In Media, Even Death Cannot Stop NepotismLuke Russert gets a job at NBC, and everyone has liquidity problems (except the tenants of 15 Central Park West), in our daily roundup of media, finance, real-estate and law news.
Right Now, Sean Avery Is Getting Anna Wintour StarbucksThe injured Ranger begins his tour of duty at ‘Vogue,’ Carl Icahn’s battle with Yahoo heats up, and Donald Trump is in another fight … in today’s roundup of media, finance, real-estate and law news.
‘Playboy’ Profits: Going Down?Plus, ‘02138’ graduates to a new publisher, Bush goes online, and Skadden makes big bucks — all in our daily industry roundup.
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Rent Stabilization Not As Stable As BeforePlus, Skadden’s role in the failed Microsoft-Yahoo talks, what Perez Hilton is doing in James Frey’s new novel, and the rest of today’s industry gossip.
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Murdoch Won’t Go Any Higher on ‘Newsday’ BidAlso, Microsoft gives up on Yahoo, Berkshire Hathaway’s profits tank briefly, and Buzz Bissinger apologizes to Will Leitch, all in our daily industry roundup.
‘Esquire’ Feels That Heath Ledger’s Final Days Haven’t Been Examined Tastelessly EnoughMEDIA
• Esquire reports on how Heath Ledger spent his last days… except the story is not exactly true. Or, um, tasteful. [Vulture]
• Let the deluge begin! Media companies line up to bid for Weather Channel, which is up for auction. [DealBook/NYT]
• Wal-Mart appears to be irritated by Meredith Corporation’s creative tactic of selling its magazines, which include Better Homes and Garden and Ladies’ Home Journal, at the Dollar Tree store. [Folio]
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Reporters Pissed About Changes at ‘The Wall Street Journal’MEDIA
• The Wall Street Journal wants a cut in its reporters’ book deals. Also, they fired their longtime First Amendment lawyer Stuart Karle. “We’re pissed,” one reporter says. [NYO,
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The Gray Lady Lets Jim Impoco Come Crawling BackMEDIA
• Fired Portfolio editor Jim Impoco makes his comeback at The New York Times Magazine, where he’ll be a consulting editor. [NYO]
• NBC puts its traditional glitzy advertising on the back burner. That’s really too bad for the girl who was hoping to be assigned to keep tabs on John Krasinski during the day of the presentations. [NYP]
• Nielsen CEO David Calhoun charts a new course for his media-measuring company. [Fortune]
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Yahoo! Rupert Cooks Up Another Diabolical PlanIn last week’s earnings call, Rupert Murdoch was asked about the talks he’d had with Yahoo about combining it with MySpace, a News Corp. property. “I think that day has passed,” he said, “but you never know.” Indeed! Today, Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal is reporting that its parent company, along with a private-equity group, is in talks to combine MySpace and other News Corp. properties with Yahoo. This new round of discussions, the Journal tells us, are aimed at “helping Yahoo fend off Microsoft Corp’s unsolicited” $44.6 billion offer to buy the company. Under the deal being discussed, News Corp. would get a 20 percent stake in Yahoo, but, more importantly, “they’d be the largest single stockholder and effectively in control of the combined Yahoo/FIM entity and their nearly 150 billion monthly page views (which would be second only to Google),” according to TechCrunch. Which basically means, we think, that Murdoch would own at least a 65 percent stake in, like, our brains.
News Corp. Enters Yahoo Fray [WSJ]
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Meet Microsoft’s ‘Gatekeeper of Funding’FINANCE
• Now that Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid, it’s up to Microsoft’s self-described “gatekeeper of funding” Christopher P. Liddell to plot the company’s next chess move. [DealBook/NYT]
• Fearful that 90 percent of TheStreet.com’s franchise revolves around Jim Cramer, today the finance-driven Website launched Mainstreet.com, which will revolve around celebrities and personal finance. You think Britney’s psychological drama is intense? Wait until you hear about her bond portfolio. [NYP]
• France’s rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel might have had an accomplice. How did police find out? By sifting through 2,000 pages of instant-message traffic. Bet that was a gr8 time. [NYT]
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Delta and Northwest to Fly in FormationFINANCE
• High fuel prices and a soft economy have sent Delta and Northwest Airlines running into each other’s arms. The two could announce a definitive plan to merge as early as next week. [NYT]
• Senate Republicans have axed a proposed economic-stimulus bill. The Dem-proposed $158 billion package, which sought to avert a full-fledged recession, came up one short of the required 60 votes. [FT]
• But, no worries. Economists put odds of a U.S. recession at 49 percent, which means we’re not technically there yet. Also, for what it’s worth, this video is funny. [WSJ]
