AT&T bows to pressure from activist investor, may sell ailing DirecTV unit

Mere weeks after activist investor Elliott Management publicly pressed AT&T to slash costs and dial down its acquisitions strategy, it appears as if Chairman-CEO Randall Stephenson has knuckled under to those demands. Speaking today on AT&T’s third-quarter earnings call, Stephenson laid out a three-year plan that includes a pledge to conduct a comprehensive review of all non-essential businesses that may be be sold or spun off, while also making a commitment to retire all the debt related to its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Stephenson also said that he plans to stay aboard through at least 2020. This is particularly important, as speculation that he was about to hand the reins to WarnerMedia boss John Stankey may have been one of the factors that precipitated Elliott’s decision to put the squeeze on the AT&T board. “I believe we’re on the threshold of something really remarkable, in terms of the next chapter of AT&T’s storied history,” Stephenson said. “I have every intention of being here, and I will be here through 2020.” Stephenson added that when the time comes for AT&T to choose his successor, the CEO and chairmanship positions will be made separate, a split for which Elliott advocated in its Sept. 9 letter to the board. Stankey, who recently was upped to chief operating officer at AT&T, remains the heir apparent. “Following five-plus years of heavy investment, it’s now time to reap the rewards of these investments and deliver... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 20:32:03 UTC ]
News tagged with: #streaming services #investment fund #hbo max #unique position #time warner

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Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian author, physician and feminist activist, dies at 89

She campaigned against female genital mutilation and wrote more than 50 novels, plays, story collections and nonfiction books. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-23 09:59:11 UTC ]
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Unit Sales of Print Books Soared 36.5% Last Week

Though unit sales began softening a bit at this time last year because of the early impact of the pandemic, the spike in sales last week was mainly due to the continued demand for print books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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RBmedia Creates New Spanish Unit, BookaVivo

RBmedia has formed BookaVivo, a new Spanish-language audio unit, and named former journalist Rosanne Lake to head the division. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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March Starts with 34% Pop in Print Unit Sales

Fueled by huge gains for a host of Dr. Seuss titles, as well as solid results for several new books, unit sales of print books soared 34.2% in the week ended Mar. 6, 2021, over the comparable week in 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Gutman, Doyle, Conaway Join IDW Publishing, Entertainment Units

IDW Holdings announced the hiring of Jonny Gutman, Mark Doyle, and Cassie Conaway by its IDW Entertainment and IDW Publishing divisions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Finish February with 26% Gain

With the help of strong backlist sales, unit sales of print books rose 26% in the week ended Feb. 27, 2021, over the similar week last year, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Backlist Drives Print Book Unit Gains Higher Through February

Driven by strong backlist sales, unit sales of print books rose 26% last week over the week ended February 29, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. It was the largest week-over-week gain compared to 2020 so far this year, helping unit sales finish the first two months of 2021 with a... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Up 21.3% in Mid-February

For the week ended Feb. 13, 2021, unit sales of print books increased 21.3% over the week ended Feb. 15, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A ‘money pit’ dog, an ailing owner and one big question

Journalist Martha Teichner tells the story of how she gained a pet and a friend. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-05 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Back to school for Tele editors after 'activist teachers' exposé | The Weekly Beast

News Corp’s examples of cultural Marxism come up short. Plus: Alan Jones apology relegated to Sky News corrections pageDays after News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch warned of an “awful woke orthodoxy”, the Daily Telegraph demonstrated the boss’s point with a front-page story about political... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-02-04 22:44:51 UTC ]
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50 years later, ‘The Monster at the End of This Book’ is still selling — and inspiring authors

The children’s book has influence out of proportion with its 24 pages and its cardboard cover devoid of medallions. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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One Boat wins nine-way auction for climate activist Nakate

Pan Macmillan's sustainability imprint One Boat has triumphed in a nine-publisher auction for A Bigger Picture, billed as “part rousing manifesto, part poignant memoir” from Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 15:12:29 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Soar in Mid-January

With all major categories posting huge gains, unit sales of print books jumped 22.7% for the week ended Jan. 16, 2021, over the comparable week in 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder scoops biography of Silicon Valley investor Masayoshi Son

Hodder & Stoughton is publishing the first English-language biography of Silicon Valley investor and SoftBank c.e.o. Masayoshi Son in June.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-19 08:08:50 UTC ]
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Industry Members Unite to Block Trump Administration Book Deals

In an open letter, more than 250 authors, agents, booksellers, and publishers urged publishers not to sign book deals with members of the Trump Administration or anyone "who incited, suborned, instigated, or otherwise supported the January 6, 2021, coup attempt." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Print unit sales rose 8% in 2020 over 2019

With all major categories posting increases, unit sales of print books rose 8.2% in 2020 over 2019 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Print unit sales rose 8% over 2019

With all major categories posting increases, unit sales of print books rose 8.2% in 2020 over 2019 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Comscore's new investors will leave once embattled company is 'essentially debt free'

CEO Bill Livek alludes to bigger, but debt-laden, rival Nielsen with analogy to how Netflix overtook Blockbuster. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-01-08 00:41:20 UTC ]
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Eric Jerome Dickey, best-selling African American novelist, dies at 59

Described as ‘one of the few kings of popular African-American fiction for women,’ he wrote 29 books that together sold more than 7 million copies. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-06 13:20:32 UTC ]
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DK donates 1,000 books to Manchester United Foundation

DK has donated 1,000 copies of Life Cycles to youth education charity the Manchester United Foundation. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-21 17:25:24 UTC ]
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