President Barack Obama sends nominations to Senate for previously announced appointments of: Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, N.C., to be secretary of transportation, replacing Ray LaHood; Michael Froman, PSP Capital Partners, to be U.S. Trade Representative, replacing Ronald Kirk; and House Judiciary Committee member Mel Watt, D-N.C., to be director of Federal Housing Finance Agency for a five-year term … Paul de Sa, ex-FCC, was hired in August by Sanford Bernstein as vice president-senior research analyst.
Q1 media company results: Liberty Global reported net earnings for Q1 of $22.9 million, up from $8 million during the same period in 2012, said a release Monday (http://bit.ly/10EgGJP). The company also had a 9 percent increase in revenue over Q1 last year, to $2.77 billion. Liberty said it’s “on track” to complete its buy of Virgin Media before the end of Q2, with shareholder votes scheduled for early June. ... Discovery Communications reported Q1 net income of $231 million, up 4 percent from Q1 2012, said a release Tuesday (http://bit.ly/13r3Gfp). Discovery had revenue of $1.16 billion, up 7 percent from the same period last year. The company had 17 percent growth in revenue from its international networks, the release said. ... Charter Communications reported a net loss of $42 million for Q1 Tuesday, an improvement over the same period last year, when the company lost $94 million (http://bit.ly/12QAMT8). The company’s revenue grew 4.9 percent for Q1, to $1.9 billion. Charter said the revenue increase was “driven by growth in video services revenue and Internet and commercial customers.” Charter said it added 56,000 customers since the previous quarter, which is down from a gain of 86,000 in the first quarter of 2012. The company said its “all-digital initiative” will be completed by the end of 2014. Charter said the FCC’s recent waiver of the CableCARD requirement for Charter “will allow the Company to deploy set-top boxes without CableCARDs, improving the economics and speed of its all-digital initiative."
Sheppard Mullin hires as partners from Hogan Lovells to Business Trial practice group and Communications team: Gardner Gillespie, Dave Thomas and Paul Werner … Disney promotes Adam Bonnett to executive vice president-original programming, Disney Channels Worldwide, new position … MobiTV promotes Cedric Fernandes to chief technology officer … Alianza cloud-based voice service firm hires as vice presidents: Mark Gardner, ex-Mavenir Systems, for global sales; and Kevin Mitchell, ex-Acme Packet, marketing … Zonoff connected home company hires Dave DiOrio, ex-Quartics, as vice president-customer programs … Qualcomm elects Jonathan Rubinstein, formerly with Hewlett-Packard, to board.
Media Q1 results: Mediacom Communications’ Mediacom Broadband and Mediacom LLC each reported results (http://bit.ly/15sSh2L). Mediacom Broadband sales rose 1.8 percent to $225.3 million from Q1 2012 as the company added fewer primary service units than in the year-ago quarter, as also occurred at Mediacom LLC. That unit’s sales rose 1.4 percent to $171 million. Both businesses lost video customers and added broadband subscribers. ... E.W. Scripps sales fell 4.1 percent to $198.7 million from the year-ago quarter, it said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/11cvcQF). “More than half of the decline was due to the near-absence of political advertising revenue in 2013.” The loss from operations grew 2.7 percent to $7.6 million. “Tough year-over-year revenue comparisons caused by cyclical political advertising will continue through the balance of 2013,” said CEO Rich Boehne.
Wilkinson Barker hires Scott Blake Harris, ex-Neustar (CD May 3 p14), as managing partner, and will focus on U.S. and international telecom, technology and energy law … Wiley Rein hires Anna Gomez, who recently left NTIA as deputy administrator (CD March 6 p8), as partner, Telecommunications Group … Michael Hartman, senior vice president and general counsel of DirecTV Latin America, adds title of DirecTV corporate secretary and deputy general counsel, as DirecTV Sports Networks hires David Woodman, ex-Motive Television, as general manager, Root Sports network in Rocky Mountain region … Computer & Communications Industry Association hires Matthew Levy, ex-Cloudigy Law, as patent counsel … ViaSat hires Ken Peterman, ex-SpyGlass Group, as general manager-government systems … Craig Moffett, ex-Sanford Bernstein, starts own research firm called Moffett Research, where he will resume covering cable, satellite and telecom industries … Boingo Wireless hires Nick Hulse, ex-Rubicon Project, as president … ScrollMotion, enterprise applications for tablets firm, hires Per Brondum Jakobsen, ex-International Game Technology, as chief product officer … REACH Health telemedicine technology firm hires Brad Lochman, ex-Allscripts, as vice president-sales … Univision Communications promotes Marie Ann Dougherty to vice president-national spot sales, Univision Television Group.
Media company Q1 results: CC Media sales fell 1 percent to $1.34 billion from the year-ago quarter and operating income was little changed at $81.3 million, the radio broadcaster said in a news release Friday (http://bit.ly/138yRvN). It said media and entertainment revenue fell 2 percent to $656.6 million “driven primarily by the traffic business, which continues to reflect integration activities. Offsetting this decline was strength in radio stations, including national and digital operations.” ... Madison Square Garden Co. revenue in its fiscal Q3 ended March 31 rose 3 percent to $412.4 million, as operating income grew 20 percent to $63.8 million, it said (http://on.msg.com/18AGmw3). MSG Media sales rose 11 percent to $184.7 million as affiliate fee revenue rose amid higher rates and more carriage. ... Washington Post Co. cable revenue rose 5 percent to $200.1 million from the year-ago quarter on rate increases for many subscribers in June. The unit’s operating income rose 12 percent to $36.6 million, the company said Friday (http://bit.ly/15eQGh5). “Primary Service Units (PSUs) were down 3 percent from the prior year due to a decline in basic video subscribers.” The number of basic-video subscribers fell 5.5 percent to 588,180. Broadcast TV division revenue rose 5 percent to $85.3 million as operating income rose 14 percent to $35.4 million. The company cited “growth in advertising demand across many product categories and increased retransmission revenues.” Companywide sales rose less than 1 percent to $959.1 million as income from continuing operations fell 55 percent to $6.1 million. ... Shentel sales rose 10 percent to $76 million from Q1 2012 as income from continuing operations surged 90 percent to $8.4 million, the company reported (http://bit.ly/105CW51). The total number of voice, data and video subscribers rose 2.3 percent to 116,576.
