News Corp owner Rupert Murdoch has dismissed as “misguided cynics” those who say that the internet will kill off newspapers.In a lecture for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Murdoch said: “Too many journalists seem to take a perverse pleasure in ruminating on their pending demise.“Unlike the doom and gloomers, I believe that newspapers will reach new… Continue reading Murdoch dismisses newspaper “doom and gloomers”

Baroness Peta Buscombe, chief executive of the Advertising Association (AA), is stepping down to become the next chairman of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC).Buscombe will succeed Sir Christopher Meyer when he leaves in April at the end of his second three-year term.Mark Lund, chairman of the AA, said: “Peta will leave with our best wishes… Continue reading Peta Buscombe to leave Advertising Association

ITV, Virgin Media and Discovery have signed a product placement code of conduct put together by TV producers’ trade body Pact.The joint industry code of conduct has been introduced to address concerns about paid for product placement and to complement the regulatory regime that the European AVMS Directive would require the UK to implement if… Continue reading Broadcasters sign product placement code of conduct

News International is understood to have turned down Daily Mail & General Trust’s attempts to call a truce in the London freesheet newspaper war.DMGT executives spoke to News International to try to end the battle that has been raging between the two firms since they launched the titles in 2006 (see NewsLine), according to a… Continue reading News International rejects DMGT’s truce offer

The prospects for newspapers are not as gloomy as some think as long as they look to innovate, James Murdoch told the Monaco Media Forum on Wednesday.While Murdoch, who was making his first public appearance since he took over News Corp’s European and Asian businesses, said that the company’s UK titles were facing pressure from… Continue reading James Murdoch: Newspapers need to innovate

Havas Media is pulling together all of its UK operating businesses into a new Havas Media UK organisation.Launching with immediate effect, Havas Media UK will include MPG (which also comprises London-based MPG International and digital, data and direct specialist Media Contacts); sports communication consultancy Havas Sports; integrated communications agency Arena BLM (which also includes its… Continue reading Havas Media launches in the UK

Centaur Media. owner of Marketing Week and New Media Age has reported a 16% year on year fall in group revenues for the four months to October 31.In a trading statement released today, Centaur warned of an “uncertain” outlook for the year ahead, adding that the “visibility of future market conditions is poor”.However, the company… Continue reading Centaur Media reports fall in group revenues

Havas, owner of Euro RSCG and MPG, has reported organic revenue growth of 1.5% for the third quarter of 2008.This was down from 9.5% growth for the same period last year, which Havas blamed on the loss of the Dell account in Asia Pacific and a tough European market.Organic growth over the first nine months… Continue reading Havas reports Q3 organic revenue growth

It is inevitable that advertising will become 100% digital, according to Justin Billingsley, brand director at mobile phone company Orange.Speaking at yesterday’s IAB Engage conference, Billingsley said: “It is a crushing inevitability that we will all be 100% digital.”There are only two reasons for using offline advertising, he said. One is that the over 50… Continue reading IAB Engage 2008: The case for 100% digital

The internet will stay strong through the tough economic times ahead but businesses have to “get heir heads around the new rules”, Richard Eyre, chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau, said at yesterday’s IAB Engage conference.Eyre said that young business leaders working in the UK media industry have had their instincts shaped by 20 years… Continue reading IAB Engage 2008: Online will remain strong through tough economic times