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Posts Tagged “
Viacom
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But Who Will Finance The Next Love Guru?
"A $450 million film-financing deal between Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and Deutsche Bank AG has fallen through, the latest sign that the credit crisis on Wall Street has roiled Hollywood... The studio had been working for months... to fund as many as 30 films." [WSJ]
"A $450 million film-financing deal between Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and Deutsche Bank AG has fallen through, the latest sign that the credit crisis on Wall Street has roiled Hollywood... The studio had been working for months... to fund as many as 30 films." [WSJ]
Belligerent Old Sumner Redstone Finally Ousts Own Daughter
"Mr. Redstone said flatly that his daughter was no longer the company’s heir apparent and that she would leave the board ... ' The reason she won’t succeed me is not she — that she isn’t qualified.'" [Times, Previously]
"Mr. Redstone said flatly that his daughter was no longer the company’s heir apparent and that she would leave the board ... ' The reason she won’t succeed me is not she — that she isn’t qualified.'" [Times, Previously]
wtf
sumner redstone
The Battle For Sumner Redstone's Heart
There are dueling views on who is winning the battle for supremacy in the eyes of the notoriously combative media mogul Sumner Redstone. On one side is Philippe Dauman, head of Viacom, who recently decided to form a new movie channel to distribute films from Viacom's Paramount. On the other side is Les Moonves at CBS, who was allegedly "royally screwed" by Dauman's new channel since it ended the hope that his Showtime network would screen Paramount films. Daubman hopes the incident will help him get CBS and Viacom merged back together and put under his control, the Post reported this morning. Not so fast, said the Wall Street Journal: Dauman's movie channel is a supremely bad idea. More »
feuds
New Movie Channel "Royally Screwed" Les Moonves
CBS honcho Les Moonves had a week from hell. It started with a Times highlighting how his salary keeps going up while revenues at his beleaguered company keep going down. Then he had to answer to news department staff about leaks that made Katie Couric look like a lame duck in the anchor chair at CBS Evening News. Now he's said by Nikki Finke's sources to be "royally screwed" after fumbling negotiations with Viacom, a sibling company in the Sumner Redstone media empire. Moonves had been trying to cut the amount CBS' Showtime was paying for Paramount movies, but Paramount said "screw this" and decided to form its own cable channel along with studios MGM and Lionsgate. Here's why the whole situation is especially awkward, according to the Times: More »
viacom
Sumner Redstone Not A People Person
Hey, Happy 85th Birthday Sumner Redstone! Sure, you don't turn 85 until next month, but the Times already has a gift in the form of a long story on how much you suck at relating to other human beings and are a crazy old man who should probably think about retiring. It has your feud with movie star Tom Cruise (reportedly patched up, not that they mention that); the thing where you fired Viacom CEO Tom Freston and badmouthed him on Charlie Rose; some nephew who is after his share of your empire and your daughter Shari, non-executive vice chairman at Viacom, who is fighting with you over corporate governance and who you are still trash talking, according to the Times:More »
exclusive
"Data Security Incident" Rocks MTV! 5,000 Staffers Exposed!
Catherine Houser, MTV Networks Executive VP for Human Resources, sent an email out to 5,000 MTV employees alerting them that because "the computer of one of our MTVN colleagues was compromised.... files containing some confidential information about you were illegally accessed by someone outside the Company." Hope you weren't using that Social Security number and decent credit rating, sport: "The personal information that was accessed included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and compensation data." Now some criminal knows how much you don't make! How many of the affected were among the 1,000 permalancers bumped up to staff in January, we wonder? Full email with all the grisly details attached. Pray for rock and roll. More »
never forget
Fallout
Did the TIMES SQUARE I.E.D. affect the Conde Nasties? Did Anna Wintour make it to work today? Any MTV or Viacom slaves want to weigh in on the confusion and terror that have surely overtaken their studios? Send me your stories of heroism. [Photo: Reuters, who are also headquartered right around the corner from this morning's TERROR.]
