The Morning Fix: TV ad market heats up! Lachlan Murdoch sells stock. FCC ready for new era?
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After the coffee. Before the rush to the mall.
Ad market picks up! Just in time for Christmas, ad spending on television is starting to heat up. Advertisers are paying more now than they were just five months ago for spots. Among the categories buying commercials are retailers and tech companies. They are picking up the slack from automakers, which are hurting, and the Hollywood studios, which have few films to hawk. The Los Angeles Times deciphers the market. Even local TV is getting a boost, albeit from an unlikely source. According to Campaign Media Analysis Group, there are more than 70 organizations buying time on TV stations trying to sway lawmakers in the debate over healthcare. USA Today looks at where the spending is heaviest.
Lachlan sells! Lachlan Murdoch, eldest son of Rupert Murdoch and onetime heir apparent to run News Corp., has sold about $28 million worth of stock in the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Lachlan Murdoch, who is still on News Corp.’s board, runs an investment company in Australia called Illyria and is using the money to invest in a radio company there.
Is FCC ready for a new era? The Washington Post looks at the role the FCC will potentially play if cable giant Comcast ends up trying to take control of NBC Universal. Many of the agency’s rules and the way it even views the media landscape are from an era before digital, which will present challenges if it tries to put a big stamp on the deal.
Jay Leno starting to steady? Although he still typically finishes in fourth place in viewers and key demographics, NBC’s ‘The Jay Leno Show’ is starting to steady its ratings performance. The Hollywood Reporter looks at the numbers and whether December, when Jay will face off against a lot of reruns, could be a turning point.
If it’s December, it must be time for serious movies. Snow and spending aren’t the only holiday traditions; it’s also when Hollywood releases its serious films in hopes of getting Oscar attention. The Wall Street Journal gives a sneak peek at what’s headed to the big screen.Inside the Los Angeles Times: Ben Fritz looks at Jay Penske’s efforts to build an online media empire. The latest in General Electric’s efforts to cut a deal with Vivendi.
-- Joe Flint
