Bleak newspaper-industry outlook spurs buyout of Star parent
On Aug. 5, GateHouse—a New York-based chain backed by an investment firm—announced a deal to buy Gannett for $1.4 billion.
Media & Marketing
Articles
Former Indiana Pacers player joins First Merchants board
Clark Kellogg, a first-round draft pick for the Indiana Pacers in 1982 and current lead basketball analyst for CBS Sports, has been a member of the bank’s advisory board since 2001.
IAC considers giving up control of ANGI Homeservices, Match Group
Shares of ANGI Homeservices Inc., the parent of Indianapolis-based Angie’s List, fell as much as 30 percent Thursday after the company’s quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations.
Newspaper giants Gatehouse, Gannett likely to seek cost savings after merger
Efficiencies wrought by the merger might result in publications that rely less on local reporters and more on USA Today-type stories produced or edited remotely and published in dozens of the company’s publications.
GateHouse buying Indianapolis Star parent Gannett for $1.4B
Two of the country’s largest newspaper companies have agreed to combine in the latest media deal driven by the industry’s struggles with a decline in printed newspaper sales.
Q&A with Larry Lannan, founder of LarryInFishers.com news site
Larry Lannan, 67, of Fishers started writing about his hometown’s happenings after retiring from the Internal Revenue Service in 2011. Eight years later, his news blog, LarryInFishers.com, and podcast deliver Fishers residents nearly daily news about their city. For Lannan, a former radio reporter, his news site is his way of giving back to his […]
Indians announce naming-rights partner for new club space
The 4,500-square-foot club, to be constructed between the 2019 and 2020 seasons as part of $8.3 million in Victory Field improvements, will be sponsored by Indianapolis-based Elements Financial Federal Credit Union.
Former Colt McAfee teed up as color analyst for ESPN college football
Pat McAfee also will make regular appearances on ESPN’s morning show, “Get Up,” with Mike Greenberg and former Indiana Pacer Jalen Rose.
UPDATE: WTHR adding longtime Baltimore broadcaster as anchor/reporter
TV news veteran Karen Campbell announced on social media Thursday that she will join WTHR-TV Channel 13 beginning Aug. 5. In addition, WTHR is adding multimedia journalist Sarah Jones in September.
Regulators fine Facebook record $5B, add limited oversight on privacy
The fine is the largest the Federal Trade Commission has levied on a tech company, though it won’t make much of a dent for a company that had nearly $56 billion in revenue last year.
After years of pruning, Emmis ready for reinvention
CEO Jeff Smulyan says he still loves radio, but the 72-year-old pines to own businesses that have real growth potential, rather than fighting over nickels and dimes in a stagnant industry.
Former rock DJs ‘Hammer and Nigel’ on ratings roll
While “The Hammer and Nigel Show” is flourishing now, WIBC-FM 93.1 took a big risk in 2016 putting the two former rock ’n’ roll disc jockeys at the helm of a news-talk program, the station’s bread and butter.
Report: Newspaper chains Gannett, GateHouse in ‘advanced’ merger talks
The Wall Street Journal reports that a deal could be announced in the coming weeks. Gannett owns The Indianapolis Star and a number of smaller Indiana newspapers.
MainGate to be acquired by New York-based hospitality firm Legends
MainGate, a sports merchandising and marketing firm headquartered at 7900 Rockville Road on the city’s far-west side, employs about 220 people in the Indianapolis area.
CBS warns it could get blacked out by AT&T as talks bog down
Earlier this month, AT&T blacked out 120 stations operated by Nexstar in a similar dispute over programming costs. Among those stations is WISH-TV Channel 8 in Indianapolis.
FTC approves record $5B fine for Facebook
At $5 billion, the fine the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is about to levy on Facebook is by far the largest it’s given to a technology company, easily eclipsing the second largest, $22 million for Google in 2012.
Royal Pin bowling center scores big with push into group events, other games
The company spent $4.2 million to upgrade its north-side facility, adding non-bowling attractions, then worked to host corporate fundraisers, company parties and team-building retreats.
Judge strikes down rule requiring drug ads to reveal prices
Responding to a lawsuit by Eli Lilly and two other companies, a federal judge Monday blocked a major White House initiative on prescription drug costs, saying the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to require drugmakers to disclose their prices in TV ads.
IBJ, Indy Chamber team up to host mayoral debate
The debate is scheduled to take place during the chamber’s annual HobNob event, in August at the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown.
Appeals court strips judgment for Emmis, rules for insurer
A federal appeals court has reversed a breach-of-contract ruling for Indianapolis-based media company Emmis Communications Corp. arising from a shareholder dispute. Emmis had sought more than $4 million in legal fees that its insurer refused to cover.