mediabistro.com: PRNewser

Changes at Medialink

First on PRNewser: Following up on a tip sent to us by brother bloggers TVNewser, PRNewser has confirmed that Michelle Wallace and Mary Buhay were let go from multimedia PR giant MediaLink this morning.

Buhay served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and had been with the company since 1993. Wallace was Senior Vice President, Client Services and had been with the company since 1989.

Medialink COO Larry Thomas (pictured) told PRNewser, "It is accurate that Mary and Michelle are no longer with us. We wish them the absolute best."

Elaborating on the company's decision, Thomas stated, "The entire media industry has changed and so have we. What it comes down to is we are now focusing ourselves on new media and other blended communications. As our clients reach out to us to solve new challenges, we are re-evaluating how we operate."

"If you take a look we've actually added quite a few media executives across the country and are still actively recruiting. It's just really as things evolve and the industry changes, media changes with it, and these departures are part of that evolution."

Medialink reported Q1 numbers on Thursday, with revenues down 11% to $7.1 million, from $8.0 million in the same period for 2007. Revenues from media communications services decreased 18.0% to $5.96 million.

Digital continues to show potential, with the Teletrax digital video tracking services increasing 59.2% for the quarter to $1.14 million.

The company has also launched a digital arm, mediaseed.tv.

Thursday May 15, 2008

Warren Cowan Dead at 87

A legend in entertainment PR passed away today: Rogers and Cowan founder Warren Cowan. He was 87 years old.

From the Associated Press:

Cowan and his mentor, Henry C. Rogers, founded Rogers & Cowan in 1950 and saw it become one of the world's biggest entertainment public relations firms. Among its stable of celebrity clients were Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, Roberto Benigni and Elton John.
In 1988, Rogers & Cowan was sold to the British conglomerate Shandwick PLC. Cowan set up his new company, Warren Cowan & Associates, six years later.

Cowan also repped stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra over the course of his career. Jesus Sanchez writes in the LA Times: You have Cowan to thank (or blame) for helping pioneer such popular publicity tools as celebrity sporting events, top 10 lists (the "most watchable man" or "most hypnotic eyes"), and product placement.

(Image at right: 1966 photo of Cowan (left) with partner Henry Rogers, courtesy AP)

CBS Buys CNET, Changes Web Strategy?

[CBS chief executive Les Moonves (image cred)]

One news item certainly lighting up blogs and Twitter streams everywhere is CBS' purchase of CNET for $1.8 billion.

The New York Times notes that CBS chief executive Les Moonves may have opted for change in the company's web strategy.

"We are not going to spend $1.6 billion on YouTube," he told the paper a year and a half ago, in an effort to ensure investors that the company's digital strategy would not include large acquisitions.

In the official press release, issued Thursday, Moonves states, "There are very few opportunities to acquire a profitable, growing, well-managed Internet company like CNET Networks. Together, CBS and CNET Networks will have significant additional exposure to the fastest-growing advertising sector and can accelerate our growth through a number of new content, promotion and advertising initiatives."

We were considering reaching out to some CNET writers for comment, and then saw this Twitter post from CNET social media reporter Caroline McCarthy: