Gore to buy Newsworld International

[AmericanErrorist]

TORONTO - Newsworld International – started by CBC in 1994 and currently owned by Vivendi Universal – could wind up in the hands of investors led by former U.S. vice president Al Gore.


The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Gore's group is in talks to buy NWI for about $70 million US.

Vivendi recently sold its entertainment assets to General Electric's NBC division, but left NWI out of the deal.


The Journal quoted a source close to the Gore group who said Gore wanted to use the channel to focus on programming for younger viewers with a mix of news and documentaries.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/10/01/nwi_031001

[Uzybone]

1. Its already a pretty good channel

its all I watched during the Iraq invasion. I hope Gore gets it.

[gWbush is Mabus]

2. Gore

is single-handedly taking back the media!

woohoo!

[cprise]

3. This from the CBC

They're probably laughing their *sses off!

[amish]

13. How bout that

WOW I cant believe it

[cprise]

14. They must think we're stupid

Getting a media-bailout from millionaire sugar-daddies.

[Ironpost]

4. Gore and Newsworld International

What a Man this President would have been.

[DEM FAN]

5. WOOOOHOOOOOO. Great News.

:toast:

[HootieMcBoob]

6. Great news

NWI is on DirecTV I also watched it a lot back in March/April. It was and remains an excellent source for news from other parts of the world.

I'm wondering what kind of station it will be. By young viewers does it mean kids? I'm kind of thinking that that might just mean a more hip sort of news station. He's said that he wants it to focus on progressive issues which is excellent. I'm very excited about this. This, and the Anshell media plan are very important developments for us. We've had a hard time getting our message out there. These are big steps in the right direction

One thing is they need to get the new stations on more cable companies. Is NWI on any systems other than DirecTV?

Way to go Al!!! :toast:

[Uzybone]

7. Its on digital cable as well n/t

n/t

[rads]

8. Targetting a younger demographic

I think they'll probably try to target a younger demographic since the other "news" networks tend to skew older. I'm not exactly sure what this would mean in terms of programming, but I hope they take chances and do something along the Daily Show, which leans left but is good enough to bring in viewers from across the spectrum.

[javadu]

9. Bad News!!!!!!

I don't get this channel. I have extended basic cable with COX and don't plan on upgrading. Any suggestions for me besides write them letters?

[HootieMcBoob]

10. I read in one of the stories ...

that Gore and others were in talks with various cable companies including COX. I'm assuming they were talking about adding the channel to the COX lineup. I think when this happens that many more cable companies will pick up the channel.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

11. If I am not mistaken....

The owners of COX communications are big time Democrats!
The two sisters, Barbara and Ann Cox worked for Jimmy Carter
and have supported the Dem's many times!

[HootieMcBoob]

12. That's good to hear.

I wonder why we haven't heard any more about this. The other day they said the sale could go through as early as that day. I hope it hasn't fallen throug or hit any snags.

[cosmicdot]

15. somebody buy KOCE (PBS)

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/04/06/news-arellano2.php

A religious broadcaster’s $25 million bid for KOCE looks more and more like big business—and less and less like mere Christianity.

Documents obtained by the Weekly show that Texas-based religious broadcaster Daystar Television Network promised a satellite network that it would purchase stations like KOCE—called "must-carries" in the media business—and turn them over to the satellite network for the resale of KOCE’s valuable broadcast bandwidth.

The federal government created the must-carry designation in 1972 to protect local broadcasters and public stations from the overwhelming power of national networks. But in the Bush era, media giants have punched holes in the law. The resulting race to privatize the broadcast bandwidth is like a virtual land rush.

~snip~

Daystar is one of four evangelical-Christian TV networks interested in purchasing KOCE/Channel 50 from its cash-poor owners, the Coast Community College District, which oversees Coastline, Orange Coast and Golden West colleges. When the district board votes Oct. 15 on whether to sell the station, it’ll likely settle on a born-again broadcaster. Besides Daystar, those include LeSEA Corp. of Indiana, Costa Mesa-based Trinity Broadcasting Network and Spanish-language Almavision Hispanic Network.

Financially outgunned, the KOCE Foundation, a community-support group, has bid $10 million for the station and promised to keep it public.

~snip~

[KamaAina]

16. Horrors! If only NSMA were still around...

...she might know who to go to to make them stop! I don't believe we have anyone else down there with nearly as much "juice" :(

By the way, Daystar is a past master at playing fast and loose with what are supposed, by Federal law, to be noncommercial educational channels. We have one in Honolulu as well: 24/7/365 of preachers yelling themselves hoarse about fire and brimstone does NOT, in my book, in the remotest sense qualify as "educational".

edit: rant back on: Secondary PBS stations across the land are in jeopardy. WQED in Pittsburgh sold off its second channel to a different group of fundies after years of legal wrangling. Meanwhile, in Lake Charles, La., still more fundies applied for -- and got -- the frequency used by NPR in nearby Lafayette for a translator station. Result: In Lake Charles, it's all Jebus, and NO NPR (until the main Lafayette station can increase its power, anyway).