Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer taking a Suge Knight approach to the whole Yahoo! Thing

By SDH And we thought this evaporated into thin air when Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang said fuck you to Microsoft’s $40 billion offer. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer really wants Yahoo! and it looks like he is sick and tired of waiting around while Jerry Yang plays hard to get. Now Ballmer is offering ultimatums, telling Yahooers they had better come to the table or they will go over heads to get the deal done. Ballmer believes Yahoo! got the best offer out there and will try to convince the company’s shareholders that it is. "If we have not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo board," wrote Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

Thomson-Reuters: how many jobs will be erased for this new company to be born?

By SDH Thomson-Reuters will become real on April 17th 2008, a new management structure will start to take shape. A new logo will be unveiled followed by a massive re-branding campaign across all businesses and products. But on a sadder note, huge layoffs are expected and may already be cocked and ready. Some employees will no doubt be offered buyouts and some will just be canned, and both the Thomson and Reuters side seem eager to get the ball rolling. The ThomsonReuters.com domain already points back to the Thomson website. However another domain Thomson-Reuters.com may have to be secured in some kind of back door deal so the new company can maintain control of its brand across the web. How will this all play out, how many heads will roll from both sides? This marriage could easily lead to inside bickering like the bickering that unfolded after the AOL-Time Warner merger which as we all know, crashed and burned. Thomson is the one doing the buying, but it’s the CEO of the company being bought that will lead the combined company. This may not be sitting well with some senior level Thomson execs. Reuters CEO Tom Glocer at the top may be a threat to many on the Thomson side fearing he may want to ease them out to bring over his Reuters lieutenants. But then again there is probably something in the deal that says he can’t do this. Usually the CEO of the company that is doing the buying leads the new company and the CEO of the company being bought comes in as the number two or is pushed out. But perhaps Glocer being named to run the combined company was a must, in order to get the deal done. So besides the possibility of massive job cuts to eliminate redundancies, what else will Thomson-Reuters look at to cut costs? Well there are the many buildings around the world that bare the Thomson and Reuters logos. Thomson’s current New York headquarters is located at 195 Broadway, in the heart of the financial district. Will the headquarters of the new company move to Times Square to the Reuters building? There are many places where the new financial media giant can squeeze cash from. One major vehicle for cash may be in the sale of some businesses on both sides. God knows they will need it to cover re-branding costs. So who will roll with Glocer under the new company? We know Reuter’s CFO David Grigson is out, at least out as CFO. That job will reportedly stay with current Thomson CFO Robert D. Daleo. Reuters’ group director of Human Resources, Stephen Dando, may have a spot under Thomson Executive Vice President Bob Bogart. It will be a game of “You’re in and you’re out” and we can’t wait to see how this new financial media behemoth comes together.

Mel Karmazin gets his merger!

By SDH After a year of pleading and convincing, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin gets the green light to merge his company with rival XM creating a new monster satellite radio broadcaster that will go un-challenged for some time to come. Karmazin has argued from the start that a merger between the only two satellite radio providers would benefit subscribers. However it was a hard sell. Now comes the whole re-branding and merging of operations and a shit load of layoffs. The party just started.

