Senator Barack Obama in Fairless Hills, PA on March 11:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=451gIv3SKd0Speech Highlights:
"You know, the best-run companies, I notice, are the ones that are not afraid of union drives, because they know that if they've got a cooperative workforce that feels it's got a stake in the company's success, that that company will end up over the long term being more successful and more profitable...
The Employee Free Choice Act, I'm a huge supporter of, and I intend to sign it when I'm President of the United States of America...
One of the things I think you're seeing in the union movement is a greater maturity and understanding that if the company doesn't make a profit, it doesn't matter what your contract says, they're gonna shut down. Right? So the union has to constantly be working with management to figure out how do we make the company more profitable, how do we make it more efficient, how do we innovate, how do we incorporate new technologies. And if you've got that attitude, then I trust the American workforce. I believe we can compete with anybody in the world...
What we do have to be sure of is that our strategy for long-term economic growth is not just to drive down wages, eliminate benefits, and boost corporate profits at the expense of workers. That's not a recipe for long term economic growth. A strategy for long-term economic growth is making sure that workers, alongside management, are continually adding value, and getting more skills, getting better training, creating new, innovative technologies; that's gonna be the recipe for long-term success. And my job as President is going to be to encourage that partnership and to continually invest in workers."
CtW CONNECT is the online newsletter of Change to Win, with news, workers' voices, and actions on the movement to unite together and restore the American Dream.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Barack Obama On Unions
Sorry, but I'd blather not
Joining in Tribune Co. bashing won't solve the real problem
Boy, is it fun to hate Tribune Co. and its new owner these days.
But let me be the first at the Sun-Times to submit that maybe, just maybe, it's all a trifle over the top -- our (meaning all things Sun-Times) endless bashing of anything having to do with ''the Tower,'' the Cubs' sale, Wrigley Field improvements, naming rights for anything located anywhere near Addison and Clark, Sam Zell, anybody who might buy the Cubs or my favorite hoo-ha creation of scorn, ''Tribsters.''
It's good to have enemies.
But there are probably as many workers at our competitor's newspaper who are just as worried about the future of their journalistic enterprise -- and their jobs -- as there are here at Planet Sun-Times.
Maybe we Sun-Timers wouldn't be so sensitive if our previous owner hadn't just gone off to prison for 6½ years for robbing us blind.
Conrad Black's kind of stealing and cruelty tends to focus a worker's attention.
But on what?
Who is the real enemy?
Is it somebody like, for instance, Tribune executive Crane Kenney?
The guy gets his name ridiculed so much that it's reasonable to ask if critics would be so ferociously demeaning with, say, a Lamar Jackson or a Jose Perez or a Ming Lee.
We are 100 percent correct to detest the concept of public taxes going to help the rebuilding of Wrigley or anything else involved with the Cubs that will mean profit for anyone involved in the club's sale, promotion or game distribution.
We are consumers, not sheep.
But Sam Zell is a money guy.
Which is why he ended up with the Cubs and the newspaper empire.
Criticizing Zell for being mercenary is like criticizing a catfish for having slime.
It's not Zell's fault his last name doesn't rhyme with heck.
Yet in this 100th year of the Cubs' futility, what we all are being distracted by is the capitalistic world we live in.
We forget that conscience-free profiteers such as Zell see their chances in America and, by God, they take 'em.
As Ted Turner once put it, ''That's the American way -- stopped only by the Justice Department.''
This Cubbie storm really is about powerlessness. Our powerlessness.
It's about the way regular people, who love our city's sports for the competition and entertainment, sense always that people like Big Jim Thompson and Rod Blagojevich and Richard Daley and all the gazillionaire wheeler-dealers in the private sector will take us for everything we've got because we are too busy working and paying bills and getting by to be overseers of their influence-peddling and money-grubbing.
Why doesn't Wrigley Co. chairman Bill Wrigley Jr. simply get in a back room with Zell, arm-wrestle a bit and pay a reasonable price to have ''Wrigley'' be the name of the Cubs' park forever?
Why doesn't the 66-year-old Zell realize you can't take it with you and that leaving a great legacy for Chicago might make St. Peter happier than a whomping pile of gold?
You know why.
Because this is what these creatures do.
This is how our beloved market works.
To rail against it when it doesn't suit us, when it affects our fantasy vision of angels in the outfield, seems somehow twisted.
I love the struggle against fat cats, but I wonder about the insight, the technique.
No matter what critics say, no matter how angry we get, more than 3 million paying people will stream into that little ballpark this season to cheer for the Cubs.
The current Newsweek deplores Zell's desire to sell naming rights to Wrigley Field, saying of the new owner, ''Whatta bum.''
You can almost hear Zell going, ''Ow!''
Right.
What I would love to see is not constant whining after the fact, but an honest-to-God fan uprising that tells these moguls they can mess with a lot of things, but not the teams we love.
Maybe the start of that would come with realizing major-league owners are already members of an untouchable monopoly -- a 32-team, competition-free empire exempt from certain U.S. antitrust laws.
And that no matter how much we scream, we are not.
That would be a start.
Zell urges rapid change
Tribune chairman may consider sale of some assets
|Baltimore Sun reporter
Sam Zell addresses employees of The Baltimore Sun. (Sun photo by Monica Lopossay / March 13, 2008)
A difficult economy and a steeper-than-expected decline in revenue could prompt the new leadership of Tribune Co. to re-evaluate its plan to keep all of the media giant's assets, Tribune chief executive Sam Zell said yesterday.Zell, the motorcycle-riding real estate mogul who took control of Tribune in an $8.2 billion sale in December, has previously said he intended to keep Tribune's core newspapers. Besides The Sun, those papers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday and smaller papers in Florida, Virginia and Connecticut.
Zell didn't rule out the possibility of asset sales. Asked if he would consider selling The Sun, Zell responded, "I don't know. The goal was to keep all of the assets together." But those goals were set with the expectation that revenue would be down 2 percent to 3 percent year over year, he said, not the 16 percent to 18 percent decline Tribune newspapers are experiencing.
"If that trend continues, we may have to re-evaluate a lot of our decisions," Zell told the crowded meeting.
Zell also said he was evaluating what to do with The Sun's real estate holdings, including its headquarters, Port Covington printing plant and leased space for its Web operations. He said he expects to make changes, though he said he had no timetable.
"That land on the bay is worth a lot," he said, referring to the printing plant, which sits on nearly 60 acres near the Middle Branch.
Zell, visiting The Sun for the first time yesterday, walked into a meeting with employees at Calvert Street headquarters as "Born to be Wild" blared from speakers. He painted a dire picture of a media giant faced with declining ad revenue, falling readership and stiff online competition.
"The news business is something worse than horrible," Zell said. "If that's the future, we don't have much of a future."
The answer, Zell said yesterday, repeating the message he's delivered at a series of visits to various Tribune properties, is to embrace change and to do it fast.
"This is a company that really needs a lot of change," Zell said. "We have to move into a more realistic era."
