5 Blogs Before Lunch

Vanity Fair is hosting a "you can tweet for us" contest

Vanity Fair magazine is dipping into the old-fashioned user-generated consumer promotion bucket to promote its :Campaign Hollywood" content during the Academy Awards. They're looking for a Twitter Correspondent to help report from Los Angeles during what they call "our series of exclusive events and happenings during the week leading up to entertainment’s biggest night."

Vanity Fair Agenda contest winners will receive an expense paid trip to Los Angeles to report live from the red carpet at some of the week’s hottest events. Contest rules require you to follow them on Twitter before signing up to win. The winner’s tweets will be live on vanityfairagenda.com during Campaign Hollywood.

"A heartwarming tale of a man, a shark, and their song" Jaws is redited as "Shark Song" to win Camp Kuleshov prize

"Camp Kuleshov" is a competition in NYC, CHI and LA between assistant editors. They are given a film and asked to edit a trailer for the movie taking it from its original genre into another genre. Caleb Hepler's "Shark Song" took first place in Chicago and Shane Reid's verision of James Franco's 127 Hours-- 127: The Grindhouse, won the Los Angeles competition.

Lev Kuleshov, of course, was the early 1900 Russian filmmaker who demonstrated the power of editing by placing repeating footage of an actor in the midst of various scenarios. Audiences raved over the acting (despite the fact that it was always the same shot), demonstrating that viewers see through the lens of their own emotional reactions, what is now known as the Kuleshov effect.

Camp Kuleshov challenges editors to take a film from one genre and edit it to fit into another. The results are almost always brilliant, and we're super proud that two of our assistant editors placed first in their respective cities this year.

Shark Song from Whitehouse Content on Vimeo.

Camp Kuleshov Grand Prize: 127 Hours Grindhouse Trailer from Whitehouse Content on Vimeo.

CBS recasts the Early Show with Gayle King and Charlie Rose.

CBS clearly knows that rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic will not make a darn bit of difference to their Early Show ratings. It was last December when they fired Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez and brought in Chris Wragge, Erica Hill and Jeff Glor. Now Wragge is out (and headed to local affiliate WCBS), and they are shifting Hill and Glor to lesser roles. But the big news is the two new additions they are introducing to morning television--two unexpected replacements with major interview chops.

Starting in January, Gayle King and Charlie Rose will be chattin' live as the sun comes up over CBS.

Hill and Glor will helm the Early Show until 7:30, when PBS talk-show legend will stroll in at 7:30. Rose will be followed by Oprahite Gayle King at 8:00.

Rose and King during the morning hours? It seems CBS is serious about hiring some A-list interview talent.

And, according to a source to The New York Times, the new team will not be light on the issues. "We're not going to be sipping chardonnay and dressing up in costumes. There are really serious issues that morning shows should be talking about right now." The new format will emphasize hard news and use a conversational approach like “Morning Joe” on MSNBC and “The View” on ABC.

The only question left seems to be whether Charlie Rose will be capping off his night with the Early Show, or changing-up his late-night habits and waking up early for his new gig.

We all know Charlie Rose for his late night PBS talk-show. But now, he's been recast as one of the hosts of CBS's Early Show. His shift will start at 7:30 am. Clearly, Charlie's best bet is to stay up all night, and bed-down AFTER the show is over.

From The NY Post:

"How will Charlie Rose wake up for the “Early Show?” TV insiders can’t comprehend how CBS plans to rouse the notorious night owl for its revamped 7 a.m. morning show..."

Nickelodeon to launch primetime programming for working moms. Set your channel favorites to "NickMom"

Nickelodeon is launching a new slate of evening programming targeted at moms. Apparently, the Mom's witching hour(s) is 9pm to 1am--after they come home from work, and settle the kids into bed (or doing homework).The old fashioned broadcast networks used to call this "primetime" with programming for the entire family.

For decades, specific women's targeted programming existed during the day--from soap operas to Oprah, but now networks are acknowledging that women, like men, are working during the day, busy afterwork with family duties, and don't settle in to watch television until after 9 pm.

Lifetime, Oxygen, and Bravo know that women are watching at these hours, and now Nickelodeon wants to steal a sub-segment of this audience and is targeting moms with their "NickMom" block.

Nick is catering to an audience of women aged 40 and under, especially mothers who watched the channel when they were children. The Wall Street Journal reports that about 25% of mothers today watched Nick when they were kids, according to Nielsen.

Programming is said to include a "Real Mom" reality show and a show called "Double Mom," where a comedian takes a mother's place for a day.

The network is also considering the airing of old episodes of "The Brady Brunch" with pop-up bubbles showing what Carol Brady and other characters were really thinking. The idea is to create content that "appeals to the sense of humor that mothers share," says Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon Networks.

A Gleeful protest: Two "watchdog" organizations find an opportunity to promote themselves by criticizing tonight's episode of Glee

Two conservative organizations are making a stink about an episode of the TV series Glee. Of course, the fact that they're raising a ruckus in advance of the airing of the show (tonight at 8pm on Fox) only goes to create publicity for the show itself (and for the organization's themselves).

The storyline of the show has several of the characters (one male/male couple and one male female/male could) having sex for the first time. Of course there are those who will approve, and those who will disapprove of such behavior.

One organization, the Parents Television Council, has decided to take the position that a storyline that includes high school-aged students having sex should not be allowed on television. They say “The fact that Glee intends to not only broadcast, but celebrate children having sex is reprehensible,”

The other organization, the Culture and Media Institute, says that Glee has “waged a relentless campaign of liberal propaganda and pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable on broadcast TV” and that with tonight’s episode “the show is now stepping up its campaign of homosexual promotion.”

"Propaganda?" "Promotion?" yes. These two "watchdog" groups are doing a good job of promoting, and using propaganda to push their own agenda. Which is fine, especially since it also gives voice to the opposing point of view--and potentially much higher viewership of tonight's episode of Glee.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Interview Magazine hires a very well-connected young man

It seems that Interview Magazine has a new reporter. “I will be interviewing Daphne Guinness, who is an old friend of mine. Ralph Lauren, people like that. John Galliano.” says the latest employee of the magazine founded by Andy Warhol.

