Moves among MPAA communications staff: Kate Bedingfield promoted to vice president-corporate communications; Howard Gantman becomes vice president, global strategic communications; and TJ Ducklo promoted to deputy director-corporate communications, new position … Comcast promotes Cathy Avgiris to chief financial officer, Comcast Cable, effective July 1, succeeding Dave Scott, retiring … Contec Holdings, cable customer premise equipment repair and refurbishment firm, hires Jochen Vogt, ex-Verifone, as chief financial officer … Information Technology and Innovation Foundation names House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., honorary co-chair, replacing Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., recently named New Democratic Coalition chairman … Lobbyist registrations: Intelsat, Atlantic Strategies Group, effective April 1 … Mescalero Apache Telecom, GRTyree Consulting, effective May 1.
Neustar hires Len Kennedy, ex-U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as senior vice president-general counsel, effective May 13, replacing
Q1 media company results: CBS revenue rose 6 percent from the year-ago quarter to $4.04 billion, the broadcaster said in a news release Wednesday (http://bit.ly/12nMK6u). CEO Les Moonves said it was the company’s strongest quarter ever in revenue, operating income and other financial measures, and cited the broadcaster’s “big-event” content for its success. Along with events, the revenue rise included a 14 percent increase in affiliate and subscription fee revenue, which the release said was “driven” by a 62 percent increase in retransmission revenue. Cable networks sales rose 6 percent to $478 million, also driven by higher affiliate revenue, the release said. CBS said local broadcasting revenue increased 3 percent to $638 million on showing the Super Bowl and higher retrans sales. “What a Difference a Quarter Makes -- Nice Q1 results,” was the subject line of an email to investors from Wachovia analyst Marci Ryvicker. CBS executives said that Aereo, which the broadcaster has sued to block from streaming stations online without paying retrans (CD April 16 p7), isn’t a concern, said Ryvicker. “While a straight-to-cable model would be ‘easy to do,’ CBS doesn’t think it will amount to that since 1) Aereo is not a compelling product, 2) the legality remains questionable, and 3) we do not believe that Aereo has been a topic in any retrans negotiations to date.” CBS like other broadcasters has said it might move the over-the-air network to pay-TV if Aereo prevails in litigation and no changes were made to copyright law. Subscription VOD (SVOD) revenue will rise this year “even WITHOUT a new Netflix deal,” Ryvicker wrote. CBS stock closed up 2.1 percent to $47.35 Thursday. ... Scripps Networks Interactive sales rose 11 percent to $594 million from the year-ago quarter. Profit fell 6.2 percent to $107.8 million, SNI said (http://bit.ly/105b2Av). Ad revenue exceeded the expectations of Nomura Securities’ Michael Nathanson, but an 8.5 percent increase in affiliate fees was below his forecast, he wrote investors Thursday. SNI shares closed up 2.9 percent at $68.73. ... WWE revenue rose less than 1 percent from Q1 2012, to $124 million, as operating income fell 62 percent to $6.1 million. Results were hurt by “investments in our content production and talent, lower profits from home entertainment and weakness in international licensing sales,” the cable programmer said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/ZXZi73). ... Journal Communications sales rose 15 percent to $94.7 million from the year-ago quarter as TV revenue rose 43 percent partly because of an acquired station, the company said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/163cOdJ). “On a same-station basis, television revenue increased almost 8 percent, driven, in part, by increased retransmission revenue.” Companywide profit rose 30 percent to $3.8 million. ... Crown Media sales rose 2 percent to $85.6 million as ad revenue and subscriber fees increased by that percentage, the cable programmer said in a news release (http://bit.ly/XQU6g6). It said “programming costs decreased 7 percent due to the expiration of a number of programming license agreements and the end of ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ agreement,” and such expenses likely will rise. Profit rose 18 percent to $14.5 million. ... Gray Television sales fell 3 percent to $78.2 million “due to the expected decrease in political advertising revenue,” the company said in a news release (http://bit.ly/16uA9oE). Retrans sales rose on “increased subscriber counts and rates,” Gray said. Profit fell 74 percent to $870,000. “Q1 came in stronger than expected across the board and core Q2 guidance indicates acceleration in the core business,” Ryvicker wrote. Gray shares closed up 2.4 percent at $6.53 Thursday.