Zell said he is committed to winning and is wasting no time trying to change a top-down culture in which decisions - such as budgeting - have been made in corporate offices rather than in individual business units.
Zell appeared with Randy Michaels, whom Zell put in charge of Tribune's broadcast, Internet operations and a group of newspapers including The Sun.
The new executives devoted much of their talk to the notion that newspapers must embrace change and react nimbly to the evolving needs of readers and advertisers.
The first priority, he said, will be to increase revenue through new avenues such as a new free daily tabloid called b for young adults and accompanying Web site that The Baltimore Sun Media Group will launch next month.
Zell, appearing in his trademark open-collar shirt and sport jacket, repeatedly criticized past management of Tribune Co. as bureaucratic, unwieldy and overly centralized. He listed the top executives he has shed, including the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and head of human resources, and noted his new hires.
The most recent is Lee Abrams, the chief creative officer at XM Satellite Radio credited with inventing the "album rock" FM radio format, as Tribune's first chief innovation officer.
"This is not an easy task," Zell said. "The challenge is there, but the opportunity is there. We have extraordinary brand names. But we haven't used them to our advantage."
- Sam Zell, Tribune Company chairman and CEO, talks about the possibility of a sale of The Baltimore Sun Video
Thursday, March 13, 2008
WGN Weatherman flips out - "I Own This Place"
WGN Morning News sports anchor Pat Tomasulo did a funny bit about the new ownership deal involving Sam Zell and the Tribune Co. But leave it to everyone's favorite weatherman Tom Freakin' Skilling to steal the show. "Do you know who I am!?"
Go to :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgiZvE7iWhI&eurl=
http://www.edpadgett.com/blog/blog.html
to see this hilarious video on U-Tube or see below.
BD
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Laid-off Editor Asks Stanford To Save Journalism
LA Observed
Wes Hughes, a former editor at various levels of the Los Angeles Times, was a city editor and columnist at the San Bernardino Sun until last week's layoffs. In the aftermath, he wrote a letter to the president of Stanford — cc'd to Sam Zell, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Dean Singleton, Associated Press, Poynter Institute and the Pugh Trust — calling on the university to step in and save journalism.
President John Hennessy
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305Dear President Hennessy:
I am writing to ask a favor that is important to the survival of American democracy. The issue is largely couched in the words “free press” and in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
My first thought was to contact the head of a large public institution but I thought better of it. This crisis is better left in the private sector with a proud and respected university such as Stanford.
I’m sure it hasn’t escaped you that the newspaper industry is imploding as I write this. The Los Angeles Times for example has lost a full one-third of its circulation and its news staff has been reduced accordingly. The same is true at practically every other newspaper in the United States and the television news business isn’t far behind.
Sam Zell bought the Tribune Company for a pittance, leveraging the employees’ stock holdings to swing the deal and they threw in the once-proud L.A. Times as a sweetener.
Across the country, the barbarians are at the gates of the New York Times and if that great daily should fall, I fear for the future of America.
I know something of this situation because I’ve been a newsman for almost six decades except for some military service and a couple of other short breaks. I’ve worked for many newspapers, including the L.A. Times. I retired from there in 1992 and until yesterday I was a columnist and blogger for a MediaNews publication.
My request is that Stanford take on the problem of how to preserve public and investigative journalism with the same seriousness academia addressed global warming, because it is that desperate. Put some of Stanford’s best minds to work on it, create a think tank, talk to everybody but be wary when you talk to publishers and top editors because they are at a loss as to what to do and have succumbed to herd panic.
This isn’t a plea to save any particular medium. If newspapers and broadcast journalism have to go the way of the dodo, so be it but help the essence — the pure journalism — survive. Even higher education may be at risk. Self-preservation can be a good motivator.
Sincerely.
Wesley G. Hughes
His last, unpublished column:
Planet Wes
By Wesley G. HughesWhen I come upon an article about sickle cell anemia, my mind conjures up memories of an old friend, long dead. In my eyes, Byron Robertson was a hero, not in an exaggerated way of heroism but day-to-day heroism that few of us can match.
Byron didn't have sickle cell disease but he carried the trait. So did his wife Edna. That's why their son Lamont inherited it. If either parent had been free of the trait, little Lamont would have escaped its grip.The mumps are not usually a killer but when Lamont caught them, it was a death sentence.
It was a terrible time for Byron and Edna as Lamont clung tenuously to life. I was at the hospital with Byron when he got the word that Lamont had lost his fight, real and symbolic, against death, the sickle wielder.
Byron and I were close and he wanted me nearby at that time. He knew I had lost a child and he felt I could understand his and Edna's grief. I don’t know if that is true. Each person's grief is his or her own. I only know that mine was absolutely the worst thing I had ever endured. And Byron was devastated and dazed by his loss.
The couple's marriage didn't survive either. That seems to be common when a child is lost. My first marriage failed after the death of my daughter. I climbed inside a bottle for a couple of years.
Byron buried himself in work and “the movement.”
Perhaps by now you have figured out that Byron was black? It's only important to give context to this story.
He grew up in the middle of the black ghetto in Oakland, about the blackest place in the country at that time, not just in skin color but in the souls and dreams of its people. Byron grew up and associated with a group of individuals whose names were scary to a lot of people in those days — all the way to the highest offices in Washington — but names barely remembered today: Huey Newton and Bobby Seale among them.
The Black Panther Party may ring a bell.
Byron wanted to write but opportunities were scarce in the 1960s and '70s for black people, especially young black men. There were few black people in newsrooms.
Any work for black men was hard to find. Byron landed a job on the green chain in a sawmill in Weed. That's where George and Lennie were coming from when John Steinbeck set them down in the Salinas Valley in “Of Mice and Men.”
Steinbeck could have mined Weed for drama. The green chain is the most dangerous job in a sawmill. That's where the big blade makes its first rips into the huge timbers trucked in from the mountains. An unseen spike or some other chunk of metal can shatter the blade and send its pieces flying like shrapnel. Driving spikes into trees is a trick of the radical Earth Liberation Front in its efforts to stop logging.
Byron labored on the green chain — it's hard, heavy work as well as dangerous — and at night he wrote articles and submitted them to the newspaper. It finally won him an interview and job at the Record-Searchlight in Redding. He was assigned to cover the copshop, the toughest job for a black man in any newsroom. There was a built-in bias. Some of it was even felt in the newsroom.
He took on the job and covered it straight.The slings and arrows of racism hurt but eventually he won almost everyone's respect.
That's were he was working when Lamont died.
He'd always been driven by a desire to fight racism. After he lost his son, he spent almost every weekend in Oakland chronicling the Black Panthers. It scared the hell out of police up and down the Sacramento Valley.
But his work caught the attention of bigger newspapers and he was hired by the Sacramento Bee. He told me that he even encountered racism from some of the staffers and editors there.
He stood up under the pressure but it took its toll. High blood pressure destroyed his kidneys and damaged his heart and vision. He went into dialysis three times a week at one of the major hospitals in Sacramento. It kept him alive until he received a kidney transplant and he continued his work in the movement.
