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Media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter Shari are embroiled in a nasty, public feud over the future of National Amusements Inc., parent company of Viacom, CBS, BET, MTV, and the list goes on. Silicon Alley Insider Managing Editor Peter Kafka joins us to talk about succession in the Redstone empire.
Billionaire Sam Zell is taking over at the Tribune Company, parent of the L.A. Times. But who should own newspapers? Companies? Families? Very rich guys? L.A. Times media critic Tim Rutten says that behind every great newspaper is a great family.
Last weekend in Memphis, the organization Free Press hosted the National Conference for Media Reform. Throughout the weekend, the civil rights movement was frequently invoked. OTM producer Megan Ryan made the trip, and returned with this postcard.
For several years now, there’s been nothing but bad news for the newspaper business. But Marketplace correspondent Dan Grech reports that 2006 was the year that journalists finally saw the writing on the wall.
Since the fall of Communism in Albania, its press has flourished. But that doesn’t mean the country’s media are truly independent. Megan Williams reports from Albania on one news show that’s bucking the trend of government control.
During his 20 years at NBC, Warren Littlefield experienced both the highs and lows of television programming. His early years were forged during the network’s single least successful lineup, but then Littlefield went on to oversee much of NBC’s 80s and 90s renaissance. He speaks with Brooke about the necessity of creating must-see TV.
For people who spend a lot of time online, "network neutrality" is one of the most important issues pending in Washington. But the question of whether to create a "premium lane" on the information superhighway also has a lot of bearing on TV, too. This Wednesday, Rick Karr will examine the future of the Internet for PBS' Moyers on America. He gives us a preview of what's at stake.
Last weekend's $1.6 billion deal between Google and YouTube left some people scratching their heads over the enormity of the price-tag. New media consultant Rishad Tobaccowala tells Bob why the online video site is worth that much., despite the giant obsticles Google will face in making YouTube a money-maker.
