Sweeney to Affils: We Can't Cling to Old TV Models

SWEENEY TO AFFILS: WE CAN'T CLING TO OLD TV MODELS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable 4/25, AUTHOR: John M. Higgins]
Disney/ABC Networks Chairman Anne Sweeney has a tough message for broadcasters as TV moves onto the Internet and other new-media platforms: Change not just the way that you regard your viewers but also what you expect from networks. Speaking at a luncheon at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, Sweeney told TV executives that "We can't cling to old models or old ways of thinking." That includes accepting that networks will push programming to other platforms quickly, and realizing that broadcast affiliates won't always be getting a piece of the action.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6328128?display=Breaking+News

MEDIA FIRMS WORK TO STAY AHEAD OF ONLINE CONSUMERS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Gina Keating]
Big media companies must keep finding ways to reach on-the-go users and make money doing it to stay relevant in an online marketplace that values convenience and novelty, the leaders of three of the largest U.S. media and tech companies said on Wednesday. In a wide-ranging discussion on tech trends at the Milken Institute's 9th Annual Global Conference, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger, News Corp Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin and AOL Chairman and Chief Executive Jonathan Miller agreed; standing still while consumers find ways -- legal or not -- to obtain the content they want is not an option.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2006-04-27T102959Z_01_N26345923_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-ONLINE.xml