Will Tom Freston ever break his silence?

By SDH When Sumner Redstone fired Tom Freston to cover his own short comings on the whole Myspace deal, he sent Tommy off with a sweet $85 million thank you pay out after Tom signed a gag order baring him from talking shit about Redstone and Viacom. But gag orders don’t last for long and it has probably expired already. We know Tom Freston has lots to say about his short stint as CEO of Viacom working directly under Redstone. We would love to hear what really happened with the Myspace.com deal because the talk is that, it was Redstone himself who prevented Tom from moving on the social networking site which would have fit nicely with MTV and its online properties. We think a tell all book is in order. Sumner paid big to keep Tom quiet but people always talk.

The Spin Magazine, Myspace deal happened quietly because It’s all a bunch of nothing

BY SDH So Spin Magazine is spinning the hell out of the fact that they launched a digital edition and is playing it up like its some groundbreaking deal they got into with Myspace. To be honest we don’t even know if it’s even a deal. We took it up on ourselves to browse, Spin’s new digital edition and it’s just your typical digital edition of a print magazine, just an interactive replica of the print version, complete with links etc. All Spin did was launched a digital version and linked it from their Myspace page making it available to their friend’s list and other potential visitors who may visit their page. So what’s with all the hype? Any music magazine publisher could’ve linked their digital version from their Myspace page in hopes of landing more views right? The, magazine is offering its digital edition free for 12 months to land some attention from all the youngins who hang out on Myspace Music. Is the ultimate goal to land new subscribers for the digital or print edition of Spin? Maybe Spin isn’t even doing this to land subscribers. This is just one big stage for advertisers, and record labels to pimp their products and artists on. If this is the case, then kudos to Spin because the ad revenue from this should be sweet.

Spin magazine partners with Myspace, acts as if deal is so ground breaking

-BY SDH Like the industry it cover's, music magazine SPIN in an attempt to stay above the rough waters has teamed up with Myspace (who isn’t teaming up with a social networking site these days?) to launch a free digital version of its magazine. The magazine claims that since it quietly launched the digital edition on myspace via digital magazine producer Texterity a week ago, page views has jumped, that’s good and dandy, but we just hate when people speak of these little cliché deals as if it's so ground breaking. The only thing that is different about this deal is that Spin decided to launch their digital edition on Myspace while FADER went with iTunes. What would have been ground breaking is if SPIN launched their digital edition on MTV.com or something, ok that wouldn't be a big deal either. Good move though kids, don’t be too cocky.

Bobbie Johnson of the Guardian, shares his list of sites to watch in 2008, says Facebook is soooo last year

-YOSH Everyday thousands of websites are launched into cyberspace threatening the over valued websites that have been around for years and even those that have been around for under 5 years. Sites like Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and others continue to face growing competition. What sites will make their mark in the New Year? Bobbie Johnson of the Guardian thinks he has the answer: For many in the dotcom world, 2007 was dominated by one story: the rise of Facebook. The success of the social networking service has increased optimism about the internet industry. After all, if Microsoft is prepared to buy a 1.6% share for $240m (£121m), there is evidence that good ideas can be worth a lot of money. It is no surprise then that investors are looking for the next big thing - and these are some of the favourites. Facebook is so last year - welcome to the hit websites of 2008 [Guardian]

Media CEOs love them some facebook & Myspace, but the Blackberry is a given

-MARTY As it turns out, some media CEOs like to chill out in the same place your teenage kids like to chill out too. So it is possible that some accounts on sites like Facebook and Myspace could be the accounts of some of media's power players pretending to be teenage boys and/or girls? Oh man! Wonder who else holds an account on these sites? "I may be the only human being on earth who's on MySpace under his own name and I am on Facebook," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two Interactive Software, the video game company behind Grand Theft Auto. Peter "Ross's Cousin" Levinsohn, head of News Corp's Fox Interactive Media, described such behavior as that of an "uber user" who is on both popular social network sites but uses them toward different ends. MTV Chairwoman Judy McGrath on the other hand is a Blackberry-ist who probably wakes up with the thing stuck to her ass. Media CEOs are Facebook and BlackBerry users [Reuters]

