An SUV with a conscience January 25, 2011 Here’s Kia’s new Sportage, an SUV crossover that confirms the massive changes that SUVs have undergone over the last five years. An ugly, boxy, polluting gas guzzler this ain’t. In fact it’s not even a 4×4 (though there is an All-Wheel-Drive version). This one is 2WD and has Kia’s all new 1.7 CRDi 114bhp diesel [...]
Should Sky sack star presenters over sexism row? January 24, 2011 DAVID HELLIER YES WHEN it came to the most important offside decision of Liverpool’s win over Wolves, Sian Massey got it right – despite the jibes of presenters Gray and Keys. Now Sky Sports has done the right thing in suspending Keys and Gray – but bosses ought to go further and sack them. Their [...]
Pair reprimanded by broadcaster January 24, 2011 SKY SPORTS duo Andy Gray and Richard Keys were stood down from last night’s live broadcast over their comments about assistant referee Sian Massey in Saturday’s Liverpool-Wolves game. In comments recorded but not broadcast, Gray and Keys – the faces of Sky’s football coverage for 20 years – said Massey and other women “did not [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS January 24, 2011 BSKYB Nomura rates the media group “buy” with a target price of £10.60. The broker expects strong half-year results when the firm reports on 27 January, with underlying earnings of £486m and 346,000 new HD customers. Nomura believes the government is likely to refer News Corp’s bid for Sky to the Competition Commission. RSA UBS [...]
SKY NEWS BITES THE HAND THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE FEEDING IT January 24, 2011 SOME puzzling editorial choices have been afoot at Sky News this week. On Sunday, Gordon Brown’s disclosure that he asked the police to look into whether his phone was hacked by the News of the World topped its agenda all day. And yesterday the attack of foot-in-mouth disease that afflicted Sky Sports’ Andy Gray and [...]
Police look at Brown claims January 23, 2011 THE News of the World phone-hacking scandal continued to gather pace yesterday, with Gordon Brown asking police to investigate whether he was targeted. The former Prime Minister expressed concerns his messages may have been intercepted between 2005 and 2007, when he was chancellor. Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne ramped up pressure on News [...]
Topaz mulls LSE flotation January 20, 2011 OILFIELD services company Topaz Energy and Marine is mulling a float on the London Stock Exchange. The Dubai-based company, one of the biggest oil services firms in the Middle East, has already appointed JP Morgan Cazenove to advise on the possible float – which could come as soon as March. Topaz, the biggest revenue generator [...]
Independent trust could run Sky News to ease News Corp takeover January 20, 2011 News Corp could set up an independent body to run Sky News in a bid to smooth the way for its £7.8bn Sky bid. Critics of the bid say media plurality would be harmed if Rupert Murdoch’s firm snaps up the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own. Culture and media secretary [...]
Wolves have the fight to tame Kenny’s Reds January 20, 2011 WOLVES vs LIVERPOOL Tomorrow – 12.45pm Sky Sports 2 KENNY Dalglish hasn’t made the dream return to management that many Liverpool fans would have hoped for, taking just one point from his opening three games. It could have been even worse had Dirk Kuyt not converted a second half penalty against Everton on Sunday. Liverpool [...]
Sky News could be sold January 19, 2011 News Corp could be prepared to dispose of Sky News or other assets to smooth its path to taking full control of BSkyB, it emerged last night. Rupert Murdoch’s media group has approached the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the body responsible for approving the takeover of BSkyB, with a range of options [...]