Mortgage consultant paid by companies he comments about
Eamon Javers of Politico reports Wednesday that mortgage consultant Howard Glaser, who has been on CNBC and CBS and quoted in the New York Times and AP stories about the problems with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, actually derives some of his income from those companies. Javers writes, “He was generally identified as a ‘mortgage […]
The Microsoft-Yahoo rumors and the business media
Jonathan Berr of Bloggingstocks.com writes about the latest rumors surrounding the off-again, on-again Microsoft-Yahoo deal and how business journalists are taking to denying rumors reported by others. Berr writes, “Earlier today, TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington reported that the talks were back on but also noted that ‘The information we have is thin, but what one source […]
Biz journalists likely to praise new CEO without looking at facts
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs writes Monday that the departure of American International Group CEO Martin Sullivan should serve as a reminder to never believe fawning coverage of new CEOs, which is what Sullivan got entering the job. Both Forbes and The New York Times wrote positive stories early in his tenure. Fuchs writes, “Never […]
Biz media let Gap CEO get away with script
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs writes that the business media has let Gap CEO Glenn Murphy get away with telling investors that the company’s stores have become too big “all of a sudden” when they have been that way for a decade. Fuchs writes, “Now let’s be fair. Even scripted to the nines as modern-day […]
CNET deal won't work for CBS
The New Yorker’s James Surowiecki writes in the latest issue that most mergers and acquisitions fail, and concludes that the pending acquisition of tech news company CNET Networks by CBS will be one of those. Surowiecki writes, “Unfortunately, the CBS-CNET merger fits none of the criteria for a good deal. The overlap between the two […]
How acquiring CNET will help CBS
Cynthia Littleton of Variety takes a look at how the pending acquisition of CNET will help CBS boost its online presence. Littleton writes, “San Francisco-based CNET’s brand names include the vidgame-centric GameSpot.com; the tech news and product review-driven CNET news.com, ZDNet.com and TechRepublic.com; music-fueled MP3.com; and TV.com, which boasts one of the Web’s largest and […]
Retailers playing biz journalists as fools
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs wants to know why business reporters, particularly those that cover retailing, such as those at the New York Post allow companies such as Sears to blame bad results on the economy when other retailers such as Costco have strong results in the same economy. Fuchs writes, “The economy is slow […]
Digging to get the story
Dennis Ryerson, the editor of the Indianapolis Star, writes Sunday about how the paper’s business columnist, John Ketzenberger, dug to get the story behind the abrupt closing of a local company. Ryerson writes, “After talking to the top people at Frank Irish, after talking to a local banking analyst, and after reading financial reports regarding […]
Synergies available in CNET acquisition
Saul Hansell of the New York Times writes about the synergies that CBS will be able to bring to its acquisition of tech news provider CNET Networks. Hansell writes, “For one, CBS is also a company with well-known brands and sluggish growth. So CNet adds some luster to CBS, even if it would drag down […]
CBS to purchase CNET for $1.8 billion
CBS has agreed to purchase tech news Web site operater CNET Networks for $1.8 billion, according to a story from Mike Barris of The Wall Street Journal. Barris writes, “San Francisco-based CNET owns such Internet entertainment, news and information sites as CNET, ZDNet and GameSpot.com. The company has ‘a large international footprint, particularly in China,’ […]