Media News aggregated

-MEDIA WIRE DAILY Jim Nail, an exec with Cymphony, the online advertising analytics firm, predicts that web properties like Youtube, Myspace and Facebook won't become the ABC, NBC and CBS of the 21st century. These fuckers really have time on their hands don't they? [CNNMoney] Is this a Murdoch call? DowJones is thinking about selling off their Ottaway group of eight daily and 15 weekly community newspapers and related media franchises. They seem to be lightening the load before Rupe takes control at the end of the year. [Marketwatch] Mad Money-ist Jim Cramer shares with us why media stocks are not the way to go right now. One word sums it all up GOOGLE [BloggingStocks] We don't think Jeff Bewkes will sell AOL but just in case he is planning to do so when he takes office, but here is another but familiar reason he should just spin it off [TWBS] Is Jeff Bewkes Ghost writing for the Carson Daly hosted "Last Call with Carson Daly" while writers are still on strike? [Reuters] Conde Nast and other's we can't bother to mention because there names are too long will to produce MOVIES ROCK(TM) a Celebration of Music in Film, but the names scheduled to appear aren't that exciting. [PRNW]

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]

Morning Wire: Will Tribune Zell? | Disney's black princess, and more in this morning's worthy media news...

Sam Zell will reportedly put $13 Billion on the table for Tribune Co, but they may pass on it quicker than he can put it [Reuters] We bet Mike Eisner wouldn't have green lighted the creation of a black princess [FWJZ] Another story that just won't go away is the Conrad Black story, what will it take? [NYP] Myspace looks to take on Digg.com [NYP] Another publication relaunching with a new look and owner. Say hello to the new New Republic [NYT]

Peter Levinsohn getting the hang of this interactive Prexy thing

We could be wrong but we think this is the first major push Fox Interactive Media (FIM) has announced since former FIM chief Ross Levinsohn's cousin Ross Levinsohn was handed the top job. We don't think we have ever read comments from Pete either but he recently made some at the Bear Stearns media conference. Pete sounds up beat and positive about FIM's future. MySpace, the Internet's biggest social network, currently offers episodes of News Corp.'s Fox-owned shows a day after the initial broadcast, but not much from other companies. "We're in very active negotiations with all the media companies to create the most robust video offering on the Web," Peter Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media, said at the Bear Stearns media conference. Fox Interactive in distribution talks other media [Reuters]

Myspace bringing out the bulls

-Shomari Hines Rupert Murdoch's Fox Interactive unit is looking good in the eyes of greedy investors thanks to that little website called Myspace. Peter Levinsohn we hope you're not taking credit for this though. According to a report released on March 6 by Merrill Lynch, the firm anticipates that News Corp. will enjoy operating income growth in the double-digit realm over the next several years, outpacing several of the company’s peers - driven in large part by the surging ad prospects for MySpace. Up until recently, Merrill said it had not incorporated Fox Interactive Media (FIM) in its valuations, but based on the division’s recent performance, “we are now increasingly confident that News Corp. will be successful in monetizing its online presence,” says the report. Merrill Bullish on Fox Interactive Media [Mediaweek]

Headline Screenshot: Chad Hurley how could you let this happen dude?

The heat just got turned up a notch on Youtube CEO Chad Hurley. Not only did he and his underlings drag their asses on filtering software to block pirated video clips, News Corp beat them to the punch installing filter software on Myspace.com which only recently introduced their video feature. Until MySpace's announcement yesterday of a pilot program to stop such clips from appearing on its site, both it and YouTube argued they had the right to let the content stay on their sites unless media companies made a formal request that it to be removed. The move by MySpace to crack down on pirated material itself "lets media companies say, 'Look, it's your job to track down unauthorized material," said Josh Bernoff, an analyst with Forrester Research. YOUTUBE TO FEEL HEAT FROM NEW MYSPACE FILTER [NYP]

You're up Ross!

OK so Tom Freston kinda resurfaced with his investment in Plum TV after being canned from Viacom for missing the Myspace boat. Now we're waiting for the man who ultimately cost Tom Freston his job former Fox Interactive Media boss Ross Levinsohn to make his next move. We're thinking something Internet related of course but we are itching to know what. There is no doubt that his former bosses at News Corp are also watching the wires closely for any big news because believe it or not they want to know what he's doing as much as we do. They may never admit but they do. Remember he was the man who got News Corp deep into the web game and they have taken the ball and running with it all the way. Being our usual generous selves we thought we would put together a list of Internet properties Ross Levinsohn should probably kick the tires on with his deep pocketed buddies if he isn't already kicking them. Digg.com- Your old boss was reportedly sniffing around this Facebook-Wait they are asking for as much as, or more than what youtube sold for Heavy.com WallStrip.com Break.com DailyCandy.com These just came to mind. We think they're pretty cool sites. If not, there is probably a gig with Yahoo! Since showing former media head Lloyd Braun the door they haven't named a replacement to our knowledge!

Rupe 2.0. How many stories like this do we have to read before they get the point that we got the point?

