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Sweeps week at News Corp --- Michael Hedges September 12, 2008
In comes News Corps pick for CEO at German pay-TV channel Premiere. It “came unexpectedly,” said the new guy. Also unexpectedly came prosecutors to News Outdoor’s Moscow office. So JCDecaux could sweep away that problem. Expect the unexpected, no?

Taking easyJet out of Russia --- Michael Hedges August 11, 2008
News Corporation is beating a hasty retreat from the Russian market, says Kommersant. It’s outdoor advertising arm, News Outdoor Group, may have found a buyer for the Russian business. The usually credible Moscow business daily suggested (August 8) JCDecaux is the only bidder remaining, and at a substantially marked-down price.

Ad spending up 69%…in Oman. ZenithOptimedia revises forecasts --- Michael Hedges July 3, 2008
Global media buyer ZenithOptimedia released revised ad spending forecasts this week. For Western Europe and North America ad spending, they say, will be lower than the previous forecast. But 2009 and 2010 will be better…they say.

Cannes Lions winners mix media and stories, just like real people --- Michael Hedges June 23, 2008
The Cannes International Advertising Festival mixes the rough selling trade with the high art of small frames, big frames and no frames at all. For more than a half-century the advertising people have put on this little show to celebrate their best work and themselves. The just finished 2008 gathering was a challenge event; the ad people again proving they’re a half-step ahead.

Web Advertisers Are Flocking Increasingly To Cheaper Search And They Question The Effectiveness of More Expensive Banner and Column Ads, Wanting Proof Their Campaign Will Succeed Before Committing Long-Term --- Philip Stone May 20, 2008
One of the things that has always bothered advertisers is that the medium that takes their money usually offers no guarantee of success. Each platform says it is the best for the message, but if it doesn’t work then tough luck on the advertiser. No money back guarantees if sales targets aren’t met.

The mad rush to get online --- Michael Hedges May 18, 2008
The riotous charge into online, web-based media has broadcasters and publishers falling all over themselves. Actually, they are falling all over the bags of money necessary to change strategies. Those strategies are getting smarter.

Take Digital Advertising and Multiple Platforms – Two Success Keys That Shoot Out From Accenture’s Media Survey -- Add NBC Saying TV Survival Depends On Other Platforms And The Media Landscape Is Changing Faster Than You May Think --- Philip Stone May 6, 2008
Here’s the short of it – 52% of respondents in Accenture’s respected annual survey of Global Media Content believe that by 2012 digital advertising will eclipse traditional advertising. And 66% said that the largest driver of additional revenue in the next five years will come from new ways of delivering content. Having said that, there is still a cloud over how long it will take for mobile to shine.

The first syllable in consolidation is con --- Michael Hedges March 27, 2008
Clear Channel Communications stock price fell 20% on the revelation that banks are unwilling to finance a leveraged buyout. America’s largest radio broadcaster by leaps is falling to a reality of its own creation. Consolidation fails. And UK broadcasters want to follow the same path.

Seven reasons to love outdoor advertising --- Michael Hedges February 7, 2008
At one end of the media pipeline advertising exists to pay the rent and, of course, the shareholders. At the other, ads build brands and entice consumers. Along the way, advertising creatives are turning heads and outdoor advertising is right in front.

Advertising Watchdogs On The Prowl For Corporations Fudging Facts To Earn 'Green' Credentials Or Making Excessive Health Claims -- In The UK American Stalwarts Boeing and Kellogg Have Been Shot Down In Flames --- Philip M. Stone - November 29, 2007
Corporations these days are striving to promote their green credentials or health claims but who out there is checking the basis for what they say? In the UK the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is doing just that, and in turning the heat on environmental ads it has just shot down American plane maker Boeing.

Hyperbole is to Turkey what silk is to thread --- Michael Hedges November 25, 2007
A few weeks ago the Turkish government put its second largest media company up for bid. All the great and grand were to descend with carts of cash. When the application deadline closed the Citation X?fs of Rupert Murdoch, Ron Lauder, Guillaume de Posch and Minos Kyriakou had not touched down. That US$1.1 billion minimum bid, in these gossamer times, shouldn?ft raise eyeshades back in the accountants?f quarry.

Vote for me and I’ll set you free --- Michael Hedges - November 19, 2007
Election campaigns are always newsmakers. Politicians, political parties and their messages become the stuff of media for weeks, and in some cases months. Political advertising augments what time and space they can get for free. Two recent studies, one from Russia and one from the US, show it is all very irritating.