Who is this well-connected reporter?

His name is Peter Brant Jr. a 17-year-old attending Greenwich (CT) High School.

A young savant?

Well no. He's just well connected.

You see Peter's father is Peter M. Brant an American industrialist, businessman, entrepreneur, art collector, movie producer and avid horseman who's worth an estimated $2.4 billion. Peter Jr.'s mom is supermodel Stephanie Seymour.

According to Women's Wear Daily (WWD) Brant said his media studies have pretty much been nil. “Besides having a 45-minute chat with Charlie Rose in Vienna about how to interview someone. That’s about it,” he said.

Oh, did I mention that Interview Magazine is owned by Brant Publications, Inc.

Clearly, it pays to be born well-connected.

Glenn Beck stares down his audience with a god-like pose in Times Square

Glenn Beck, the man who personifies "hyperbole" and "narcissism" on a daily basis, is promoting the launch of his Internet-based network.

The former Fox News host has a placed a billboard in Times Square which reads, "If I had a dollar for every person who badmouthed me... I'd have enough money to launch a network."

With images of Beck starring down in a god-like fashion, the ad looks down on the midwestern tourists hanging out on the corner of 7th Avenue and 49th Street. A show subscription costing viewers $4.95 a month, or $9.95 for full access to the network.

Source: Huffington Post

I, and Tim Armstrong, have hope for AOL

In a completely unscientific poll, I've only found two unwavering optimists who think AOL will be a 21st Century phoenix and rise up to be great again. The first is me (an AOL user for 15 years)--the second is CEO Tim Armstrong.

There may be others, but most of what I see is pessimistic headshaking, and confusion around Armstrong's strategy.

The thing I like about AOL right now is Arnstrong himself. He strikes me as someone who has a disruptive vision. and a true passion for the goal.

The problem is, Wall Street, and Main Street don't like to see the mucky murkiness that's involved with change. Wall Street wants profits, and Main Street wants immediacy. Armstrong currently is delivering neither.

A source for a New York Post article said of AOL:  "It doesn't help to be doing a turnaround in public. They could be more bold and take more risks."

The goal seems clear--to re-build AOL into the next great Internet media empire. But the path to greatness can have potholes, and it can take awhile.

At a time when Armstrong is investing millions into content and partnership deals, most media companies are shedding their expensive journalists like a winter coat at a Fourth of July picnic in Texas. The company lost $11.8 million in Q2, and the stock price is headed in the wrong direction.

Armstrong said a turnaround would take until 2013.  That means that he hopes to be given permission by Wall Street and Main Street to stick with his strategy without showing returns while still being a public company--something painful to watch (and a bit unheard of in American business), but for the risk-takers, a potential long-term positive investment.

I say we need to give Armstrong a chance to tear apart the old AOL, and create a 21st Century Disney and the 21st Century CNN all rolled into one. CNN Money calls him a "romantic" for envisioning such a company. I call him a visionary.

What visionaries and romantics have in common if they are successful, is the willingness to take risks. And rebuilding AOL is a giant risk. Armstrong is investing in Patch--a nationwide network of local newsites, and Huffington Post--essentially buying Arianna Huffington's ballsy muscle to creating a great editorial staff. But building costs money--a lot of it. And profits are going to lag investments. There is only hope and optimism tied to AOL profitability.

Of course, the best aspect of risk is the potential rewards it can reap. I wish Armstrong and AOL the best, and will be a Superfan while they're doing it.

Source: CNN Money

Giving Oprah the benefit of the doubt

Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey will soon take over the position of CEO of the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Of course, this wasn't the plan. Oprah and Discovery Communications--her partner in the network, have placed two other business executives at the helm of OWN, both with disappointing results.

But now, with her daytime talk show complete, and ratings sagging at OWN, the force-of-nature Ms. Winfrey is stepping in to make magic at the network.

OWN's promise of greatness has been talked-up from the start. But OWN has been doing poorly in prime time among key demographics, per Nielsen Media Research. And they've failed to have a real break-out hit in the line-up.

Advertising Age reports that the network's first-quarter performance ranked No. 45 among cable networks in prime time for total viewers and adults 18 to 49, with its second-quarter performance even worse, placing 63rd for total viewers and 73rd for adults 18 to 49.

Among women's cable networks, OWN comes in last, with Lifetime (No. 28 for total viewers), Oxygen (No. 35), We (No. 45) and even ABC's soon-to-be-canceled SoapNet (No. 58.)

But despite the poor ratings, the press, and advertising media buyers have given OWN, and Oprah, the benefit of the doubt.

Advertisers paid big bucks to be partners in the network's January launch. Kohl's, General Motors, Walmart and Kellogg paid $10 million to $20 million each to be a launch partner. Procter & Gamble committed $100 million across its brand portfolio to secure premium ad time on the network.

But even with lackluster ratings, advertisers are signing up, and renewing deals during this year's upfront negotiations for the fall.

The poor showing has miffed and disappointed many media buyers, particularly those such as

Ah, the power of the O.

Powerful leaders can be godsends to organizations. Steve Jobs' return to Apple after decades of bureaucratic rule by Mike Scott, John Sculley and Gil Amelio helped seal Apple's legend as a great company. And how could Starbucks have weathered the recession and plummeting sales and profits without the return of its founder--Howard Schultz?

With Oprah heading up OWN's future, only the best is yet to come.

Source: Advertising Age

At the Twitter Town Hall: Possibilities for expansion

Political seasons are always a big opportunity for media outlets to make big money from advertisers through high ratings and placed ads.

For this 2012 election cycle, it looks like Twitter may be the darling of the media circus as they look to expanding their political "Town Hall" environments after a successful Q-and-A session with President Barack Obama.

