Brown warns of tough year ahead
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
The prime minister warns 2009 “won’t be easy” for Britain as it deals with the global economic crisis.
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Brown warns of tough year ahead
Archive for December, 2008
Time Warner, Viacom Reach Deal
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
LOS ANGELES — Time Warner Cable Inc. said Wednesday it reached a deal with Viacom Inc. on carriage fees, avoiding a blackout of 19 cable channels including MTV and Comedy Central. The two sides, citing disagreement over fee hikes, had threatened a damaging blackout at midnight Eastern time that would have cut off shows such as “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Colbert Report” to about 15.7 million subscribers. Shortly after agreeing to extend a midnight deadline by an hour, Time Warner Cable spokesman Alex Dudley said the sides agreed on a new contract. The handshake deal meant the channels will not go dark and a joint statement was expected within the hour, Dudley said. Viacom had mounted an advertising onslaught warning customers of the possible blackout, taking out ads in major newspapers and Web sites from The New York Times and TVGuide.com featuring a tearful “Dora the Explorer” crying and clinging to her monkey pal, Boots. “Why is Dora crying?” the ad read. “Tonight you will lose Nickelodeon and 18 other channels from your TV.” It then prompted people to call their cable company to complain. The dispute would have affected some 13.3 million Time Warner Cable subscribers, mainly in New York state, the Carolinas, Ohio, Southern California and Texas; and 2.4 million customres of Bright House Networks in Michigan, Indiana, California, Alabama and Florida. Time Warner Chief Executive Glenn Britt on Wednesday had called Viacom’s demand for a 12 percent increase in fees _ an extra $39 million on top of the estimated $300 million it pays Viacom annually _ extortion and outrageous given the recession. Viacom countered that the requested increase amounted to an extra $2.76 annually per subscriber. Details of the deal were not immediately available. Viacom had argued that Americans spend a fifth of their TV time watching Viacom shows but its fees made up less than 2.5 percent of the Time Warner cable bill. Spokeswoman Kelly McAndrew said that despite ranking high in the ratings, Viacom’s cable networks’ average daily license fee was 65 percent lower than that of networks run by The Walt Disney Co., News Corp.’s Fox, Time Warner Inc.’s Turner Broadcasting System and Discovery Communications Inc. Analyst Michael Nathanson with Bernstein Research said Viacom’s channels had been “underpriced relative to their peers.” Public carriage fee disputes of this scale between a programmer and a cable operator are not that common, especially when there’s a threat of a blackout, said Derek Baine, senior analyst at SNL Kagan in Monterey, Calif. Typically, both sides agree on contract extensions as they negotiate on terms, he said, and any blackouts don’t last long because TV operators get calls from outraged customers. One prominent carriage fee fight in recent years was in 2004, between Viacom and EchoStar, the former name of Dish Network Corp. Shows were dropped for two days. In October, Time Warner Cable wrestled with LIN TV Corp., which operates local TV stations affiliated with NBC, CBS, Fox and CW. But this time, Time Warner Cable faced Viacom, the largest cable programmer, not a small independent with a handful of channels. The channels in the dispute were Comedy Central, Logo, Palladia, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTV Tr3s, Nickelodeon, Noggin, Nick 2, Nicktoons, Spike, The N, TV Land, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul and CMT: Pure Country. Viacom shares rose 88 cents, or 4.5 percent, to close at $20.12 on Wednesday, while Time Warner Cable shares fell 31 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $21.45. ___ AP Business Writer Deborah Yao in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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Time Warner, Viacom Reach Deal
Clubs poised for transfer chance
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
The January transfer window opens, giving clubs their first opportunity to buy or sell players since the end of August.
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Clubs poised for transfer chance
Iraq takes control of Green Zone
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Iraq is taking control of the Green Zone in Baghdad and assuming more powers over foreign troops based in the country.
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Iraq takes control of Green Zone
Sri Lanka army ’seizes key area’
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Sri Lanka’s military says it has seized a strategically important junction in the island’s north from Tamil Tiger rebels.
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Sri Lanka army ’seizes key area’
Ten Investments To Watch In 2009
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Most financial predictions aren’t worth a plug nickel. I don’t know where the Dow will end 2009, and nor does anybody else. But here’s one call you can rely on. Whatever happens in world stock markets next year, it won’t be as bad — at least in dollar terms — as 2008.
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Ten Investments To Watch In 2009
Four Felons Gained Special Access To Bush To Win Clemency
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
WASHINGTON — In December 2007, the names of about 700 federal prisoners seeking commutations reached President Bush’s desk. He rejected all but one. Among the disappointed petitioners was Reed R. Prior, an Iowa man serving a life sentence for a drug conviction whose application had been pending for nearly five years. Last month, Mr. Prior filed a new application with the Justice Department. Not much had changed. But this time, with help from the Iowa governor, Mr. Prior’s lawyer secured a face-to-face meeting with the White House counsel, Fred F. Fielding. A week later, Mr. Bush commuted Mr. Prior’s sentence.
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Four Felons Gained Special Access To Bush To Win Clemency
Small fire in Hancock Center
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
The North Michigan Avenue area was disrupted New Year’s Eve by a fire at the John Hancock Center that was confined to a couch, officials said. Fire officials were called out about 10 p.m. to a high rise building at 111 E. Chestnut St., said Fire Department Spokesman Joe Roccasalva. The fire broke out on a couch on the 36th floor, he said. The fire was quickly struck out and firemen searched the building as a precaution, Roccasalva said. The only person treated was a 29 woman taken to an area hospital complaining of shortness of breath after walking down 36 floors, fire officials said. — Deanese Williams-Harris
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Small fire in Hancock Center
North Korea message mild on US
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
North Korea new year message calls for a stronger military, but hints at possibilities of progress in talks with the US.
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North Korea message mild on US
New Sentencing Guidelines For Crack, New Challenges
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Michael D. Thompson, a former crack cocaine dealer, thought he deserved a break.
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New Sentencing Guidelines For Crack, New Challenges
Rural Areas Facing Dangerous Shortage of General Surgeons
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
BURLINGTON, Iowa — It’s not yet 9 a.m., and as most of his 27,000 neighbors are getting ready for Saturday chores, John Phillips has a familiar one in front of him.
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Rural Areas Facing Dangerous Shortage of General Surgeons
At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 — The walls of the majestic Republican Palace in Baghdad’s Green Zone have been stripped bare. The vaults that secured American cash and classified documents are gone, and the cement blast walls that protected the front entrance were taken down this week. The U.S. military dining…
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At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis
Gaza Assault Worsens Rift Between Palestinian Factions
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec. 31 — Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip has exacerbated the deep divisions between Palestinians who want to make peace with Israel and those who support Hamas’s militant struggle against the Jewish state.
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Gaza Assault Worsens Rift Between Palestinian Factions
60,000 Volunteer for Inauguration; Most Won’t Make Cut
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
An unprecedented 60,000 people have sent applications to the Presidential Inaugural Committee to volunteer for activities surrounding the swearing-in of Barack Obama — even if it means simply giving directions or friendly hellos to out-of-towners at airports and Metro stops.
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60,000 Volunteer for Inauguration; Most Won’t Make Cut
Wall Street’s Final ‘08 Toll: $6.9 Trillion Wiped Out
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
After months of tortuous trading, Wall Street rang out its worst year since the Great Depression yesterday, leaving shareholders $6.9 trillion the poorer.
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Wall Street’s Final ‘08 Toll: $6.9 Trillion Wiped Out
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