WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 27, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES COMPLEXITY IS KEY TO OVERCOMING RECESSIONLord Mandelson, the business secretary, will today announce the allocation of £150bn to fund companies’ advance manufacturing development projects in areas such as aerospace, nuclear engineering components, electronics and microchip designs. Most of it will come from the £750m cash pot set aside by ministers this year to [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS July 22, 2009 BSKYBJP Morgan upgraded BSkyB to “neutral” from “underweight”, saying that the regulatory overhang has been removed in the short-term – with Ofcom unlikely to publish its next consultation document until the end of the year – and the focus can shift to operating performance and capital structure. But some factors stop the broker from being [...]
CITY MOVES WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 20, 2009 KewillKewill, the provider of software and solutions that simplify global trade and logistics, has announced the appointment of Karen Bach to the board as chief financial officer (CFO) with effect from 17 August. Bach joins Kewill from Advanced Computer Software, where she was CFO, where she was closely involved in its over the last year [...]
Teletext to be switched off for good July 16, 2009 ASSOCIATED Newspapers said yesterday that it will shut down its loss-making Teletext analogue television service in January 2010, two years ahead of schedule, because the economic downturn has accelerated a fall in audiences and revenue. The company, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), added it will also pull the plug on a [...]
Quangos to go under Tory rule July 6, 2009 TORY leader David Cameron said yesterday that he could abolish some quasi-autonomous non-government organisations (quangos) and curb the powers and budgets of others, should his party come to power. In a speech to the think-tank Reform about reforming quangos – such as communications regulator Ofcom – Cameron said he had ordered the shadow cabinet to [...]
Ofcom should stop persecuting BSkyB June 28, 2009 REWARDS for failure, we all agree, need to be eradicated. Everybody has had their fill of those – in the City, in government and elsewhere – who have pocketed a fortune while failing to deliver or even destroying institutions. But successful, entrepreneurial firms that have risked their owners’ capital, taken huge gambles and delivered vastly [...]
Broadband for all is a worthy but pointless goal June 17, 2009 FOR ALL the hype that preceded Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Report, its central recommendation can be summed up in four dreary words: Slow broadband for all. It wouldn’t be so bad if the meagre 2Mbps connection wasn’t being part-funded with a planned £6-a-year telephone line tax; this will mainly be collected from people who live [...]
BBC fights back on local news sharing June 1, 2009 TALKS between the BBC and ITV to create a cost-cutting regional news partnership have hit a stumbling block, with the BBC disputing operating cost estimates provided by the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom. Ofcom has said that a basic schedule for the service would cost between £40m and £60m a year, with a fuller service costing up [...]
Ofcom says no to more TV ads May 26, 2009 Broadcasters will not be allowed to increase the amount of advertising carried on television, media regulator Ofcom said yesterday. But it said it would allow teleshopping on commercial public service channels, to allow broadcasters to generate additional revenues. Teleshopping will be allowed from midnight to 6am.
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 20, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESCANNES HIT BY CUTBACKS AND CAUTIONThere are still outward signs of glamour on the Croisette in Cannes, but economic reality has gripped the film market at this year’s 62nd film festival. Some of the biggest parties have been cancelled and, for the first time in years, it is easy to get a hotel room. [...]