We don't know and we can't put our finger on it, but we're so sure we read something like the story on News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch in the current issue of Forbes already. You know about his plans to remake News Corp into this new era digital -esque media company and blah blah blah. We're sure there are some new mentions like Myspace China and News Corp's recent finger in the whole pain in the ass Tribune madness though. But in late 2004 Murdoch and Chernin, watching the resurrection of Yahoo, the rise of Google and the shift of ad dollars to the Web, jumped back in. The best way to access the power of the Internet, they decided, was by inserting yourself where users already congregate. They were heavily influenced by the success of FoxSports, a once unexceptional Web site, after it cut a deal for prominent placement on Microsoft's msn network--and then saw traffic leap from 2.2 million to 10.4 million visitors per month. The two asked a group led by FoxSports manager Ross Levinsohn to round up a list of Web properties likely to be available. He came back with three targets: MySpace, then owned by a marketing outfit called Intermix; ign; and a site Chernin won't identify. Yo Ross!, we sure hope you're getting some kind of lifetime cut out of all the money Myspace is bringing and will bring to News Corp. One thing's for sure, they (Rupe & Pete) are really enjoying your work. Murdoch 2.0 [Forbes]

MySpace to distribute Amber alerts for kids kidnapped by someone they met on Myspace

It is cruelly ironic that the folks at Myspace announced that the website will now distribute amber alerts for missing children. This from the same website being sued by families who claim their kids were kidnapped and/or abused by some sick fuck they met on the site. MySpace, a News Corp. unit, is teaming with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to distribute the alerts, which are triggered by law-enforcement officials.The online alerts, which will begin Tuesday, will be sent to all users in the ZIP codes where it was issued. They will appear in a small text box at the top of a user's portfolio. The user can click on the box for more information, including a photo of the missing child and a description of the suspect. MySpace to distribute Amber alerts [BW]

Myspace turned out to be the social networking site that lead to and will probably lead to more kidnappings

With all their so called policing, five teenage Myspace members were kidnapped and/or raped by shit bags they met on the site. The truth is that no matter what Fox Interactive Media says they have or will put in place, they can't police over a hundred million people. However we won't sit here and shit on Myspace alone. The parent's of these young girls also needs to be shitted on because of their lack of policing their own children. Kids under the age of 18 should not have computers in their bedrooms. MySpace Inc., and its parent company, News Corp., have been sued in California state court by four families who allege that their minor daughters were solicited online and then sexually abused by adult MySpace users, according to the law firms representing the families. Families from New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina filed separate suits Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging negligence, recklessness, fraud, and negligent misrepresentation by the companies. The families are represented by the law firms of Barry & Loewy LLP, of Austin, Tex., and Arnold & Itkin LLP, of Houston. MySpace, News Corp., Sued by Families Whose Daughters Were Assaulted [PR Newswire]

Myspace users will get the chance to tell President Bush, what they really think

News Corp's Myspace is encouraging their millions of users to speak their minds via a contest called “MyState of the Union". Judges for the contest include former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist and John Podesta, former White House Chief of Staff. On January 22nd, the day before the President delivers his own State if the Union, the winner will be chosen and will be receiving a prize package with an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. MySpace Announces “State of the Union” [Adotas]

Afternoon Wire: And now this afternoon's worthy media news

Disney's PG Myspace any minute now It's been the worst kept secret in dot-com land of late. The Walt Disney Co., after nearly a year of rethinking its flagship Disney.com site will soon unveil a major overhaul in an effort to make it less of a promotional site and more of a social-networking site for kids and their folks. More non-scripted-isms from CBS Armed and Famous, the latest non-scripted effort from CBS, may be the toughest celeb show that viewers ever see. After all, these D-listers aren’t trying to stay on an island or cook a killer meal—they’re training to be cops. What else do you think they're doing when their locked in their rooms? More than half (55 per cent) of American children aged between 12 and 17 use online social networking sites such as MySpace, research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found. MySpace and Facebook and numerous smaller alternatives allow people to create web pages and fill them with text, pictures and video and also exchange messages with others in the network.

There is much more to the new Disney.com

And we thought it was just a typical revamp with added features. Nope, Disney's goal for the new Disney.com portal to be revealed on January 8, is to establish it as a social networking destination for tweens who "Aren't ready for sites like Myspace and Facebook". “Where Disney might pick up the most traction is with young teens, or tweens, kids that are not quite ready for MySpace or Facebook, and parents that want a little more control over what their kids do online,” Ms. Williamson said. “The site will offer ways for marketers to get involved, which they didn’t have before. It will create new revenue streams.” Sorry to break it to you, clueless parents, but your kids probably already have myspace accounts with screen names like Disneygirl or studdyguy posing as 21 year olds. Disney to Launch MySpace Knockoff [RedHerring]