Not All Is Well In Murdochland -- Brad, Angelina Sue News Of The World

Remember that world exclusive a couple of weeks back in The News of the World, Murdoch’s tabloid that has the UK’s highest Sunday circulation near 3 million, that alleged that Brad and Angelina were splitting? Well, they say that report was based on private decuments for which truth is no defense, and besides, they say, the story wasn’t true. So they’ve hired a leading UK libel law firm and they’re suing. The original story is no longer on the newspaper’s web site.

Keith Schilling, Brad and Angelina’s  lawyer, says that if private information is misused (i.e: is printed in a newspaper without permission) the very fact it gets so misused is a violation of British law and it doesn’t even matter if the information was true. But lest such an explanation might make people think there was something to the original story the lawyer added, “we can confirm unequivocally, and upon instructions”  that the published account of the break-up was not true.

The News of the world story was picked up by media globally. See background here.

Government ad campaigns cut
Less for healthy habits

The Spanish government is cutting by one-eighth its institutional advertising and communications budget, reported El Mundo (February 5). The Advertising and Communication Plan, approved last week, will cut to informational campaigns to 114. The total budget is now €130.9 million.

Many governments – most, in fact – spend substantial amounts for campaigns promoting culture, citizenship, environmental awareness and healthy habits. In some countries, government is a top 5 major advertiser. (JMH)

Dissing the Winter Olympics
Think: curling

More often than not, television channels without Olympic Games rights fall back on inexpensive programming during those weeks. Viewers just aren’t there, right?

Sweden’s TV4, without Winter Olympic Games rights, is selling itself with new station promos reminding viewers that some Olympic sports have few thrilling moments. The three rotating promos focus on biathlon, cross-country skiing and, yes, curling. (See them via Dagensmedia.se)

The on-air promos are supported with print ads. The tag line, roughly translated, is “the real excitement is on TV4.” Public broadcaster SVT has rights to the Vancouver Winter Olympics. (JMH)

TV ad spending rises
Congestion?

Television ad spending – gross bookings, at least – rose in January 23% over the same month last year for Poland’s four top channels, reports AGB Nielsen Media, quoted in Gazeta Prawna (February 5).

According to the data released, TVN led with PZL 131.7 million, up 17.5%, followed by Polsat – 121.6 million, up 19%. Polish public channels booked the biggest increases; 118.6 million (up 35%) for TVP1 and 73 million (up 20%) for TVP2. (See Poland market data here)

“Congestion for our advertisers grows from week to week,” complained a media buyer at Starlink, quoted in the article. “Ad prices have risen.”

“The market revived,” said another ad buyer. (JMH)

From Last Weeks ftm Tickle File

UK Reviewing Libel Laws

The UK Justice Secretary has appointed a panel mostly made up of lawyers and

editors to review the UK’s libel laws. Journalists claim that current law has a “chilling effect” on freedom of expression. Not surprisingly the lawyers disagree. Their discussions should make for lively debate – too bad they won’t be televised.

Among the libel lawyers are two of the UK’s most prominent.  Andrew Stephenson, a partner at the feared Carter-Ruck just last week complained loudly when the government announced proposals that would limit lawyer fees against the defendant in a “no win no pay” action. Lawyers, if they won, had been able to charge the losers 100% of their fees (in addition to what they got from their own clients) and newspapers said the fear of such costs means they settle or don’t print a story in the first place. The government said the 100% bonus should be reduced to 10%. Also on the committee is Rod Christie-Miller, partner and chief executive at also-feared Schillings. He, too, came out against the government’s plan to reduce the bonus.

Among the media representatives on the panel are Robin Esser, executive managing editor at the Daily Mail (The Mail has been particularly vocal against current libel law), Sarah Jones, head of litigation and intellectual property at the BBC, Marcus Partington, chairman of the Media Lawyers Association and legal director of Mirror Group Newspapers; Gill Phillips, director of editorial legal services at Guardian News and Media and Sunday Times editor John Witherow.

The group is expected to report next month. UK general elections probably will be held in May.

Yahoo And AP Sign – But Where’s Google

The AP is desperate for increased online funds since its core newspaper client base, suffering dramatic advertising revenue losses, has wrung millions of dollars of concessions from the American news agency. So no doubt it has been engaged in some real hardball renegotiations with Yahoo and Google. Yahoo has now re-signed, but AP material has not been updated on Google for more than a month --   probably Google showing the AP (and perhaps the media in general) what really happens to page views if Google isn’t there to push readers their way.

Yahoo has had a very long relationship with news agencies – indeed one of its primary investors in the early days was none other than Reuters and ftm partner Phil Stone still remembers the day in Silicon Valley when Jerry Yang came to talk to an assembled group of Reuters media executives and he gave each his card which announced his title as “chief yahoo”. Now, that was culture shock.

The financial arrangements for the Yahoo-AP renegotiations were not announced. While AP has licensed its news for Yahoo use since 1998, the formal business relationship with Google didn’t get off the ground until 2006.

See Previous Tickle file

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