MEDIABLAB DAILY DIGEST MAY 2: NEWSPAPERS THE GOOD OIL IN UAE; NEW NEWSDAY BIDDER
May 2nd 2008 02:39
ROLLING STONE AUSTRALIA TIPPED TO BE SOLD TO ACP MAGAZINES
PBL Media's ACP Magazines is believed to be negotiating to buy Rolling Stone Australia, with a deal expected to be completed as early as next week, according to The Australian newspaper.
Owner Phillip Keir did not return a phone call by deadline yesterday and an ACP spokeswoman said the company had no comment.
It is not known whether the deal includes the rest of Keir's publishing house, Next Media, which also owns Australian Guitar, Twisted, Hyper, Girl Power, The Wiggles and Soap World, as well as some technical books and websites.
Wolseley chief executive David Gardiner, a former deputy chief executive of ACP, declined to comment.
Rolling Stone Australia was launched as a fully fledged magazine in 1972 by Phillip Frazer, five years after it started in the US.
According to histories of the magazine, Keir acquired the rights to publish it in 1987 in partnership with his wife Lesa-Belle Furhagen and his friend Toby Creswell.
When the friendship fell out and the marriage broke up, Keir retained the magazine.
Rolling Stone Australia has struggled to retain readers in recent years, and last year the magazine's circulation dropped almost 8 pe cent, from an average of 29,372 sales a month to 27,051. Readership declined 8.3 per cent from 327,000 a month to 300,000.
AL-JAZEERA MOVES TO QUELL STAFF DISSENT AND INTEGRATE ENGLISH AND ARABIC OPERATIONS
Al-Jazeera has taken quick and decisive action to stem staff dissent within its ranks.
Last month, al-Jazeera English saw the departure of two senior members of staff – head of news Steve Clark and David Marash, the senior anchor in Washington. A further 15 staff had resigned in the previous two months.
Phillips, who has been London bureau chief since the launch of Al Jazeera English 18 months ago, will move to Doha, Qatar, to take up the new role at in June. Her brief is to integrate the al-Jazeera Arabic and al-Jazeera English bureaux across the world.
Al Jazeera has 69 foreign news bureaux and four broadcast centres located in Kuala Lumpur, Doha, London and Washington DC.
Phillips said she had already integrated the al-Jazeera English and Arabic operations in the London bureau and was going through the process in Moscow and Nairobi, which was also expanding. A new integrated bureau in Istanbul would open shortly and the organisation was considering further bases in Latin America and Asia.
Phillips speaks French and Italian and is learning Arabic. Her career has included senior roles for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and News World International and this is the first time she has lived in the Middle East.
PRINT AD BUSINESS IS BOOMING IN THE GULF COUNTRIES
The Wall Street Journal reports that while the print-ad business might be drying up in the US, it’s booming in the Persian Gulf, where newspaper penetration is high.
The Journal said, “Spending on ads in newspapers and magazines in the six Arab countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council reached US $2.96 billion last year, according to Ipsos Stat, an international media and market-research company. That's a fraction of US spending, but it's almost 21 percent higher than the previous year and about 44 percent higher than 2005 levels.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council is a political and economic alliance comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Papers like the Gulf News, an English-language newspaper in Dubai, one of seven emirates that make up the UAE, are often nearly as fat during the week as many Sunday papers in the US.
ANOTHER US PLAYER EMERGES TO TOP MURDOCH’S BID FOR NEWSDAY
The US company Cablevision Systems Corp plans to bid as much as US$650 million for daily newspaper Newsday, topping offers already made by News Corp and Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Cablevision's bid, which could come anytime, could give the cable operator the lead in the auction of the newspaper, being sold by Tribune Co, which has a heavy debt burden. It would be the second offer to challenge an informal agreement reached late last month with News Corp, whose newspaper properties include The Wall Street Journal, valuing Newsday at $580 million.
ASIAN WATCH MANIA CATERED FOR BY YET ANOTHER LUXURY WATCH MAGAZINE
Another magazine is due to be launched in Asia to satisfy the region’s insatiable appetite for luxury watches.
