time we saw companies with that kind of valuation growth was in the late 1990s, and we all know how that ended -- in a burst technology economy. This time, while Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, and other digital companies are brandishing billion-dollar price tags with limited revenue streams, it isn't the same as a decade ago.