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Satellite slump: The two major providers, El Segundo-based DirecTV and Echo-Star, have seen a sharp delcine in the number of new subscribers. Meanwhile, as reported by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), the cable TV industry has been on a roll.
Speaking of satellites: Is Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns a controlling share of DirecTV, still after EchoStar? Did Disney pay too much for Pixar? Columnist Richard Siklos in the New York Times suggests that big media is willing to take more risks these days.
Doldrums for DreamWorks: Stock in DreamWorks Animation continues to flag, despite better-than-expected second-quarter earnings. The reason might be Paul Allen. The company's largest shareholder can require that $300 million worth of stock be sold to the public over the next three months. That allows him to recoup some of his earlier losses, but it also causes the stock to languish.
A modest proposal: That there be a mandate on all stories about the possibility of an NFL team coming to Los Angeles until the league owners actually decide to do something. The latest non-news item is an interview with Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones.
Parking woes: The crunch at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank has gotten so bad that yellow fliers are being placed on parked cars saying "Don't Park - Get a lift." Actually, things aren't quite as bad this summer as some had feared, although long-term relief is a ways off.
Meeting expectations: No, it's not a quarterly earnings forecast, but the opening weekend of a movie. How that expectation is arrived at and the consequences of making or not making it is part of the Hollywood game.
Long Beach goes Wi-Fi?: The city is considering a proposal in which residents could choose to pay a fee of perhaps $20 per month for high-speed wireless Internet or get free lower-speed access along with ads.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.