Marketing reports that Edipresse Asia, with luxury and watch making division, Edipresse Luxe, will launch the first Asian issues of GMT XXL magazine in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia in June 2008.
The large-format magazine will cover Swiss and European watches and watchmakers, combined with tailored insights and advice for watch collectors in Asia.
Barrie Goodridge, Edipresse Asia ceo told marketing, “Switzerland is without doubt the major centre of luxury timepieces and watch making innovations. Asia, and particularly China and Hong Kong, is a driving force of demand. GMT XXL highlights the intersection of these worlds, thereby providing opportunities for advertisers to capture a premium audience who actively collect unique timepieces."
Key editorial sections will include sections such as Watchmaker's Choice, New Releases, Testing Bench, Technical Innovations and more.
The magazine will also have a column on collecting timepieces, written authored by Bernard Cheong, one of Asia's respected luxury watch making experts.
GMT XXL Hong Kong and GMT XXL Singapore will be published twice a year, GMT XXL Malaysia once.
They will be available through retailers, auction houses, selected five-star hotels and cultural venues in Hong Kong, Singapore, SE Asia and Macau, and by special subscription.
MEDIA CHINESE INTERNATIONAL EXPANDING TO BECOME ONE OF CHINA’S BIGGEST MEDIA CONGLOMERATES
Media Chinese International, formerly known as Ming Pao Media, is building one of China's largest media corporations, following two major acquisitions.
According to Marketing magazine, Ming Pao said it had changed its name to Media Chinese International and the renamed company has just made its debut on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange.
The listing will not affect Media Chinese International Hong Kong status and the company will continue as a listed Hong Kong business.
Media Chinese International, publisher of Ming Pao Daily News and majority owner of the listed One Media Group, is merging Sin Chew Media Corp and Nanyang Press Holdings into its group.
Sin Chew Media owns newspapers in Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Malaysian media tycoon Tiong Hiew King, chairman of Media Chinese International, said following the merger the company will be one of the largest global Chinese language print media platforms.
In a statement on the Hong Kong stock exchange, Tiong said the company will publish approximately 1 million newspapers each day in markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia, the US, Canada and mainland China.
He said the company plans to use its considerable weight to push into new markets and explore new media platforms.
SWISS BROADCASTING CORPORATION’S $16 MILLION-PLUS LOSS A SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT OVER LAST YEAR
Swissinfo reports that the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation has notched up a US$16.64 million loss for 2007, which is a slight improvement on last year’s performance.
Director General Armin Walpen cited difficulties in generating additional revenue as the cabinet rejected an increase in licence fees. The company board also announced today a review of the corporation’s governance and management structures in line with a request by the government.
The public broadcaster said that operating income had risen 1.5 percent boosted by increased licensing fees and commercial income. Operating expenses increased by 0.6 percent and personnel costs rose by 5.6 percent, the SBC said.
DEUTSCHE WELLE DOES DEAL WITH MAURITANIAN RADIO TELEVISION
Panapress reports that Erik Bettermann, director-general of Deutsche Welle, and officials of the Mauritanian Radio Television have signed a cooperation agreement on broadcasting.
France Grebern, head of Deutsche Welle program distribution in Africa and Middle East, said Mauritanian Radio Television RTM would broadcast Deutsche Welle programs, and Deutsche Welle will train Mauritanian journalists and technicians, adding that Germany was ready to support broadcasting liberalisation process in Mauritania.
President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and the Mauritanian Communication minister granted an audience to Bettermann during his visit to the country.
CUBA DENOUNCES US RADIO AND TV AGGRESSION AND ACCUSES AMERICA OF HARBOURING TERRORISTS
Prensa Latina reports that during a United Nations session, Cuba again denounced what it calls “sustained US radio and TV aggression”.
Ileana Nunez, Cuban ambassador to the UN, said during a debate of the UN Information Committee that the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva last November has concluded that broadcasting to Cuba from US aircraft is in violation of the Radiocommunication Regulations.