He was feeling pretty good for a while but suddenly his body rejected the implanted kidney and it was removed. He refused to ask for another. He said the pain that came with the rejection was too much to risk again. If you've ever felt a kidney punch, you'll have just a bit of an idea what he meant.
So it was back to work and back to dialysis.
The union at the Bee went on strike. It was long and drawn out and it finally failed as member after member gave up and slipped back to work. Byron of the great ethics who needed the medical coverage probably more than anyone else working there was the only one who refused to give up.
He took an African name, Ndugu Chui.
I always thought it was his pride that killed him, although dialysis eventually drains you of everything. Even in his wheelchair he had great dignity and heart.
Today, I stumbled across an article about promising new research on sickle cell disease and it triggered my memories of Byron.
I wondered what he would think if he could see the world today. I know he would be disappointed that innercity black people are sunk in a morass of despair, crime and failure. He wanted black people to find their rightful place in society.
And I wonder what he would think to see a young, well educated black man on the verge of winning a major party's nomination for the presidency of the United States and doing it with the support of millions of white men and women. I hope he would be pleased.
He was just a day-to-day hero. But in hindsight, his feats look giant.
What Do You Get For $ 5000?
The Spitzer story was arguably the biggest scoop in a year at The New York Times, and was certainly the biggest story of Joe Sexton’s reign as editor of the Metro section.
Good for him, not so good for Eliot.
As for me, I just can't get past the $ 5,000 a pop. I just can't wrap my brain around it. What sexual act is so wild, so out there, so perverse, that you have to pony up 5 grand to experience? Would I even want to? At the very least, I think she'd need to come by and paint my house.
BD
Note:
Spitzer To Resign:
By Mark Lacter • Bio • Email
LA Observed
It’s happening today and takes effect Monday. Lt. Gov. Paterson will be sworn in as governor shortly afterward, becoming the first African-American to hold that post in NY. (ABC News) Meanwhile, the WSJ reports that his legal team is already preparing a defense. They say that the guy did not violate federal money-laundering or structuring laws because he didn't hide the transactions, which were in his name and from his bank accounts. His lead lawyer, Michele Hirshman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, is said to be in negotiations with the U.S. Attorney's office.
Sam Zell Urges Creativity In Tribune Newsrooms
Zell not only wants to cut bureaucracy, but is also attempting to enforce quicker decision-making and more collaboration among newspapers, TV, and the Internet.
Some of his employees are criticizing Zell for swearing in his speeches as well as failing to clarify his goals.
"We see how newsrooms are shrinking," said Julie Cart, 25-year metro reporter at the Los Angeles Times. "Zell makes a lot of noise but he hasn't articulated the new model other than saying we're doing it wrong.''
Zell's defense is that he wants to create a sense of urgency, especially since Tribune's debt increased in December when Zell took the company private.
Source: Bloomberg
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
.A memo from Lee Abrams, the newly appointed "innovation officer" of the Tribune Company
He soon asserts: "On a very personal level, it is important to me that I help Tribune fight 'junk culture'. Smart re-invention that enlightens. Websites can be Disneyland for the mind; TV stations (especially news) can put the Kent Brockman cliché to rest and create a visual experience that intoxicates with brilliance and freshness; And Newspapers! We owe it to our culture to make sure they thrive...We can make America smarter. Not more elite . . . just smarter."
Reading this in context doesn't help, but here's the entire memo:
Please forgive this rambling introduction letter, but I am ecstatic with no-bullshit excitement and pride in joining The Tribune Company.While my background is in steeped in "Rock n Roll", I strongly believe that News and Information is the NEW Rock n Roll. Imagine it's 1952. Music has existed for centuries and part of the fabric of our culture. While music was a hotbed of activity in the Black community, in mainstream America we were in a blasé era of Mitch Miller and Patty Page. Then-Rock n Roll! It had a street level connection to the Post War American Spirit.
Tapped into the pulse of the American way of thinking. It was based on: imagination, looking FORWARD, respecting but not praying to the musical playbook, moved fast...met the rhythm of America, worked at innovating-it was a mission to come up with the next cool thing, revolutionized the 'look' of people, etc... Now fast forward to 2008, News and Information has been around since the dawn of Man, but it's a lot like where music was in 1952: Poised for a dynamic breakthrough that re-invest the media. The NEW Rock n Roll isn't about Elvis or James Dean, but it IS about re-inventing media with the exact same moxie that the fathers of Rock n Roll had.
The Tribune has the choice of doing to News/Information/Entertainment what Rock n Roll did to music...to be the Ray Charles, Dylan's, Beatles and U2's of the Information age...or have someone else figure it out, or worse, let these American institutions disappear into irrelevancy. I think Rock n Roll is the best choice. America needs a heartbeat, and we can deliver that on 21st Century terms. Rock n Roll musically is behind us. NEWS & INFORMATION IS THE NEW ROCK N ROLL
One thing that drives me nuts is Pop Culture's evil cousin that I call Junk Culture. Terrorists don't scare me...a dumb America is frightening. On a very personal level, it is important to me that I help Tribune fight 'junk culture'. Smart re-invention that enlightens. Websites can be Disneyland for the mind; TV stations (especially news) can put the Kent Brockman cliché to rest and create a visual experience that intoxicates with brilliance and freshness; And Newspapers! We owe it to our culture to make sure they thrive...We can make America smarter. Not more elite...just smarter.
I realize I have a history in radio, but that's behind me, nonetheless there's a great radio analogy. In 1954 Radio was proclaimed dead. In fact, you can take stories from back then about radio's death and substitute the word newspaper and you have 99% of the articles written today suggesting Newspapers impending death. Well, a couple of guys threw out the Arthur Godfrey play book invented Top 40 Radio.
Guess what. Radio went into a NEW golden age...bigger than ever...the soundtrack of the streets. TV? It got bigger and bigger. My point: Yes, the Internet is huge competition, but there's NO reason we can't create the equivalent of Top 40...Not a hyper teen thing. But something that has the same dramatic impact across all demographics and lifestyles. It's doable.
Soul. I hope I can bring that out in us. Soul is something that big companies rarely have. And having it not only improvers the spirit, but it's a competitive advantage. Most media companies are soul-less. If we have Soul, we have a dramatic intangible advantage. Historically, the great companies had Soul. In the modern era, they do not. You know the ones that do. Those companies have FANS not just users.
Art. How unfashionable in today's bottom line World. But we need to be artists. Media Artists. A great artist delivers something that lasts and touches people. If we approach EVERYTHING from mail delivery in the building to breaking stories with an artist Point of View, we will create lasting change. Artists create Quality. Quality lasts. Art enriches lives. We can/will re-define the art of brilliant media.
The economics. I am an economic dunce. My old company would give me free vacation days during budget season so I'd stay out of the process. I know the "buzz" is cutbacks, fear, paranoia etc...Hey---that's part of the reality for survival. But I hope to encourage revenue growth in a different way. Simply put-If Tribune properties turn users into fans and we make intelligent moves to significantly (and dramatically) increase circulation and viewership, the revenue WILL skyrocket. That I know.