When fantasies border on stupidity

By SDH We’ve heard crazy ideas/fantasies before like when it was suggested that Time Warner buy Starbucks, that one, though clearly just someone talking out of their rear was just extreme and made absolutely no sense no matter how anyone wants to look at it. Now comes another crazy idea/fantasy though not as extreme as the Time Warner Starbucks suggestion, this one is also someone talking out of their rear. After browsing over at “All Things Digital” we came across a post from Kara Swisher who begs that we indulge her, in her no sense fantasy/idea that instead of Microsoft buying Yahoo! They should buy AOL and the giant media company attached to it, Time Warner. AOL by the way is attached to Time Warner, and why say Microsoft buying Time Warner would be a bargain compared to Yahoo! While in the same breath mentioning that the current price tag for Time Warner is $51.5 billion but it would balloon to about $87 billion due to debt? Double the price of what Microsoft is offering for Yahoo! We know it’s just a fantasy but we’re talking reality here. If Microsoft were to even mention that they are kicking the tires on the overweight Time Warner, their stock would go into a free fall. Microsoft knows nothing about traditional media which is what makes up the majority of Time Warner. And bottom line, it would be AOL Time Warner 2.0. The only thing that would fit with Microsoft is AOL, so why not just grab AOL if Jeff Bewkes decided to sell. No need to buy a bunch of assets you’re going to have to unload just to gain control of one. There is no value in Harry Potter, HBO or any other Time Warner brands, shows, networks for Microsoft. If Former Time Warner CEO Geri Levine didn’t get caught up in the hype that was AOL, Time Warner would probably be in good shape right now. But it is still suffering from the after effects of that merger. Kara Swisher asks why doesn’t Microsoft buy Time Warner. Well the answer to that is simple. They have no interest in dumping a load of cash on a debt laced company in a business they know nothing about, that is still trying to find their way after being knocked on their ass. Oh yeah and Steve Ballmer kinda likes his job and net worth. We think the same goes for Bill Gates, at least on the net worth part.

Rupert Murdoch beefing up Dow Jones

BY SDH Dow Jones has long been a blip in comparison to other financial media companies like Thomson Bloomberg and Reuters, and now that both Thomson and Reuters are awaiting word on their pending join up, Dow Jones will end up being an even smaller blip. But New Dow Jones ruler Rupert Murdoch is working to make sure his little blip is still visible and has a voice to compete with the big boys. King Rupe's News Corp in an effort to bulk up Dow Jones' financial news coverage overseas, has purchased Betten Financial News and Dow Jones enterprise media group President Clare Hart spits the usual on why! We're dedicated to increasing our coverage of local markets in local languages, and this acquisition helps us to better serve the needs of our European customers," Dow Jones buys Betten Financial News [Reuters]

Did Mel Karmazin deal Sirius to hell ?

BY SDH It is said that you always go back to where you began. For Mel Karmazin he began in radio and now he’s back in radio, the only difference is that this time it's satellite. He may be back on familiar turfs but over the years his new gig has proven difficult and sometimes extremely expensive in an effort to keep some form of relevancy. Over a year ago it was announced that the Karmazin lead Sirius was merging with its rival XM to create a satellite radio giant that would go un-challenged. This very fact sparked concerns at the FCC and to this day the merger has not been approved. Poor Mel was on Capital Hill more than many of our senators pleading his case trying to convince them that a Sirius XM join up would work and benefit subscribers. But trying to get his merger green lighted was only part of Mel's headaches. Since he took over as CEO, he has spent big to land some of the biggest talent hoping that their shows would cover costs and more. But were such deals smart for a business mostaly dependant on revenue generated by subscriptions? For Howard Stern alone, Mel dropped $500 Million and hundreds of millions more doing deals with the NFL, NBA and NASCAR to name a few. Mel Karmazin spent a shit load of money but by doing so has put Sirius in a serious position. Even though he insists that if a merger with XM doesn't happen Sirius can survive, many believe he needs the merger with XM to help share the heavy load he has amassed since being named CEO. We shouldn’t be surprised at all if XM decided to pay a fee to get out of the merger agreement, leaving poor Mel out in the cold. Was Karmazin too eager to make his mark and spent too much in the process? This reminds me of Jean-Marie Messier, the one time CEO of Vivendi Universal. He went on a massive shopping spree buying everything in site in his effort to build a massive media company only to sink the company deep into the red which lead to his ouster. Is Mel Karmazin heading down the same road, will his merger ever be green lighted, is XM radio secretly playing against him doing things to make sure a merge doesn’t happen? Sumner Redstone is probably happy he fired him, saying to himself that “Mel would have probably lead Viacom down the same road, spending big and tying up the company in what appears to be a doomed merger” Related: Satellite radio in limbo as merger stalls

Former Yahoo! boss Terry Semel is probably praying his former company bows to Microsoft

-SDH Of all the shareholders out there praying that Yahoo! takes up Microsoft on their offer, former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel is probably the loudest. See Semel holds a nice amount of Yahoo! Stock and with Microsoft's Murdochian style offer of $44 Billion to swallow the online giant, Semel may run out of places to put money. With Semel officially stepping down from Yahoo's board yesterday, there is no doubt that he is moving full speed ahead with his second act which may have him trying to buy a movie studio and installing himself as CEO. So is Terry Semel on his knees praying that Yahoo! says yes? You fucking bet ya!

