Ailing, ABC News Mulls Bloomberg Tie-Up (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | January 11, 2011 | Sam Schechner

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ABC News remains open to a business partnership with financial news giant Bloomberg LP, and aims to "fix" its Sunday-morning News program hosted by Christiane Amanpour, the news unit's new chief said Monday.

Ben Sherwood, who took over ABC News in December, is mulling both moves after a difficult year for the Walt Disney Co. unit. ABC News pared about a quarter of its staff to cut costs in 2010, and its flagship morning and evening news programs continued to trail those at NBC, although strong ratings at late-night program "Nightline" were a bright spot.

"I don't want to sugarcoat the last year," he said before reporters at the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "We have to become more successful than we are as a news division."

Mr. Sherwood said he has no plans for more layoffs on the scale of last year.

Disney has considered deals that would merge the news operations of ABC News and Bloomberg or entail other sorts of collaborations for some time, most recently in the run up to the 2010 elections. Mr. Sherwood said there is "nothing to report" at this time, but said such a move could still be attractive.

"How could you not think about a partnership with an organization that has the success that Bloomberg has?" Mr. Sherwood asked. "We're open to all kinds of opportunities, both on the cable side and also on the digital side."

Bloomberg is a client of ABC News's affiliate service, which provides ABC coverage to other organizations.

Mr. Sherwood also said he may make format changes to ABC News's "This Week," featuring Ms. Amanpour. The show finished in third place behind competing shows on NBC and CBS in the fourth quarter, with 2.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Co. data.

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"By the end of this decade or shortly thereafter, television networks as we know them today will cease to exist. They will be just another url on the world wide web competing against millions of others."

"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."

Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer, blogger and commentator

[Dr. Ursus]

Obviously,you need a younger news slut!

[DGHoodini]

I’m waiting for the day that one of the big three, in desperation to save their network, abandons the Lib death freaks, and actually goes center right. >Bo)

[Behind Liberal Lines]

aims to "fix" its Sunday-morning News program hosted by Christiane Amanpour

Man, she's terrible. Actually makes me miss George S.

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http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-09/business/27018560_1_cable-industry-comcast-customers-cable-subscribers
Comcast cuts cost of entry-level cable package 25 percent

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/abc-news-chief-open-to-bloomberg-partnership/
ABC News Chief Open to Bloomberg Partnership

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=142596
Does Merged NBCU/Comcast Serve Too Many Masters?

http://www.cjr.org/feature/welcome_to_tribune_company.php?page=all
Welcome to Tribune Company

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=148127
Time Inc. Merges Print and Digital Corporate Sales

[bigbob]

This is like putting air brakes on a turtle.

Maybe ABC ought to just get out of the new business and cut a deal with Fox for a “branded” hard news show and special coverage. What do they have to lose? They could save a boatload of money and probably more than make it up with entertainment programming. If they did, I’d bet CBS would follow in less than a year.

[Brett66]

Why don’t they just cut their losses and end their pathetic news network now?

[MasterGunner01]

ABC could increase their This Week with Christiane Amanpour by ending the show with a public hanging in which the host (Christiane) is the center of the exercise. Unfortunately ABC could only get a small spike in the Nielsen's.

[abb]

Actually makes me miss George S.

I had forgotten he was gone. That tells you how long it's been since I watched the show.

[Carley]

We can fix it by putting duct tape over Amanpoooorrr vicious anti semitic anti American mouth.

[Larry - Moe and Curly]

I’d like to offer Rush Limbaugh as a replacement. Ratings would certainly skyrocket.

[SevenofNine]

Maybe Christine Amapour could join Al Jabezza network since KCET lost its PBS membership I been AL Jabezza no big difference

[abb]

I’d like to offer Rush Limbaugh as a replacement. Ratings would certainly skyrocket.

They would literally rather go off the air than do that.

[GeronL]

I wish they could just the MSM out of our misery already.

[Signalman]

Mr. Sherwood also said he may make format changes to ABC News's "This Week," featuring Ms. Amanpour

I suggest firing Ms. Amanpour be the first "format change".

[SanFranDan]

With their 24/7 biased shooting coverage from Arizona, ABC has clearly and happily continued to, “make their bed” with the left.

And like some domestic violence victims, they’ve focused on the abusive bedmate without entertaining any possible complicity with their choice of lovers.

And with their potential choosing of Bloomberg as the next abuser, their remedy appears to be to simply choosing a less overt abuser to defile their bed. They can now claim a huge relationship victory, for a while. (Parker/Spitzer)

[OldPossum]

Having access to the audience of broadcast TV outlets, their solution is simple, change their liberal ways and their ratings (and income) would skyrockets.

But they can’t bear to do it.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Who the heck watches Bloomberg?

(Besides the the typical weirdo response to such a question.)

[RicocheT]

I watch old Diane on the ABC evening news as perky Katie makes me hurl chunks and NBC is so far up Omama’s a$$ making love.

If it wasn’t for the Internet and BBC’s news, my brainwashing by the left would be total.