OLD Media Moves

Why is the dumping of CNBC's ads news?

October 17, 2007

Posted by Chris Roush

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan wonders on the Seeking Alpha web site why the decision by Dow Jones & Co. to drop ads for CNBC on its Wall Street Journal and Marketwatch web sites on the day of the debut of Fox Business Network — which is a property of News Corp., the buyer of Dow Jones — is news

Ashkan KarbasfrooshanKarbasfrooshan wrote, “Is this news or common sense? Let me get this straight: Rupert Murdoch

– should spend $5B to rescue a successful publication in an otherwise morbid industry (print media)
– but he should not have any say on editorial (even though every single parent does control editorial of a publication… but I digress)
– nor should he have any say on advertising matters, either?

“You’ve all lost it, my dear.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: while I disagreed with Mr. Murdoch’s support for the war back in 2003, his business bravado should be a lesson for chieftains in both old and new media alike. While Reuters, Thomson, GE’s NBC all balked at the mere specter of bidding for Dow Jones, publisher of Barron’s and Wall Street Journal, Murdoch launched an unsolicited but shrewdly calculated $5B offer that separated the men from the boys. He got the asset, fair and square, no?

“He will probably change the look and feel – and organs – of the venerable publication, but as far as I am concerned, if NBC is upset about the denouement in l’affaire CNBC/FOX Business News they really only have themselves to blame.”

Read more here.

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