David Zaslav gets into the Oprah business

-BY SDH Former Jeff Zucker underling turned Discovery Communications ruler, David Zaslav continues to make the moves necessary to propel Discovery into the big media stratosphere. In his latest move Zaslav has entered a deal with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey to launch an all new network called OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network just a few months after his old boss Jeff Zucker paid close to $1billion for Oxygen Network which Oprah co-founded. Zaslav landing such a huge name like Oprah will only attract other big names to Discovery, which is exactly what Zaslav wants. Discovery owns 13 networks in the United States, including Discovery, TLC and Animal Planet. Discovery Health is one of the least successful, and company President and CEO David Zaslav was looking for ideas about what to do with it when his wife handed him a copy of Oprah's magazine. He approached Winfrey about a partnership, coincidentally shortly after she had come upon an entry for her diary dated May 24, 1992, when she wrote about her idea for creating her own network. Oprah Winfrey getting her own TV network [AP]

United Business Media wants some Latin love

-YOSH United Business Media parent company of the still CEO-Less CMP Media Technology is expanding it's PR Newswire business. The company has announced that it plans to purchase a slew of Latin PR businesses including Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network. Great! So all UBM needs to acquire now to round out their audience is a Black PR firm and an Asian PR firm. "The acquisition of Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network is in line with PR Newswire's mission to enhance our multicultural services in the U.S. and internationally through a combination of organic development and acquiring leading companies," commented Charles Gregson, chief executive officer, PR Newswire. "The services of these companies represent a full scale Hispanic communications platform that runs the gamut from Hispanic press release distribution to news monitoring and online marketing. Merging this platform with PR Newswire's services will allow us to offer marketers and communications professionals unprecedented ROI for all their U.S. Hispanic communications efforts. These businesses are leaders in their space, and we look forward to welcoming them into the PR Newswire family." PR Newswire to Acquire Leading Hispanic Press Release, Clipping and On-line Advertising Services [PR NEWSWIRE]

Jeff Bewkes looks to the founding fathers for answers

-RAY In 6 days yet a new era will begin at Time Warner with the Bewkes Administration taking office. Many have high hopes for the company under the leadership of Bewkes, but he still seems to looking for answers regarding the future of the world's biggest media company. When searching for answers, who better to look to for answers than the founding fathers. Before the top 200 executives at a ballroom in Miami’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, Mr. Bewkes invoked the legacies of Henry R. Luce and Ted Turner in ticking off the accomplishments of the assembly’s predecessors: inventing the newsmagazine (Time), and spearheading cable news (CNN) and pay television (HBO), according to three executives in attendance who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a private meeting. What Would Henry Luce Do? Looking Forward at Time Warner [NYT]

Christopher Bancroft: I'm sorry we won't be as involved with Dow Jones now, were they ever? Rich Zannino knows his high end fashion

-YOSH It looks like reality has set in for some members of the Bancroft family who ruled Dow Jones for decades up until yesterday. Now that they no longer have control of the company, Bancroft family member Chris Bancroft is all sad, even with a fatter bank account. “I’m sad we’re no longer going to be involved as we had been, but I look forward to Rupert doing a great job in keeping Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal the quality organizations they have been,” said Christopher Bancroft, a Dow Jones board member. “I hope it doesn’t change in a way that would cause it to lose the credibility it has had. I’m optimistic.” As far as former Dow Jones CEO Rich Zannino goes... he's already getting some good advice from Dow Jones board member Evelyn Y. Davis who suggested to Mr. Zannino that he return to the apparel industry. She even challenged him to tell her which designer she was wearing and to no surprise, Zannino got it right. She was wearing Valentino. Hey, did Gap ever find a new CEO? Zannino should apply. News Corp. Completes Takeover of Dow Jones [NYT]

NON-SHOCKER: Dow Jones board backs sale to News Corp

Shareholders Back Dow Jones Sale [NYT]

All jokes aside, will Dow Jones CEO Rich Zannino survive in the house of Murdoch?