The Cuban diplomat said that every week, US-based networks broadcast 1,889 hours of programs to Cuba through 30 medium wave, shortwave, FM and TV channels. They generate 228-253 hours of programs daily, which have nothing to do with balanced, objective information, said Nunez.
She recalled that for fiscal year 2007, the US Congress approved a budget of US$36.10 million “to fund actions against Cuba, showing complete disregard for regulations ruling international relations.”
She added that 14 of the 19 networks broadcasting anti-Cuban subversive programs aim their signals directly at Cuba, including three owned by the US government itself (Voice of America and Radio and TV Martí).
She claimed that some of these networks belong to, or serve, organisations linked to “well-known US-based terrorist elements who act against Cuba with the total consent of US authorities.”
STANDARD & POOR’S GIVES NEW YORK TIMES A NEW RATING ONE NOTCH ABOVE JUNK BOND STATUS
AP reports that credit-ratings agency Standard & Poor's Ratings Services cut its long-term rating on newspaper publisher The New York Times Co, as its advertising revenue continues to fall.
S&P cut its corporate credit rating and senior unsecured debt rating to "BBB-" from "BBB."
"BBB-" is one notch above "junk bond" status. The ratings were removed from CreditWatch, but the outlook is negative, meaning another downgrade could occur.
"The rating downgrade reflects a worsening pace of decline in advertising revenue at the company's newspaper publications," said S&P credit analyst Emile Courtney in a statement.
TIME WARNER REPORTEDLY WANTING TO SELL OFF ITS CABLE BUSINESS
AFP reports that US media conglomerate Time Warner wants to sell its struggling cable business as part of a restructuring that includes spinning off part of its AOL internet business.
Time Warner chief executive Jeff Bewkes said, “We've decided that a complete structural separation of Time Warner Cable, under the right circumstances, is in the best interests of both companies' shareholders." Bewkes said the company expects to finalise "soon" an agreement with Time Warner Cable. Time Warner owns about 84 percent of Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable TV operator in the country after Comcast Corp.
PRESS FREEDOM GROUP CALLS FOR BALOCHISTAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE TO STOP HARASSING BROADCASTER
Reporters Without Borders calls on the federal government to order the military intelligence services to stop harassing Munir Mengal, one of the originators of a proposed Balochi-language satellite TV station to be called Baloch Voice.
Freed in February after being held for two years, first by the military and then by the police, Mengal says he still fears for his life.
"Instead of watching and intimidating this man, who spent two years in detention just for wanting to create a TV station for the Baloch, the authorities should give him financial compensation," the press freedom organisation said.
"This case should prompt the new government to look into the many kidnappings and disappearances of journalists, especially those from Balochistan."
"I still fear for my life," Mengal said in an interview for the BBC World Service's Urdu-language service. "Intelligence agents continue to follow me."
He said was freed on February 23 after a new government was elected in Balochistan province. As requested by the security forces, he decided to refrain from immediately announcing his release, for fear of being re-arrested. He is now living in the Qalat district of Balochistan.
After his arrest at Karachi international airport on April 4, 2006, he was held in the Malir military camp in the town of Sud. He said the military kept asking him why an educated Baloch like himself continued to support the Baloch nationalists. They told him they had arrested him to prevent him from talking to the media. He said he always insisted on his innocence despite being subjected to long sessions of torture.
"Wherever I go, I'm afraid for my life," he told the BBC World Service. "They prevent me from talking and writing."
MIN MAGAZINE HIRES SOME TOP GUN US MAGAZINE EDITORIAL TALENT
min magazine, the annual publication reporting on top US media people and magazine launches, has hired two industry veterans: editor Mike Hammer and art director Andy Ryan.
min magazine 2008 will publish this American autumn, , along with the signature min magazine Event.
Hammer is an original member of the launch team of both Maxim and Stuff magazines and a key architect of the formula that helped establish those titles as two of the biggest success stories in publishing in the last decade.
As executive editor of Maxim and later editor-in-chief of Stuff, Hammer was one of the creative forces that helped redefine the men’s magazine marketplace in the US. He also was one of the early editors of min magazine in 1998 and last year he played a key consulting role in the relaunch of OK! Magazine’s website. He was also a top editor on Rolling Stone’s 40th-anniversary book and DVD compilation set.
