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Keep an eye on: More pain in 2008

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Keep an eye on: Network make goods

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Keep an eye on: digital venture capital

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Keep an eye on: Viacom/Microsoft ad and content deal

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Keep an eye on: Time Warner CEO Bewkes

Jeff Bewkes shows up under New York Magazine’s microscope on Monday, with a seven-page profile of the Time Warner chief executive by former Yale classmate and former New York Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove .Much of the story offers 'color” about Bewkes (who is not quoted here), including this firsthand observation/memory from Grove:To the callow underclassmen of Yale’s Pierson College , Bewkes was a somewhat romantic figure of countercultural Ã©lan-a tad scruffy and artistic-looking in a battered leather jacket and definitely more successful with the opposite sex than we were.This apparently is a good thing because Bewkes has a full plate of options for boosting shareholder value in the media giant (which Grove describes as suffering from 'a lingering post-traumatic stress disorder”). Options include spinning off Time Warner’s cable division or doing the same for publishing unit Time Inc.One unnamed source quoted by Grove says that Bewkes is 'doomed” if he doesn’t do something to right the ship. This might seem like a stretch to some, but Bewkes’s predecessor, Richard Parsons, said something fairly similar on the record. Grove quotes it in the story:Back in November, Parsons appeared at a VIP conference hosted by the investment firm Quadrangle Group LLC. 'If you were Jeff, coming in...” he was asked. 'If I were Jeff,” Parsons interrupted, 'I would shoot myself.”Keep an eye on:Music company EMI Group Ltd is set to announce plans to lay off as much as one-third of its 6,000 employees, slashing marketing costs and dropping artists as part of a radical restructuring, according to people familiar with the plans. (WSJ)Zagat Survey, publisher of the quote-filled restaurant guides, said on Monday that it was exploring strategic opportunities, including a potential sale of the company. (Reuters)Apple and China Mobile have called off talks to launch the iPhone in China, dashing investor speculation that the device will hit store shelves soon. (Reuters)MySpace and 49 US state attorneys general issued guidelines for protecting children on the Internet with the aim of promoting those principles throughout the industry. (Reuters)

Newspapers, they’re not dead yet

The stock market shaved as much as 70 percent off the value of US newspaper publishers’ shares during 2007, and to give them a good kick while they were down, a research note from Goldman Sachs earlier this month pushed stocks down a little more.The note, authored by veteran publishing analyst Peter Appert, forecast an unhappy year for newspapers as the usual apocalyptic horsemen - falling circulation, Internet competition, declining ad revenue and wider hardship in the US economy - ride roughshod over the business.The stench of morbidity may resemble that of newsprint, but Appert told us in an interview that a bad year is not the same thing as assuming that publishers are going out of business anytime soon.'I certainly am not anticipating any bankruptcy risk among public companies... There’s no one that’s going to have trouble making their debt payments,” Appert said. 'I am not of the view that newspaper companies are going out of business.”

Washington vs Google culture war: Washington wins

From our Washington antitrust correspondent Diane BartzThere’s Google culture (toys, massages, free snacks) and Washington culture (cubicles, working, more working).So whichwill prevail when Google opens its new Washington office?Let’s see:First, reporters on a press tour of the new facility are asked to agree to an electronic non-disclosure agreement. Er, no. Reporters decline. (Washington 1, Google 0).There are big, cool screens showing actual Google searches from around the world. Fascinating. (Washington 1, Google 1)Then, we’re told of the efforts to make the office environmentally friendly:glueless, partially recycled carpet; rainwater collected on the roof;anddonations to charity for employees who do not drive. Cool. (Washington 1, Google 2)There’s a massage chair facing a big window. But there’s no one in it since, let’s face it, this is Washington. We hate relaxation. It makes us tense. (Washington 2, Google 2).But now let’s go to the Mother’s Room, for women who need to use a breast pump during the work day. Yeah, it’s better than going to a bathroom stall like most Washington moms, but the stuffed animals should be replaced by magazines with articles about avoiding the mommy track. No employees are nursing, however. So, score unchanged.There’s loud, fun rock music blasting from the cafeteria. We go there and find, huh, it’s empty! There’s no one having a snack. Only an employee of the catering company, washing up. In fact, the only food we see anyone take is a cup of coffee. Very Washington. (Washington 3, Google 2).Then there’s the playroom, with a ping pong table, foosball table (the sides marked 'Democrats” and 'Republicans”), yoga mats and the video game Guitar Hero. The room is empty. Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich picks up the guitar to demonstrate it. But he’s quickly stymied. 'How do you turn this on?” he asks an assistant, who is also puzzled. They give up. (Washington 79, Google 2).(Photo: Reuters)

Keep an eye on: American Idol

American Idol rocks.So says everyone fromMadison Avenue to Wall Street as US television’s top show returns to the Fox network tonight. And as if the bubbliness of Paula and sarcasm of Simon were not enough to keep the TV talent competition show top of prime-time, commentators believe itcould doevenbetter than usualthanks to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike.American Idol,which generally airs twice a week, averaged over 30 million viewers per episode last season and could beat those numbers this season. But it’s in advertising that it could really outperform, according to this Reuters story. Advertising rates have soared - reaching more than $900,000 in the scatter market for a thirty second spot - as marketers look to buy time alongside one of thefew guaranteed ratings winners amid thewriters’ strike.RBC Capital Markets analyst David Bank said 'Idol” was one reason he’d buy up News Corp shares before the company reports quarterly earnings this season.'Ratings success is making Fox (the) best positioned broadcast TV network to take advantage of strong scatter pricing,” Bank wrote in a research note today. 'Return of American Idol (tonight) should bolster ratings against minimal original content competition due to the ongoing writer’s strike.”Keep an eye on:- IAC/InterActiveCorp’s Ticketmaster has agreed to pay $265 million for TicketsNow Inc, a Web site that resells tickets to concerts and sports events - WSJ- EMI confirms restructuring,plans to cut 2,000 jobs- Reuters- Wireless service company Clearwire says it will offer its customers applications such as e-mail and calendar from Web search leader Google - Reuters

In the mix at Macworld 2008

Shortly after 9 a.m. California time, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld, the biggest conference of the year for the maker of the Macintosh computer and the iPod.Expectations for announcements this year are for an uber-thin and uber-small notebook Mac and perhaps an online video rental service.And, of course, perhaps there will be the usual, 'Oh, and one more thing...” That last phrase is a vintage Jobs tactic for saving 'the best” for last at Macworld. But nothing is likely to come close to last year’s Macworld, when Jobs unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone.Spotted this year at Macworld milling about before the festivities began: Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.During his keynote, Jobs announced a wireless back-up device called Time Capsule and software updates to the iPhone, among them including local location mapping technology.

Apple’s uber-thin laptop

Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Macbook Air , a 3-pound uber-thin notebook PC that fits inside an interoffice envelope. He also said iTunes is now offering online movie rentals, conceding that at least so far, neither Apple nor any other company has yet to come up a service that consumers are flocking to.Both of the announcements had been expected, and investors sent shares of Apple down more than 5 percent during and after Jobs’ keynote presentation. There was no iPhone announcement at this year’s Macworld, though Jobs unveiled a software update to the iPhone that enables on-the-go locations while using the phone’s map function. He also said that the company has so far sold more than 4 million iPhone smartphones.Spotted milling about this year at Macworld: Google Inc co-founder Sergey Brin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Academy-award and Grammy-award winner Randy Newman, who scored music for some Pixar films, came on stage at the end and performed a couple of songs.