"We believe Twitter can be a valuable platform for anyone running for office, and look forward to seeing the creative ways campaigns will use the service over the next year," Twitter's Matt Graves said.

Last week’s first-of-its-kind Twitter Town Hall saw President Obama answering 140-character questions submitted by inquisitive souls. it was the first major event that Twitter created for people to tweet about. But probably not its last.

“How can we make Twitter @TownHall better in the future?” co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted after the event, suggesting more to come. “And not just for the U.S. government, but any government.”

Or any organization in need of connecting with the tweeple of the world.

Source: Adweek

Red Bull headed to newstands and sunday newspapers with The Red Bulletin

Red Bull, the high-caffeine energy drink wants you to sit down, relax, and read.

The Red Bulletin, a glossy print magazine and iPad app is scheduled to hit newstands in the U.S. in June.

They are targeting their loyal 18- to 34-year-olds, and trying to extend the Red Bull brand presence into their day-to-day lifestyle.

"For most other brands, the commitment is just to the product," says Raymond Roker, associate publisher of The Red Bulletin, but Red Bull's aim, he says, "is to have a rich conversation with our audience."

The $4.99 magazine will have a newstand circulation of 75,000 and be available for subscription at $12 for 12 issues. Plans also call for a Sunday newspaper inserts, in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, The Miami Herald and The Houston Chronicle.

The Red Bulletin already is published in nine countries, including Great Britain, Ireland and Germany.

Source: USA Today

Hoover pulls the rug out from underneath ABC to protest Soap cancellations

In a brilliant publicity stunt, iconic vacuum company Hoover has announced that it is pulling ads from ABC in protest over the cancellation of long-running daytime dramas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."

"We will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday, 4/22," Hoover vp marketing Brian Kirkendall wrote on the company's Facebook page. "We're making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner."

Hoover is not only promoting its public protest on Facebook, it has also set up an email address to allow consumers to voice their dissappointment at losing their "Stories" at  SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com,

Hoover's message is a clear attempt at demonstrating its brand connection to their core audience--many of whom have watched soal operas for decades. VPM Kirkendall wrote: "I want you to know from me personally that we hear you loud and clear. My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of All My Children and One Life to Live, as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover."

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Want to get close to Oprah? Advertisers to pay $1 Million for 30-second spot on finale

Advertisers spent $2 Million per 30-second commercial for the "Friends" finale on NBC. And, they coughed up $1.42 Million for a spot on the finale of "Seinfeld."

This should help put into perspective, the $1 Million bids being placed for a spot on the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, scheduled for May 25.

And, that $1 Million does not even come with any sort of traditional ratings guarantee.

But who needs a guarantee? This is The Oprah Winfrey Show. Odds makers are estimating that the finale will draw at least double that amount in live viewing (trending right now at 7 million per episode); plus time-shifted deliveries could bring the total up to as many as 25 million viewers.

Source: Adweek

Sewer gators invade New York. "Swamp People" are thrilled.

Alligators who live in sewer systems are an urban myth.

Or are they?

Residents of New York City have spotted sewer gators popping up all over town.

Of course these gators are actually highly realistic sculptures--part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for the new season of History's "Swamp People."

The cable TV series follows alligator hunters throughout the Louisiana bayou.

The campaign is designed to bring the show a little closer to home for New Yorkers.

AOL reports that In addition to the sculptures, New Yorkers were treated to samples of Cajun cuisine as a food truck popped up around town serving dishes such as fricassee of swamp rabbit, alligator sauce piquante and nutria sausage.

Is McKinsey & Company the grim reaper or a savior for Conde Nast?

In 2009, Conde Nast brought in McKinsey & Company to analyze their business.

The result was the shuttering of Cookie, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and the venerable Gourmet (whose resurgent brand is seeing green shoots); plus staff layoffs and budget cuts across all sectors of the company.

Now, the grim reaper is back at Conde Nast headquarters.

Adweek reports that McKinsey has been meeting with publishers, asking questions about how they run their businesses and where they see growth opportunities, and assessing the profitability of various brand extensions. They're also examining how to price digital products such as tablet magazines.

Lexus and Nissan play up the double entendre of "Model" in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue sponsorships

Lexus and Nissan have created thematic advertising around this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

They're using "models" to showcase their "models."

While sexy, bikini-clad models are nothing new to automotive advertising, the tie-in doesn't seem very modern.

Or does it?

Marketers are finally catching-on to the concept that the more relevant you are to your target audience, and the more in-context you are to the content of where you're advertising, the greater chance for success (awareness, consideration, advocacy, etc.)

In this case, the two marketing-savvy Japanese automakers have created campaigns for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue that feature real models.

Nissan is running two co-branded efforts to promote its Juke car: "Model Search" and "Model vs. Model." The model search contest centers on a social-media campaign and allows participants to pick a model for the 2012 swimsuit issue and the "Model vs. Model" promotion has its Juke car  pitted against a female model.

Lexus' participation is built around a four-page ad for its LFA supercar with Dutch supermodel Rianne Ten Haken who stands in the center of a hanger while the car does drifting-style donuts within feet of her. "Behind the scenes" clips of the shoot have been posted to its YouTube channel, iPad and Galaxy Tablet apps and the magazine's website.

Source: Media Post

Moral outrage may play to MTV's benefit in "Skins" controversy

Chevrolet says its ads ran "mistakenly" during the premiere. It was on their "do not buy" list.

H&R Block says that its ads ran "inadvertently" as part of a rotation.

Taco Bell says it is pulling its ads too.

So far, this has been the brand advertiser response to MTV's "Skins," after a furor was kicked-up over racy sex and drug scenes involving underage actors. There have been claims of violations of anti-child pornography laws, and calls for consumers to flood Taco Bell with complaints.

"We advertise on a variety of MTV programs that reach our core demographic of 18 to 34 year olds, which included the premiere episode of Skins" said a Taco Bell spokesman. "Upon further review, we’ve decided that the show is not a fit for our brand and have moved our advertising to other MTV programming," he said.