-YOSH So come next week, news Corp, if the world doesn't end, will close on its deal to swallow Dow Jones. But swallowing such a big company whole, causes gagging which will lead to News Corp throwing up, purging its inners of unfamiliar overpaid individuals to help offset the $5 Billion price tag. But how high up will the purging go? Dow Jones CEO Richard Zannino has always been an under the Radar kind of guy, even more so since he pushed for the takeover of the company. In pushing for the takeover Zannino may have just had one thing on his mind which is the cash he will pocket when the deal is done. But did he stop to think that he could be canned in favor of a Murdochian (a person loyal to the Murdochs). Then again it's probably written somewhere that he has to remain CEO of the company at least until his contract expires. However if Rupert Murdoch can get around a confused and dysfunctional family like the Bancrofts, he can get around a piece of paper. So is it likely that Rich Zannino will be shown the exit? Maybe not right away, but eventually he will be. We see Dow Jones, being reduced to simply a brand with all its businesses, like the Wall Street Journal and its web properties like Marketwatch.com being mixed into the News Corp swirl, leaving no need for a Richard Zannino

News Corp rolls out "The No deal" technique while they work it out with the LinkedIN guys

-YOSH OK so who is going out of their way to reiterate that News Corp is not in talks to buy social networking business site, LinkedIn.com? The source is shooting down everything from a rumored $1 Billion price tag to Rupert Murdoch regretting his Dow Jones purchase. OK so he didn't shoot that one down. But in previous reports, both companies already made it clear, or attempted to make it clear that they aren't in talks whatsoever. But come on why wouldn't a deal happen? It makes sense and we all know Rupert isn't afraid to throw cash at things he wants. Don't they know that the more they deny that talks are going on the more people will think that talks are really going on? Clearly this is an attempt to keep speculation in the media about a possible deal, perhaps a technique to get the LinkedIN side to agree to a buyout because they are probably holding out for more money than News Corp thinks they're worth. "Strategically, it would be a great fit," Goldman Sachs analyst Anthony Noto told Reuters last week. Whether it makes financial sense hinges on price, he said. There is no way LinkedIn is worth $1 Billion. News Corp, LinkedIn not in takeover talks: source [Reuters]

Newscorp says it isn't buying LinkedIn but we all know that really means they are

Rupert Murdoch's henchmen are said to be at it again this time talking up the folks at LinkedIn.com. We've always admired Newscorp's online interest over the years. They always seem to go the un-traditional route when seeking new online properties to swallow. If Newscorp lands LinkedIn, there is no doubt they will gel it with Myspace. They can even use the site to look for new talent and run ads based on the industry someone works in. Oh man the possibilities. Will this be Fox Interactive (FIM) head Peter Levinsohn's shot at major kudos like his cousin former FIM Prexy Ross Levinsohn got and continues to get for landing myspace and causing Tom Freston his job? Anyway, for now both News Corp and LinkedIn claim there are no talks going on between them. Is Rupert Murdoch eyeing LinkedIn? [Telegraph]

XM Satellite Radio expects, growth and declines, has no interest in nappy headed hoeist Don Imus

-YOSH With a merger with rival Sirius all but done (allegedly) XM Satellite Radio in the meantime expects some good and not so good things. The company said it expects retail subscriber growth to resume in the fourth quarter, but declines may occur again in the first or second quarter of 2008. Yeah we know we get confused sometimes too, but basically what it means is that, like every other business, shit is really unpredictable. We're sure Sirius boss Mel Karmazin who is expected to run the combined companies is watching XM's numbers very closely. XM, which lost a net 17,000 retail customers in the third quarter, now relies almost entirely on car buyers for growth, and Parsons said auto-related sales will be strong even if the most pessimistic car sales projections for this year come true. "From our standpoint, we see a pretty solid projectable growth trajectory coming from the new car marketplace. Clearly, we want them to be successful, and we will do better in a boom time than in a depressed time ...," Parsons told the Reuters Media Summit in New York. XM expects Q4 retail subscriber growth [Reuters] Related: XM says no interest in Imus, new high-cost acts

note to ron burkle: noooooooo!