Ryan’s 20-plus years of magazine design experience includes serving as deputy art director of Maxim and Blender; art director of Classic Rock and Metal Hammer Magazines, freelance art director at Direct TV Magazine and other prominent magazines. He is currently freelance art director at Meredith’s AccessDirect TV magazine.
min magazine, a publication of Media Industry Newsletter and min’s b2b, will feature the signature “21 Most Intriguing People” of media and in partnership with Dr. Samir Husni (Mr. Magazine), the “Hottest Magazine Launches & Reinventions.” The magazine will also profile the “Digital 11” online media leaders, along with coverage of ad agencies and media spenders.
Hammer and Ryan will be working closely with min editor in chief Steve Cohn and the entire min team to produce the magazine and Event.
min magazine is published by the Media/Communications Group of Access Intelligence LLC and includes min, min’s b2b, min’s Digital Media Report, CableFAX Daily, CableFAX: The Magazine, PR News and more than 25 other products and services serving the media and communications professional.
MYANMAR TIPPED TO DENY FOREIGN JOURNALISTS ACCESS TO MAY 10 ALLEGED CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM
This comes as no great surprise, but Myanmar’s military Ministry of Information has indicated that foreign journalists will not be invited to cover the upcoming May 10 constitutional referendum.
A Yangon-based journalist, citing an official from the Ministry of Information, told Mizzima News that foreign journalists and media groups will possibly be prevented from reporting on the referendum's proceedings.
"The official said foreign journalists will not be allowed to cover the May referendum. But he did not mention the reasons why and we could not ask him," the journalist told Mizzima.
A Reuters reporter, who has applied for a visa for Myanmar, apparently has had an application kept pending.
An Indian journalist in New Delhi also told Mizzima that several of his friends who applied for visas to cover the referendum have had their initiatives rejected.
"All of their applications for a visa have been denied," said the Indian journalist.
However (and this also comes as no great surprise) an official at the Information and Public Relations Department in Myanmar’s new capital, Naypyitaw, denied claims that applications have been refused.
Meanwhile, sources in Yangon said the government has ordered all Yangon-based weeklies to insert the government's campaign logo, which urges people to vote 'Yes' in support of the draft constitution, into their periodicals.
"We have been ordered to put the campaign logo either on the front page, back page or third page," a Yangon-based editor of a weekly journal said.
RASH OF ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BUSINESS DAILY START-UPS IN INDIA FOLLOWED BY HINDI LANGUAGE START-UPS
As MediaBlab has been reporting over the last few weeks, there has been a surge of launches of English-language business publications in India, with Rupert Murdoch now said to be sniffing around this sector.
Now, perhaps predictably, some local language business papers ar also being launched.
Business Standard and The Economic Times have both produced Hindi versions and the Bhaskar Group is tipped to be doing likewise.
At least that’s the speculation according Agencyfaqs, which reported, “Sanjeev Kotnala, national head, communications, Bhaskar Group, refused to divulge any details, except that “the group has firm plans to come up with a Hindi business daily”.
As per the buzz, the group’s Hindi business daily will be out by the end of July, and will have around 15 editions in the Bhaskar strong markets – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. The collective print run is expected to be around two lakh, that is, 200,000.
The Bhaskar Group’s closest competitor, Jagran Prakashan, had already announced, earlier this year, its plans to come out with a Hindi business daily in association with Network18.
Another Hindi major, Amar Ujala, too, plans to come up with a Hindi business daily by the end of 2008. Amar Ujala had started a Hindi business daily, Karobar, way back in 1994, but closed it down within five years.
Agencyfaqs reports, “Besides the above, there are other smaller players in the Hindi business daily space like Nafa Nuksan, Vyapar Kesari, published by the New Delhi based National News Service Online, and Vyaapar, published by the Janmabhoomi Group of Newspapers, which caters primarily to readers in Mumbai.
“Meanwhile, Nafa Nuksan, too, is looking to spread its wings to other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.”
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