But I've also witnessed creative people being beaten up by the financial realities to the point where it's taken their eye off the future and are operating under fear and nostalgia. How about channeling the fear into writing the future. Everyone will win...emotionally, creatively and economically.
Speaking of intelligent moves, that's what change is all about. Intelligent.
Whoever buys Wrigley Field would be foolish to tear down the Ivy...There's Ivy at Tribune media properties. But then again, there's opportunity. For all of you Baseball historians, we need some Bill Veeck magic (Check the archives) in the Company. He's the guy that put up the Ivy in the first place...and created thousands of innovations that helped take "Baseball is dead. its an NFL World" to record attendance. Eccentric All The Way to the Bank.
If we can morph the Soul of Dylan...with the innovation of Apple and the eccentric-all-the-way-to-the-bank of Bill Veeck, the WORLD will be a better place. WE have that opportunity.
PASSION, CHARACTER AND MUSCLE: Passion is just that. Like Soul and Art-intangibles that Joe Media Executive doesn't "get", but are secret weapons in the mission of enlightening people with our content. Character is the need to LIVE outside the envelope (cliché-sorry). And Muscle is what we have. This company is bad ass big -- channeled right, that muscle can change the world!
Creative Batting Average. I hope to bat 400. That's where of every 100 ideas I feed you, 40 are usable. But MORE importantly, I hope to raise YOUR creative batting average, with the goal being a COMPANY batting average that is SO far above the competition, that the Tribune is THE Media All Star that is admired, loved and deeply respected, not for it's history, but for the effects the high batting average has on Today's fan, advertiser and the American street.
Average sucks. Best to be brilliantly good, or SO bad, it's engaging. It's that evil zone of average that American Media is stuck in. WE MUST not accept average. Fight it! It's gotten to be accepted that average is fine. No it's not...it sucks!
Theater of the Mind. We have to play there. We gotta deliver the magic that gets in people's heads. As a kid I'd have dreams about comic characters that I'd read in the Tribune. We need to have such an impact on the imagination that people dream about us. Sounds spacey and obscure? It is. But once we impact the theater of the mind that lives in everyone's head, with Internet, Print and TV...we have touched people on a level that they need and want to be touched...but outside of a Star Wars epic, media hasn't done in years.
I'm looking forward to meeting and bonding with everyone in the Company. Personally, this isn't a gig...it's a MISSION. And being based in Chicago is nice as my off duty passions include Chicago History, Lifelong White Sox Super fan (I guess I'm OK there since I understand Mr. Zell owns a piece), ephemera (I love print) and aviating! I grew up in suburban Flossmoor. I know we're a global company, but my love for Chicago is life long.
If you have a chance, check my blog. http://leeabrams.blogspot.com Read all 108 posts. It's generally aimless ranting about what is wrong with media. On April 1, I will cease writing it since now I'll have the chance to actually help do something about it!
I REALLY look forward to April 1. I think you'll find me a little out there...but for the right reasons! I have complete empathy for what everyone does...and a burning desire to help you/me/us Change the World and design the future. We can/will do that! (And have some fun along the way)
--Lee Abrams
By Frank Ahrens
The Washington Post
Abrams, 55, will be the chief innovation officer for Tribune, based in his hometown of Chicago, the company said today. In the newly created job, Abrams will attempt to create new media strategies and business plans for the company's newspapers, television stations and online properties, Tribune said.
"Over the past couple of years, I've been fascinated with the concept of news and information as being the new rock and roll," Abrams said in an interview today. "There had always been music, but rock and roll took it to a whole new level, broke the rules, wrote a whole new playbook."
Abrams said he believes that the venerable news industry can undergo a similar revolution with creative leadership. Abrams has a long history as a radio innovator, but no experience in journalism.
In addition to the Chicago Tribune, the company owns the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, Newsday and other papers, as well as 23 television stations, a radio station and the Chicago Cubs. Last year, a boardroom revolt forced the company on the sales block. Tribune ended up going private in an employee-ownership plan devised by commercial real estate billionaire Sam Zell, who is now Tribune's chief executive and chairman.
Tribune is struggling under $13 billion of debt incurred in Zell's takeover plan and battling declining circulation at its newspapers and in advertising revenue, which is cutting into the cash flow needed to pay down the debt.
Abrams is a legend in the radio industry, credited with inventing the "album-oriented rock" format on FM. He was one of the planners of the notorious "Disco Demolition Night" between games of a 1979 doubleheader involving the White Sox and Detroit Tigers at Chicago's Comisky Park that resulted in an on-field riot and a White Sox forfeit.
Abrams also has been blamed for radio's demise as one of the fathers of consultant-generated playlists, which critics say homogenized stations across the country.
XM is awaiting regulatory approval for a merger with its satellite radio rival, New York's Sirius. Abrams said his departure was not related to the pending merger, but added that his job at XM may not be filled because it may be redundant in a merged XM-Sirius.
Abrams was hired at Tribune by longtime friend and radio veteran Randy Michaels, Zell's deputy.
About Me
Lee Abrams has shaped the American radio industry for over three decades, bringing unparalleled ratings and economic success to radio stations in over 200 markets, including 97 of the top 100.
In 1993, Newsweek listed Abrams as one of America’s “100 Cultural Elite” for his contributions to creating modern day radio. Abrams joined XM in June 1998 to help create the next generation of radio: satellite direct radio.
With 150 stations to develop and program, Abrams is once again challenged to reinvigorate the radio landscape. As a founding partner of Burkhart/Abrams, he invented and built the first successful FM format, Album Rock. In 1989, Abrams joined ABC Networks as an internal consultant and was instrumental in the launch of many top Morning Radio shows, including Howard Stern.
Abrams produced the Grammy-winning CD Ah Via Musicom by Eric Johnson, appeared on several Alan Parsons Project CDs, and worked with major labels and recording artists as a consultant and label head. His clients include industry leaders such as The Moody Blues, Yes, Steve Winwood, Iron Maiden, Bob Seger and Robert Palmer.
Abrams and his wife reside in Washington, D.C., and have two children in college.
By the way, visit his Blog, he has some useful insights to share, worth the read.BD
AFTRA Makes Network TV Deal
The Hollywood Reporter
March 10, 2008
After less than a month at the bargaining table, AFTRA and the major networks and producers reached a tentative agreement late Saturday on a new network TV code for its daytime and other members, which will include a new residual structure for new media."This agreement is a major milestone for AFTRA as substantial gains in wages and working conditions for performers were successfully achieved," said AFTRA president Roberta Reardon, chair of the negotiating committee. "This contract is extraordinary for performers and made significant progress on many fronts, including importantly new-media jurisdiction and compensation."
Talks between AFTRA's 35-member negotiating committee and the networks and producers began Feb. 19 in Los Angeles and concluded Saturday in New York. The current contract is set to expire June 30.
The agreement comes at a time when AFTRA has been urging SAG to start early talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on the two unions' primetime contract, known as Exhibit A of the network code, which the two actors unions have jointly bargained for years.