-BY MARTY It looks like billionaire supermarket god Ron Burkle is about to add the embattled tabloid publisher, American Media Inc (AMI) to his collection of companies. If the deal does indeed reach a close, AMI will merge with Source Interlink's media unit. But that's not the kicker. Rumor has it that AMI's incompetent CEO David Pecker will become head of the new company in a management shake up many say is pending at Source Interlink, and to that we say Holy Shit! David Peck in charge of a much bigger operation? If this is true, who slipped something in Ron Burkle's drink during the discussions? Perhaps Pecker himself. Putting the man in charge who religiously misses financial reporting deadlines and puts the blame elsewhere is just beyond comprehension for us. We thought a deal would have been the end of Pecker as we know it. If and when this deal closes, look for heads to roll (that's a given) along with a mass exodus in senior management. Oh God save the underlings. Sources close to the deal expect Pecker to become head of the new company, despite a very rough patch over the last few years that included falling rate bases and restated financials at AMI. Burkle's Coup [Slate]

AOLer randy falco buys one more company to make him feel like AOL is competing strongly with google

AOL, the embattled Internet unit of TimeWarner is about to drop $340 million to buy yet another online ad firm to beef up it's competitive ability with Google. AOL CEO Randy Falco will land a company that makes money off of the Google ad model and gain 100 employees that he will eventually fire in the new year to cover the $340 million price tag. Falco is really serious about building AOL into an advertising mall or something like that. What will happen if and when advertising isn't the Internet cash whore it is today? The deal, which adds 100 employees, marks the last big acquisition AOL plans as part of a restructuring to transform itself into a one-stop online advertising shop, AOL Chief Executive Randy Falco told Reuters in an interview. "I expect it to begin to add to growth in 2008," he said, referring to AOL's online advertising growth, which is a big concern among investors. Ad growth slipped to 16 percent in the second quarter and 13 percent in the third quarter, from 40 percent levels earlier. Wonder if Falco will last the full run of the Bewkes Administration? -YOSH AOL to buy Quigo as last big advertising deal [Reuters]

Note to FCC member Michael Copps: News Corp already has that influence you are soooo worried about, dummy

So, as usual there is always someone at the FCC trying to play hero. This time it's Commission member Michael Copps, who apparently woke up one morning and said to himself "Holy shit, that Rupert guy is too powerful" But what Mr. Copps doesn't know is that he is like a little too late. Copps is concerned that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, now the baddest motherfucker in media, will have their hands in too many pots. ``It will create a single company with enormous influence over politics, art and culture across the nation and especially in the New York area,'' Copps said today in a letter to FCC Chairboy Kevin Martin, a Republican. Copps, one of two Democrats on the five-member panel, said the deal shouldn't proceed until the FCC studies the potential impact on competition, diversity and local-broadcast obligations in the New York market. The Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of an antitrust waiting period in August. FCC's Copps Wants Review of News Corp.-Dow Jones Deal [Bloomberg]

David Pecker seeks to hide his shame

American Media CEO Dave Pecker is said to be looking to hook up with Ron Burkle's Source Interlink companies to save his ass. If you haven't heard of David Pecker then look up the word "Incompetent" and you will see a nice picture of the one time tabloid king. Under his leadership American Media has missed financial deadlines and is in the red. Pecker is no doubt praying for a deal to happen with Source Interlink to help hide some of his fuck ups. We only hope a deal doesn't include him still running the show. According to a person with knowledge of the talks, Burkle and American Media CEO David Pecker are discussing a merger that would combine American Media's titles, which include Star, the National Enquirer and Men's Fitness, with Source Interlink's magazine titles, which range from Motor Trend to Soap Opera Digest. This source said both Burkle and Pecker "believe a deal can be done." For Pecker's sake we hope so. No forget that, for the sake of AMI's employees, we hope so. PECKER AIMS FOR A MERGER [NYP]

