|
|
|
Log in to manage your products and services from The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune.
Don't have an account yet?
Create an account »
Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?
Learn more »
The Daily News, which has lost circulation, is laying off roughly a dozen well-known columnists and editorial writers.
The layoffs cut across the paper. They included the longtime Daily News gossip columnist Joanna Malloy; the editorial writers Stephen McFarland and Alexander Nazaryan; and the reporters Robert Gearty and Christina Boyle. Albor Ruiz, a columnist since 1987, was laid off but he will freelance for the paper. The layoffs were first reported by Capital New York. Ken Frydman, a spokesman for the company, said “The Daily News does not comment on personnel matters.â€
Like many newspapers, the paper has suffered from major circulation declines. According to the Alliance for Audited Media, circulation for the daily paper dropped by 11 percent and circulation for the Sunday issue dropped by 2 percent in the last six months compared with the period a year ago.
THE National Geographic Channel will begin a branding campaign on Sunday to introduce its new programming strategy to viewers and advertisers.
New ads for National Geographic Channel feature characters representing series like “Doomsday Preppers,†about Americans preparing for the end of the world.
An ad for the National Geographic Channel features characters from “Wicked Tuna,†about fishermen from Gloucester, Mass.
Courteney Monroe, the channel’s chief marketing officer, said its executives had worked since 2011 to switch its programming from being four-fifths documentaries and one-fifth series to four-fifths series and one-fifth documentaries. “It’s very hard to build a big, loyal audience without recurring series,†she said.
Those series include “Wicked Tuna,†about fishermen from Gloucester, Mass., and “Doomsday Preppers,†about Americans preparing for the end of the world, both introduced last year; “Brain Games,†introduced last month; and “Ultimate Survival Alaska,†which is set to premiere on Sunday. The channel, a joint venture begun in 2001 between the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks, also recently began producing factually based dramas, like “Killing Lincoln,†which ran in February.
The final episode of the current season of “Wicked Tuna†will be shown on Sunday, followed by the first episode of “Ultimate Survival Alaska,†which Ms. Monroe said makes the evening “the ideal launch for the new brand campaign.â€
The channel’s strategy so far appears to have had mixed results: according to Nielsen, the Sunday night showings of “Wicked Tuna†during Season 1 averaged 805,000, climbing to 953,000 in Season 2 through May 5. Average viewership of Tuesday night showings of “Doomsday Preppers,†however, fell from 936,000 in Season 1 to 736,000 in the second season.
Created by the New York office of BBDO, part of the Omnicom Group, the advertising is the channel’s first new branding campaign since 2009. It includes three spots on three of the new series, each 30 and 45 seconds long. The first, based on “Doomsday Preppers,†depicts a birthday party for a little girl in an underground bunker, who receives a gas mask as a present.
The second spot features Dave Marciano, a fishing boat captain who appears on “Wicked Tuna,†anxiously awaiting a possible catch, while the third spot, promoting “Ultimate Survival Alaska,†follows two adventurers racing to catch an airplane through snowy, icy terrain.
All three ads also feature viewers immersed in the environment of each series, watching the action unfold alongside characters representing the series while dressed in sweat pants and nightclothes, and engaged in activities like brushing their teeth and eating. They are invisible to the characters.
There is also a fourth spot, in 60- and 90-second versions, showing segments of the other three. None of the spots has dialogue; each ends with the tagline, “The places we take you ... aren’t just on the map.â€
Greg Hahn, an executive creative director at BBDO New York, said the agency “knew we needed to show some original content and to bring the viewer into it, but we didn’t want to show clips, or people at home watching TV.â€
He added, “We wanted to show the emotional response of people to the programming. It’s not just about the geographic places it takes you but also the emotional places. National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Channel have a long history of taking you to exotic places, showing you new locations. We wanted to build off that, open up a new way of looking at the brand.â€
The new advertising will first appear on Sunday night on National Geographic Channel in the United States; it will also appear, starting Thursday, on the channel’s Web site and its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.
The spots will run in the future on sister channels of National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, which offers wildlife and natural history programming, and Nat Geo Mundo, a Spanish-language channel. They will also run later on National Geographic channels outside the United States, in 170 countries.
Fueled by the strength of its cable channels and retransmission fees at Fox Broadcasting, News Corporation reported a 4 percent increase in operating income, to $1.36 billion, in the three months that ended March 31.
Net income at News Corporation climbed to $2.85 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $937 million, or 38 cents a share, in the same period last year, the company reported on Wednesday. Revenue increased by 14 percent, to $9.54 billion, largely on the strength of an 11 percent increase from domestic television affiliates and a 2 percent increase in advertising revenue at its cable channels, which include FX and Fox News.
