NEW AL GORE TV HOPES TO AVOID 'LIBERAL' LABEL - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Mind_Storm · 10-13-2003, 01:02 PM

http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=38939

NEW AL GORE TV HOPES TO AVOID 'LIBERAL' LABEL

Cable Network Will Aim at 'Younger, Hipper' Audience

October 13, 2003
QwikFIND ID: AAP07D
By Richard Linnett
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Former vice president Al Gore and a group of investors have plans to launch an all-news channel, but it won't be a liberal alternative to Fox News. Instead, it will be aimed at the under-25 crowd.

"Liberal TV is dead on arrival," said an insider advising Mr. Gore and his team. "You just can't do it."

NBC agreement
The Gore-led group of investors is about two weeks away from forming an agreement with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to acquire Canadian-based cable network Newsworld International for about $70 million, said an insider at Universal Television Networks, the Vivendi unit that currently operates the network.

The proposed news network will be positioned as "a professional news operation reaching an aware, younger, hipper audience," the adviser said, characterizing it as a combination of CNN and MTV. "The station will try to reach a younger market."

That's likely to make it more enticing to advertisers who were wary of plunking down ads on a network aligned with a particular political party.

Fragmented youth media
"The question is whether TV is the way young people will get their news or whether it will come to them over the Internet, on some form of PDA with just headlines, scores, stock market and breaking news," said Aaron Cohen, executive vice president and director of broadcast at Horizon Media. "If you want to talk to young people, that's where you go. They haven't grown up to be news viewers yet."

In order to attract the right kind of audience, Mr. Cohen said the network would "have to have some truly unique personalities, a unique skew on the news, lifestyle stuff."

50 million subscribers
Newsworld International, created by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994, has 20 million subscribers and 58 employees. Its news programming originates in North America, Asia and Europe. It was sold to USA Networks in 2000, and then to Vivendi Universal, which sells advertising for the channel through its Universal Television Networks sales force, which also handles SciFi, Trio and USA. According to a sales executive there, the majority of advertising on NWI is direct response. "We haven't been aggressively selling it," said the executive. "We're waiting for distribution to pick up." Advertisers include General Motors Corp., Expedia.com, and package-goods companies.

Last week, General Electric Co., parent of NBC, agreed to buy the entertainment properties of Vivendi Universal. GE will own 80% of the new company, while Vivendi retains 20%. Vivendi's TV properties, which include USA Network, Sci Fi and Trio, will combine with NBC's Bravo, Telemundo, MSNBC and CNBC. NBC Universal, will be the fourth-largest media conglomerate, with revenues of approximately $13 billion, when the deal is finalized in early 2004.

A Gore 'firewall'?
Some observers feel that despite the change in tack, a network led by Mr. Gore will not be able to erect a firewall thick enough to insulate it from his Democratic Party affiliation.

"If there is any transparency to Gore, then it will be identified as a partisan operation, which will alienate advertisers," said the sales executive.

"The problem with being associated as liberal is that they wouldn't be going in a direction that advertisers are really interested in," said Paul Rittenberg, senior VP-advertising and market research, Fox News. "We don't get business for being conservative, we get business because the ratings are good and we believe that we're fair. If you go out and say that you are a liberal network, you are cutting your potential audience and certainly your potential advertising pool, right off the bat. "

Moskie · 10-13-2003, 01:12 PM

The first sign of failure: usage of the word 'hip'.

Stare At The Sun · 10-13-2003, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Moskie
The first sign of failure: usage of the word 'hip'.

True, but i'd like to see where it goes, if it dies, no skin off my back...

Might be good, who knows

Moskie · 10-13-2003, 01:21 PM

Yea, to be honest, I'm kinda looking forward to checking it out. If done right, it could be cool... sort of an informative, good MTV type thing....maybe? Maybe that's not a good analogy.

haha this just made me think of that skit on SNL, what was it, Janet Reno's Dance Party or something. Great skit. Now such a show can have a home! Al Gore's Hip Hop Hour will be here before we know it.

HugAPug · 10-14-2003, 07:04 PM

Quote:

The Gore-led group of investors is about two weeks away from forming an agreement with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to acquire Canadian-based cable network Newsworld International for about $70 million, said an insider at Universal Television Networks, the Vivendi unit that currently operates the network.

Does this mean the end of CBC Newsworld? Great news channel.

phredgreen · 10-14-2003, 08:13 PM

my only concern about this is where it will go. mtv went from a viewing house for up-and-comers to an exclusive club of big money players who use influence and greenbacks to make sure they have plenty of airtime.

who here wants "must see" news where the information imparted to their younger audience is only what their investors want them to see, news controlled even more than it is now. artificially making things "important" will create a whole new generation of idiots who only know what the tv tells them, but they'll feel like theyr're justified in thinking it this time because they got their information from a "news source." I appreciate news from unbiased sources like the bbc (there is nothing more informative than seeing yourself through the eyes of an outsider), i don't ever bother watching news that is sponsored in part by whomever wants you to pay up for their useless product the next time you're at your local uber-market.

Food Eater Lad · 10-14-2003, 08:51 PM

All this coming from a man who at one time his entire platform was to censur popular music?

mystmarimatt · 10-15-2003, 06:14 PM

ahh, good old DNC, always trying gettin' the vote out. should be interesting to see.

