The making of a legacy SBJ/Jan. 20-26, 2014/In Depth Not long into NBC’s partnership with the NBA during the 1990s, Dick Ebersol quickly discovered that he wasn’t dealing with any ordinary executive in David Stern. Ebersol, then chairman of NBC Sports, was overseeing NBC’s first NBA Finals in 1991, which featured a dream matchup between the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers. Before the network’s deal with the NBA from 1990 to 2002, the majority of the NBA’s Finals games were jammed into weekend daytime windows or, worse, on tape delay in the early 1980s. By 1989, some of the Finals games were being played in prime time, but Stern wanted more. Ebersol figured he had a plan to satisfy the commissioner. “After Game 1 on NBC in 1991, which was on a Sunday afternoon, which the Lakers won in Chicago, I called David and said, ‘Listen, I’ve been able to convince NBC to put the rest of the games in these Finals — all of them — on in prime time,’” Ebersol said. Stern’s rule Media mogul
Lakers-Celtics: The Greatest Championship Battles & Individual Rivalries Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird Magic Johnson and Larry Bird saved the NBA. Their selfless commitment to winning and flashy style of play made the NBA a global brand. It all began with the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Magic's Michigan State Spartans and Bird's Indiana State Sycamores, which is still the highest-rated NCAA Basketball Championship game of all time. Mobile Marketing: How Redbox drove 1.5 million texts and added 200,000 mobile participants in 10 days | MarketingSherpa by David Kirkpatrick, Reporter Brick-and-mortar marketers have always tried to take advantage of their physical locations, and drive in foot traffic, using tactics ranging from eye-catching window displays to someone dressed in a bear suit dancing with a sign in the median of a highway. Mobile marketing tactics are the latest way to engage on-the-go customers and also combine the online and offline experience. Redbox, a movie and game rental company, faced an even greater challenge than most consumer marketers. Its more than 27,000 point-of-sale locations are essentially vending machines, with no employees to entice potential customers, or offer personalized customer service. Redbox 's solution is it uses the mobile marketing channel to not only enhance customer service, but also to create relationships between the brand and its customers. "Mobile is like having a kiosk in your hand," explained Amy Gibby, Vice President Marketing, Redbox. - Use the mobile channel to serve customers Redbox
AT&T Broadband to Merge with Comcast Corporation in $72 Billion Transaction Strategic Combination Creates One of the Most Powerful Communications, Media and Entertainment Companies in the World Nation's Premiere Broadband Services Network Will Serve More Than 22 Million Subscribers Wednesday, December 19, 2001 NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA- AT&T (NYSE: T) and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) today announced that their Boards of Directors approved a definitive agreement to combine AT&T Broadband with Comcast in a transaction that values AT&T Broadband at an aggregate value of $72 billion. The transaction will create the world's pre-eminent broadband services company and is expected to be tax-free to shareowners. The new company, to be called AT&T Comcast Corporation, will be one of the leading and most powerful communications, media and entertainment companies in the world. "AT&T Comcast will create value for its customers, shareowners and employees by bringing more services to more people more quickly," said C. Brian L. Terms of the agreement About AT&T
Outerwall Announces New Redbox President and Leadership Transitions for Coinstar and ecoATM -- BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Outerwall Inc. logo. (PRNewsFoto/Outerwall Inc.) BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Outerwall Inc. (Nasdaq: OUTR) today announced three executive leadership moves within its Redbox, Coinstar and ecoATM businesses. Mark Horak, most recently president the Americas at Warner Bros. (Logo: Redbox Horak will bring more than 30 years of media, entertainment and marketing expertise to Redbox. "We're excited to have an individual as talented and experienced as Mark Horak join Redbox," said J. "Redbox is an industry innovator and a beloved brand that stands for convenient entertainment at a value," said Mark Horak, incoming president, Redbox. About Mark Horak Most recently serving as president the Americas at Warner Bros. Coinstar A 10-year Outerwall executive, Gaherity plans to transition to president of the Coinstar business following Mike Skinner's decision to resign. About James H. ecoATM About Outerwall Inc. Outerwall Inc.
ITW Welding Connects with TWCBC to Spark Seamless Company-Wide Collaboration Background Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (ITW), is a leading manufacturer of a diversified range of value-added industrial products and equipment, boasting $14.9 billion in revenues, approximately 825 business units in 52 countries, and nearly 60,000 employees. A vital piece of the multinational corporation, ITW Welding is a leading supplier of commercial and consumer-grade welding wire, systems and supplies. Headquartered in Troy, Ohio, ITW Welding has been at the forefront of welding technology advancements throughout its nearly century-long history. The rollout of a large-scale Cisco Unity voice-over-IP (VoIP) system to 1,500 employees across five sites presented an added challenge. “As with most businesses, information technology is a critical component of our evolving operations and success going forward,” explains Gaston Brown, systems administrator. Solutions The Results “Our overarching goal is to become more tightly integrated and increase collaboration companywide,” Brown says.
7 Tips For Running A Highly Successful Team As every manager knows, being a leader can be challenging - but also incredibly rewarding. Leading a global team comes with its own unique set of challenges. At RebelMouse our team is comprised of Rebels all over the world, from Argentina, Chile, India, Canada, Egypt, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Montenegro, Puerto Rico, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, United States and Ukraine. Finding brilliant, genius people across all our core teams has been a huge part of our success and will always be. During my time as a manager, most recently leading a global team to design, build and operate the RebelMouse platform - I have had ups and down and learned some helpful tips along the way. When leading any team (even one person is a team) always keep these 7 simple things in mind: 1. If you are having an issue with a member of your team, let them know personally. 2. When thanking a team member for great work, include key team members in the note. 3. 4. 5. 6. Talk to your team - often. 7.
The NFL's Nonprofit Status Challenge There are too many petitions to count on Change.org, but one in particular has sports fans blowing the whistle on the National Football League's status as a nonprofit. Petition author Lynda Woolard told NBC News that even though she was a religious fan of the New Orleans Saints, she was still a firm opponent of the 32-team league handling more than $250 million in annual membership dues left untouchable by the Internal Revenue Service. “This doesn't pass the basic fairness test,” she told NBC News. “I was getting frustrated with what I saw from the NFL. We had the (2011) lockout, the (2012) replacement refs, [and] the concussion issue. We've got cities subsidizing stadiums then having TV blackouts so fans can't even see the games. Even U.S. But NFL officials argued that Woolard's petition only told part of the story. But the league does not claim to be a charity. “The NFL, those 32 teams who are making $9 billion, they're not tax exempt. Is the NFL Safe?
The Victory of ‘Perception Management’ Special Report: In the 1980s, the Reagan administration pioneered “perception management” to get the American people to “kick the Vietnam Syndrome” and accept more U.S. interventionism, but that propaganda structure continues to this day getting the public to buy into endless war, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry To understand how the American people find themselves trapped in today’s Orwellian dystopia of endless warfare against an ever-shifting collection of “evil” enemies, you have to think back to the Vietnam War and the shock to the ruling elite caused by an unprecedented popular uprising against that war. While on the surface Official Washington pretended that the mass protests didn’t change policy, a panicky reality existed behind the scenes, a recognition that a major investment in domestic propaganda would be needed to ensure that future imperial adventures would have the public’s eager support or at least its confused acquiescence. Lost on the Dark Side CIA Taint Casey’s Hand