News Corporation is expected to complete a split of its entertainment assets and publishing divisions into two publicly traded companies by the end of its fiscal year this summer. But the company’s third-quarter results already read as if they came from two distinct companies, with the publishing assets dragging on overall profits.
That division, which includes The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and HarperCollins, had a $45 million decrease in operating income compared with the same period a year ago, largely because of weakness at the company’s Australian newspapers. The company’s cable channels reported an increase of 17 percent, or $147 million, in operating income, to $993 million.
FX, with original series like “The Americans,†about Russian spies hiding in plain sight in suburban America, and National Geographic both reported double-digit growth in advertising revenue.
Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, said in a statement that the company was on track to complete the split. “I am more confidant than ever of the long-term value the separation will unlock for the company and its shareholders,†Mr. Murdoch said.
Earnings reflected $25 million in costs related to the proposed separation, which will create two companies. One will be called 21st Century Fox and will include Fox Broadcasting, FX and the Hollywood studio; the other, smaller company will retain the name News Corporation and will include newspapers and a handful of Australian pay television assets.
The company spent $42 million on costs related to the closure of The News of the World, the British tabloid that was shuttered nearly two years ago after reports emerged that reporters had hacked into the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl. News Corporation does not break out results for individual papers, but said the Sunday edition of The Sun, introduced in Britain after News of the World ceased publication, represented a bright spot.
The entertainment company, 21st Century Fox, will not be without its own challenges. Operating income increased by 15 percent at Fox Broadcasting to $196 million, in large part because the fees cable and satellite operators pay to carry the station nearly doubled. But the network reported lower national and local advertising attributable to declines at “American Idol,†now in its 12th season.
On Monday, Fox will hold a session for advertisers known as an upfront, at which it will introduce its new fall TV series. “It’s not been a great year for the broadcast business overall,†said Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer at News Corporation.
In the third quarter, the company’s movie studio reported $289 million in operating income, up from $272 million last year, mostly because of the success of “Life of Pi."
News Corporation pointed to a decline in quarterly advertising revenues at Fox News, saying that they suffered in comparison to last year because there were no presidential primaries this time to help attract advertisers. Still, Mr. Carey said: “Fox News has been a success story second to none.â€
The coming Fox Sports 1 cable sports channel has garnered a disproportionate amount of attention from Wall Street analysts who predict the channel may eventually compete with the Disney juggernaut, ESPN. Mr. Carey said sports were the “driving force†behind the company’s channels business, but he also cautioned that sports should not “cloud the importance†of Fox News, FX and other channels.
Fueled by the strength of its cable channels and retransmission fees at Fox Broadcasting, News Corporation reported a 4 percent increase in operating income, to $1.36 billion, in the three months that ended March 31.
Net income at News Corporation climbed to $2.85 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $937 million, or 38 cents a share, in the same period last year, the company reported on Wednesday. Revenue increased by 14 percent, to $9.54 billion, largely on the strength of an 11 percent increase from domestic television affiliates and a 2 percent increase in advertising revenue at its cable channels, which include FX and Fox News.
News Corporation is expected to complete a split of its entertainment assets and publishing divisions into two publicly traded companies by the end of its fiscal year this summer. But the company’s third-quarter results already read as if they came from two distinct companies, with the publishing assets dragging on overall profits.
That division, which includes The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and HarperCollins, had a $45 million decrease in operating income compared with the same period a year ago, largely because of weakness at the company’s Australian newspapers. The company’s cable channels reported an increase of 17 percent, or $147 million, in operating income, to $993 million.
FX, with original series like “The Americans,†about Russian spies hiding in plain sight in suburban America, and National Geographic both reported double-digit growth in advertising revenue.
Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, said in a statement that the company was on track to complete the split. “I am more confidant than ever of the long-term value the separation will unlock for the company and its shareholders,†Mr. Murdoch said.
Earnings reflected $25 million in costs related to the proposed separation, which will create two companies. One will be called 21st Century Fox and will include Fox Broadcasting, FX and the Hollywood studio; the other, smaller company will retain the name News Corporation and will include newspapers and a handful of Australian pay television assets.
The company spent $42 million on costs related to the closure of The News of the World, the British tabloid that was shuttered nearly two years ago after reports emerged that reporters had hacked into the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl. News Corporation does not break out results for individual papers, but said the Sunday edition of The Sun, introduced in Britain after News of the World ceased publication, represented a bright spot.