The king looks to expand his reach yet again

The real king of all media, Rupert Murdoch is looking to expand his reach oversees via Turkey. The company is said to be kicking the tires on media companies in Turkey, specifically the atv television station and the Sabah newspaper. Rupert Murdoch seems to be the only media mogul who believes in newspapers. Clearly this is the secret to his success, controlling the very vehicle that reports on you and your company. "We can compete better if we have more assets,'' said Al Parsons, head of the company's European television operations, said in an interview in Warsaw today. ``We are looking at what's being offered." News Corp. Is `Looking at' Turkish Media Assets, Executive Says [Bloomberg]

What Time Warner is to America, Rogers is to Canada

If an American media mogul ever wanted to expand his control further around the world, we would suggest he/she kick the tires on one of Canada's biggest media/communications company, Rogers Communications. This company is like the Time Warner of Canada. They publish Maclean's which is Canada's version of Time Magazine among other fashion and business titles. Their business includes phone, cable & Internet services as well as broadcasting. What American media mogul in their right mind wouldn't want to control such a company? With revenues of about $7.48 billion (CAN) and operating income of $2.1 billion (CAN) this company is doing serious business. Here is a little info on the media giant: Rogers is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications and cable television, with additional telecommunications and mass media assets. Edward S. "Ted" Rogers is the company's well-known controlling shareholder and chief executive. Rogers Media owns Canada's largest publishing company, Rogers Publishing Limited, which has more than 70 consumer and business publications, 51 radio stations, television broadcasting with OMNI and the Sportsnet network, The Shopping Channel which is Canada's home shopping service, the Toronto Blue Jays and the team's home stadium, the Rogers Centre.

Today in start a rumor spike your stock: Google to swallow Sirius?

Apparently there is a rumor this morning which is sure to stick around for the whole week that Google is kicking the tires on Sirius Satellite Radio which is still trying to wrap up a merger with XM. This is probably the 5th company Google is said to be kicking the tires on. Like everyone else we don't know how true this is but a company like Sirius, with their not so hot stock price could benefit from such a rumor due to Google's golden status and greedy investors who would eat up more shares in Sirius. Sirius: Google's Satellite Of Love? [Webpro]

XM Satellite Radio: We don't need a merger, but we would like one

XM Satellite Radio bosses Nate Davis and Gary Parsons in a Q&A with the New York Times said that a merger with Sirius would be great but if it doesn't happen, that would be great as well. As both companies wait for the final word on whether or not they can merge. The boys at XM are all about business as usual. Q. It is said that the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn. Do you ever wake up fearing that this merger will not happen? PARSONS: No, I actually don’t. We have said that we do not need the merger to go forward. Candidly, it’s pedal to the metal from the beginning to the very end. The most extraordinary thing has been the visceral nature with which the N.A.B. jihad has progressed against the merger. The Future for XM, With or Without a Sirius Merger [NYT]

Just like we thought. The whole DowJones thing is turning into one big circus

We really thought that this DowJones News Corp thing would have gotten done with a touch of class sans the publicity hungry bids, but at some point someone would have pulled one out of their ass and that point came today. Brad Greenspan (no relation to former fed chief Allen) threw his hat in the wring for a shot at the DowJones title. Who is this man you ask? Well he's one of the guys current DowJones front runner Rupert Murdoch made rich when he shelled out over $500 Million for Myspace. This could be Greenspan's way of getting under Rupe's skin. Then again Rupert can buy Greenspan again along with DowJones. MySpace founder seeks Dow Jones stake [CNNmoney]

Rupert Murdoch continues to audition for DowJones

They say the man always wins and according to many, he is about to win yet again. Rupert Murdoch is said to be thisclose to seducing the Bancroft family into selling their company to him. It has been a long and perhaps painful audition for Rupe but we think Simon Cowell would have given him the thumbs up. The Bancroft family is starting to realize that Rupe's offer is as generous as they come as one unidentified Bancroft family member puts it all into perspective. You may love your house, but if someone offers you twice what it’s worth, you have to at least listen to the offer — no matter how much you like or dislike the buyer.” This just proves yet again that money talks and bull............well you know the rest! Dow Jones, Murdoch and an Enticing ‘Kiss’ [NYT]

Looking Back: Where in the world would Disney be today if they did get swallowed by Comcast?

