read more here:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/bill-gates-starts-tweeting/

I was in a 7-Eleven last week and watched a middle-aged woman in a sweat suit pay $1.50 for the Sunday newspaper, then walk outside and dump half of it in the trashcan. Care to guess what part she dumped?

Like 37% of newspaper readers (according to Scarborough Research), she’s interested in the advertising. Her $1.50 was likely to have bought her at least $5 in coupons that she’ll redeem at the grocery store, Rite Aid or Wal-Mart. Smart purchase.

While most of the newspaper industry frets over giving away its precious news content, its most vulnerable franchise is produced by the advertising department. Newspapers should thank their lucky stars that the woman in the sweat suit did what she did. She could have stayed at home and gone to SalesCircular.com or one of the many other sites that would have given her the same thing. If she were in Long Island, she might get her coupons from www.yourli.com, an incredibly useful and popular site run by a group of radio stations. If she were in Bakersfield, Calif., she might go to www.shopkern.com, a shopping and coupon site run by KERO-TV.

read the rest here:   http://bit.ly/1aTMbo

The companies announced their divorce in May, after a decade of cohabitation that never quite made sense.

In hopes of creating a multi-media empire, Time Warner bought AOL in January 2001 for $164 billion. But its stock price plunged and synergies were hard to come by as AOL transformed from a self-contained online community into just another Web portal struggling to find revenue.

When AOL and its 7,000 employees are spun off as a separate company Dec. 9, stockholders as of Nov. 27 will receive one share of AOL common stock for every 11 shares of Time Warner common stock they hold.

Here’s the full press release:

NEW YORK – Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) and AOL Inc. today announced the timing and details regarding the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner.

The Time Warner board of directors has approved the final distribution ratio and declared a pro rata dividend of the shares of AOL common stock owned by Time Warner that will result in the complete legal and structural separation of the two companies.

On the distribution date of December 9, 2009, Time Warner stockholders of record as of 5 p.m. on November 27, 2009, the record date for the distribution, will receive one share of AOL common stock for every eleven shares of Time Warner common stock they hold.

Fractional shares of AOL common stock will not be distributed to Time Warner stockholders. Instead, the fractional shares of AOL common stock will be aggregated and sold in the open market, with the net proceeds distributed pro rata in the form of cash payments to Time Warner stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional share of AOL common stock.

No action or payment is required by Time Warner stockholders to receive the shares of AOL common stock. Stockholders who hold Time Warner common stock on the record date will receive a book-entry account statement reflecting their ownership of AOL common stock or their brokerage account will be credited with the AOL shares. An Information Statement containing details regarding the distribution of the AOL common stock and AOL’s business and management following the AOL spin-off will be mailed to Time Warner stockholders prior to the distribution date.

The AOL spin-off has been structured to qualify as a tax-free dividend to Time Warner stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Cash received in lieu of fractional shares, however, will be taxable. Time Warner stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the AOL spin-off.

Shares of Time Warner common stock will continue to trade “regular way” on the New York Stock Exchange (”NYSE”) under the symbol “TWX” through the distribution date of December 9, 2009, and thereafter. Any holders of shares of Time Warner common stock who sell Time Warner shares regular way on or before December 9, 2009, will also be selling their right to receive shares of AOL common stock. Investors are encouraged to consult with their financial advisers regarding the specific implications of buying or selling Time Warner common stock on or before the distribution date.

AOL common stock will begin trading on a “when-issued” basis on the NYSE under the symbol “AOL WI” beginning on November 24, 2009. On December 10, 2009, when-issued trading of AOL common stock will end and “regular-way” trading under the symbol “AOL” will begin. The CUSIP number for the AOL common stock will be 00184X 105 when regular-way trading begins.

Time Warner and AOL have entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and several other agreements related to the AOL spin-off. The completion of the AOL spin-off is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including the Registration Statement on Form 10 for the AOL common stock being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”), the AOL common stock being authorized for listing on the NYSE and certain other conditions described in the Information Statement included in the Form 10 and in the agreements filed as exhibits to the Form 10. The condition relating to the authorization of the AOL common stock for listing on the NYSE has been satisfied, and today AOL sent a letter to the SEC requesting that the Form 10 be declared effective. Time Warner and AOL expect all other conditions to the AOL spin-off to be satisfied on or before the distribution date.