The entertainment company, 21st Century Fox, will not be without its own challenges. Operating income increased by 15 percent at Fox Broadcasting to $196 million, in large part because the fees cable and satellite operators pay to carry the station nearly doubled. But the network reported lower national and local advertising attributable to declines at “American Idol,†now in its 12th season.
On Monday, Fox will hold a session for advertisers known as an upfront, at which it will introduce its new fall TV series. “It’s not been a great year for the broadcast business overall,†said Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer at News Corporation.
In the third quarter, the company’s movie studio reported $289 million in operating income, up from $272 million last year, mostly because of the success of “Life of Pi."
News Corporation pointed to a decline in quarterly advertising revenues at Fox News, saying that they suffered in comparison to last year because there were no presidential primaries this time to help attract advertisers. Still, Mr. Carey said: “Fox News has been a success story second to none.â€
The coming Fox Sports 1 cable sports channel has garnered a disproportionate amount of attention from Wall Street analysts who predict the channel may eventually compete with the Disney juggernaut, ESPN. Mr. Carey said sports were the “driving force†behind the company’s channels business, but he also cautioned that sports should not “cloud the importance†of Fox News, FX and other channels.
Fueled by the strength of its cable channels and retransmission fees at Fox Broadcasting, News Corporation reported a 4 percent increase in operating income, to $1.36 billion, in the three months that ended March 31.
Net income at News Corporation climbed to $2.85 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $937 million, or 38 cents a share, in the same period last year, the company reported on Wednesday. Revenue increased by 14 percent, to $9.54 billion, largely on the strength of an 11 percent increase from domestic television affiliates and a 2 percent increase in advertising revenue at its cable channels, which include FX and Fox News.
News Corporation is expected to complete a split of its entertainment assets and publishing divisions into two publicly traded companies by the end of its fiscal year this summer. But the company’s third-quarter results already read as if they came from two distinct companies, with the publishing assets dragging on overall profits.
That division, which includes The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and HarperCollins, had a $45 million decrease in operating income compared with the same period a year ago, largely because of weakness at the company’s Australian newspapers. The company’s cable channels reported an increase of 17 percent, or $147 million, in operating income, to $993 million.
FX, with original series like “The Americans,†about Russian spies hiding in plain sight in suburban America, and National Geographic both reported double-digit growth in advertising revenue.
Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, said in a statement that the company was on track to complete the split. “I am more confidant than ever of the long-term value the separation will unlock for the company and its shareholders,†Mr. Murdoch said.
Earnings reflected $25 million in costs related to the proposed separation, which will create two companies. One will be called 21st Century Fox and will include Fox Broadcasting, FX and the Hollywood studio; the other, smaller company will retain the name News Corporation and will include newspapers and a handful of Australian pay television assets.
The company spent $42 million on costs related to the closure of The News of the World, the British tabloid that was shuttered nearly two years ago after reports emerged that reporters had hacked into the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl. News Corporation does not break out results for individual papers, but said the Sunday edition of The Sun, introduced in Britain after News of the World ceased publication, represented a bright spot.
The entertainment company, 21st Century Fox, will not be without its own challenges. Operating income increased by 15 percent at Fox Broadcasting to $196 million, in large part because the fees cable and satellite operators pay to carry the station nearly doubled. But the network reported lower national and local advertising attributable to declines at “American Idol,†now in its 12th season.
On Monday, Fox will hold a session for advertisers known as an upfront, at which it will introduce its new fall TV series. “It’s not been a great year for the broadcast business overall,†said Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer at News Corporation.
In the third quarter, the company’s movie studio reported $289 million in operating income, up from $272 million last year, mostly because of the success of “Life of Pi."
News Corporation pointed to a decline in quarterly advertising revenues at Fox News, saying that they suffered in comparison to last year because there were no presidential primaries this time to help attract advertisers. Still, Mr. Carey said: “Fox News has been a success story second to none.â€
The coming Fox Sports 1 cable sports channel has garnered a disproportionate amount of attention from Wall Street analysts who predict the channel may eventually compete with the Disney juggernaut, ESPN. Mr. Carey said sports were the “driving force†behind the company’s channels business, but he also cautioned that sports should not “cloud the importance†of Fox News, FX and other channels.
LOS ANGELES -- Harry Potter transformed Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Florida when he arrived in 2010. Now Universal hopes the boy wizard can shower its aging adjacent park with some of the same magic.