Chevy may be asking for a makegood, and H&R Block is adjusting its buy orders, but don't expect ratings to decline or advertising dollars to dry up. In fact, expect ratings to bulge, and advertisers to clamor to participate.

All of this controversy seems to be good news for MTV.

Remember the dust-up over MTV's Jersey Shore in 2009? While over different content issues, the publicity surrounding Domino's pulling ads over the negative portrayal of Italian-Americans did little to douse the fire that is the Jersey Shore phenomenon. In fact, it may have stoked the flames.

And, MTV may be wishing for the same publicity around "Skins"--with the same positive result.

Here's some press coverage from The New York Times:

With ads that feature groups of barely clothed teenagers, “Skins” is surely one of the most sexually charged programs that MTV has featured. Before it even had its premiere, the Parents Television Council, a TV watchdog group, labeled “Skins” the “most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children.” The group objected to the gratuitous scenes of drug and alcohol use, violence and sexual acts.

Of course, those scenes may be what attract young viewers in the first place...

Yes, it seems that playing the Moral Outrage Card among Generation Y simply does not work...except to the advantage of racy content.

The 65 million+ Americans who fit into the 18-34 demographic have a different response to salacious, outrageous and boudy behavior on television. They've been raised on "The Hills," "Real World," "Big Brother," "TMZ," The Real Housewives" and even "To Catch a Preditor" and expect to see sex, drugs, nudity and fist-fights of low moral-order.

We should expect to see the "Skins" controversy engender weeks of press coverage. Just the way MTV (and their audience) likes it.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, WSJ.com, Vanity Fair, The New York Times

TLC: Giving 15 Minutes of Fame to Mall Cops, My Strange Addiction, Sarah Palin and Ted Haggard

TLC, formerly "The Learning Channel," broadcasts shows like "Toddlers & Tiaras" which follows three families on their quest for sparkly crowns, big titles, and lots of cash generated from baby beauty queens.

They tell us "What Not to Wear" and to "Say Yes to the Dress." We've learned about Homemade Millionaires, Mall Cops and My Strange Addiction. Not to mention the "Cake Boss" and "BBQ Pitmasters." And, most famously, that "John & Kate Plus 8" equals big ratings.

It seems The Learning Channel is positioning itself as the queen of Middle America faux-reality TV. The shows are not documentaries. They're not reality-competitions. They aren't news or fact-based programming, but more scripted storylines with "real" people. TLC seems to be tapping into the American obsession that "regular folks" can be celebrities too, as long as folks are willing to air their dirty laundry and create a little drama.

TLC is home to anyone's 15 minutes of fame.

Recently, TLC has also become home to wayward celebrities like Sarah Palin, and Ted Haggard.

Ted Haggard is the latest to join the TLC family with a show clearly designed as a PR device to redeem the popularity of the Christian pastor disgraced by a drug and prostitution scandal, wrapped in his closeted homosexuality.

The TLC show is titled "Ted Haggard: Scandalous." 

Haggard says that "showing the world the new chapter of our lives will hopefully inspire others to find their own path to overcome their struggles and embrace the power of acceptance."

And good ratings.

Will Oprah get to OWN cable television?

This Saturday marked the unveling of the much anticipated OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

If the announcement of the termination of her daytime talk show after 25 seasons was the start of a life-change for Winfrey, Saturday marked a first maturation point of her evolution.

The network is still in its infancy, with most of its programming "scheduled to be introdiced" later this year.

However, the kickoff pulled in some decent numbers--at least high enough to ward off anyone from hinting at anything close to failure.

On average, OWN pulled in 1 million viewers on the first day. No doubt far better than the "Discovery Health" channel it is replacing. At its viewing peak on Saturday night, the Wall Street Journal reports that more women between the ages of 25-54 were watching OWN than all but two other cable networks--ESPN and USA.

ESPN?

Time will tell whether Oprah's 7 million daytime talkshow viewers will find her on premium cable (channel 220 on Comcast in San FRancisco and 115 on Time Warner Cable in Mangattan ) and whether she and her universe of Oprah-made celebrities will be worth a 24/7 audience.

 

Price hike at the Oscars: ABC asks $1.7 million for a spot on the Academy Awards telecast

For sale: a 30 second spot on the Academy Awards telecast on ABC.

Asking price: $1.7 million

If that sounds like a lot of money, you're right. In fact, it is an increase from the $1.3-1.5 million asking prices in 2009 and 2010.

But, it is a bargain if you consider that in 2008, the Oscars got as much as $1.83 million per spot.

It seems ABC is thinking things are looking up.

Part of the rationale for the price hike is a perceived bounce-back in the economy. The other is renewed interest in the telecast itself.

Last year, ABC saw an average audience of 41.3 million viewers--the biggest numbers it has seen in half a decade and far above the 32 million viewers who watched in 2008, when they were charging at that high water mark.

Event TV (the Oscars, the Super Bowl, etc.) is still a big money maker for broadcast television, despite the distillation of viewers to cable, mobile, and other digital devices. The Oscars are typically the biggest ratings event on TV aside from the Super Bowl and the National Football League's NFC and AFC Championship games.

Source: Advertising Age

TV and online usage now at equal levels. Newspaper, magazine, and radio usage decline.

The time that U.S. Households spend watching TV each week has not changed very much in the last 5 years. But, according to Forrester Research, time spent with newspapers is off by 26%, magazines by 18% and radio by 15%.

And, how are we filling that time (and more)?

We are spending time online, of course. Internet usage has skyrocketed--up 121% since 2005 to an average of 13 hours per week. That's about as much time as we spend watching TV.

It is worthy to note that over a third of the hours online are for work purposes, while TV is nearly exclusively a leisure activity.

Demographically, younger consumers (18-30) have been spending more time online than watching TV for some time, but for the first time, people 31-44 are also spending more time online than with TV.

