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A year ago today on BloggingStocks

Trey Thoelcke — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Starbucks (SBUX), Southwest Airlines (LUV), JetBlue Airways (JBLU), Blackstone Group L.P (BX)

Sometimes in a period of uncertainty, a look back can provide some perspective. So here are a few highlights from BloggingStocks on March 16, 2007,a year ago today.

Business & Sports: Oil, Duke, & Notre Dame -- down: What's bigger news, who's in the March Madness or oil dropping below $57 a barrel?
Will '300' controversy result in higher ticket sales?: Yeah, because this should be the main source of contention between the U.S. and Iran.
An OPIC to counter OPEC: An Organization of Petroleum Importing Countries? Whatever became of that?
Harry Potter and the 12 million order: Will the final movie in the Harry Potter series -- er, make that two movies -- generate this kind of excitment? Will anything?
The CPI Numbers: Wall Street breathes brief sigh of relief: Wall Street could use another sigh of relief about now.
Time magazine's facelift: Magazines? Is anyone still reading those?
Microsoft's Ballmer takes more shots at Google: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has a beef with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)? Who'd have guessed?
Heineken -- the next Starbucks?: Does Heineken still want Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) as a role model?
CNBC: Blackstone prepping for mega IPO: Remember the days when private equity was king?
The Story You Didn't Read: Digital killed the TV star: TV is going digital? Seems like I heard something about that somewhere recently?
Subprime investment opportunities?: Investment banks struggling with the subprime mess? The more things change ...
JetBlue passengers grounded ... again: Last year it was JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) cancellations; this year it's Southwest (NYSE: LUV) cancellations.

A year ago today on BloggingStocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Circuit City launches year-long digital TV education campaign

Brian White — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:25:00 EST

Filed under: Products and Services, Launches, Circuit City Stores (CC)

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC), which continues to struggle with sales, profit and just about every other meaningful metric, at least is clinging to life with some public relations efforts. The second largest consumer electronics chain in the U.S. has noted many times in the past that the falling prices of flat-panel televisions contributed in large part to its negative fortunes.

Now, though, the retailer wants to become the 'answer center' for all consumer questions related to next February's switch to digital television. It will start by hosting an interactive web forum with input and help from Sound & Vision magazine. The forum will host consumer questions to address what Circuit City is billing as "a significant shift in the way television is broadcast and received."

While that is true, the actual amount of Americans expected to be impacted by the switch from analog to digital is definitely not the majority of TV consumers in this country. But, there's nothing wrong with Circuit City using this transition as a marketing tool to move more digital television sets, right? Every other competitor will be doing the same thing, although most of them will also be carrying the $50-60 converter boxes meant to allow older televisions to receive the new digital signals next year. My guess is that those products will be placed next to signage on discounted flat-panel sets and credit applications. Which would you pick?

Circuit City launches year-long digital TV education campaign originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Circuit City educating consumers on Digital TV

Brian White — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:10:00 EST

Filed under: Products and Services, Circuit City Stores (CC)

Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) has said it will be rolling out quite a few new initiatives to increase customer awareness and education on the digital television transition set to occur in 2009. This should come as no surprise, as there will inevitably be millions of U.S. consumers who will needlessly fret when the analog television signals currently being broadcast cease to exist in a little under two years.

This is where Circuit City has a chance to shine. For years (well, for a decade, really), the consumer electronics chain has been beaten by larger rival Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY), and the pressure has only become more intense in recent years.

Circuit City no doubt sells quite a few television sets, although the profit misses and generally bad quarters in the last six months or so has been largely attributed to the declining profit margins on flat-panel televisions. This is the very product Circuit City now wants to trumpet as it reaches out to consumers to offer education well ahead of the actual analog-to-digital hand-off.

Continue reading Circuit City educating consumers on Digital TV

Circuit City educating consumers on Digital TV originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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