-Shomari Hines Remember back in 2004? The media industry thought it was going to have to digest yet another mega merger between cable giant Comcast and Entertainment giant Disney. The media blitz that always surrounds such rumored mergers was already in full swing with cover stories and none stop coverage in newspapers and on business TV shows. But it never happened? Was it because plans to merge got out too quick? Did Comcast CEO Brian Roberts do a Bob Pittman and do the cliche Businessweek cover? Or did Mike Eisner realize he was out of his mind? To be honest we have no idea why this was even thought about at all. A company like Disney should never sell out. Disney is truly an American institution that should be preserved and luckily a CEO is in place that is doing just that. Mike Eisner must have been really desperate, then again if we remember correctly, at that point we don't think Eisner had much choice as Roberts reportedly went over his head. We just had to touch back on this because we were wondering where would a Disney Comcast marriage be today. Comcast was only in it for the content and the content only. So where would that have left Disney? Would the Disney name even exist today? Below is a link to the Businessweek cover story that accompanied Brian Robert’s premature cover shot. Go back in time when we all thought Walt would come back from the dead only to die again, this time from terminal disappointment Mega Media Mergers: How Dangerous? [BusinessWeek Feb 2004 Issue]

Mel Karmazin to law makers: Monopoly? What monopoly?

-Shomari Hines Mel Karmazin put on his super salesman suit and jetted to Washington yesterday to sell, sell, sell his vision of a merged Sirius and XM. But according to reports, he may have to try a little harder to get this merger moving. By the time the two-hour, 20-minute congressional hearing into the proposed $13 billion Sirius-XM merger ended late Wednesday afternoon, Mel Karmazin was getting a little hot under the collar trying to drive home the message to legislators that the company left standing after his Sirius and Gary Parson’s XM come together will not be a monopoly. He said it many ways and many times including at least once where some frustration finally began to show, “We are absolutely not a monopoly,” the CEO strained. Karmazin, About XM/Sirius Merger: `We Are Absolutely Not A Monopoly' [Mediaweek]

But how sweet does he like his lemonade

Is Mel Karmazin hoping for Oprah to fail in the satellite radio show business? Apparently her failure would be news to his ears as he gears up to face regulators who are already hating on his proposed merger with rival XM. The queen of all media caused barely a ripple last fall when XM Satellite Radio announced she would get her own channel, "Oprah and Friends." On Wednesday, Sirius CEO Karmazin will trudge up to a Capitol Hill hearing to try and convince lawmakers his proposed merger with rival XM isn't anti-competitive. He could trot out the failure of Winfrey, Martha Stewart, and even Nascar to spark a new-subscriber wave as evidence the universe of audio entertainment extends well beyond the country's two ailing satellite radio businesses. Already, Karmazin, in starting to frame his argument, has said that satellite radio's real battle isn't Sirius versus XM, but Sirius and XM versus basic television, cable, iPods and every other media device on the planet. Actually, we think Sirius and XM's real battle will be against the mighty, mighty internet. OPRAH'S LEMONS MAY MAKE MEL'S LEMONADE [NYP]

Your kid is the reason for this entire merger shit

And all this time we thought it was due to the demands of greedy shareholders looking to cash in on top of the heap they already have. We thought when Mel Karmazin finally got XM to agree to work towards a merger it was because of his own doing and dream. Apparently we have been wrong all along. Your teen daughter - with her iPod and MySpace page - is responsible for the multibillion-dollar Sirius-XM and Warner Music Group-EMI merger attempts. That's because behind both proposed couplings is the rise of digital music - particularly on peer-to-peer services where usage is heaviest among 13- to 18-year-olds - and the threat it poses to their survival. Consider, for example, that within two years roughly 40 percent of all new automobiles - satellite radio's bread-and-butter subscriber base - will come equipped with audio jacks for iPods and other MP3 players. So shouldn't these teens be present when these companies go up to plead their case? YOUTHS' DIGITAL HABITS FORCE SATELLITE RADIO, MUSIC MERGERS [NYP]