Akin Gump hires Douglas Brandon, ex-TerreStar Networks, as partner, communications and information technology practice … Wilson Sonsini hires Stuart Chemtob, ex-Justice Department Antitrust Division, as senior of counsel, antitrust practice … Keynote mobile and Web cloud testing and monitoring firm adds Erik Prusch, Clearwire, to board … Broker-dealer National Alliance Capital Markets hires Robert Routh, ex-Phoenix Partners Group, as director-equity research for global cable, media and entertainment … NAB Radio Board adds: Margaret Perkins, First Natchez Radio Group; Russell Perry, Perry Publishing & Broadcasting; Bob Pittman, Clear Channel; and Jeff Simpson, Bonneville International.
GCI hires Adam Taylor, ex-McDermott Will, as federal affairs regulatory counsel …Sirius XM interim CEO James Meyer appointed to post full time … Arthur Minson Jr., ex-AOL, returns to Time Warner Cable as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective May 2, as CFO Irene Esteves leaving TWC … Telemundo Media hires Mario Ruiz, ex-Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, as senior vice president-talent development and strategy, including digital … International Chamber of Commerce Commission on the Digital Economy to be chaired by Joseph Alhadeff, Oracle, advanced from vice chairman and succeeding Herbert Heitmann, Royal Dutch Shell, stepping down at the commission’s summer meeting.
President Barack Obama nominates Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, N.C., to be U.S. secretary of transportation, succeeding outgoing Secretary Ray LaHood … FCC hires Kalpak Gude, ex-Intelsat, as chief of the Wireline Bureau’s Pricing Policy Division.
Nominations sent to Senate for: Howard Shelanski to be administrator of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, replacing Cass Sunstein, who resigned; and Brent Franklin Nelsen to be member of board of Corporation for Public Broadcasting for term expiring Jan. 31, 2016, replacing Gay Hart Gaines, whose term expired … Broadview Networks, cloud-based business communication services provider, hires Donna Wenk, ex-Paetec Communications, as vice president-alternate channels.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski names to Universal Service Administrative Co. board: Kenneth Mason, representing bigger ILECs other than Bells; Geoffrey Feiss, smaller non-Bell ILECs; Rochelle Jones, interexchange carriers with annual sales below $3 billion; Joseph Gillan, CLECs; for schools are Daniel Domenech, Brian Talbott and Julie Tritt Schell; Ellis Jacobs, low-income consumers; for rural healthcare providers Eric Brown and Katharine Hsu Wibberly; Ronald Brisé, state telecom regulators; and for the telecom industry Raquel Noriega and Olivia Wein … Ubiquity Broadcasting cross-platform digital firm names Nicholas Mitsakos, Arcadia Holdings, co-chairman.
Media Q1 results: Nielsen sales rose 4 percent to $1.38 billion from the year-ago quarter. Growth in the businesses it calls Buy and in Watch offset a decline in Expositions, the company said (http://bit.ly/YW3ssS). Profit rose 53 percent to $34 million, and the figures are adjusted for currency changes. The company said its plan to buy Arbitron that the target’s shareholders approved (CD April 18 p19) “remains subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review.” ... Revenue at Meredith Corp.’s Local Media Group, which includes its TV stations, rose 10 percent to $85 million in the quarter ended March 31. Citigroup said that was more than it expected. Operating profit rose 4.3 percent to $24 million. Retransmission fees rose, the company said (http://bit.ly/ZPWYvH). It said current-quarter revenue at the unit is expected to rise by a percentage in the “mid-single digits. ... Belo Corp. revenue rose 2.8 percent to $160.3 million from Q1 2012, the broadcaster said (http://bit.ly/17kXzuK). “Core spot revenue growth came primarily from strength in the automotive, retail and telecommunications categories, partially offset by lower spending in the healthcare, restaurants and entertainment categories.” Retrans sales rose 8 percent. Profit rose 17 percent to $16.7 million.
Tollgrade Communications promotes Thomas Kolb to chief operating officer, new position … ActiveVideo promotes Ronald Brockmann to chief technology officer.