Source: Adweek

 

"Anderson" to replace "Oprah" in several key markets.

Anderson Cooper is scheduled to replace Oprah Winfrey in several markets as the land grab to replace the talkshow queen begins. It will also run on Fox owned-and-operated (O&Os) in a number of top markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.

Sources say the CNN anchor's daytime talkshow will simply be called "Anderson."

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

The show is billed as a topical format that will cover everything from celebrities and pop culture to social issues and wide-interest news stories. Using his well-established interview skills, Cooper’s show is expected to welcome a broad range of guests and tackle debate-provoking subjects

The show is bing distributed by CNN sister company Warner Bros

Oprah's OWN peeking out from under the covers

With all of the resources and talent of the Oprah Winfrey franchise behind it, the new OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) may be a game changing success as a new television network. Or it could be a fantastic failure--due to over-expectation, and a failure to deliver on the promise.

Based on the first lineup of shows, it is looking pretty good. There is the expected: Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Maya Angeou, Lisa Ling and Gayle King. And the unexpected: Wynonna and Naomi Judd, the Duchess of York (Fergie), Shania Twain, and Ryan and Tatum O'Neil. And, folks like Carson Kressley and Nancy O'Dell are thrown in for color.

Watch a full promotional trailer featuring snippets of the new shows here.

Winfrey is starting from what she knows best; makeovers and learning, peeking into the lives of celebrities, and aspirational moments for living a better life.

The network launches January 1. Here's the network's first teaser:

New York Newsday drops paywall thanks to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

As online news sites struggle with the issue of whether to charge consumers for content, New York newspaper Newsday has found an innovative solution to generating revenue while still offering free content to users.

In a one-month test case to showcase new site improvements, Newsday will have a sponsor-backed paywall drop, allowing free access to the site.

The Cablevision-owned newspaper has reportedly struggled to attract paying customers for its online content since it erected its paywall last October last year.

Free access is being sponsored by Radio City Christmas Spectacular, another arm of Cablevision.

Source: Guardian UK

What a difference a day makes: American Idol schedule shift creates sponsor winners and losers

This season, "American Idol" has decided to shake things up a bit.

First, there was the major shift in the judging panel--with Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez joining the cast.

But it is Fox's decision to move "American Idol" to Wednesday and Thursday (from Tuesday and Wednesday nights) that seems to have major implications to the all-important advertising sponsors.

The schedule shift impacts advertising not only on Fox, but the other networks who program against the mega hit.

The shift affects 1,600 spots or almost $1 billion in airtime. "Idol" sponsors with Thursday slots will be getting a more premium placement, but marketers who spent more for Thursday inventory on other networks will likely try to renegotiate their rates based on estimates of how large an audience the top-rated "Idol" will draw.

More at Broadcasting & Cable and Huffington Post

Hearst may be buying Hachette media group from Lagardere, France's biggest publisher

The largest publisher in France, Lagardere SCA, owns titles such as Car & Driver, Road & Track, Woman’s Day, Paris Match, and Elle's 40 international titles.

But that list of publications may shift owners very soon, as the company considers selling off titles to  “re-center on the geographic zones where it has critical mass,” according to a company spokesperson.

Hearst Corporation is said to be close to completing a deal with Lagardere to purchase the French company’s U.S. magazine group, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.

Lagardere also owns rights to the "Twilight" book series and a piece of pay-TV operator Canal Plus France and the aerospace company EADS NV.

Sources: Mediaweek, Bloomberg and MediaBuyerPlanner

News Corp's Times of London initially lost 40% of its traffic by going behind a paywall.

When News Corp's Times of London put all of its content behind a paywall, it lost more than 40 percent of traffic in the first several months. Along with that drop in traffic came a big loss of advertising revenue.

But now, according to News Corp.’s digital chief Jonathan Miller, the “total economics have improved...There’s a transition there that’s tough, which unfortunately means not every company can do it,” Miller is quoted as saying, “We’ll make it, but in all honesty because we can afford to.”

About half of the 105,000 online subscribers come from their monthly subscription base. The newspaper counts "online" versions as its website, iPad application and Kindle edition.

The pay-model seems to work well against a devoted monthly subscriber base, but locks out casual readers, topic hunters, and readers who can otherwise be influential to a newspaper's brand reputation. By going behind a paywall, the Times of London went from a global news organization to a local online paper--somewhat defeating the opportunities afforded it by the world wide web.

I predict that if a total paywall trend continues, it will open the door for branded news aggregators, with consumers willing to pay a bulk (but discounted) price for their favorite publications, rather than one-off subscriptions to multiple sites. It may also support the rise of online-only publications such as Huffington Post, Salon, and Daily Beast.

Source: Bloomberg

Changes at the top of the publishing world: Time Inc., Meredith, Conde Nast and Hearst all have new leaders

As another indicator of a generational/behavioral shift in the media business, the leadership at the top of the four major magazine publishers -- Time Inc., Meredith, Conde Nast and Hearst, has changed simultaneously for the first time in 15 years.

"This is the changing of the guard from an older school to a newer school," said Justin B. Smith, president of Atlantic Media. "It is quite remarkable that it took until 2010, 15 years after the arrival of the Internet, for a new generation of leaders to emerge."

The New York Times calls it the magazine world’s own Velvet Revolution— a quick change of hands with relatively little discord. 

Salon.com on the block: "I think we'd all like to think you don't have to be a media conglomerate to succeed at doing high-quality journalism..."

The news media world continues to be influx.

As our lives move to a mix of digital and real-world experiences, consumption of media has migrated to this same dynamic. We consume information online, and offline.

Instead of just reading the morning paper, or reading a print magazine in a doctor's office, consumers have been given CHOICE and PORTABILITY through online media. And they're gobbling it up.

However, revenue models for successful digital ventures have been hard to come by. Most media companies have struggled with how to make money in a strictly digital world. Only a few seem to be achieving financial success. Most find it is a combination of print and online revenue--via advertising and subscriptions, as the key to financial success.

