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 ]
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B-to-b publisher and professional services provider The Dolan Company has announced agreements to sell off two of its legal services businesses to affiliate groups. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In what is being called "an unprecedented show of solidarity," hundreds of Europe's leading publishers have joined forces to call on European Commission Vice President Joaquín Almunia to reject outright the draft measures offered by Google to end their abusive practices. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As ebook sales continue to climb, so too does the number of companies retailing ebooks and developing applications that can read them regardless of platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Inc. (AAPL) executive Eddy Cue told a judge he felt extra pressure to reach deals with ebook publishers in time for the introduction of the iPad in 2010 because of company cofounder Steve Jobs’s precarious health. “Steve ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some independent booksellers say they've received calls from someone claiming to be an Amazon staff member, asking if they'd be interested in selling Kindle e-readers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Danish publisher Lindhardt and Ringhof has acquired Per Kofod Publishers after its founder... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rights House co-chief executive Michael Foster has sold his controlling stake in the literary... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital publishing platform will let fans write, publish, and sell the stories they've written based on popular books, TV shows, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The week's web buzz: Ann Patchett encourages authors to work with traditional publishers and gets rebuffed, a map of the five paths to publishing, the true costs of author services, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to internal documents obtained by the website TechCrunch, Microsoft has offered $1 billion for the digital assets of Nook Media, Barnes & Noble's digital book venture.According to internal documents obtained by the website TechCrunch, Microsoft has offered $1 billion for the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York-based start-up Ganxy, which was founded in 2009 to sell music, is rolling out more tools at the London Book Fair to help small and medium-sized publishers sell and promote DRM-free digital content online. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC is selling Lonely Planet, to NC2 Media, a Nashville-based digital media company, for $77.8 million — a $120 million less than what BBC bought it for in 2007. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stockholm Text, a young publishing house translating and publishing Swedish literature in English, share lessons learned from their first year in business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tribune Co. has hired investment bankers to advise the media company on the sale of its newspaper publishing unit, according to a source familiar with the matter. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life of Pi has sold 'pi' number of books, selling 3,141,593 copies in all editions.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Horrible Histories" author Terry Deary told a newspaper that public libraries are a drain on government resources that deprive authors of royalty checks. Best-selling childrens' book author Terry Deary has become the first major writer to speak up against the concept of public libraries. In... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Warner is in talks to sell a large portion of its Time Inc. magazine division, including People, InStyle and Real Simple, according to a report Wednesday afternoon by Fortune.Headed for Meredith, Berkshire Hathaway or nowhere new after all?Fortune is itself a Time Inc. magazine but reported... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has patented a technology that allows customers to sell their previously read ebooks, audiobooks, music and movies in the same way that they can now sell print books, DVDs, and CDs. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy debuted at #3 on the fiction chart in Spain in December, good enough to place it right behind Fifty Shades of Grey, which held steady at #2. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Major publishers are taking wildly different approaches to resolving the woes surrounding ebook lending at libraries: they're experimenting with both the short-yet-cheap subscription as well as an expensive option to pay only once for perpetual use. Sure enough, we're now seeing the middle road.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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