In recent weeks, tensions have flared between the unions, with SAG saying that the "wages and working conditions" process must conclude before formal talks with the AMPTP. SAG has indicated that it does not intend to start those talks until April.
AFTRA's ability to reach an agreement with the producers and networks could bolster its position that starting talks now on the unions' prime time contract is in their best interest. Although not all members of the AMPTP were involved in the network code negotiations, it does indicate a willingness by producers to start talking now rather than later.
The AMPTP also has said that it welcomes talks now with the unions and in a statement issued Sunday applauded "the latest labor agreement between AFTRA and the television networks. This agreement shows what can be accomplished when both sides approach the negotiating table in a timely, serious and focused way."
A SAG representative could not be reached by press time Sunday.
The new network code agreement includes increases in wage rates, increases in contributions to AFTRA's health and retirement plan and preserves universal coverage of background performers and contact security for daytime serial contract players.
In the area of new media, the agreement establishes a new residual pay structure for paid Internet downloads that boosts the rate currently paid by employers and establishes a residual rate for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet.
Additionally, it establishes union coverage and terms for entertainment programming and promotion announcements made directly for new media, like webisodes.
"Our fundamental goal in these negotiations was to protect performers' interests and improve their wages and working conditions in the face of challenging times," said Ron Morgan, AFTRA network code negotiating committee co-chair and Los Angeles Local president. "Our priorities were to modernize certain aspects of our contract and establish a framework for union members to participate in new media as these businesses evolve."
The AFTRA network TV code covers actors and all on-camera and off-camera talent on all forms of television programming: syndicated dramas, daytime serials, game shows, talk shows, variety and musical programs, news, sports, reality shows, and promotional announcements.
The agreement is subject to approval by the national board and ratification by its members.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sun-Sentinel Monkey Business
Here's the latest missive from Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell to the troops at the Sun-Sentinel:
March 10, 2008 Why? Partners, I received an email from Bill Oakes at Chicago Magazine recently that included a memorable story, and he was kind enough to let me share it with you.Picture a closed room with a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook, just out of reach of floor level. There is a step ladder underneath the bananas.
Several monkeys are put in the room. Soon one of the monkeys eyes the bananas, and, exercising his developed thought processes, begins to climb the step ladder to get a banana. This action breaks the path of an electronic eye sensor, and immediately, an automated, high-pressure hose sends a powerful jet of cold water, knocking the monkey off the ladder and rolling him across the floor. All of the other monkeys are soaked in the process, and left cowering - cold, bewildered and submissive - in the corners of the room.
These monkeys are well fed and have swings and jungle gym equipment, but whenever one begins to climb the ladder for the bananas, the hose goes off, everyone gets wet, and they all are miserable. After several tries by different monkeys, the leader of the troop starts guarding the step ladder. When one of his troop approaches the ladder, the leader knocks the monkey across the room. The other monkeys watch closely, and are collectively pleased that they are not drenched.
Now, when any other monkey ventures toward the step ladder, his peers dissuade and threaten him. New monkeys coming into the room learn the house-rules quickly, and none attempt to reach for more than they are given.
Soon, the sensors, the hose and the troop leader are removed from the room. Still, whenever a monkey approaches the ladder, he is felled by his peers.
Why?
Because that’s the way it’s always been done.
My eyes glazed over half through the thing, so I'll let my anonymous source respond:
The jury is still out on a guy [Zell] calling for change change change while keeping many of the same monkeys in place. The following fable might be best read with a cast list from the Sun-Sentinel. Sharon Rosenhause, the Managing Editor, would be the angry enforcer monkey beating people off the ladder. Executive Editor Earl Maucker would be a nice, alluring monkey, just a few rungs up, telling the cowering simians that "My ladder's always open."Publisher Apes Howard Greenberg and Bob Gremillion designed the high powered firehose system keeping the monkeys from reaching any bananas. I have to say, though, they've set up a nice jungle gym in our newsroom. Maybe instead of Marley and Me we should be filming Planet of the Apes.
You see? There is talent in that damn building.
Zell invokes Viagra, F-word urging creativity, speed at Tribune
Bloomberg News Published: 3/10/2008
Billionaire Sam Zell is traveling the U.S. using pep talks laced with profanity to exhort Tribune Co.'s 19,000 employees to be more creative or risk seeing their jobs disappear.
The real estate mogul turned chairman of Chicago-based Tribune has used the f-word and called himself the human equivalent of Viagra to address what ails one of the company's newspapers, the 126-year-old Los Angeles Times.
Zell, 66, has been telling staff members at Tribune's nine newspapers and 23 local television stations that he wants to cut bureaucracy and encourage quick decision-making and more collaboration among newspapers, TV and the Internet. Management experts say that while his choice of language risks offending people, he may succeed in forcing change.
``That free-wheeling, shake-things-up way of behaving isn't for everyone, but it is effective for reaching those people who are willing to embrace new ways of doing their jobs,'' said management consultant Karissa Thacker, an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware's business school in Newark who works with executives at Pfizer Inc. and Morgan Stanley.
Some of Zell's employees object to the language he uses and complain that he hasn't clearly stated what Tribune's new strategy should be.
`Doesn't Need to Swear'
``He doesn't need to swear to get our attention,'' said Julie Cart, a 25-year metro reporter at the Los Angeles Times. ``We see how newsrooms are shrinking. Zell makes a lot of noise but he hasn't articulated the new model other than saying we're doing it wrong.''
In a Jan. 31 meeting at the Orlando Sentinel, a female photographer asked whether Tribune's newspapers risked being dumbed-down. Zell replied and, as the audience was applauding, added ``f--- you.'' Zell later tried to reach the photographer to apologize, said Sentinel spokeswoman Ashley Allen.
On Feb. 7, he told Los Angeles Times employees that Internet pornography could be viewed at work provided it didn't hamper productivity.
``Let me know if you find any good sites,'' he said.
Zell, who has described himself as a ``grave dancer'' for his purchase of out-of-favor assets, became the object of discussion on media and journalism Web sites after videos of his talks were posted on the Internet. His speaking tour began in January and is expected to conclude this month.
`Over the Line'
``A number of people at the company, and especially women, have been deeply offended by some of the statements you've said at other places,'' Chicago Tribune public editor Timothy McNulty told his new boss at a Feb. 19 gathering at the Chicago newspaper.
Zell said he meant to create urgency and intended no offense, adding that he had promoted many women to senior management positions.
``I went over the line on purpose to see if I could bring you to the edge,'' he told the Tribune audience. ``How soon is this organization, and this company, going to wake up to the fact that we're on the edge?''
Through a spokeswoman, Zell declined a Bloomberg request for an interview.
Tribune and other newspaper publishers face declines in advertising sales and a preference among younger readers to get news from Web sites. Tribune is investing in its Internet operations and last month created an online venture with Gannett Co., New York Times Co. and Hearst Corp. to sell online advertising.