10-13-2003, 01:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mind_Storm Tilted Location: The Finger Lakes of New York	NEW AL GORE TV HOPES TO AVOID 'LIBERAL' LABEL http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=38939 NEW AL GORE TV HOPES TO AVOID 'LIBERAL' LABEL Cable Network Will Aim at 'Younger, Hipper' Audience October 13, 2003 QwikFIND ID: AAP07D By Richard Linnett NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Former vice president Al Gore and a group of investors have plans to launch an all-news channel, but it won't be a liberal alternative to Fox News. Instead, it will be aimed at the under-25 crowd. "Liberal TV is dead on arrival," said an insider advising Mr. Gore and his team. "You just can't do it." NBC agreement The Gore-led group of investors is about two weeks away from forming an agreement with Vivendi Universal Entertainment to acquire Canadian-based cable network Newsworld International for about $70 million, said an insider at Universal Television Networks, the Vivendi unit that currently operates the network. The proposed news network will be positioned as "a professional news operation reaching an aware, younger, hipper audience," the adviser said, characterizing it as a combination of CNN and MTV. "The station will try to reach a younger market." That's likely to make it more enticing to advertisers who were wary of plunking down ads on a network aligned with a particular political party. Fragmented youth media "The question is whether TV is the way young people will get their news or whether it will come to them over the Internet, on some form of PDA with just headlines, scores, stock market and breaking news," said Aaron Cohen, executive vice president and director of broadcast at Horizon Media. "If you want to talk to young people, that's where you go. They haven't grown up to be news viewers yet." In order to attract the right kind of audience, Mr. Cohen said the network would "have to have some truly unique personalities, a unique skew on the news, lifestyle stuff." 50 million subscribers Newsworld International, created by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994, has 20 million subscribers and 58 employees. Its news programming originates in North America, Asia and Europe. It was sold to USA Networks in 2000, and then to Vivendi Universal, which sells advertising for the channel through its Universal Television Networks sales force, which also handles SciFi, Trio and USA. According to a sales executive there, the majority of advertising on NWI is direct response. "We haven't been aggressively selling it," said the executive. "We're waiting for distribution to pick up." Advertisers include General Motors Corp., Expedia.com, and package-goods companies. Last week, General Electric Co., parent of NBC, agreed to buy the entertainment properties of Vivendi Universal. GE will own 80% of the new company, while Vivendi retains 20%. Vivendi's TV properties, which include USA Network, Sci Fi and Trio, will combine with NBC's Bravo, Telemundo, MSNBC and CNBC. NBC Universal, will be the fourth-largest media conglomerate, with revenues of approximately $13 billion, when the deal is finalized in early 2004. A Gore 'firewall'? Some observers feel that despite the change in tack, a network led by Mr. Gore will not be able to erect a firewall thick enough to insulate it from his Democratic Party affiliation. "If there is any transparency to Gore, then it will be identified as a partisan operation, which will alienate advertisers," said the sales executive. "The problem with being associated as liberal is that they wouldn't be going in a direction that advertisers are really interested in," said Paul Rittenberg, senior VP-advertising and market research, Fox News. "We don't get business for being conservative, we get business because the ratings are good and we believe that we're fair. If you go out and say that you are a liberal network, you are cutting your potential audience and certainly your potential advertising pool, right off the bat. "

10-13-2003, 01:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Moskie Pure Chewing Satisfaction Location: can i use bbcode [i]here[/i]?	The first sign of failure: usage of the word 'hip'. __________________ Greetings and salutations.

10-13-2003, 01:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
Moskie Pure Chewing Satisfaction Location: can i use bbcode [i]here[/i]?	Yea, to be honest, I'm kinda looking forward to checking it out. If done right, it could be cool... sort of an informative, good MTV type thing....maybe? Maybe that's not a good analogy. haha this just made me think of that skit on SNL, what was it, Janet Reno's Dance Party or something. Great skit. Now such a show can have a home! Al Gore's Hip Hop Hour will be here before we know it. __________________ Greetings and salutations.

10-14-2003, 08:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	my only concern about this is where it will go. mtv went from a viewing house for up-and-comers to an exclusive club of big money players who use influence and greenbacks to make sure they have plenty of airtime. who here wants "must see" news where the information imparted to their younger audience is only what their investors want them to see, news controlled even more than it is now. artificially making things "important" will create a whole new generation of idiots who only know what the tv tells them, but they'll feel like theyr're justified in thinking it this time because they got their information from a "news source." I appreciate news from unbiased sources like the bbc (there is nothing more informative than seeing yourself through the eyes of an outsider), i don't ever bother watching news that is sponsored in part by whomever wants you to pay up for their useless product the next time you're at your local uber-market. __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine Last edited by phredgreen; 10-14-2003 at 08:16 PM..

10-15-2003, 06:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
mystmarimatt Omnipotent Ruler Of The Tiny Universe In My Mind Location: Oreegawn	ahh, good old DNC, always trying gettin' the vote out. should be interesting to see. __________________ Words of Wisdom: If you could really get to know someone and know that they weren't lying to you, then you would know the world was real. Because you could agree on things, you could compare notes. That must be why people get married or make Art. So they'll be able to really know something and not go insane.

10-14-2003, 08:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
Food Eater Lad Banned	All this coming from a man who at one time his entire platform was to censur popular music?