It's The Headline That Newspaper Publishers Have Nightmares About -- “Online Ads To Overtake US Newspapers By 2011” – And Now It’s In Print --- Philip M. Stone - August 9, 2007
Everyone knows that print’s slice of the advertising pie has been dipping annually while the Internet’s slice grows each year. But not until now has any reputable research company put a date on the crossover – but now one of the industry’s most reliable annual state of the industry reports has gone on record -- watch out for 2011.

Ad Creative Goes Outdoor --- Michael Hedges - June 28, 2007
Most outdoor advertising evokes nothing more than a sideward glance in the ad world. Billboards, posters, benches, shelters, taxi-tops and bus-backs and the like are not sexy at all. The Cannes Lions ad awards show that outdoor is back.

The Trouble With Viacom: It Wasn’t Tom Freston --- Michael Hedges September 7, 2006

US Overall Advertising Forecasts Are Lowered, Outdoor Is Up, Internet Is Way Up, UK Regionals and ITV Are Way Down, US Network Upfronts Are Flat Or Down – Just What Is Going On Out There? --- Philip M. Stone July 3, 2006

ProKom’s Ryszard Krauze Spins Radio Assets…to Himself --- Michael Hedges May 21, 2006
Further consolidating and restructuring his varied businesses, Polish millionaire Ryszard Krause moved Mediabank SA, owner of radio station PiN 102 FM, from Softbank SA – of which he is CEO – to Prokom Investments – of which he is CEO. Finishing that in late April, Krauze then moved to the bigger plan: merging Softbank with Asseco and creating Poland’s biggest IT company.

A Look At The Financial Results Of Some of Europe’s Internet And Media Companies Shows It Is Not All Smooth Sailing --- Philip M. Stone May 18, 2006

Russia’s Ad Market Explodes in 2005. New Law Puts On The Brakes. --- Michael Hedges - February 23, 2006
Ad spending in Russia passed US$ 5.1 billion in 2005, at the explosive rate averaging 30% in each of the last three years. Legislation now passed its second reading in the State Duma might bring an end to the seemingly endless TV ads, billboards on virtually every building and, of course, spam, filling Russian computer screens and threatening mobile phones.

Big Media Rushes Into Next EU Accession Countries --- Michael Hedges December 1, 2005

BBC Returns to Arabic TV, Vacates Eastern Europe --- Michael Hedges November 3, 2005
When the BBC World Service announced plans for an Arabic language television channel there was no doubt it would succeed. The Beeb has been there before. And without that episode a dozen years ago, troubled though it was, neither Al-Jazeera nor Al-Arabiya would exist today.

The Buzz Word for Newspapers Talking to Advertisers is No Longer “Circulation”; It’s “Readership” With “Quality” Close Behind --- Philip M. Stone October 6, 2005
With many major newspapers suffering large circulation declines over the past few years, but still increasing their advertising rates, it seems only natural they no longer want to talk about circulation. No, the spin now is that advertisers should factor in how many people actually read a newspaper and whether they are the “right” people.

Round Up the Children, Louisa. The Canadians Are Coming! --- Michael Hedges September 8, 2005
The UKs first foreign-owned radio broadcast license is awarded to CanWest, the Canadian media giant. Will ice-hockey be forced on unsuspecting British listeners?

Media Consolidation is Just a Phase June 30, 2005 --- Michael Hedges June 20, 2005

Timing Is Everything - May 17, 2005 --- Michael Hedges May 17, 2005
UK media consolidation took another step forward this month as The Wireless Group (TWG) shareholders and Ulster TV (UTV) agree on a price. And the GWR-Capital Group merger – GCap Media - becomes official.

“What Gets Measured Gets Done.” --- Michael Hedges April 21, 2005

Italian Company Enters Radio Measurement Competition --- Michael Hedges February 1, 2005

Ambition Can Be Boundless, Just Like In The Movies --- Michael Hedges May 16, 2016 Follow on Twitter
Owning and operating a media organization is a tough slog in the digital age. There have been dropouts despite the alluring promise of fame, fortune and show business. For every one seeking escape new media operators spring up, plenty of them. Not all have the same aspirations. And we know who they are.

New Dimensions And Separate Realities In TV Land --- Michael Hedges April 15, 2010 (Follow on Twitter)
Buzz, buzz, buzz; it’s MIPTV. With so much buzzing and twittering how can there be enough time or energy for the PR parties. Television luminaries are buzzing about adapting to converging realities.

Big Media Owners Get 'Fit And Proper' Treatment --- Michael Hedges April 30, 2012 Follow on Twitter
Being a media mogul is getting tougher these days. Big competitors rally opinion against them as lesser competitors fall away. That digital dividend keeps getting more expensive. So too the politicians, now more than ever worried about opinions they might shape and money they might make.