Job Cuts
Meanwhile, Zell's company is cutting jobs to offset ad revenue decreases and trim more than $12 billion in debt. The number of positions eliminated will total as many as 150 at the Los Angeles Times, about 100 from the group that includes the Chicago Tribune and 120 at Newsday on Long Island, New York.
``Zell is trying to overthrow an industry model that needs a major correction,'' said Jeremy Garlington, an Atlanta-based executive leadership consultant, who works with companies in financial services, private equity and technology. ``The result may be to change the status quo.''
Tribune's debt increased in December after Zell led an $8.2 billion transaction taking the company private. Tribune bonds due in 2015 are trading at 40 cents on the dollar.
Bruce Barry, a professor of management and sociology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, says encouraging change works best when employees believe their suggestions won't be met with ridicule or retribution. Zell, he said, needs to tailor his message so that it jolts without offending.
``If a lot of people find his style offensive, then it probably is offensive and that doesn't do any good,'' Barry said. ``If, however, what he's doing is really loosening up the expressive aspects of his corporate culture, and not just being flamboyant, that's a very good thing. It all depends on how he executes his vision.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Leon Lazaroff in New York at llazaroff@bloomberg.net.Friday, March 7, 2008
JOHN McCAIN DOESN’T LIKE UNIONS
CWA NEWSLETTER March 6, 2008
McCain's anti-worker, anti-union positions on the economy, trade, health care, retirement security and more are detailed, along with his cozy relationship with the Bush administration. Despite his so-called "maverick" image, he has voted with the White House 89 percent of the time and says he wants to continue many of the Bush policies that are devastating working families, such as tax cuts exclusively for the rich.
Just this week, the AFL-CIO notes, McCain reiterated his support for Bush's Social Security privatization scheme and, when Bush vetoed a bill to renew and improve the State Children's Health Insurance Program, McCain told CNN it was "the right call."
The site is part of the federation's full "Working Families Vote 2008" coverage. Read more at www.mccainrevealed.com.
McCAIN WILL NOT PROTECT OUR RIGHTS
Sen. John McCain is clearly not a fan of workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits. He has spoken out against unions and consistently voted against collective bargaining rights for workers. Union members know the right to bargain is essential to preserving good jobs with good wages and benefits.
McCAIN DOESN’T LIKE UNIONS
McCain: Unions Have Played ‘Important Role’ But Have ‘Serious Excesses.’ When asked if unions are good for America, McCain responded, “I think the unions have played a very important role in the history of this country to improve the plight and conditions of laboring Americans. I think that like many other monopolies, in some cases they have then serious excesses.” [GOP Dearborn Debate, MSNBC, 10/9/07]
- McCain: Teachers’ Unions Serve Unions’ Interest, NOT Children’s Interest. McCain has repeatedly attacked teachers’ unions. “It’s time to break the grip of the education monopoly that serves the union bosses at the expense of our children,” he said. [The New York Times, 2/11/00]
McCain Says Government Workers Are ‘Crippled’ by Union Contracts. In his speech to the Oklahoma State Legislature, McCain said, “We must streamline our workforce, demand high standards of behavior, promote excellence at every level based on merit and accountability, and not let good workers be crippled by the fine print of the latest union contract…. The civil service has strayed from its reformist roots and has mutated into a no-accountability zone, where employment is treated as an entitlement, good performance as an option, and accountability as someone else’s problem.” [Address to the Oklahoma State Legislature, 5/21/07]
McCAIN OPPOSES OUR FREEDOM TO FORM UNIONS
McCain Voted Against the Employee Free Choice Act but For a National Right-to-Work for Less Law.
McCain voted against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would level the playing field for workers trying to form unions. He voted for a National Right-to-Work for Less law that would attempt to eliminate unions altogether. [H.R. 800, Vote #227, 6/26/07; S. 1788 Vote #188, 7/10/96]
McCain Crossed a Writers Guild Picket Line to Appear on ‘The Tonight Show.’
McCain crossed the picket line of the Writers Guild of America to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” [Think Progress, accessed 2/27/08]
McCain Voted to Allow Employers to Hire Permanent Replacements During a Strike. McCain voted against ending debate on a bill that would bar employers from hiring permanent replacements for striking workers. [S. 55,Vote #189, 7/13/94]
McCain Voted Against Collective Bargaining Rights for State and Local Police and Firefighters. [H.R. 3061, Vote #323, 11/6/01]
McCain Did NOT Co-Sponsor the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. McCain did not co-sponsor S. 2123, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, legislation to grant fire fighters and police officers minimum collective bargaining rights. [S. 2123, 10/1/07; IAFF]
McCain Voted Against Collective Bargaining Rights for TSA Screeners. McCain voted against a measure to grant Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screeners limited collective bargaining rights. The measure would not have allowed them to strike or negotiate for higher pay. [S. 4, Vote #64, 3/7/07]
Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
CW can no longer play newbie card
All last TV season the people at The CW talked about the challenge of establishing its identity because viewers were adjusting to the new network, formed after UPN and The WB went away.
Now, viewers presumably have adjusted, and they're the ones going away.
The CW's overall viewership is down about 20 percent this season compared with a year ago, to an average of about 2.6 million viewers. Among its targeted audience of viewers age 18 to 34, its numbers are off about 25 percent, to a mere 750,000 or so.
Just to give an idea of how weak this is: In 2005-06, its last season, UPN had 890,000 viewers in the targeted 18-34 demographic; The WB had 850,000.
It takes a special math to add those two and come up with less.
The troubles of this joint venture of CBS Corp. and Time Warner's Warner Bros. are particularly felt at Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune, which owns Chicago's WGN-Ch. 9, New York's WPIX-TV, Los Angeles' KTLA-TV and 11 other CW affiliates. For all the talk of problems with shrinking revenue on Tribune's print side, there is concern within the company about the CW's impact on broadcasting operations.
Whether it is because of the costly writers strike or because new programs such as "Life is Wild" and "Online Nation" proved about as popular as cold sores, the CW this week laid off 25 to 30 people and announced a restructuring that includes folding its comedy department into its drama department.
"Everybody Hates Chris," the network's best comedy, is averaging a 0.9 household rating and 0.4 rating in the 18-34 demographic, and that's enough to score it an early renewal on The CW this year, along with "Gossip Girl," "Supernatural," "One Tree Hill," "Smallville" and "America's Next Top Model," its most-watched show.
Between the two airings of last week's episode, "Model" attracted a little more than 5 million viewers, or around a third of the audience for the debut of "Oprah's Big Give" on ABC.
It's apparently one thing to watch people helping those in need, quite another to watch a network in need.
The eight-minute gap: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is having his staff seek information from WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Ala., as to how the CBS affiliate lost its signal for eight minutes during a 13-minute "60 Minutes" report last month.
The story suggested convicted former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman might have been the victim of a Republican conspiracy. The investigation comes at the urging of the five-member FCC's two Democrats, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein.
Siegelman, a Democrat convicted in 2006, is serving time on federal charges of bribery and obstruction of justice. The "60 Minutes" report included an allegation that Republicans, including presidential adviser Karl Rove, tried to discredit the former governor.
