Continue reading Pearson Up on Earnings News

Pearson Up on Earnings News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Playboy (PLA) is a fascinating stock. As with every trade, there are two sides to the story. One side will argue that the stock has bounced nicely off the 52-week low of $2.30, and that it has room to run as the concern continues to alter its model for making money. At some point, the bull might say, the market will become excited and buy the shares.

Interesting thesis. My argument against speculating with this idea is simple: it's Playboy. You might do well; you might not. I don't know how much plainer it can be.

Continue reading Playboy: Still a Risk

Playboy: Still a Risk originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Now if you blame the media, someone else will have to share in the losses.

Insurance company Aviva (AV) is taking the side of camera-wielding, microphone-thrusting pushy press folks with a new form of protection that will cover everything from electronics to foot-in-mouth syndrome (i.e., liability). The insurance product will be available to a variety of companies, including both online and print publishers, broadcasters, photographers and marketing and advertising companies. So, if you're responsible for the news, the ads or the process of putting them in front of eyeballs, Aviva probably has you in mind.

Continue reading New Insurance Product Protects Media

New Insurance Product Protects Media originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (PLA) published its quarterly numbers today, and while there were some positive developments, overall, I think it's safe to say that the stock is a risk that should be avoided. Unless, of course, you simply want to roll the dice and speculate.

Hey, nothing wrong with having a little fun, I suppose, although there surely are more attractive speculative bets out there. According to , Playboy lost 83 cents per share in Q4. Last year at this time, there was a loss of $4.40 per share.

Continue reading Playboy Still Not Pretty Enough for My Portfolio

Playboy Still Not Pretty Enough for My Portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The broader economy is showing signs that we can at least interpret as positive, but this doesn't extend to the media industry, it seems. Condé Nast's ad page results are out for its 2009 issues, now that the last issue of the year has been sold for each of them ... and the situation is grim.

Condé Nast lost 8,359 ad pages this year, according to a report released on Wednesday. Ad pages have plunged 30% this year. Cost cutting has been used to offset the revenue declines, with more than 450 positions removed this year and several magazines shuttered, including Gourmet and Modern Bride.

Continue reading Ad pages at Conde Nast down nearly a third

Ad pages at Conde Nast down nearly a third originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time Warner tops expectations in the third quarter

Time Warner tops expectations in the third quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eventually, Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) will just be Warner Brothers, HBO, and Turner Networks, says Gordon Crawford, managing director of The Capital Group.

Why does this guy's opinion matter? Well, his company is Time Warner's biggest shareholder. He sees the coming divestiture of AOL (to which BloggingStocks belongs) as part of a broader effort that will eventually include the sale of its print division.

Continue reading Time Warner to sell magazine unit 'eventually'

Time Warner to sell magazine unit 'eventually' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the publisher of the Harry Potter books, issued its first-quarter numbers on Thursday. Although things do seem to be improving, I can't say I was wholly enchanted by the data.

Net sales from continuing operations rose 14%. Okay, that's a good start. Double-digit rises are always respectable. But then we get to the bottom line. Scholastic, which is a related business to McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP), lost 68 cents per share from continuing operations. Now, sure, the loss was considerably less severe than the year-ago black ink of $1.13 per share. But I always get nervous when I read about losses. Can't help it.

Continue reading Scholastic's Q1 doesn't cast magic spell -- or does it?

Scholastic's Q1 doesn't cast magic spell -- or does it? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It seems that no print publication is immune from the wrenching changes in the publishing industry. Look at Reader's Digest. The company said it will likely file for a so-called prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The main reason: to pare down the heavy debt load.

Continue reading Reader's Digest: Another botched private equity deal

Reader's Digest: Another botched private equity deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is still around? I was surprised to hear that it was, according to a news article from Reuters detailing the struggling media company's second-quarter results. Unfortunately, Playboy remains a puzzle. How in the world is management going to turn the ship around?

Playboy's top line fell by 15%. The bottom line booked a loss of 26 cents per share. Expectations were for 23 cents per share to be lost. In the year-ago period, Playboy lost 10 cents per share. I think it's plainly obvious that Playboy just isn't the force it once was. Pretty sad to see this icon slowly fade into irrelevance as the digital revolution continues to devalue its historic brand equity.

Continue reading Playboy's second quarter: Not centerfold material

Playboy's second quarter: Not centerfold material originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's been some news on the Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Kindle, the company's electronic substitute for real paper books. According to this source, everything is coming along fine for the product from a statistical point of view. An estimate of Kindle sales from Citigroup Global Markets puts the number of units sold last year at 500,000. By 2010, it's said that the Kindle may lead to $1.2 billion of derivative sales. I was surprised to learn that this sales number would possibly represent 4% of Amazon's top line.

Continue reading Does Kindle make Amazon a good investment idea?

Does Kindle make Amazon a good investment idea? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On a reported basis, Playboy said it lost $0.41 per share. If you strip out charges, you get a loss of $0.15 per share. This number was a few cents better than the expectations of analysts according to this source. Be that as it may, they certainly don't meet my expectations. The adjusted loss is essentially the same as last year's number. I suppose we have to give the interim CEO Jerome Kern a chance. As you'll recall, Christie Hefner finally gave up her throne earlier in the year (thankfully).

Continue reading Playboy's Q1 needs to be airbrushed

Playboy's Q1 needs to be airbrushed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 May 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Adobe (ADBE) first quarter earnings preview

Adobe (ADBE) first quarter earnings preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The publishing industry might be in the toilet, but former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is doing just fine.

