My Info Center for the Economic Crisis

In case you are interested, I just spent the past few days in Albany…doing my “once a semester” teaching thing in Prof. Martin Fogelman’s class “ Behavioral Foundations of Management” among other things.

Since I drive up and down I find the radio becomes my  best friend and while I usually listen to NPR (WAMC or WNYC) or WCBS 880, these past few days I have been totally fixated on Bloomberg Radio 1130 for so many reasons.

For those of you unfamiliar, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s founding vision in 1981 was to create an information-services, news and media company that provides business and financial professionals with the tools and data they need on a single, all-inclusive platform. The success of Bloomberg L.P. is due to the constant innovation of our products, unrivaled dedication to customer service and the unique way in which we constantly adapt to an ever-changing marketplace. Read more

Job Opportunity at Channel M

I recently met with my friend, one of the newest members of the FOBS family, Kylie Sachs, a partner in the investment firm Ascend Ventures Group here in NYC, with a strong understanding of the media industry. As you will read below Ascend recently invested in Channel M, one of the biggest players in the burgeoning field of in-store video. Channel M’s programs run throughout the day in thousands of places, such as Macy’s, Blockbuster, Nordstrom’s, Harrah’s and GameStop, the mecca of video game players.

Not only have I had a couple of great meetings with Kylie, she is investing in growing companies…looking to expand their staff…and in this economy that is a good thing. Read more

The World’s Most Innovative Companies

The Worlds Most Innovative Companies according to BusinessWeek

Do you agree?
-Bill
Rank Company
1 Apple
2 Google
3 Toyota Motors
4 General Electric
5 Microsoft
Read more

Great News From BlogTalkRadio

As many of you know, one of the turning points of our NY:MIEG breakfasts was our event in January 2007 when John Havens produced and moderated an event entitled ” Understanding the New Media: How podcasting and online/mobile media and new distribution platforms can transform your business”

A number of months ago John became VP/Marketing for a unique start up called “BlogTalkRadio” a service that allows consumers to create and host live talk shows over the Internet.

I have become a huge fan as I think this has potential to be the business model for the future and apparently I’m not the only one.

-Bill

So stay tuned in the coming months for updates on these and other steps forward.

Until then, keep the terrific shows coming - because I want everyone along for what promises to be a fantastic ride.

Alan Levy
CEO and Founder

FOR MORE INFO ON BLOGTALKRADIO CLICK HERE

Zucker: GE Selling NBC, Not!

Jeff Zucker, the bottom of the media moguls (based alphabetically of course) spoke this week about all the rumors that GE is considering spinning off or selling NBC Universal.

-Bill

The Jeff Squad

Zucker: NBC Universal is an ‘important’ part of GE
7/11/2008, 2:38 a.m. EDT
By JEREMY HERRON
The Associated Press

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) — General Electric has no plans to sell its NBC Universal media unit even as the conglomerate moves forward with spinning off slower-growing businesses, NBC Chief Executive Jeffrey Zucker said Thursday.

GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt “has made it clear that NBC-U is an important part of the GE portfolio,” Zucker told The Associated Press at the annual Allen & Co. media conference at this mountain resort.

Earlier Thursday, GE announced it wants to spin off its iconic lighting and appliance businesses in a move to reshape the Fairfield, Conn.-based company’s portfolio of industrial, financial and media assets. Last year, GE shed its underperforming plastics business by selling it to a Saudi Arabian company for $11.6 billion

What is the CitizenM Hotel in Amsterdam really like?

Howard Greenstein & Yours Truly at the entrance of the
CitizenM Hotel at Schipohl Airport in Amsterdam

 

 

Since returning to New York a week ago I have been telling everyone about the CitizenM Hotel I stayed in at Schipohl Airport in Amsterdam. However describing it is a problem. Thanks to Howard Greenstein, the internet, and Stuart Miles of Megawhat.tv you get a pretty good idea.

-Bill

Megawhat.tv gadget IPTV channel launches online Pocket-lint.co.uk, a leading gadget website in the UK, and Flawless Media, a pioneer and leading specialist in branded content, have teamed up to launch a brand new gadget IPTV channel online called Megawhat.tv About Megawhat.tv Gadget reviews straight from the box, each episode will feature the low down on the latest pieces of kit from the world of gadgets and technology as well as featuring news, features, tips, tricks, opinions and much more. Megawhat is presented by Stuart Miles. Stuart is editor in chief of pocket-lint.co.uk. He has been a technology journalist since 1998 and written for a number of publications both in the mainstream media and IT Press in the UK. He currently writes a weekly column in The Times on gadgets and is a regular commentator on technology for Sky News, as well as being a judge for the Mobile Choice magazine awards.

Click here for Stuart Miles review of CitizenM from Megawhat.tv

Click here for Howard Greensteins review of CitizenM from ITP AlumniBlender
A digest of blogs by alumni of NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program

What’s the Weather going to be? Ask NBC Universal

Hot off the press…and a very good fit!