The station has blamed its signal loss during the Feb. 24 telecast on a malfunctioning receiver, which it said had caused a glitch during a basketball game the day before. It reran the "60 Minutes" report in its entirety on two newscasts and made it available online.
WHNT-TV is owned by Oak Hill Capital Partners and managed by Local TV LLC, which is in a partnership with Tribune Co. to share certain operations among the two company's TV stations.
The credibility gap: Arbitron's efforts to replace listener diaries with portable people meters to compile the radio ratings used in selling advertising has hit a snag. The Media Rating Council has denied accreditation to the new methodology in New York and Philadelphia.
The council has accredited Arbitron's PPM ratings in Houston.
The council, in a statement, said it "believes that an electronic measurement such as Arbitron's PPM technology can represent an improvement over existing non-electronic audience measurements," and it encourages the company's good-faith efforts to achieve accreditation.
Chicago radio is supposed to switch to PPMs this year.
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philrosenthal@tribune.com
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Stop Slamming Sam
As I was searching newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs looking for interesting stories to share with you on Broadcast Union News, I kept running across article after article slamming Sam Zell for putting the naming rights of Wrigley Field up for sale. So I cobbled together some thoughts from various sources on this subject.
On one hand, Chicago mayor Richard Daley declared in December 2001 that a renovated Soldier Field would never be called anything else. Just last week, Yankees president Randy Levine vowed the same.
"The Yankee Stadium name is sacred,'' he said about the new ballpark scheduled to open next year. "Yankee Stadium is the cathedral of baseball and would be unseemly for a naming rights deal.''
On the other hand, Historically, Wrigley Field is a commercial promotion after all. Originally named Weeghman Park, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. took over control of the club in 1927 and couldn't resist the commercial tie-in for his business.The NFL's Buffalo Bills took $1.5 million from Rich Foods back in 1973 to put their company's name on their stadium for 25 years.
Today, the N.Y. Mets will get $20 million a year for 20 years to call their new ballpark Citi Field.
There are more than 60 major league stadiums wearing the names of companies who ponied up a collective $3.4 billion for naming rights.
According to Jim Litke, a national sports columnist for The Associated Press, the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston has had 34 different names since plans were announced to replace the original Garden some 15 years ago, in part because the naming-rights were auctioned off daily for a while on eBay.
For two days, in fact, the official name of the joint was "Yankees Suck Center,'' which, if nothing else, is easy to remember.
So cut Sam some slack here, at least he hasn't changed the name to "Zell Stadium". Then to watch the Cubs you'd have to just go to Zell.Perhaps we should look past small picture minutia like the Wrigley Field naming-rights debacle and focus on important issues like whether or not we'll still have jobs at Tribune in six months.
What do you guys think?
All the best,
Bob D
Two Views of Sam Zell
Media Bistro
Sports Illustrated Thinks He's Stupid: ... for considering selling out the name of Wrigley Field.
We Think He's Damn Smart: Sam Zell, now Tribune Co. chairman and CEO could join the board of directors of The Associated Press in April.
U.S. Media M&A Could See Record Year In '08
The value of merger and acquisition deals in the U.S. media industry could reach record levels in 2008 if pending mega deals like Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! are completed, Price Waterhouse Coopers said in a report released Monday.
The huge jump in volume stemmed from a backlog of transactions announced in 2006 and continued interest in media deals in 2007, with the top three disclosed media deals involving private equity buyers, including the Sam Zell-led buyout of Tribune for about $8 billion, Apax Partners and Omers Capital Partners' $7.8 billion purchase of Thomson Learning and the $13.5 billion takeover of Univision Communications by Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Thomas H. Lee and Saban Capital.Although changing economic and debt-market conditions make it tricky to forecast M&A activity this year, "With a total of 341 announced deals in 2007 pending closure, and mega transactions announced in the latter half of 2006 closed or cleared in early 2008, the new year is set to mirror or surpass that of 2007,'' PwC said in its annual report on M&A activity in the media industry.
The continued convergence of media, technology and communications will drive deal volume. "As technology evolves and enables consumers to access content through various mediums, [media] companies will expand capabilities and acquire new platforms to attract consumers," PwC said.
That means the wave of consolidation seen in 2007 in publishing, advertising and marketing, middle-tier broadcasting and the Internet software and services sectors should continue into this year, PwC said.
Other factors fueling media M&A: the continued weakening of the U.S. dollar and recent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, which should generate greater interest in U.S. media properties among potential foreign acquirers, particularly European buyers, PwC said.
After an unusually busy 2007, private equity players will remain active, but "the credit crunch may put an end to mega private equity deals for the time being and dampen private equity's M&A pace,'' PwC said. The firm added that an increase in strategic investments and greater interest among foreign parties should offset the expected slowdown in private-equity activity.
Private equity investors completed media deals worth $44.8 billion in 2007, accounting for 41% of disclosed U.S. media deal value in the year, compared to $19.4 billion, or 15% of total deal value in 2006, the report said.
A total of 1,168 U.S. media M&A deals were completed last year, up 16% from 1,008 in 2006, although the value of disclosed deals fell nearly 17% to $108.1 billion from $129.7 billion, PwC said.
Among the most prominent transactions of 2007 were News Corp.'s (nyse: NWS - news - people ) takeover of Dow Jones for more than $5 billion and a flurry of deals in online advertising, including Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) acquisition of aQuantive (nasdaq: AQNT - news - people ) for about $6 billion, WPP's (nasdaq: WPPGY - news - people ) purchase of 24/7 Real Media (nasdaq: TFSM - news - people ) for $649 million and Yahoo!'s (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) buy of Blue Lithium for $300 million.
Online advertising will remain an active arena for M&A activity this year, PwC said, pointing to the pending completion of Google's (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) planned $3.1 billion takeover of Double Click, AOL's expected closing of its $275 million deal to buy Tacoda and Microsoft's bid for Yahoo!.
Strike, ratings slip lead to CW layoffs
CW Network downsizes comedy unit after renewals
News came the same day The CW gave fall pickups to several of its long-running signature skeins, as well as frosh entry "Gossip Girl." But the late-afternoon reorg overshadowed that announcement. |
While the comedy department was eliminated, the CW has merged its remaining drama and current programming units into one scripted series department. Drama exec VP Thom Sherman and current programs exec VP Michael Roberts remain.
In a statement, the CW said it was "restructuring some programming and marketing functions as part of an effort to streamline both areas."
"As part of the restructuring, some open positions at the network will not be filled and a small percentage of jobs have been eliminated," the net said.
At least 10 such positions come from the elimination of the Saturday morning programming block Kids' WB, which the net will shutter at the end of this season (Daily Variety, Oct. 3).
Meanwhile, several marketing jobs were cut from the net's CW Plus channel, which runs on cable systems in small markets without CW affils. Those operations will now be handled by the CW's network marketing team.
CW's alternative programming, which is already headed up outside of the network -- by CBS alternative honcho Ghen Maynard -- was not affected by Monday's news.
