Gore close to cable buy

New York Daily News ^ | 10/01/03 | Phyllis Furman

[kattracks]

Call him Al Gore, media baron.

The former vice president is close to striking a $70 million deal to acquire Newsworld International, a tiny cable network owned by French media giant Vivendi Universal, media sources said.

Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network. His partners include ex-Democratic fund-raiser Joel Hyatt and media investment banker Steve Rattner, who's said to be lining up financing.

Carried in just 20 million homes, NWI airs newscasts from around the world, including reports from the Canadian Broadcasting Co. The net is part of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, the show biz empire that's about to be acquired by NBC.

Reps for Vivendi and Gore declined to comment.

Phyllis Furman

Originally published on October 1, 2003

[KC_Conspirator]

I just wonder what type of advertising they are going to get in order to support this network which is going to have the worst ratings going. I'm sure his buddies in the media will support it for awhile.

[David Isaac]

We can only hope our liberal friends can find a few more money-pits like this one to siphon off some of their funds. Hopefully it will be as popular as most of their radio offerings.

[Caipirabob]

Been there, done that.

Get a life, Al...

[Jotmo]

What will be fun is taking a transcript from one of their offerings and compare it to those from other “major media outlets” and see if anyone can tell the difference.

Show it to your local liberal tree hugger type and watch them compare blatant liberal editorializing to, well, blatant liberal editorializing and try to tell you which one is the “unbiased” news source.

Better do it fast. This network won’t last six months without propping up from someone with deep pockets.

[G.Mason]

"Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network. "

What a novel idea.

It's about time someone recognized we need [even if it's just one] a "liberal-leaning" network.

Why can't America draft people like this to run the country?

[Reb Raider]

I think this is wonderful that there will be some balance to Fox. The dems have had it with Fox for not keeping certain facts quiet. They never had a problem with Rather,Brokaw,Jennings,PBS or CNN. Pesky old Fox came in and let both sides express their opinions and you would think the world had ended. In a way the world as they knew it did end. It wasn't 4 liberals to 1 republican anymore on political tv shows. FOX even made them back up their allegations and opinions. They are still grasping at reasons they aren't in power and determined it must be Rush Limbaugh and FOX News.

One hurdle they will have to jump over--Begala,Carville,Stephenopolis,Woodruff,Curic,Matthews,and the above mentioned anchors would have to renegotiate contracts so that they could work for both networks. Babs is available though thank goodness!

[samtheman]

A loser idea from a loser guy.

[chainsaw]

The former vice president is close to striking a $70 million deal to acquire Newsworld International,

Rich Democrats!

[mewzilla]

Ah ha! I knew I smelled a Ratner! LOL.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Gore close to cable buy

Al Gore doesn't even know how cable TV gets on his television set.

[q_an_a]

I hope these bozos dump millions into this network. It will mean their money will be out of the politicial field. Who needs antoehr liberal network when they have PBS, and the three majors. I hope they spend liek there is no tomorrow and that they get this network up and running by the beginning of the year.

[Core_Conservative]

I just wonder what type of advertising they are going to get

I'm sure the Hollyweird crew and the Dixie Twits will be happy to support this new - NON-Watched Liberal think tank of a station! LOL

[from occupied ga]

Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network

WHAT? Only "liberal leaning?" Then they want it to be to the right of hard left NBC ABC and CBS, not to mention Cox and Turner

[avg_freeper]

Just as long as Gore doesn't acquire BLIZZARD Entertainment from Vivendi. I would be steamed!

[Jimmy Valentine]

Joel Hyatt is the son-in-law of Howard Metzenbaum former senator (DemocRAT) and defense council in the 1950's for the American Communist Party.

I wonder if Ratner is lining up financing for Gore through Occidental Petroleum?

Regards,

[Sinner6]

I would cry if that happend

[Redcoat LI]

Watch out! Any man brilliant enough to invent things like the internet is clearly capable of creating a Liberal news dynamo.

[wayoverontheright]

Gore and his backers want to turn the digital channel into a liberal-leaning network.

As a business man, I would say that this particular market niche is already suffering from having too many players.

The only thing that even portends the possibility of success is that none of the current mainstream media ADMITS their leftward lean, and it sounds to me like Gore-TV will wear it proudly.

[smiley]

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