Wouldn’t you like to bump elbows with media moguls and hear from the likes of Eric Schmidt, Biz Stone and James Murdoch? Me too! Alas, Quadrangle’s Foursquare conference is closed to the public and the press. But at least I can tell you whom you won’t be hearing from.
After a couple of miserable quarters, NBC Universal finally has some good news to announce: Boosted by a one-time gain, earnings actually increased in Q3, even though the entertainment conglomerate’s revenue kept dropping. Perhaps those numbers will cheer Comcast investors, who have been beating up the cable company ever since news of its talks to buy NBCU surfaced last month.
CNBC’s owner wants you to know that it wasn’t his network’s fault that the Dow collapsed. “Just because someone who mocks authority says something doesn’t make it so.” Also, he’d like you to know that his broadcast and cable giant isn’t going to screw up like the newspaper guys did.
Want to know why NBC is giving up on five hours a week of prime-time programming and replacing it with Jay Leno? Parent company GE inadvertently provided the answer yesterday: NBC’s broadcast business recorded profits of $1.4 billion in 2005, and just $400 million this year.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
D is unlike any other executive conference. Since its debut in 2003, D has brought to life the energy and excitement of the digital revolution in an unscripted, upfront and unparalleled way. Read more »
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