The Associated Press reports that the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signed a three-book deal with Crown Publishers that guarantees her at least $2.5 million. The first book will be a memoir of her years in the Bush Administration, followed by a book about her family, followed by a young-adult version of her life story.

Continue reading Condoleezza Rice signs a three-book deal

Condoleezza Rice signs a three-book deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Long term investments: The (bright) future of publishing

Long term investments: The (bright) future of publishing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's beloved Winnie the Pooh series will make its debut this year. David Benedictus's "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" will be in stores on October 5. Dutton Children's Books is the publisher, and executive Don Weisberg says the book will be a "huge seller for a long, long time."

To its credit, Milne's estate has carefully guarded the character -- they could have easily cashed in for millions years ago by authorizing sequel after sequel. That Mr. Benedictus was finally the one who convinced them would seem to suggest that the book will be quite good.

According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), "The troubled book industry, in need of titles that will pull readers into the stores, will get a much-needed jolt" from the title.

I somehow doubt that Winnie will be a big enough hit to provide much relief to booksellers. But he's a hard guy not to root for.

Can Pooh pull publishing out of the crapper? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our feature on Money Winners of 2008. See all 20.

They called her Caribou Barbie. Saturday Night Live lampooned her mercilessly during the presidential election. The media elite denounced her as an idiot and a right-wing loony tune. But Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not going to fade into the snow of the beautiful state she governs. In fact, she is coming to a book store near you.

Media reports indicate that the former vice presidential nominee is expected to earn $7 million to tell her life story to a ghost writer. That's not too shabby considering that former president Bill Clinton got about $11 million for his life story and he actually was the leader of the free world. Barack Obama and his former rival John McCain both have earned big money from their books, so why shouldn't Palin.

There was also some talk during the campaign about a talk show or reality show starring the woman responsible for giving Tina Fey's career a boost -- as if it really needed one -- but that seems to have gone nowhere.

Palin, though, will have the last laugh on her naysayers, including me. During her brief time in the spotlight, Palin transformed herself from an obscure politician to a cultural icon. Along the way, she infuriated many voters and charmed more than a few. The power of Palin's celebrity will entice people who may not agree with her politically to buy her book. Her devoted fans will line up at the bookstores to buy it as well. Palin's tome has the makings of a best-seller.

Continue reading Money winners of 2008: Sarah Palin, coming to a book store near you

Money winners of 2008: Sarah Palin, coming to a book store near you originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So, how will booksellers such as Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), Borders Group (NYSE: BGP), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) fare during the holiday season? It's an interesting question, one which is examined in an article at The New York Times. The piece talks about how the current recession seems to be affecting consumers and their desire to buy books. At the beginning of the article, two shoppers are browsing in a bookstore -- one buys, the other doesn't. Both have been affected by the bad economy. What are we to make of this?

I'll give you my take on things. Books, unfortunately, are simply not so glamorous these days. And I do think that booksellers are going to have a hard time this holiday season. With all the competition from video games and other media, the printed page just isn't that exciting to a lot of consumers. I don't think that books will be a top priority as the wallet continues to get squeezed and while job security remains an issue. Our attention spans have been cut so short these days, and they're only getting shorter. In an era of MTV quick-edits and PowerPoint presentations, 100,000-word diversions don't feel so diverting anymore.

Books are probably even less exciting to young people. Seriously, how many kids have books on their Christmas lists this year? They may want the latest Blu-ray cartoon from Disney (NYSE: DIS), or the latest Call of Duty game from Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), but I'm not so sure they want the latest Stephen King novel (as for me, I picked up King's latest short-story collection Just After Sunset at my local Barnes & Noble). Many kids have been introduced to the joys of reading through the Harry Potter series, but I don't think Potter will be working his magic this season. If parents do cut back this year on presents, I figure they're going to err on the side of making sure that all the non-book gifts are acquired.

Is there anything the booksellers can do about this?

Continue reading Booksellers hope people read even during a recession (BKS, AMZN, BGP)

Booksellers hope people read even during a recession (BKS, AMZN, BGP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barnes & Noble is not dead yet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Want a classic example of how the real estate slump is affecting not only the construction industry and home owners, but also states and municipalities, as well?

Consider the plight of the nation's largest city, the City of New York.

Wall Street's mortgage losses have ballooned to such a degree that some firms may pay small or no taxes for years, Bloomberg News reported. That's right: no taxes for years.

Rising tax revenues, no more

For much of the current decade, indeed for much of the 1990s as well, the city could count on rising tax revenue from Wall Street firms -- based on increased securities industry business -- as a starting point for the city's budget. Not now: the city, which derives about 20% of its revenue from Wall Street businesses, is projecting a decline in revenue from Wall Street firms -- a contraction that is expected to widen the this year's $1.5 budget deficit in fiscal 2009 to $2.3 billion next year, fiscal 2010, and then to $5.96 billion in fiscal 2011 budget deficit, Bloomberg News reported. The city's budget for fiscal 2009 is $59.1 billion.

The Wall Street recession has put the social service goals of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on hold, for the most part. Bloomberg has already asked city department and agency heads to implement a 6.4% spending cut; he will likely ask department heads to identify other cost savings of up to 3%, should revenues continue to come in below projections.

Continue reading All economics is local: Wall Street slump cuts New York City tax revenue

All economics is local: Wall Street slump cuts New York City tax revenue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.