Net insiders blamed the recent work stoppage for pushing the CW to make such extreme changes in its programming department. CW becomes the first net to dramatically alter is exec structure post-strike.
As for the comedy cut, CW execs noted the netlet isn't out of the laffer game, having just renewed "Everybody Hates Chris." But just like predecessor the WB, the CW has struggled with introducing new laffers, and is now opting to focus most of its attention on developing more signature dramas in the vein of "Gossip Girl" and alternative entries a la "America's Next Top Model."
"Chris," "Gossip Girl" and "Top Model" were among the pickups greenlit Monday; WB holdovers "Smallville," "Supernatural" and "One Tree Hill" also landed renewals.
In the no-brainer department, CW ordered two more cycles -- the show's 11th and 12th -- of the Tyra Banks-fronted "Top Model."
"Smallville" enters its eighth season next fall and will likely continue to be paired with fellow Thursday entry "Supernatural," which begins its fourth cycle next season. "One Tree Hill" bounces back for its sixth season.
On the comedy side, CW's lone pickup so far goes to "Everybody Hates Chris." The critically acclaimed laffer was on the bubble -- but the show was already sold into syndication, including a cable sale last week to Nick at Nite, making a fourth season more likely. It will now see that fourth season next fall.
The fall cycle of "Top Model" averaged a 2.9 rating/9 share among adults 18-34, while "One Tree Hill" has averaged a 2.1/5 in the demo this season (and a 3.1/7 with women 18-34). "Gossip Girl" also is strong with women 18-34, averaging a 2.4/6 (and a 1.6/4 with adults 18-34).
The "Gossip Girl" pickup -- CW's only freshman entry to secure a return engagement -- makes it 2-for-2 for exec producer Josh Schwartz, whose other freshman entry, "Chuck," has already been given a second-season order by NBC.
"The CW has been a great and supportive partner," he said. "I'm glad the strike is over, the shows are coming back, and we can all get back to work."
Among the other pickups, "Smallville" has averaged a 1.7/5 with adults 18-34, while "Supernatural" has pulled a 1.2/4 and "Everybody Hates Chris" a 0.9/3 in the demo.
Still up in the air are freshman entries "Reaper," "Aliens in America" and "Crowned" (as well as upcoming newbie "Farmer Wants a Wife"). Returnees "Pussycat Dolls Present," "The Game" and "Beauty and the Geek" also await word of a pickup; at the very least, "Beauty" and "Game" are expected to return.
CW has already announced the series end of "Girlfriends," while "WWE Smackdown" moves to MyNetworkTV this fall. Fall entries "CW Now," "Life Is Wild" and "Online Nation" have been put out to pasture.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
IATSE, AMPTP set negotiation date
Groups to discuss West Coast contract April 7
IATSE, which covers about 25,000 below-the-line employees in 18 locals in the contract, is about halfway through its current contract. That pact, finalized in early 2006, expires in August 2009.
Move comes a day after SAG announced its negotiations on its feature-primetime contract won't start until April at the earliest. The SAG-AFTRA contract expires June 30 and SAG's lack of speed in getting to the table has created worries about a possible strike.
The AMPTP and IATSE had no comment.
IATSE -- which was harshly critical of the WGA strike because of the impact on its members -- is likely aiming to incorporate gains from the DGA and WGA contracts plus last year's West Coast Teamster deal, in addition to reaching a deal before a possible SAG strike.
IATSE has usually negotiated its contracts far before expiration, operating on the theory that it can obtain the best possible deal in exchange for labor stability.
FOR WHOM ZELL TOLLS
MASSACRE AT NEWSDAY COSTS 120 THEIR JOBS
By Keith J. Kelly
NEW YORK POST
February 29, 2008 -- NEW Tribune Co.owner Sam Zell yesterday struck Newsday with a vengeance, whacking 120 jobs, including 25 unionized editorial people in the newsroom and about 10 top editors, including the paper's entire national desk.
The cost-cutting moves are at least the sixth major downsizing at the paper since it closed its New York Newsday edition in 1995.
The four-person national desk was brought into the office of Managing Editor Debbie Henley on Tuesday was told that the desk was being abolished and that they had until noon on Wednesday to a accept a "voluntary" buyout or be faced with a potential axing.
Carol Conyne, a 32-year veteran, Mark Toor a 28-year veteran, and Stacie Walker, a 15-year veteran - and all deputy national editors - decided to accept the buyout.
Not yet determined is the role of Sarah Crichton, the assistant national/foreign editor who is still covered by the union contract.
Insiders said they expect the national desk to be replaced with a new "political desk" that will cover everything out of the local town boards in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The two-person Albany bureau and the three-person Washington bureau weren't affected by the cuts.
However, Zell has said that the current set up in Washington for all the Tribune-owned papers is "unsustainable," so no one there is resting easy, either - even if they did escape yesterday's axing.
National Editor Calvin Lawrence left several weeks ago for ABCnews.com, and his position was not filled.
Also believed to be among the high-level departees was Genetta Adams, an assistant managing editor, who was in charge of Part II, the paper's feature section which had borne the brunt of a downsizing two years ago.
Adrian Peracchio, a member of the editorial board and a 30-year veteran, was also among those being shown the door.
On top of the upper-echelon editors, 25 unionized editorial workers are going out the door. That includes six special writers - generally those with five or more years of experience and salaries of more than $87,000 - and four reporters.Newsday Publisher Tim Knight said in his memo announcing the cuts that some people were being fired on the spot yesterday, but most of those people were outside of the newsroom.
"About 120 employees are affected," said Knight's memo. "Some individuals will leave today, while others will stay through the end of March. These difficult actions are based on our urgent need to focus on the things that drive audience and revenue growth, while we manage through a soft advertising revenue environment that requires us to significantly reduce costs."
There may also be some significant realignments on the business news desk that have not yet been revealed.
John Mancini, Newsday's editor-in-chief, did not return a call for comment.
Dennis Grabhorn, president of Graphic Communications AFL-CIO Local 406, was surprised that the total cutbacks reached 120 people, since management had only told him that about 55 unionized workers were to be let go.
"This is just devastating," said Grabhorn, who was enroute to a meeting with the workers who run the creaking presses.
He said the company is looking to offer buyouts to 23 journeymen pressmen, one machinist and five drivers as part of the voluntary reduction.
The cutbacks had been somewhat expected, but the extent of them rattled many insiders.
"I'd say people are shocked and demoralized," said one insider. "This billionaire [Zell] comes in and says he is going to save us and then he screws us."
He said that under Tribune, the company had already frozen its pension. The company had instead been making contributions to the 401(k), but when Zell took over the battered Tribune Co. with an Employee Stock Ownership plan, it stopped making any matching contributions to the 401(k) retirement funds."The whole history of this being a great national paper, this is definitely the death knell," said one shell-shocked insider.
Workers who are mulling voluntary buyouts have until March 13 to decide. If the company doesn't get enough volunteers, it will make mandatory cuts.