The Morning Fix: Comic-Con hype; DirecTV narrows CEO field; TV Guide Network gets `Ugly;’ Media CEOs overpaid (really?)
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After the coffee. Before deciding if going to Comic-Con makes you cool or the show lame.
Comic-Con Craziness. The march to San Diego for Comic-Con starts today. The show has grown into a monster marketing machine for Hollywood, which means of course that some feel it has lost its geek edge. Here’s some previews from Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Wrap and USA Today.
Replacing Chase. Satellite Broadcaster DirecTV has narrowed its list of candidates to succeed Chase Carey as CEO to Liberty Media’s Greg Maffei and DirecTV Latin America chief Bruce Churchill, says The New York Post. Among those approached who passed on the gig are Comcast’s Steve Burke and Cablevision’s Tom Rutledge.
Ya Think? Bernstein analyst Michael Nathanson criticizes CEO pay in a new report, saying the compensation is often out of whack with the company’s performance. Singled out for special attention is Chase Carey’s deal to return to News Corp. as chief operating officer. Broadcasting & Cable.
TV Guide Network’s New Look is Ugly. The TV Guide Network has bought reruns of ‘Ugly Betty’ for the low, low price of $200,000 per-episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is the first major programming acquisition since Lions Gate acquired a majority stake in the channel. Look for other exciting rerun deals soon.
Tabloid Tales. The editor of Rupert Murdoch’s London tabloid ‘News of the World’ said the paper was given the green light to pay $1.1 million to settle charges of bugging phones by James Murdoch. That tidbit, revealed in a parliamentary committee meeting, is the latest twist in the story that News Corp.’s London rags have been engaged in widespread wire-tapping. The New York Times.
Rather Heated. Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather scored a victory in his ongoing legal battle against CBS, getting access to CBS documents that his legal team claims will help prove the deck was stacked against him by the network during the memogate investigation that led to Rather leaving. CBS tells The New York Times the wins are technical and not meaningful.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Haim Saban’s battle with his ex-tax lawyer takes another twist. A look at exiting US editor Janice Min’s role in celebrity obsession. Michael Jackson TV deal dead ... for now.
-- Joe Flint
