Audio Tycoon’s Newsweek Bid Said to Be Favored (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

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As the Washington Post Company prepares to sell Newsweek to the most appealing bidder, it is closely examining an offer from Sidney Harman, the California billionaire who made his fortune selling audio equipment. According to three people with knowledge of the bidding process, at least two other parties remain in the mix: Fred Drasner, who was a part owner of the Washington Redskins and a publisher of The Daily News of New York, and Marc Lasry, a hedge fund owner and major Democratic Party donor. snip One person briefed on the bid said Mr. Harman would retain 250 employees and...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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(2010) The Worst Movie Year Ever? (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

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In the new movie "Inception," Leonardo DiCaprio burrows deep into the subconscious of a self-absorbed plutocrat to plant a powerful idea that will change the world. If the technology used in "Inception" were available in real life, Mr. DiCaprio might burrow into the subconscious of Hollywood plutocrats and plant these paradigm-altering ideas: Stop making movies like "Grown Ups," "Sex and the City 2," "Prince of Persia" and anything that positions Jennifer Aniston or John C. Reilly at the top of the marquee. Stop trying to pass off Shia LaBeouf—who looks a bit like the young George W. Bush—as the second...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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Study: Newspapers Sink Below Internet and TV as Info Sources (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

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Newspapers continue to be seen as less important at their primary job -- being sources of information – according to the latest edition of the nine-year-old Digital Future Project from the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. The study found that just 56% Internet users ranked newspapers as important or very important sources of information for them, down from 60% in 2008 -- and below the Internet (78%) and television (68%). And while newspapers also regard themselves as being in the entertainment business, just 29% of users consider them as important sources of entertainment, down from 32% two years...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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Journalism or Breitbart: We must choose (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

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A note to the notably angry, sarcastic American, the "snarlygaster" who, in letters to this columnist or in postings on baltimoresun.com talk forums, expresses glee at the troubles of the U.S. newspaper industry and the hope that the nation's dailies disappear: Be careful what you wish for. You may end up with Andrew Breitbart. In the age of the Internet, I keep hearing these assertions, often delivered with cynical excitement: The mainstream media, with its leftist agenda, has become irrelevant to the mass of people, who get the "real news" from television, particularly Fox, and the blogosphere. Newspapers are terminally...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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Enough right-wing propaganda (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

Posted by admin / Under Advertising Age

The smearing of Shirley Sherrod ought to be a turning point in American politics. This is not, as the now-trivialized phrase has it, a "teachable moment." It is a time for action. The mainstream media and the Obama administration must stop cowering before a right wing that has persistently forced its propaganda to be accepted as news by convincing traditional journalists that "fairness" requires treating extremist rants as "one side of the story." And there can be no more shilly-shallying about the fact that racial backlash politics is becoming an important component of the campaign against President Obama and against...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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Talk Radio Advertising: Please Make It Stop!

Posted by admin / Under Advertising Age

Have you ever wondered what the fact that Hydroxatone was “given away in VIP gift bags at international film festivals” has to do with anything whatsoever? Have you wondered how dense you’d have to be to think the fact that a product was given away means it works to remove wrinkles? Have you ever been mildly insulted when you were informed that you were listening to “a public announcement” and that “Those with last names starting with A through N can start calling now. Those with last names beginning with O-Z can begin calling tomorrow; Nine AM”? Have you ever...

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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'Mad Men' shares a lesson on beauty (Season Premiere Sunday)

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The women of the 1960s and their 'period bodies' with normal proportions are rare today, and something to be envied. The fourth season of "Mad Men" starts Sunday, and with it another round of opportunities to both marvel and gasp at how much things have changed since the early 1960s. Much of the genius of the show, of course, lies in its ferocious attention to period details. From the entrenched womanizing and nonstop drinking and smoking (even while pregnant!) to children who play with plastic dry-cleaning bags

Published on Friday 30th of July 2010 10:07:03 PM

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