| Belgacom and Nokia Siemens IPTV contract extension
Shares in Premiere slumped as it emerged its former owner Leo Kirch had won the rights to market Bundesliga football for the next six years. Kirch, now aged 81, saw his media empire implode in 2002 in Germanys then largest bankruptcy. Kirch is still suing Deutsche Bank for E1.6 billion over the collapse of his business. Premiere said it was still keen on bidding for the rights to the most popular sport in Germany. The DFL, the German football association, is expecting to earn E3.45bn from the next six seasons an increase of about a third on what it receives at the moment. Kirch, who through his company, Sirius, will only market but not transmit the matches, has promised minimum revenue of E3 billion over the timeframe from selling the rights in Germany. Shares in Premiere fell 12 per cent.
Views: Going green; rude Packer fans; Voter ID
After protracted litigation, a compromise was reached allowing a limited number of billboards that would diminish through attrition. The industry had other ideas. Through legislation, they made the remaining billboards more valuable and virtually impossible to remove due to new, lucrative valuation methods. This legislation was "purchased" with campaign contributions from billboard owners and industry executives. Now billboard owners are positioned to renege on their compromise and attempt to replace the old billboards with larger, more visually intrusive commercial messages. While some object to the cost of publicly funded elections, in this example the public cost may be greater, considering the impact of a less attractive city plastered with garish billboards.
From Vick's fight ring to 'love time' in foster home, an unlikely ...
Oscar Allen, who sold a champion pit bull to Vick's dogfighting operation, was sentenced Friday on a federal dogfighting charge. Officers who carried out the raid found dogs, some injured and scarred, chained to buried car axles. Forensic experts discovered remains of dogs that had been shot with a .22 caliber pistol, electrocuted, drowned, hanged or slammed to the ground for lacking a desire to fight. A bewildered Hector and more than 50 other American Pit Bull Terriers or pit bull mixes were gathered up. So were "parting sticks" used to open fighting dogs' mouths, treadmills to condition them, and a "rape stand" used to restrain female dogs that did not submit willingly to breeding. The dogs, held as evidence in the criminal prosecutions, were taken to a half dozen city and county pounds and shelters in Virginia.
Urban retailers struggle to keep up with trends
Creating such highly specialized niche chains is alluring for retailers who want the guaranteed profits from a hot new trend, according to Rick Munarriz, a senior retail analyst with The Motley Fool, an investment advice firm. But retailers run into trouble if they can't anticipate curve balls. "Specialty stores that are concept-specific must be willing to tweak," he said. "Fashions are fickle, and so are mall shoppers. Sales declines aren't indicative that the customer base is dead, but there has to be the right merchandise." New trends, changing merchandise PacSun's demo demographic was narrowly defined in its 2006 yearly report as teenagers and young adults who covet street wear and hip-hop albums - and aspire to look like larger-than-life celebrities. To save its stores, the company shook up its product mix and began playing music videos inside some stores, all in an effort to captivate the "evolving market." It didn't work.
Wehrenberg looks to future with new theater opening
The $15 million theater at 1111 Wylie Drive opens Friday with a variety of matinee and evening films, including a Disney digital 3-D showing of “Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds." Later during the opening weekend, Sunday's Super Bowl will come to life on the theater's mega-screen.Experiences like the digital concert and television broadcast point to way to the movie theater industry's future, said Kelly Hoskins, director of marketing for St. Louis-based Wehrenberg Theatres.“We've become an entertainment center instead of just movies," Hoskins said Monday during a tour of the new facility.Bill Menke, Wehrenberg director of facilities, wants the theater — with its movies, food and lobby game area — to be an entertainment facility for the Twin City region.“We hope that our guests will come in and discover it's a fun place to be," Menke said.Part of the “fun for the family and the kids" that Menke mentions includes movies on 14 screens.
Oliver's Twist: Streety due for leveling out luck
Moon giver: A coach in an under-16 girls soccer league in Windsor, Calif., is in hot water for his actions after a ballgame last week. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the unidentified man allegedly stepped onto the field after a particularly argumentative, physical contest and dropped his pants in front of the 14- and 15-year-old girls. Irate parents called police and asked for indecent exposure charges to be levied, but the coach was suspended, not arrested. Cops simply couldn't crack the case. Whiz kids: The city of Detroit recently held an online auction to sell pieces of the old Tiger Stadium. Among the items was a piece of the fence that had been around the light tower hit by Reggie Jackson with his epic home run in the 1971 All-Star Game. That went for $4,025, while a World Series banner from 1968 drew $3,800, and Al Kaline's locker went for $2,000.
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