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Primedia names
consumer magazine chief
Primedia is expected to name John P. Loughlin as president and
chief executive of its consumer-magazine and internet group, a new
position, today. He will assume responsibility over Primedia's consumer
and special-interest magazines, which include Seventeen and New York.
Loughlin, 43, was previously president of the broadcasting group at
Meredith Corporation. Before joining Meredith in 1993, he was a senior
vice president at New York Times Company's Women's Magazines group. The
new hire is rumored to be a part of new chief executive Tom
Rogers’ plan to rapidly develop the company’s internet businesses.
Dobbs-less CNN takes
more rating hits
According to Nielsen Media Research figures for the first
quarter of the year, CNN’s ratings are falling. Compared with the same
quarter a year ago, CNN's prime-time ratings were down 20 percent to
594,000 homes tuned in, and down 30 percent on a total-day basis to
310,000 homes tuned in. It has been a slow news year so far, which
obviously tends to drive news-viewing down. But, compared to their
all-news competitors, CNN suffered the biggest year-to-year ratings
decline. Fox News Channel averaged 229,000 homes in prime time, up 3
percent from a year ago and MSNBC averaged 217,000 homes, up 8 percent.
Viewers liked Crystal
best on Academy Awards
Three hundred viewers of the Academy Awards telecast were interviewed
for a study by Morpace International. Overall, the viewers were only moderately satisfied
with the show (47 percent). They were entertained by host Billy Crystal,
who received an 81 percent satisfaction rating, but were unhappy with the
four-hour-long show’s pacing, which received only a 24 percent
satisfaction rating. The poll showed viewers were most dissatisfied with
the advertisements during the awards, with only 17 percent responding that
they liked the ads. Of the commercials, Pepsi’s ad featuring a young
girl teaching country music star Faith Hill how to sing was the most
popular, with 20 percent of the respondents saying it was their favorite.
Coming in at a close second was a Gap ads featuring music
from "West Side Story." Respondents also named a Charles Schwab
ad a one of their favorites. In the commercial, Sally Field mocked her
infamous "You like me, you really like me" Oscar acceptance
speech.
It has been confirmed in an internal memo from editor in chief Bill Baldwin that Lew D’Vorkin is leaving Forbes to fill the number one editorial spot at America Online. Baldwin put rumors to rest that D’Vorkin and he were feuding by praising D’Vorkin in the memo. "We can thank him [D’Vorkin] for a reenergized art department, a successful redesign, compelling covers, headlines and captions, an immensely readable Outfront section, and--proof of the pudding--big gains in newsstand sales," Baldwin wrote.
"His departure will be a big loss for Forbes." D'Vorkin's last day at Forbes is April 7. Dennis Kneale essentially be taking over the number two spot at Forbes, where he will have the new title of managing editor. D’Vorkin will be the new vice president of content at AOL, a job rumored to have been offered to Time editor Walter Isaacson only a month ago.
Under pressure, Rodale
retitles teen mag MH-18
Rodale announced yesterday that MH-18 was chosen as the
official title of its new teen version of Men’s Health. The name of the
magazine was not decided upon easily, though. Last month, Primedia,
publisher of Seventeen magazine, sued Rodale Press to block use of the
name MH-17. Primedia filed a copyright infringement suit in a Manhattan
federal court against Rodale, accusing the company of trying to confuse
readers and capitalize on Seventeen's success. MH-18 will be geared towards teen
males in grades 8 through 12. The new publication will premier on the Web
later this spring and the magazine will launch with issues in September
and December of 2000. The magazine is expected to come out bi-monthly in
2001.
NAB complains as FCC
OK's low-power stations
The Federal Communications Commission has announced the
areas that will be authorized to establish low-power radio stations. The
list includes several major markets, including California and Washington,
DC. Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Alaska, Maryland, Oklahoma, Rhode
Island, Utah and the Mariana Islands will be allowed to start low-power
stations as well. Commercial stations as well as the National Association
of Broadcasters have complained to the FCC and to members of
Congress that the new stations will interfere with preexisting station’s
signals. The FCC says the NAB has been spreading rumors about the new
broadcast policy and they contend that there will be no problem with
interference.