Take The Daily Beast and Newsweek, who decided to merge earlier this month. A strictly digital model (The Daily Beast) or a mostly print model (Newsweek) was not delivering the necessary profit to support a mainstream media business.

And now comes word that Salon.com is offering itself for sale.

Salon was a pioneer in digital media. It has been around for 15 years, but recently has accumulated enough debt that its owners see no other choice than to merge of sell to another media company--one who presumably could make it a money-making venture.

"I think we'd all like to think you don't have to be a media conglomerate to succeed at doing high-quality journalism," Richard Gingras, Salon's chief executive said. "Right now, the content economy we have today says you probably have to be."

The December iPad issue of Marie Claire features a little Harry Potter magic

Fashion magazine Marie Claire's December iPad issue features a digitally animated version of "Harry Potter" star Emma Watson.

A moving image of a Harry Potter star is not the only attention getter for the issue--the magazine is among the titles launching their iPad editions in the form of branded applications that can be searched via iTunes and downloaded from online newsstand Zinio. The approach gives publishers more control over subscriptions, although downloading is slightly more cumbersome, execs note.

via Mediaweek

Jane Pratt (of Jane and Sassy fame) to launch new magazine with 14-year old "Style Rookie" blogger

Jane Pratt, the woman behind Jane and Sassy magazines, has a new publishing partner--14-year old Tavi Gevinson, also known as "Style Rookie." 

Gevinson is a fashion blogger who was a fan of Sassy magazine, despite its shuttering when she was only a year old.

As the story is being told, Pratt found out about Gevinson's admiration for Sassy and sent the young blogger an email. The pair eventually met in person and hashed out the idea for "a magazine for an audience of wallflowerly teenage girls."

"Of course, it won't be Sassy (or the rebirth of Sassy, or Sassy 2.0) and nor do we want it to be … The world has changed a bit in the past 15 or so years and that whole Internet thing happened, and this world calls for something different," Gevinson wrote.

The yet untitled magazine will have a Web site and three print issues a year.

Sources: Womens Wear Daily,  UK Independent and New York Observer

It's Official: Newsweek and The Daily Beast announce merger. Weekly, meet Daily. Print, meet Online.

It should not come as a huge surprise to those who follow such things, but The Daily Beast and Newsweek are merging to create a 50/50 joint venture.

Weekly, meet Daily.

Print, meet online.

Old School print journalism, and the online world are now to be combined, with Tina Brown at the editorial helm.

Newsweek has been around for 77 years but faced an uncertain future as viable economic models to keep the venerable print weekly afloat seemed few and far between.

Brown's online-only The Daily Beast has been around for about two years, and has had growth challenges of its own as it fights the 8,000 lb gorilla in the room--The Huffington Post.

While critics can speculate if the combo will find financial success, what does seem to be true, is that this is a merger of powerful executives--Brown, who has been the highly regarded editor of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and her own print start-up Talk; Barry Diller who, as head of IAC will own 50% of the combined publication; and Sidney Harman, the 92-year-old stereo mogul who recently bought Newsweek for $1, and has been seen as the magazine's potential savior.

And with combined print and online strength, combined advertising sales should be easier to come-by.

The corporate venture will be legally called The Newsweek Daily Beast Company, but it is unclear if the two brands will merge at the consumer level--"The News Beast" perhaps?

For more, read Tina Brown's announcement of the merger

Will Newsweek be savaged or salvaged by the Daily Beast?

Rumors are swirling that online HuffPo-esque publication  Daily Beast may merge with old-school and debt-ridden Newsweek magazine.

Tina Brown runs the edit at Daily Beast, and has confirmed the rumors of discussions between IAC CEO Barry Diller (and financial backer of Daily Beast), and Newsweek's new owner, Sidney Harman.

Harman bought Newsweek for $1 and has taken on its debt. Since he arrived, there has been an exodus of editors and reporters.

The Daily Beast on the otherhand, reportedly has severe Huffington Post envy, and has been funded through a $20 million infusion of IAC money. Brown has serious credentials in the print magazine world--including powerful stints at Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Talk.

The UK Guardian suggests that a merger for Diller would get the Beast off his books and, in a stock deal, give him a significant stake in Newsweek to add to his disparate media holdings.

"It could end up being a smart deal for Barry and Tina," said media commentator Michael Wolff. "It allows Barry to monetise the Daily Beast and gives Tina a vastly expanded platform."

Stay tuned.

Gourmet Magazine: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

Just about a year ago, Conde Nast announced that it was shuttering Gourmet magazine after 68 years.

Foodies everywhere wept.

Then in June of this year, Condé Nast announced that it was to launch Gourmet Live, a new digital version of the magazine.

And now, Condé Nast has announced that it is going to launch newsstand-only versions of the publication.

Yep, "newsstand" means PRINT versions of Gourmet will soon return.

So what was all that noise about shuttering the venerable publication?

Clearly, Conde Nast still sees value in the brand.

Source: Folio

Does anyone want to work at Newsweek? Anyone?

It looks like Sidney Harman, the stereo-mogul who recently bought Newsweek magazine may head into the office on Monday to find some empty desks.

Here's the current body count: Editor Jon Meacham, Editorial director Mark Miller, Editor-at-large Evan Thomas, and international editor Fareed Zakaria have all announced their departures.

Rumors are circulating that digital executive editor Gabriel Snyder and general manager Geoff Reiss plan to leave as well. 

As for replacement staff, two EIC names have been floated around--The Daily Beast's Tina Brown, and "Time" editor and friend of Harman, Walter Isaacson. But both deny having interest. 

Ouch.

Source: FishbowlNY

USA Today shifts to a more mobile-friendly organizational structure

USA Today is organizing itself around "content rings" and shifting away from print and turning towards more mobile-friendly content.

There will be no news, money, life and sports departments in the newsroom. Instead, the newsroom will be divided into 13 “content rings,” which will include Your Life, Travel, Breaking News, Investigative, Washington/Economy, Tech, and Auto. Sports will operate as a separate business unit.