Moves among MPAA communications staff: Kate Bedingfield promoted to vice president-corporate communications; Howard Gantman becomes vice president, global strategic communications; and TJ Ducklo promoted to deputy director-corporate communications, new position … Comcast promotes Cathy Avgiris to chief financial officer, Comcast Cable, effective July 1, succeeding Dave Scott, retiring … Contec Holdings, cable customer premise equipment repair and refurbishment firm, hires Jochen Vogt, ex-Verifone, as chief financial officer … Information Technology and Innovation Foundation names House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., honorary co-chair, replacing Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., recently named New Democratic Coalition chairman … Lobbyist registrations: Intelsat, Atlantic Strategies Group, effective April 1 … Mescalero Apache Telecom, GRTyree Consulting, effective May 1.
Neustar hires Len Kennedy, ex-U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as senior vice president-general counsel, effective May 13, replacing
Q1 media company results: CBS revenue rose 6 percent from the year-ago quarter to $4.04 billion, the broadcaster said in a news release Wednesday (http://bit.ly/12nMK6u). CEO Les Moonves said it was the company’s strongest quarter ever in revenue, operating income and other financial measures, and cited the broadcaster’s “big-event” content for its success. Along with events, the revenue rise included a 14 percent increase in affiliate and subscription fee revenue, which the release said was “driven” by a 62 percent increase in retransmission revenue. Cable networks sales rose 6 percent to $478 million, also driven by higher affiliate revenue, the release said. CBS said local broadcasting revenue increased 3 percent to $638 million on showing the Super Bowl and higher retrans sales. “What a Difference a Quarter Makes -- Nice Q1 results,” was the subject line of an email to investors from Wachovia analyst Marci Ryvicker. CBS executives said that Aereo, which the broadcaster has sued to block from streaming stations online without paying retrans (CD April 16 p7), isn’t a concern, said Ryvicker. “While a straight-to-cable model would be ‘easy to do,’ CBS doesn’t think it will amount to that since 1) Aereo is not a compelling product, 2) the legality remains questionable, and 3) we do not believe that Aereo has been a topic in any retrans negotiations to date.” CBS like other broadcasters has said it might move the over-the-air network to pay-TV if Aereo prevails in litigation and no changes were made to copyright law. Subscription VOD (SVOD) revenue will rise this year “even WITHOUT a new Netflix deal,” Ryvicker wrote. CBS stock closed up 2.1 percent to $47.35 Thursday. ... Scripps Networks Interactive sales rose 11 percent to $594 million from the year-ago quarter. Profit fell 6.2 percent to $107.8 million, SNI said (http://bit.ly/105b2Av). Ad revenue exceeded the expectations of Nomura Securities’ Michael Nathanson, but an 8.5 percent increase in affiliate fees was below his forecast, he wrote investors Thursday. SNI shares closed up 2.9 percent at $68.73. ... WWE revenue rose less than 1 percent from Q1 2012, to $124 million, as operating income fell 62 percent to $6.1 million. Results were hurt by “investments in our content production and talent, lower profits from home entertainment and weakness in international licensing sales,” the cable programmer said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/ZXZi73). ... Journal Communications sales rose 15 percent to $94.7 million from the year-ago quarter as TV revenue rose 43 percent partly because of an acquired station, the company said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/163cOdJ). “On a same-station basis, television revenue increased almost 8 percent, driven, in part, by increased retransmission revenue.” Companywide profit rose 30 percent to $3.8 million. ... Crown Media sales rose 2 percent to $85.6 million as ad revenue and subscriber fees increased by that percentage, the cable programmer said in a news release (http://bit.ly/XQU6g6). It said “programming costs decreased 7 percent due to the expiration of a number of programming license agreements and the end of ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ agreement,” and such expenses likely will rise. Profit rose 18 percent to $14.5 million. ... Gray Television sales fell 3 percent to $78.2 million “due to the expected decrease in political advertising revenue,” the company said in a news release (http://bit.ly/16uA9oE). Retrans sales rose on “increased subscriber counts and rates,” Gray said. Profit fell 74 percent to $870,000. “Q1 came in stronger than expected across the board and core Q2 guidance indicates acceleration in the core business,” Ryvicker wrote. Gray shares closed up 2.4 percent at $6.53 Thursday.
Akin Gump hires Douglas Brandon, ex-TerreStar Networks, as partner, communications and information technology practice … Wilson Sonsini hires Stuart Chemtob, ex-Justice Department Antitrust Division, as senior of counsel, antitrust practice … Keynote mobile and Web cloud testing and monitoring firm adds Erik Prusch, Clearwire, to board … Broker-dealer National Alliance Capital Markets hires Robert Routh, ex-Phoenix Partners Group, as director-equity research for global cable, media and entertainment … NAB Radio Board adds: Margaret Perkins, First Natchez Radio Group; Russell Perry, Perry Publishing & Broadcasting; Bob Pittman, Clear Channel; and Jeff Simpson, Bonneville International.