Falling Glass
Part of 45th Street was closed last night because of falling glass, a periodic risk among the media towers of Midtown. Was it Viacom coming apart, this time? The once-hip media conglomerate, controlled by crotchety octogenerian, Sumner Redstone, is on the corner of 45th and Broadway.
Part of 45th Street was closed last night because of falling glass, a periodic risk among the media towers of Midtown. Was it Viacom coming apart, this time? The once-hip media conglomerate, controlled by crotchety octogenerian, Sumner Redstone, is on the corner of 45th and Broadway.
Sumner Redstone
Anyone have a clip from the video tribute to the 84-year-old mogul, played at last night's benefit at the Waldorf-Astoria? So much high-powered insincerity: it's just got to be a classic.
Anyone have a clip from the video tribute to the 84-year-old mogul, played at last night's benefit at the Waldorf-Astoria? So much high-powered insincerity: it's just got to be a classic.
mtv networks
Exiting MTV Lady Prez Started As Freelancer, Is Thanked For Giving The World 'Celebreality'
MTV president Christina Norman called it quits yesterday, announcing her decision at a council meeting. "Something about 'the company being in a good place,' but wanting some 'time for herself,'" a source said. In a longwinded email to staff, MTV Networks president Van Toffler extolled Norman's virtues, praising her as the "architect" of "VH1's rebirth" who "gave the world 'Celebreality,' along with 'Hip Hop Honors,'" which is very nearly as noble as curing cancer! You've got to hand it to Norman for surviving 17 years at MTV, where she started as a freelance production manager: "Yes, freelance," Toffler writes. See permalancers? You too could maybe possibly someday be a somebody! Yay! Just make sure you don't get sick, because then you're totally screwed. Full announcement after the jump. More »
evil corporations in action
1,000 MTVN Permalancers To Earn Staff Positions
Over 1,000 lucky MTV Networks contractors are being converted to staff from their previous freelancer status, we've been told, in a move to appease angry contractors upset over December benefit cuts. "In the HR meeting they had yesterday with the middle- to upper-management peeps that have the honor of conveying this (mostly good) news: They paused early on in their presentation to say, "By the way, this is not about the writing and the Gawker...these discussions have been going on for a long time," an MTV source said. We're sure it had nothing whatsoever to do with all those people chanting in the streets, either. And introduced by a definite article? We've arrived. Congratulations on the benefits, kids. Go nuts at the orthopedist's.Earlier: Memo: Judgment Day On Permanent Jobs For MTV Freelancers
evil corporations in action
Memo: Judgment Day On Permanent Jobs For MTV Freelancers
The time has come for MTV Networks beleaguered slavey permalancers to learn their fate. Brand-new human resources lady Catherine Houser issued a memo an hour ago to the Viacom subsidiary's contractors, announcing they would learn if they were among the lucky group whose positions will be converted to staff jobs, as promised in December. On what basis will a permalancer earn job security and benefits? Among the benchmarks: "The position would be staff if there was headcount." Uhh...what? "The position transcends a specific project or show," is another. Considering that a key issue in the uproar over Viacom's benefit cuts last month centered around the frequent rotation of workers (which made it hard for them to accrue the required time needed to qualify for benefits), it sounds like MTVN has given itself a whole lot of leeway with that one. So you've been an MTVN cameraman for nine years? As far as Viacom is concerned, you only spent four months at a time on Pimp My Ride and Cribs, so you're shit out of luck, pal. God be with you, and also with you and you. Let us know how it goes. After the jump, the memo in full. More »
herogram
Michael Hirschorn of VH1
One of the most talented producers in television, Michael Hirschorn, may or may not be leaving VH1, the entertainment channel he revived with shows like Best Week Ever, Flavor of Love, and I Love New York. The New York Post says the Viacom exec is in discussions with a number of rival networks, but he might just move into another role at Viacom, the company that owns VH-1. So, why should you care? More »