Universal on Monday confirmed what theme park bloggers have long been reporting: One of the marquee spots in J.K. Rowling’s fiction and the subsequent films -- Diagon Alley, a wizarding shopping district hidden behind London’s Leaky Cauldron pub -- will open at Universal Studios Florida in 2014.
Universal gave few details except to say that visitors will be able to move between the Wizarding World sections of the two abutting parks by train (the Hogwarts Express, obviously) and that Diagon Alley will include themed shops, a restaurant and a ride set inside Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
To make room for the expansion, Universal Studios Florida last year closed its signature “Jaws†boat ride. The studios property still attracts more than six million visitors a year, but it has suffered until recently from outdated rides built around films like “Twister,†“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial†and “Terminator 2.â€
When Comcast took control of NBCUniversal in early 2011 from General Electric, Universal’s parks started investing in much-needed new rides. Universal Studios Florida, for instance, recently opened attractions based on the “Transformers†movie franchise and “Despicable Me.â€
But Harry Potter, the theme park rights to which are owned by Warner Brothers, is Universal’s big draw. Attendance at Islands of Adventure soared 30 percent in 2011, to about 7.7 million visitors, compared with 2010. Wizarding World areas are now being added to Universal parks in California and Japan.
AOL, the giant online portal turned media company, on Wednesday reported first-quarter revenue of $538 million, up 2 percent from the same quarter a year earlier.
The company attributed the growth largely to increasing advertising revenue. It said this revenue grew across all lines, but that combined third-party network and AOL Properties display ads were particularly strong, with revenue increasing 9 percent compared with a year earlier.
Total ad revenue grew to $359 million, from $330 million. The company also reported a 9 percent increase in search revenue, to $98 million, despite the fact that AOL subscriptions in the United States declined by 15 percent.
The company said that it had slowed the decline of subscription revenue, but it was still down 9 percent from last year, to $166 million.
AOL’s growth lagged behind the rest of the digital market. Over all, digital ad spending in the United States grew by 14.8 percent, to $9.64 billion, in the first quarter of 2013, according to eMarketer. For the full year 2013, this growth is expected to reach 14 percent, eMarketer estimates.
Tuesday night’s special election in South Carolina’s First Congressional District was won by the Republican Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor whose political career was imperiled in 2009 after he disclosed an extramarital affair.
As we almost always say about special elections, the race probably does not tell us very much about the national political landscape. However, it does give us another data point on how voters react to sex scandals.
It would be wrong to conclude that voters did not punish Mr. Sanford at all for his extramarital affair. In fact, a reasonable number of voters did appear to hold it against him. Last November, Mitt Romney won South Carolina’s First District by 18 percentage points. Since Mr. Romney lost the election to Barack Obama by roughly four percentage points nationwide, that means the First District is about 22 percentage points more Republican than the country as a whole.
Mr. Sanford defeated his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, by nine percentage points instead - so one quick-and-dirty estimate is that Mr. Sanford’s personal history cost him a net of 13 percentage points. It just was not enough to flip the election result in such a conservative district.
As it happens, this 13-percentage-point penalty almost exactly matches an academic analysis on how much voters hold sex scandals against candidates. A 2011 paper by Nicholas Chad Long of St. Edward’s University, which examined United States senators running for re-election from 1974 to 2008, estimated that scandals involving immoral behavior lowered the share of the vote going to the incumbent by 6.5 percentage points.
Since reducing the incumbent’s vote share necessarily increases the challenger’s vote share, that means the net effect on the margin between the candidates is twice that amount, or 13 percentage points - just as we estimated it might have been for Mr. Sanford.
This close match is a coincidence at least in part, of course. Mr. Long’s estimate reflects an average over all sex scandals in his database, but not all scandals are created equal. Mr. Sanford’s, for instance, arguably involved not only infidelity but also dereliction of duty, since he was absent from South Carolina for several days in 2009 while visiting his mistress in Argentina.
Another complication is that, other things being equal, a former governor like Mr. Sanford is overqualified to run for a House seat. Other things certainly were not equal in this case, of course - but the scandal did not rob Mr. Sanford of his political moxie.
All those qualifications aside, Mr. Long’s research would have provided a pretty good benchmark for this race - a much better one than the polls did. (I cautioned on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that the polling is often fairly poor in House races - and suggested that Mr. Sanford should probably be considered the favorite because the First Congressional District votes so strongly Republican as a default.)
Public Policy Polling had Mr. Sanford only one percentage point ahead in a poll earlier this week - and they had Ms. Colbert Busch up by nine percentage points in a poll two weeks ago. Voters in South Carolina may not like sex scandals - but they appear to like Democrats even less.