Tribune Co. employees at the time of company’s 2007 leveraged buy-out are eligible to join a class action lawsuit against the ESOP trustee that represented their interests in the takeover by billionaire Sam Zell, a federal judge ruled Friday. Get the full story »
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Report: Apple seeks unlimited music downloads
Apple Inc. is in talks with record labels to give customers of Apple’s iTunes service unlimited access to music purchased across multiple devices, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the plans. Get the full story »
Hefner succeeds in bid to take Playboy private
Hugh Hefner. (Reuters/Fred Prouser)
A partnership led by Hugh Hefner has succeeded in taking Playboy private.
Hefner’s Icon Acquisition Holdings LP says more than enough shares of Playboy Enterprises Inc. were tendered for the buyout to go through.
The $6.15-per-share deal was funded with $195 million of debt and $185 million from the private investment firm Rizvi Traverse and Playboy management, including Hefner. Get the full story »
Tim Weigel’s son to do weekend sports on Ch. 7
Tower Ticker | Rafer Weigel is poised to follow in the footsteps of his father, the late Tim Weigel, by joining Chicago’s WLS-Ch. 7 as a sportscaster.
The TV industry subscription news site NewsBlues.com on Thursday reported Weigel has left HLN’s’ popular “Morning Express with Robin Meade,” where he has handled sports for three years. “Tipsters claim he walked out on his contract and has been hired as the weekend sports anchor/reporter at ABC-owned WLS,” the site said.
HLN sources say Weigel’s exit, but not his destination, was announced to “Morning Express” staff. WLS had no comment. Weigel could not be reached for comment.
‘Windy City Live’ to replace ‘Oprah’ on Ch. 7
From Tower Ticker | That new show moving into the 9 a.m. weekday slot on Disney-owned WLS-Ch. 7 after “The Oprah Winfrey Show” ends its run of original episodes in May?
It’s going to be called “Windy City Live” instead of “Morning Rush.”
WGN America promotes Marenghi to GM
Tower Ticker | Julio Marenghi has been promoted to executive vice president and general manager for Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Co.’s WGN America channel.
Previously WGN America’s executive vice president of sales and distribution for the national cable network, Marenghi will take on responsibility for managing the national channel’s operations, assisting in programming decisions and managing overall financial performance in addition to his current duties leading all top line sales efforts and growing distribution.
Super Bowl ad boosts Groupon traffic just 3%
From Fast Company | Daily discount service Groupon spent millions of dollars on a couple controversial Super Bowl spots and what did it get them? During the week following the Super Bowl compared to the week prior, Groupon increased traffic by a paltry 3 percent — a negligible boost given the hundred million-plus consumers who viewed it live.
By comparison, GoDaddy.com’s ad boosted traffic 41 percent in terms of unique visits, the biggest lift for any sponsor. Volkswagen and HomeAway traffic jumped 27 percent and HomeAway.com. Even Mercedes-Benz saw a 9 percent boost. Get the full story >>
3 theater chains fined over child labor violations
Three movie theater companies will pay more than $275,000 in civil fines after being accused of violating federal labor laws by allowing dozens of teenagers in nine states, including Illinois, to perform dangerous jobs and work hours longer than allowed by law, the Department of Labor said Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division said about 160 minors at 27 theaters operated by Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres Corp.; Regal Cinemas Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn.; and Wehrenberg Inc. of St. Louis violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Get the full story »
Legionnaires’ bacteria found at Playboy Mansion
Los Angeles County public health officials have identified Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, at a water source at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in its investigation of the source of illness that sickened people after a fundraiser earlier this month.
Magazine: Chicago ‘tops’ for corp. investment
Corporate expansion last year “from Groupon to U.S. Steel” has landed Chicago as the top metro area for corporate investment by Site Selection magazine, World Business Chicago said today. Get the full story »
Kindle 3G to come to AT&T stores Sunday
AT&T will begin selling Amazon’s Kindle 3G March 6 as it looks toward other gadgets to increase its customer base outside of cell phones.
The Kindle 3G will sell for $189 at AT&T’s retail stores, the same price at which Amazon sells the e-reader online. Amazon has said that the Kindle is the most popular item sold on its gigantic retail Web site — though the company has never said how many it has sold.
Oprah’s OWN struggles to bring in viewers
Oprah Winfrey talks to reporters about OWN in January. (Reuters)
From the New York Times | Oprah Winfrey’s 2-month-old cable channel, OWN, is attracting fewer viewers than the obscure channel it replaced, Discovery Health. At any given time this month, there have been about 135,000 people watching OWN, according to Nielsen, and only about 45,000 of those people are women ages 25 to 54, the demographic that the channel is focusing on.
Winfrey and her partner, Discovery Communications, have preached patience, especially because she will have a minimal presence on the channel until after “The Oprah Winfrey Show” ends its remarkable run in September. Get the full story >>
Netflix has deal to stream from CBS library
CBS Corp. struck a partnership with Netflix Inc. allowing the online video company to stream CBS library content, including television shows “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Twilight Zone” to Netflix subscribers. Get the full story »
Free streaming video for Amazon Prime members
Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday added a streaming-video service offering for its $79-a-year Amazon Prime members, an expected move by the online retailer as it looks to more directly compete with Netflix Inc. Get the full story »
U. of C. to get some of Watson’s ‘Jeopardy!’ prize
IBM supercomputer Watson takes on "Jeopardy!" champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. (IBM photo)
IBM’s supercomputer, Watson, may have trounced the last hope for humanity when it beat two “Jeopardy!” champions in a three-night contest this week, but it has also extended a philanthropic helping hand to mere mortals.
IBM is allocating $500,000 of Watson’s $1 million winnings to World Community Grid, a project where volunteer PCs users make up a “virtual supercomputer” that helps scientists with research projects. The grid harnesses the spare computational power of 1.7 million PCs from 535,000 volunteers in 80 countries, putting this combined capability to work on complicated problems. Get the full story »
