Continue reading Is Jim Cramer 'The Grinch?' Fox seems to think so

Is Jim Cramer 'The Grinch?' Fox seems to think so originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Media World: Will Fox Business Network stay a flop?

Media World: Will Fox Business Network stay a flop? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Money Honeys

Continue reading Money Honeys: Why business TV is sexy

Money Honeys: Why business TV is sexy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Super Tuesday had a super payoff for CNN.

The Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) cable channel attracted 3.6 million viewers, beating out Fox News Channel which had 3.5 million and MSNBC -- which I prefer -- which had 2.1 million viewers between 8 and 11 p.m., according to The Los Angeles Times. Before you NPR listeners raise your Starbucks cafe au laits in triumph, remember that one night does not make a trend. Fox still rules the ratings roost overall.

This does underscore a few trends. One is that Fox is no longer the only voice of conservative thought on cable TV with the likes of Lou Dobbs on CNN and Pat Buchanan on MSNBC. Also, the far right brand of conservatism espoused by Fox may be out of favor. The presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is hardly a favorite of the far right even though he's trying really hard to mend fences ahead of the general election.

News Corp., though, is not hurting. During the second-quarter, operating income from its cable channels rose 34% to $1.24 billion as higher revenue from Fox News Channel and the other networks more than off set the startup costs at Fox Business Network and the Big Ten Network.

When Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) first announced plans to start a cable channel to compete against CNBC, I was psyched. At least, I thought, there would be an alternative to the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) channel's must yell TV format. Boy was I wrong.

In its brief existence, Fox Business Network has largely distinguished itself for being undistinguished, making some unbelievably stupid mistakes such as confusing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) with Abu Dhabi. More recently, the anchors of the show "Fox Business Happy Hour", Cody Willard and Tracy Byrnes, appeared a little too happy during a segment on of all things drunk driving. Call it an occupational hazard of hosting a show at a bar. Missing in all of this merriment was one crucial thing: breaking news.

(Note: I crossed paths with Willard and Byrnes at TheStreet.com though I never worked directly with either of them.)

Continue reading Media World: Rupert Murdoch will get the last laugh on his many critics

Media World: Rupert Murdoch will get the last laugh on his many critics originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New York Times, CNBC partner to thwart Fox Business Network originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) will begin an online technology TV show early next year.

The New York Times writes, "to be called TechTicker, the Web program will report exclusively on technology stocks, offering daily streaming-video segments and blog posts, as well as some live coverage of breaking news, said Brian Nelson, a spokesman for Yahoo." Hosts will include Henry Blodget of Silicon Alley Insider and blogger Paul Kedrosky.

The idea just may work, and it could offer some competition for the likes of CNBC and Fox Business Network. Internet consumers have become used to watching video online, particularly because of the success of YouTube. And, Yahoo! Finance and the portal's technology news section can certainly promote the new video news service by sending it a great deal of traffic.

The plan may also be a financial success. Video ads placed in online content tend to get much higher CPMs than display ads do. If some of the visitors to Yahoo! are willing to watch business and tech news presented in video instead of print, the online giant may be able to improve its ad yield.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Yahoo! to start online tech TV program originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time Warner, down 18% this year, trades, at a multiple of 18. Disney, whose shares are little changed, is trading a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17. News Corp., also little changed, is the most richly valued of the bunch with a forward p/e of 20. All three of them report earnings this week. To put it diplomatically, expectations are low. Disney is probably the most compelling value there because of strong brands and top-flight management.

Revenue at Time Warner is expected to be $1.41 billion, up 14.8% according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Earnings are expected to be 11 cents compared with 19 cents a year earlier. The stock rose today after the company announced that Jeff Bewkes would replace Richard Parsons as CEO starting next year. Don't expect any big changes at AOL, though. The strategy to turn around the Internet unit was developed by Bewkes. The company will come under pressure to divest AOL and other businesses including publishing. Earnings are due Wednesday.

Disney reports Thursday. Analysts aren't expecting much out of the Mouse House. Revenue is expected to inch up 2.2% to $8.98 billion. Earnings are expected at 41 cents versus 36 cents a year earlier. With the record-low dollar, the company's Theme Parks are dirt-cheap for foreign tourists. Earnings also should be helped by the "High School Musical" franchise and a solid performance by the ABC Television network.