News Corp Exit From Russian Radio Tied Up --- Michael Hedges January 22, 2010 Follow on Twitter
A year and a half ago News Corp Premier Rupert Murdoch said he’d be clearing out of Russia and other Eastern European holdings. He’s found it easier said than done.

Another Big Media Company Sours On Eastern Europe --- Michael Hedges June 30, 2010 Follow on Twitter
For media companies, foreign development carries risk and reward. Expansion opportunities beyond home borders advance on business models well-honed by experience. The best plans, though, can be laid to waste by changing local politics.

Need For Efficiency Fuels Squeeze On Local Radio: Fire The DJs --- Michael Hedges March 1, 2019 Follow on Twitter
The media sphere undergoes constant change, much of it appreciated. Listeners, viewers and readers like novelty, something new. The conundrum - Catch-22, if you will - is a distinct resistance to change. People know what they like and like what they know, a famous radio authority once said. That reality does not easily fit the business plan.

Publisher Defies Gravity, Launches New Daily --- Michael Hedges August 18, 2011 Follow on Twitter
Business decisions for publishers are based on the bottom line. It can be cruel. Sometimes, at least for the more entraprenurial, it’s instinct. And it’s always about timing.

Colorful Media Owner Wins Court Decision, Meets End Of Road --- Michael Hedges February 17, 2020 - Follow on Twitter
Being glib and controversial is a beneficial quality for a talk-show host. Also helpful is ubiquity. Having powerful friends, too, can make things happen. But an interruption in cash-flow can bring all this to a halt. So it goes.

Subscriber Lists Under Scrutiny From Regulators --- Michael Hedges October 18, 2021 - Follow on Twitter
News media business models are quite fragile. This is repeated over and over by journalism advocates. Subscriptions and grants have promise as a means of support, particularly for independent outlets. More and more, these too are threatened.

Ad Rules and Changing Behavior --- Michael Hedges June 15, 2009 Follow on Twitter
Governments regularly invite controversy when advertising is the subject. In the most honorable sense, civil society stakeholders have a right to demand civil responsibility from those creating commercial speech. On the other side, it’s about changing people’s behavior or, simply, rewarding the powerful few.

The Passage Of Time Has Consequences --- Michael Hedges June 24, 2020 Follow on Twitter
The great economic, if not social, unknown is the future. Almost anything about the future - two months, six months, two years - is up for grabs. As such we grasp at every forecast of anything. Mostly there is disappointment.

Ads Off, Except For Beer; Reality Conditional --- Michael Hedges August 4, 2014 Follow on Twitter
More often than not regulations affecting the media sector are put in place to either adjust behavior or raise revenues for state coffers and, maybe, both. Sometimes rule makers find it necessary to make changes when a large ox is about to be gored. We’d all enjoy a good debate if we could find one.

The Ad Business Is Eye Popping --- Michael Hedges September 28, 2010 Follow on Twitter
Advertising people are used to taking knocks. Their ads are too loud or too long. Some are too rude, more than a few just dumb. Mostly media people complain that ad people aren’t spending enough.

Advertising mutates --- Michael Hedges March 16, 2009 Follow on Twitter
We’ve been wondering and sometimes worrying about the immediate future of advertising. Web advertising is slowing, other media dropping. Broadcasters can’t find visibility. The advertising people, though, see a new world.

Ad Spending Forecasts Plot The Future --- Michael Hedges February 26, 2020 Follow on Twitter
Ad spending keeps growing, particularly in emerging markets. Digital transition is seen as an opportunity. Broadcasters find ad revenues replaced by subscription revenues. Publishers shift to digital platforms. While political advertising reduces inventories, outdoor advertising is more popular than ever.

New Terms Promoted To Explain Advertising --- Michael Hedges June 16, 2021 Follow on Twitter
The mid-year advertising forecasts are out and there's dancing in the streets, at least among the happy advertising people. Double-digit increases are expected all over, almost. Ad spending last year was, at best, tepid as consumers declined to part with their money, except for streaming video subscriptions, and advertisers followed suit.

Change Only Frightens Voters Conditioned To Fear --- Michael Hedges April 9, 2018 - Follow on Twitter
Media watchers toil diligently to bring malfeasance to light. Journalism sometimes leads, sometimes follows. Correction often follows that spotlight, where democratic values and the rule of law are respected. Elections are the antidote. Authoritarians have a different prescription.

Never Let The Truth Get In The Way Of A Good Story --- Michael Hedges November 28, 2011 Follow on Twitter
Put a provocative title on a video clip, in context or not, and world-wide attention on the world wide web is guaranteed. There are certainly a lot of people out there with nothing better to do. Ah, the viral flames; so creative, so very post-modern.