-Bill

NBC Universal agrees to buy The Weather Channel

July 6, 2008

 

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC Universal says it has reached a deal to buy The Weather Channel from Landmark Communications Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

NBC already operates a cable and broadcast weather service called NBC Weather Plus that would make a logical fit with The Weather Channel, a weather news and update network distributed to 97 percent of U.S. cable viewers.

Neither NBC nor Landmark disclosed the purchase price Sunday, but earlier reports had estimated the deal would be worth around $3.5 billion.

NBC is a unit of General Electric Co. It was joined in the deal by the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital.

Philips Ambient Experience

As I am packing my bags to head back to New York following a great week here in Amsterdam, I am still in awe over this hotel, CitizenM that we have been staying in all week.

One of the many aspects is the fact that one of the partners in the venture is Philips Electronic. According to Yahoo Business, Royal Philips Electronics has its royal fingers in lots of different pies. It makes consumer electronics, including TVs, VCRs, DVD players, and fax machines. But it also makes light bulbs (#1 worldwide), electric shavers (#1) and other personal care appliances, picture tubes, medical systems, and silicon systems solutions. Consumer electronics account for the largest portion of the company’s sales. Philips has been dumping noncore businesses — such as its stake in music giant PolyGram, mobile phones operations, and its chip unit — while acquiring and forming joint ventures in its primary lines of business, including medical equipment financing, thin film LCD panels, and digital rights management.

What makes this especially interesting is that this hotel is one of the first to us Philips Ambient Experience, an interactive, people focused environment that uses design and technology to create a more comfortable experience for hotel guests and staff, improve workflow and increase operational effectiveness.

-Bill

First commercial rollout Ambient Experience with citizenM hotels pioneers new direction for hospitality industry
WEBWIRE – Friday, June 27, 2008
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Philips has today announced the first commercial rollout of its integrated Ambient Experience for hospitality with the launch of the citizenM hotel chain in Amsterdam. Combining Philips’ strengths across a unique combination of products and broad portfolio of solutions the Ambient Experience, which was originally debuted at the London Simplicity Event in 2007, provides players in the hospitality sector with complete, custom-made and integrated solutions across ambience, infotainment, personal care and design value spaces.

Using our bespoke solutions, hotel partners are able to build a unique intimacy with their guests and remove the traditional feeling of anonymity from the hotel experience. As consumer choices are increasingly driven by emotional factors - beyond merely the functionality of a product - the Ambient Experience offers them immersive experiences that go ‘beyond the product’ and engage all the senses.

“The commercial rollout of our Ambient Experience for the hospitality sector is a further validation of the success of our simplicity vision and customer-centric approach,” according to Geert van Kuyck, Chief Marketing Officer at Philips. “By leveraging our unique combination of solutions we are leading the way in creating innovative, people-centric solutions and designs, thereby creating a more meaningful, personal and desirable proposition”.

In an increasingly competitive market, the hospitality sector is looking for new solutions to help them differentiate themselves and achieve global consistency in branding and experience. “With the Ambient Experience for hospitality we are able to put the consumer at the heart of the hotel experience,” Arnold Stokking, Senior Vice President Business Group Hospitality. “Our partnership with citizenM not only illustrates the direction that the hospitality industry is going in, but it also indicates the way forward for creating unique experiences for hotel guests”.

To further capitalize on its strong position in the hospitality sector Philips is leveraging its business synergies to create more innovative, customer-centric solutions based on complete value propositions. Earlier this month Philips also announced that is would build a customized Ambient Experience room with NH Hoteles to conduct an intensive two-year study into the optimization of well-being amongst hotel guests.

Robin & Sarah talk about the CitizenM Hotel

I have been spending the week here in Amsterdam at one of the most incredible hotels…the CitizenM. I sat down earlier this week with company co-founder Robin Chadha and one of his colleagues, Sarah Zimmerman to talk about it.

 

Robin & Sarah talk about the CitizenM Hotel

Vote for the E.Factor on KillerStartups.com

I just got word this afternoon that the E.Factor has been added to the website killerstartups.com and they are asking for you to vote and show your support of the E.Factor.

FYI: KillerStartups.com is a user driven internet startups community. Entrepreneurs, investors, and bloggers are staying informed on up-and-coming internet startups using our blog platform, where internet entrepreneurs submit their startup to see what others think about it. Their vision: “Tapping the wisdom of crowds to find the next internet big thing.”
We deeply believe in the power of crowds, and we want to put it to good use by detecting in an early stage what’s going to be big.

That said, click on the link below…read a bit about E.Factor (if you don’t what it’s all about) and if you like it vote!

http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/efactor-com-joining-investors-and-entrepreneurs/

See you in the E.Factor!

-Bill

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