There will be plenty of talk about the acquisition of Dow Jones & Co. (NYSE: DJ) on Thursday's News Corp. earnings conference call. There will also be discussion about the surging popularity of Facebook. Though so far the Fox Business Network has underwhelmed critics, Murdoch will no doubt put a positive spin on the channel's debut. Revenue for the quarter is expected to increase 9.6% to $6.48 billion. Earnings are pegged at 23 cents versus 19 cents a year earlier.

Time to buy media stocks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Media World: Fox Business Network's boneheaded mistakes

Media World: Fox Business Network's boneheaded mistakes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dow Jones pulls CNBC ads for FOX Business Network debut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Fox Busines Network debuts on October 15, it will be a fly buzzing around the elephant that is CNBC. All the talk about the looming war, battle, or clash of the titans is hype.

As BusinessWeek points out, Fox Business Network will have one-third of CNBC's reach and will also lag behind Bloomberg TV. News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has said his channel will be geared toward Main Street instead of CNBC's Wall Street focus. I don't know what that statement means. CNBC's mission is to try and convince individual investors they must act RIGHT NOW to avoid financial ruin or to gain immediate riches. That seems to speak directly to Main Street.

Murdoch, though, is a patient man. People thought he was nuts to take on Time Warner Inc.'s (NYSE: TWX) CNN, and now Fox News rules the ratings. He keeps the New York Post going because he wants to stick it to the liberal media establishment A.K.A. The New York Times. Power motivates him almost as much as money. That's why the media tycoon doesn't care if Fox Business News isn't immediately profitable or even if it takes some time to get into the black. He's trying to prove a point.

The biggest challenge facing Fox Business News is the same one facing the General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) cable channel: attracting an audience. For most people who don't read stock market blogs, business news is pretty dry stuff. That's why CNBC's anchors always yell the news written in their teleprompters to make things seem more exciting.

CNBC-Fox Business Network 'battle' is overblown originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As TV Newser points out, Fox Senior Vice President Bill Shine told staff in a memo that. "There is still a chance you will see the program at some point in the future." The Web site pointed out that the program had its fans, winning its timeslot all but once.

So, why cancel it then?

The anonymous folks on TV Newser's discussion boards certainly didn't find it amusing and suggest that its ratings plunged after an initial spike. The clip I heard on Fox's Web site, which doesn't provide any links to the show on its home page, didn't tickle my funny bone. Neither did the clip on YouTube featuring the always amusing Rush Limbaugh as president and Ann Coulter as vice president.

Jon Stewart probably didn't lose too much sleep worrying about this show.

Fret not conservatives, comedy hasn't died completely on Fox News. Those hysterical cutups Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly aren't going anywhere. I'm sure that Neil Cavuto will keep the laughs coming on the yet-to-be launched Fox Business Network.

Maybe Fox will replace 1/2 Hour News Hour with Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. Red Eye routinely wins the coveted 2 a.m. drunk/insomniac timeslot. Gutfeld is conservative, goofy and at times pretty funny. His program deserves a spot in your DVR though it too isn't on Fox News' home page.

Liberals rejoice as Fox News' 'Daily Show' clone is axed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (NYSE: DJ)'s Wall Street Journal (a.k.a., Rupert's Rag, a.k.a. The Towel) occupies a unique spot in the media firmament. As I pointed out earlier in the year, it changed its format and now looks to me like a Holiday Inn bath towel. And since News Corp (NYSE: NWS) has finally won over enough Bancrofts to take control, I have officially changing this column's name from Towel Talk to Rupert's Rag, which will continue to offer a perspective on its news and views.

AP reports that Murdoch's victory is complete. As I said in today's New York Sun, I think that a sufficient portion of the Bancrofts succumbed to Murdoch because they were unable to afford the cost of the shareholder lawsuits that would have been directed their way had they turned down his $60 a share offer. If the Bancrofts had turned down the offer, the stock would have fallen back at least to the $36 it traded at before May when Murdoch announced the offer ... and the board would have been the target of lawsuits from angry shareholders. Also highlighting the Bancroft's poverty, Murdoch was able to get enough votes by offering to pick up the $30 million tab for legal and financial advice to the Bancroft trusts.

Continue reading Rupert's Rag: Cramer loves Murdoch

Rupert's Rag: Cramer loves Murdoch originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.