The European Commission is believed to be investigating claims from BSkyB that the BBC’s News 24 cable and satellite channel is using licence payers’ money to create unfair competition. Sky News has been dropped by a number of cable companies mainly because News 24 is being distributed for free. The BBC says it is confident… Continue reading EC To Investigate BBC News Channel
In response to complaints from the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) about ITV’s airtime inflation, ITV chief executive Richard Eyre has written to 150 advertisers claiming that rival TV broadcasters are responsible for the rise in TV airtime price.Eyre is concerned that advertisers are placing too much weight on trading on discounts which are… Continue reading ITV Accuses Rival Stations Of Causing Price Inflation
The first sponsor for new teenage cable channel Rapture has been announced as Blockbuster Video. The video retail outlet is sponsoring the top ten video chart on the channel’s cinema show ACNY until the beginning of May.Subscribers can access the Sponsorship database by selecting “Sponsorship” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.Rapture:… Continue reading First Sponsor For Rapture
The Newspaper Society has put foward James Evans, chairman of Bristol United Press, to be the Society’s next vice-president. Subject to formal approval at the May AGM, he will succeed Charles Brims as president in 1999.James Evans is a former chairman of the Press Association and member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.Newspaper Society: 0171… Continue reading NS Proposes Next Vice-President
M&C Saatchi has launched a website at http://www.mcsaatchi.com. The site, designed by web development company TW2, contains information about the company along with contacts and access to the M&C Saatchi Village. It is best viewed using Netscape 3.0.The site will be featured in a forthcoming Website of the Week.
IPC will be launching Country Life Gardens, a one-off “celebration of classic Country Life gardens”, on 18 May.The 148-page glossy will be themed around four seasons of “inspiration” and feature gardens from the Country Life library along with new material and in-depth features.Publisher Evelyn Webster says: “Country Life Gardens will reflect the style, vibrancy and… Continue reading IPC Launches One-Off Magazine
BBC director general John Birt has expressed concern that the advent of digital and pay-per-view television will cause a massive divide in the television viewing population, with the UK’s national identity and culture being harmed. Birt, speaking at the European Tele-Visual Conference in Birmingham, commented: “we will see the emergence of the information rich and… Continue reading Birt Claims Risk Of Digital ‘Underclass’
Saatchi & Saatchi has announced that it will be appointing Ian Irvine as a non-executive director with effect from 1 May 1998. He is currently chairman of Capital Radio.Cordiant Communications meanwhile has appointed Dr Rolf Stomberg as a non-executive director. He retired from the main board of BP at the end of last year and… Continue reading Saatchi and Cordiant Announce New Directors
Scottish Media Group and BSkyB today announced that their jointly-owned Sky Scottish cable and satellite channel will be closing on 31 May. This is due to the channel not meeting the financial targets set when it launched in November 1996 (subscribers see STV Announces New Channel).It is expected that the close-down of Sky Scottish will… Continue reading Sky Scottish To Close
United News & Media (UNM) has been granted an injunction to take the future British Digital Broadcasting (BDB) chief executive, Stephen Grabiner to court.UNM has been seeking to prevent Grabiner from working until his contract at UNM formally expires. He left the company for BDB at the beginning of the year.The injunction was granted at… Continue reading UNM To Take Grabiner To Court
