WPP has announced the acquisition of Deen + Black, a leading public affairs firm based in California. The company will be incorporated within WPP’s PR agency, OgilvyPR Worldwide.The sum paid for Deen + Black has not been disclosed but the company had revenues of $4.5m during 2000 and its net assets are worth $935,000. The… Continue reading WPP Buys US-Based PR Firm
ITV claimed victory in the Christmas day ratings battle for the second year running, taking a 40.2% average audience share during peak time (18:00-22:30). Coronation Street was its top programme, watched by 13.7m, while 11.1m tuned into the later edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.Despite spending £42m on its two-week Christmas line-up (see… Continue reading ITV Wins Christmas Day Ratings Battle
Following a year of debates over regulation and consolidation within the industry, the New Year’s Honours brought gongs for several members of the media community. Two of the CBEs which went the way of the BBC were awarded to Jenny Abramsky, director of BBC radio and music for services to news and radio and to… Continue reading Work of RAB And PPA Recognised In New Year’s Honours
The dotcom decline looks set to continue into the new year as it looks increasingly likely that Letsbuyit.com, a site which encourages consumers to club together and bulk buy products, will bite the dust. Despite this, tech companies Bright Station and Freeserve managed reasonable performances yesterday, rising ½p to 24p and 4p to £1.02 respectively.In… Continue reading Sharewatch
Cinema adspend has been rising over the past decade in real terms, reaching a total of £87m for the 12 months to September 2000, according to CIA Medialab research. Cinema admissions have also risen over the period, from just under 90 million during 1989 to just over 100 million during 1999. However, this growth has… Continue reading Rising Cinema Admissions Echoed By Rising Advertising Revenues
Channel 5 has come under criticism from the Broadcasting Standards Commission for its porn movie review show, X Certificate. The BSC upheld complaints from six viewers, who were concerned about the inclusion of pornographic material in the programme.In its defence, Channel 5 described the programme as a “light-hearted entertainment review show focusing on the adult… Continue reading BSC Raps Channel 5 Porn Review Show
Talksport is celebrating the approach of its first birthday with a number of major programme changes.Paul Hawksbee and Andy Jacobs, whose Thursday Night Kickabout show was voted second-best radio show by Campaign magazine, will be moved to the afternoon drive-time slot four days a week, while Mike Parry will join Alan Brazil on The Sports… Continue reading TalkSport Rejigs Output As First Anniversary Approaches
The ITC has granted a renewal of Anglia Television’s licence for the ten years beginning 1 January 2001. Anglia submitted a formal application for the renewal, having accepted the terms proposed by the ITC (see ITC Announces Anglia Terms For Renewal), which included a cash sum of £3.42m.Just before Christmas the ITC announced that it… Continue reading ITC Renews Anglia TV Licence, Freezes Fees for 2001
Speculation over the sale of Scottish Radio Holdings continued throughout the festive season. SMG failed to make a full bid for the group despite increasing its stake in its rival to 20.8% following a planned relaxation in legislation in the Government’s White Paper. SRH has said it would consider a stock purchase by SMG as… Continue reading Christmas Developments
2000 was the year when media woke up to the realities of the digital age. Mega-mergers abounded as companies recognised the benefits of consolidation and vertical integration. Most significant for UK markets was Granada’s domination of ITV and the paving of the way for a single ITV with the Government’s White Paper. In publishing, brands… Continue reading A Look Back At 2000…