The restructuring requires staff cuts of 9 percent (about 130 jobs out of the current 1,500).

Source: Paid Content

Rather than taking over Oprah's crown, Rosie's joining her court

It seems that the reports of Rosie O'Donnell taking over Oprah Winfrey's TV talk-show throne were not quite accurate.

While it is true that Rosie is plotting her return to television, apparently broadcast syndicators were not all that interested in seeing her back on TV.

So, Rosie's joining OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

"It's an honor and a privilege to work with Oprah Winfrey on her network," O'Donnell said. "I'm excited to be back on daytime television."

O'Donnell's crew apparently pitched stations on the show this spring but had a hard time convincing executives to give O'Donnell another shot. Variety reports that some station execs were still stung with how political "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" became toward the end of its run, while others were concerned about her controversial time on "The View."

Source: Variety

Conde Nast venturing into the restaurant business

Condé Nast has plans to extend the brands of its top magazines to new restaurants in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

The publishing company has announced plans to lend the names of titles such as Vogue and GQ to the names of restaurants in Istanbul, Kiev, Hong Kong and Dubai. 

"I think there's been a new openness in the entire organization to experimenting, trying new things, and I would say thinking about the business model in new ways," Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman of Condé Nast International is quoted as saying in The Wall Street Journal.

Current plans have the first Conde Nast-branded restaurants opening in 2011, and as many as five per year after that, with names like Vogue Cafe, GQ Bar and Tatler Club.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

DVR usage continues to climb, as does the watching of television commercials

As time-shifting of television programming becomes more prevalent, a study from Nielson research suggests that more and more commercials--nearly half, are being watched during recorded shows.

Nielsen also says that television viewers increased their use of digital video recorders by 90% between 2007 and 2009, and have doubled their use in the past year.

About 40% of recorded shows are played back within an hour of their original broadcast, and 90% within three days.

MediaDailyNews reports that DVR usage among its national people markets is at 37%, with local people meter markets at 41%. Local people meter markets vary in DVR penetration, with Minneapolis at a low 26.5% compared to Cleveland at 47%.

iPad gets a Glamour app

The first wave of magazines to become available on the iPad had a markedly male target audience--Sports Illustrated, GQ, Esquire, Wired, Popular Mechanics, etc.

But now, the women's pubs get a taste of the Apple.

The Glamour magazine app for the iPad from Conde Nast costs $3.99 and launches today.

Which means they are introducing it with the all-important September issue.

iPad viewers will receive bonus offerings like an instructional video showing how to put on false eyelashes, videos of celebrities ranging from Katie Couric and Justin Bieber, to a shopping gallery that allows readers to purchase items from the magazine via an in-app browser.

The application allows readers to view the magazine in traditional magazine format (one two-page spread at a time) or in a made-for-the-iPad vertical format, with sections reconfigured, and with larger photos and more slide shows.

Ad positions in the portrait-view version were sold at premium rates, and the ads all include rich-media components.

Source: Daily Finance

Washington Post to sell Newsweek to the guy who cares most about the brand, and its employees

The Washington Post Company plans to sell Newsweek to Sidney Harman.

Harman, who made his fortune in the audio equipment business, and turns 92 years-old later this week, called the 77-year old magazine a "national treasure." 

His devotion to journalism, his commitment to retain more employees, and passion for the magazine may have won the former owners over, and helped him beat out three other bidders who on the surface appear to be better situated to manage costs,

"In seeking a buyer for Newsweek, we wanted someone who feels as strongly as we do about the importance of quality journalism," said Post Co. Chairman Donald Graham in a statement.

Harman says his qualifications to run the magazine are as follows: "Despite my years, I bring energy and a fresh approach," Mr. Harman said. "And I'm an experienced and knowledgeable businessman. I have a fundamental respect for the role of journalism and I think it has done no harm when you bring discipline to it."

Harman says he is in no hurry to make money on the magazine.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and Newsweek

Univision, and radio payola

Spanish-language broadcaster Univision shelled out $1 million to settle charges that executives in its now-defunct music unit had paid off radio stations in return for getting songs played. The case was settled after a three-year criminal investigation.

The executives bribed radio station managers with briefcases stuffed with cash, or "payola."

"Illegal cash payments never make for a good business model," Assistant Atty. Gen. Lanny A. Breuer said in a statement announcing the plea deal. "Listeners have a right to know if someone has paid for increased air time or promotions."

The Los Angeles Times reports that Univision Services Inc. agreed to pay a $500,000 fine to the Justice Department and "cooperate fully" with law enforcement officials investigating related crimes. Meanwhile, another division of the company, Univision Radio, will provide another $500,000 to the Treasury Department as part of a consent decree with the Federal Communications Commission, which was also investigating the scandal.

Do you have what it takes to work for Mad Men's Sterling Cooper?

To promote the new season of Mad Men, the folks at AMC have created a web application that asks you to be interviewed by seven of the show's characters to see if you'd be qualified to work for the fictional Madison Avenue ad agency of the 1960's, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

I made it through the job interview, and was asked to become an "Account Manager" -- of course. 

Is iPad fashion advertising this year's New Black in the September issues?

The September issue fashion magazines have been the barometer of trends for decades.

Not only do the fashion-houses live or die by these issues, so do advertisers, and publishers.

This year, after years of decline in advertising page sales, excitement around the Apple iPad versions of the publications is stirring hope within the magazine industry.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that, 12 out of 15 major fashion and beauty magazines sold more pages of ads in their September issues than they did a year ago. For the first time in more than two years, the number of advertising pages was higher in the three months ended in June than in the same quarter a year earlier, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.

Publishers and advertisers are also eager to make use of the multimedia possibilities inherent in the iPad and other tablet computers. Packaged digital/print deals are the next new thing.

American Public Media's Marketplace is reporting that Glamour's iPad deal has online sales driving print ads, not the other way around.