Find more here

http://bit.ly/2fglB2

Be prepared for a massive resurfacing of distribution models by more companies. Historically,when Disney makes a move…everyone follows suit.

By Sharon Waxman

Published: November 11, 2009

In a week heralding major change at Disney, new studio chairman Rich Ross upended his management structure and aggressively set the frame for a new way of doing business at one of Hollywood’s most old-style studios.

Out: motion pictures group president Mark Zoradi, marketing chief Jim Gallagher and publicity planners Teri Meyer and Jasmine Madatian, among others. They come on the heels of the ouster of studio chairman Dick Cook, a three-decade veteran.

In: Home entertainment’s Bob Chapek becomes a czar overseeing distribution for every media platform — a position that did not exist before. Another new post — chief technology officer — goes to Greg Brandeau, formerly of Pixar.

Safe (for the moment): production chief Oren Aviv and operations chief Alan Bergman, who have increased responsibilities.
The big unknown is who will head marketing at the studio. That, too, will be a position with expanded responsibilities, running through the home entertainment division. That job, I’m told, has not been filled and Ross is still seeking the right candidate.

At a time of tectonic shifts in the entertainment industry, it looks as if Ross – a television veteran who has quickly won attention in-house as someone who asks the right questions, and asks them directly – has his finger on the rusting fulcrum at the studio.

Marketing wasn’t working, publicity wasn’t working – and all while a huge question mark hangs over the old-stye model of distribution for movies in general.

One sign of how seriously Ross takes the threat of changing business models is the decision to give Chapek responsibility for distribution and delivery for every form of release for motion picture and television content.

Chapek, formerly head of home entertainment, will now oversee the journey of Disney content across theatrical exhibition, home entertainment, pay TV, digital formats and other new media.

This shift reflects the realization that home entertainment can’t stand apart from theatrical, which can’t stand apart from what Hulu or HBO deals or video-on-demand have to offer.

“A certain amount of change is inevitable as we move to adopt a new strategic approach to the way we make, market and deliver our films,” said Ross, in the studio’s prepared statement. (He gave no live interviews, despite the numerous changes.)

But executives close to Ross explained the thinking as a break with the traditional way of looking at things.

“When you have these siloed distribution channels that aren’t working and developing strategically together, you’re probably leaving money on the table because you’re very insular,” said one Disney executive, who spoke on the condition of not being identified.

The example of a blockbuster movie like Disney’s latest “A Christmas Carol” is instructive. The overbudget 3D romp – at a cost upwards of $180 million (and probably more like $200 million) – took in a modest $30 million in its opening weekend.

Distribution and the unfolding of the release windows will be critical to finding all the revenue that can make a worthwhile investment of a project so pricey.

Then there’s marketing, a notable weak spot within the studio.
At an early meeting with his executives, Ross asked about the studio’s “Twitter strategy,” according to one person who was present. Someone mentioned there were about six people tasked with

following Twitter. Ross thought that wasn’t nearly enough.
“It was pretty clear from the start that Rich wanted to make changes, and marketing has been a sore spot for a while,” said one executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s not surprising that it came to this.”

Oren Aviv will continue to oversee production, but now has physical production as an added responsibility.

Alan Bergman has had the Muppets studio and Disneynature added to his duties.
As for a cultural change at a studio where Dick Cook would pass through the hallways with a kind word and a pat on the back for the lowest employee to the highest in the Disney food chain – welcome to a new day.

Ross’s style seems to be no kid gloves. Security gathered in the front of the Roy Disney building on the Disney lot on Wednesday ahead of the firings.

And he informed the staff of the changes by an email via the same press release that had already been sent out to news outlets like TheWrap.

The internal email went out at 12:03 pm; the press release went out to the media at 11:49 am.