More Media Business articles

During the last six years or so we have witnessed the very rapid and at times tumultuous birth of a whole new communications medium – the internet. Rapid because it has come to play a role in so many aspects of our personal and business lives in such a short time. Tumultuous because, from a… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Can There Really Be A Free Lunch At The ‘Cyber-Buffet’?

Are we to experience a double-dip or a return to growth? This is one of the key questions that has been posed by market analysts over the last month. The spectre of a second economic dip was raised after recent worries over corporate profitability and a waning consumer confidence have rocked the markets, particularly in… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Media Healthcheck – August 2002

Cordiant Communications chief executive, Michael Bungey, is expected to announce on Friday, along with the group’s financial results, that he will leave the company, according to further speculation in the broadsheet press. It has been rumoured for some time now that Bungey will step down from his role at the top of the global marketing… Continue reading Bungey Expected To Leave Cordiant Comms

Vivendi Universal, the financially stricken international media group, has agreed the sale of its French consumer press division and its stake in the internet venture Vizzavi as it seeks to reduce mounting debts. The two deals, which will amount to almost £300 million in total, represent the first steps taken by chief executive Jean-René Fourtou… Continue reading Vivendi Offloads High Profile Assets

Global marketing and communications agency, WPP, has announced that its Red Cell network has bought leading French creative agency, Les Ouvriers du Paradis. The Paris-based agency will merge its operations with Red Cell’s existing French operation, Red Cell Paris and be renamed Les Ouvriers du Paradis/Red Cell. The acquisition continues WPP’s strategy of strengthening its… Continue reading WPP Buys French Creative Agency

Conditions in the UK advertising market continue to be difficult, according to a first half financial results statement from publishing group Highbury House Communications, released this morning. The group says that compared with the current trading conditions, those of H1 2001 were reasonably favourable, with the major downturn not occuring until the second half of… Continue reading Highbury Sees No Improvement In Difficult Ad Conditions

As rumoured in the press yesterday, Granada’s chief executive Steve Morrison is to leave the company at the end of September, it was confirmed this morning. Current chairman, Charles Allen, is to take Morrison’s role heading up the company, also as expected. Morrison’s departure is thought to have been pushed through following shareholder dissatisfaction at… Continue reading Morrison Ends 28 Year Tenure At Granada

Falling CD sales have prompted the music industry to resume its attack on the internet. It is backed up by growing evidence that the rise in illegal downloading is impacting on artists and record companies. New data from PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals that CD shipments in the US fell by 7% in the first half of 2002.… Continue reading Fall In US Music Sales Blamed On Internet Downloaders

Pre-tax losses at magazine publisher I Feel Good (IFG) dropped from £1.1 million in the first half of 2001 to £285,000 this time, the group announced this morning. Operating loss fell from £1.2 million to £169,000 during the period. IFG publishes men’s magazine Jack, along with Viz, Bizarre, Fortean Times and Leeds, Leeds Leeds, all… Continue reading I Feel Good Figures Look More Pleasing In First Half

First half pre-tax profits at Johnston Press jumped by 25.2% to £50.6 million, boosted by the acquisition of Regional Independent Media (RIM) in March this year (see Johnston Press Acquires RIM Newspaper Business). In financial results released this morning the regional publisher reported that advertising revenues rose by 1.2% on a like for like basis… Continue reading Johnston Press Sees Positive First Half Figures