Marissa Gluck with Radar Research says the print-online union is long overdue:

Print has been struggling for over a decade now trying to figure out how to compete with online. And I think that they finally figured out that they're not supposed to compete with online; they're supposed to work together.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal (image credit),  American Public Media's Marketplace and for more detail on the September Issues page numbers and ad revenue, go to Advertising Age

Gourmet Magazine is being digitally reimagined using content leftovers

Gourmet magazine, the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine, had been around for nearly 70 years before Conde Nast decided to shutter it back in 2009.

Now, thanks to the iPad technology, and a little imaginative content curation, the magazine is re-launching as a digital magazine called "Gourmet Live, an app-driven "immersive and interactive content experience built on an ever-expanding collection of articles, menus, photos, videos and more, encouraging social connectivity and sharing, and game play."

The digital endeavor draws mostly from archival content, so it does little to revive the careers of ex-Gourmet staffers or those consumers looking for fresh content.

According to Condé Nast president and CEO Charles Townsend:

By focusing on a new way to meet consumer needs, tap into our deep branding, and approach our content differently, we came up with a product that reimagines Gourmet and revalues engagement. We are extremely pleased with the magazine apps we have developed as part of our R&D efforts, however Gourmet Live is profoundly different. We approached this like a tech company, utilizing the rich assets of a media company, keeping Condé Nast at the forefront of content innovation.

Source: MediaBistro

TBS launches "for your consideration" Emmy campaign for Conan O'Brien

TBS is launching a new advertising campaign for Conan O'Brien. They clearly want to keep CoCo in the public eye during the run-up to the November launch of his new talk show. They especially want to keep top-of-mind among potential sponsors and Hollywood insiders.

So, they're launching a tongue-in-cheek "for your consideration" Emmy advertising campaign.

"Give this man one more thing to tweet about," one of the ads says next to a picture of O'Brien.

But my favorite says O'Brien deserves to be considered for "outstanding achievement in the use of SPF 150."

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Television "Upfront" season coming to a close

For advertising and television insiders, "The Upfronts" are a seasonal event as celebrated as "Fashion Week" is to the rag business.

It is the time when the nation's television networks present their new season of shows to advertisers, and when marketers lock-in early sales deals on what they expect to be the hits of the season.

And now, with all the glitzy Hollywood pitches complete, the networks are beginning to announce the completion of their annual advertising selling season.

This season's "most-watched network." CBS said Tuesday it was done selling advertising inventory for the 2010-11 television season. Fox and the CW are just about done wrapping up ABC and NBC expect to be done in the next few days. In terms of dollars, estimates of what CBS sold in commercials ranges from $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion. Fox sold about $1.9 billion while the CW sold around $375 million.

Sources: The New York Times, Advertising Age, and Bloomberg

When Hollywood goes to Washington: Talk of sex, bribes and plantations at the Comcast-NBC Universal hearings

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a "field hearing" in Los Angeles on Monday to review the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger. While the FCC has final approval over the merger, the Judiciary Committee has budget oversight of the FCC.

Like much in Washington and Hollywood, the hearings had a bit of show business and scandal around them.

The four-hour session was apparently interrupted by applause, cheers and groans from the audience as House members scrutinized the merger and brought up some salacious allegations.

The companies were critisized for not doing enough around minority hiring, and programming. Stanley Washington, chief executive of the National Coalition of African American Owned Media at one point during the hearing called Comcast a "plantation" and criticized it for not doing enough to support African American-owned channels.

At another point, Samuel Kang, managing attorney for the Berkeley-based Greenlining Institute used the "Too Big To Be Regulated" argument and said, "We have learned from the BP disaster what can happen when there isn't regulatory screening."

On a lighter, but oh so entertaining note, The Los Angeles Times reports that during the hearing, one congressman needed to have an NBC executive explain to him what the title of the network's new sitcom "Friends with Benefits" meant.

But the most salacoius claim came when Rep. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles volunteered that she had received a call from "somebody at Comcast asking, 'What do you want?'"--a reference to a bribery attempt by the cable company to win her vote.

Here is Comcast's response to the bribery allegation:

"Any implication that anyone ever inquired about what Congresswoman Waters would want personally is completely untrue. We meet and discuss the proposed joint venture with many members of Congress and other leaders. We have repeatedly tried to understand Congresswoman Waters' concerns so that we can address them."

Source: The Los Angeles Times

Media giant Viacom issues "48 pages of internal corporate terrorism"

In what the Village Voice calls "48 pages of internal corporate terrorism," Viacom, the parent company of Paramount Pictures and TV networks such as MTV, Comedy Central and BET, sent out an employee standards document detailing how employees should present themselves digitally, and to the media.

The guidelines include employee conduct as it relates to personal blogs, outside jobs (even unpaid or charity work) and talking to the press.

Here's the Village Voice's take on the guidelines:

Granted, working for any of the world's leading corporate entities requires some level of discreteness, enforced through corporate control over endless staffs of minions. (You can bet Goldman Sachs is implanting computer chips in their trolls by now.) But for a media company to show such forceful disdain for anything media-related or skewing toward individual expression isn't only telling, it's mildly terrifying, and at the very least, disturbing.

CNN's sub-prime line-up

CNN. the original 24-hour news network, turned 30 this week, and many critics say it is showing its age.

Straight news, 24 hours a day on the television machine might not be de rigueur in 2010.

To prove the critic's point, the network announced that it's prime time anchor--Campbell Brown, has asked to be released from her contract due to low ratings. Brown's nightly news program was attempting to deliver an unbiased account of the world's activities. She was competing against the right-leaning Fox, and the left-leaning MSNBC, and was getting trounced by both.

The Los Angeles Times reports that CNN executives are frustrated by the focus on prime-time ratings, stressing that the time period contributes slightly less than 10% to the overall revenues of the network.

CNN's parent, Time Warner recently released internal documents showing that CNN makes about the same amount of money from digital sales as from prime-time advertising.