proxy wars
'Cloverfield' Monster Wreaks Havoc On Corporate Competitor
Jeff Bercovici went to an advance screening of the upcoming viral-marketed New York-destroying moster film Cloverfield. The still-unnamed monster of the film apparently causes a bit of destruction to the hideous Columbus Circle Time Warner buildings. "But bear in mind that Cloverfield was produced by Paramount, which is owned by Viacom. Coincidence," Becovici asks, "or corporate wish fulfillment?" We're guessing filmmaking. Viacom's building does not look like it'd be awesome to knock over. [Portfolio]
the chart
The demise of Conde Nast's scrapbook site for teenaged girls, Flip.com, was a reminder. How is that other big website launch of 2007 going? 23/6, a joint venture between Barry Diller's IAC and Kenny Lerer's Huffington Post, was two years in the making. The political humor launched in November to lackluster reviews; but maybe it's caught fire since, what with the elections and all. Who are we kidding? A quick search on Compete.com shows 23/6 is as stillborn as Time Inc's Office Pirates, Viacom's Virtual Lower East Side — and every other site that springs from the loins of New York's media titans. They really should have read The Innovator's Dilemma, that standard reference book for young-at-heart moguls, more carefully.
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
The demise of Conde Nast's scrapbook site for teenaged girls, Flip.com, was a reminder. How is that other big website launch of 2007 going? 23/6, a joint venture between Barry Diller's IAC and Kenny Lerer's Huffington Post, was two years in the making. The political humor launched in November to lackluster reviews; but maybe it's caught fire since, what with the elections and all. Who are we kidding? A quick search on Compete.com shows 23/6 is as stillborn as Time Inc's Office Pirates, Viacom's Virtual Lower East Side — and every other site that springs from the loins of New York's media titans. They really should have read The Innovator's Dilemma, that standard reference book for young-at-heart moguls, more carefully.
evil corporations in action
Departing HR Chief At MTV Networks Had "Great People Touch"
Is this what it takes to sate an angry mob of permalancers? JoAnne Griffith, the HR exec who delivered to the cable network's freelancers the news before the holidays that their benefits were being cut, is out. MTV, which was forced to reverse the cuts after a walkout by non-salaried workers, came out with the usual boilerplate on Griffith's departure. (Really, why do they even bother?) "She's been a phenomenal leader and great champion for MTV Networks,""This is a large, complex company, and with JoAnne’s great human touch and innovative approach to HR, we continue to set a high bar and strive for the best for you," an internal email sent this morning to MTV employees reads. Irreplaceable? No. Replacement Catherine Houser, "has the people skills, innovative ideas, and passion for our company and its employees that we need in an HR leader." Phew. Email and official release after the jump. More »
virtual worlds
Rarely has an inhabitant of Manhattan's most hipster-ridden neighborhood ever wished for more bustle. In MTV's virtual recreation of the Lower East Side, however, the emptiness can be disturbing. "My earliest explorations were like starring in my own personal version of I Am Legend," writes a Times reporter. "The streets were mostly empty and I found myself wandering cavernous, depopulated simulacra of the Dark Room and the Mercury Lounge." Pictured here, a view of Houston Street, outside Katz's Deli. Last year, Gawker sent its own correspondent to explore the online hipster playground.
The last man on the Lower East Side
Rarely has an inhabitant of Manhattan's most hipster-ridden neighborhood ever wished for more bustle. In MTV's virtual recreation of the Lower East Side, however, the emptiness can be disturbing. "My earliest explorations were like starring in my own personal version of I Am Legend," writes a Times reporter. "The streets were mostly empty and I found myself wandering cavernous, depopulated simulacra of the Dark Room and the Mercury Lounge." Pictured here, a view of Houston Street, outside Katz's Deli. Last year, Gawker sent its own correspondent to explore the online hipster playground.
