VNU to Acquire Majority Stake in BuzzMetrics

VNU has said today that it will acquire a majority stake in BuzzMetrics in order to enhance its media research capabilities, Reuters reports. BuzzMetrics is acquiring Intelliseek, another tracking and analysis company. VNU’s purchase of BuzzMetrics should be completed within 30 days, when VNU’s stake in the combined company will be 50.1 percent (VNU already owns a small percentage of BuzzMetrics).

VNU received an $8.8 billion buy-out offer today from a consortium of private equity firms.

CBS Rebrands Paramount Television

Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of the CBS Corporation, announced today (via the Futon Critic) that the company has officially re-branded its Paramount Television division CBS Paramount Television.

The new name brings together two of the most iconic symbols in entertainment - the CBS Eye and the Paramount mountain. Both brands and symbols will be part of the division’s new identity and logo.

VNU Gets Buy-Out Offer

Global media company VNU has received a buy-out offer from a group of private equity firms for about $8.8 billion - somewhere between EUR 28.00 and 28.50 per share - Folio reports. VNU has said it is not in talks with any other parties. The private equity consortium includes AlpInvest Partners, The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group, Hellman & Freidman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Permira and Thomas H. Lee Partners.

Bill O’Reilly Invites Viewers to One-on-One Debate

Fox News and Bill O’Reilly are kicking off a contest, Bloviate with Bill, that will culminate with six viewers having the opportunity to go head-to-head with O’Reilly during February, the New York Daily News writes.

Viewers who love him or detest him can enter the contest - and, perhaps, debate him one-on-one on the air - by sending an email to oreillycontest@foxnews.com with their desired debate topic.

Davler Media to Acquire, Grow Four NY Parenting Pubs

Davler Media Group LLC, a Manhattan publishing company, announced that it has agreed to acquire four leading parenting newspapers from Family Communications LLC, including: Big Apple Parent, Brooklyn Parent, Westchester Parent, and Queens Parent.

Clear Channel Launches ‘La Preciousa’ Network

Clear Channel Radio today announced the launch of the La Preciosa Network, and said that legendary radio and television personality Victor Manuel Lujan has joined its programming line-up.

The La Preciosa Network, which features hits from the 70s, 80s and early 90s, is the latest project from Clear Channel’s Spanish-language programming initiative. The 2005 Summer Survey from Arbitron showed that Hispanic radio stations were on the rise in several key markets across the U.S.

Pontiac Sponsors CBS Micro-Series

CBS is launching an advertising-sponsored micro-series, The Courier, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, during the first act break of CSI: Miami, Mediaweek reports.

4Q Online Advertising Beats Media Execs’ Expectations

Online ad spend increased 15 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005 from the third quarter, according to surveyed media executives who during the previous quarterly survey by Deutsche Bank and MediaPost had forecast a 10 percent increase (via MarketingVox). The cost of premium inventory increased, on average, 6 percent, while run-of-network inventory costs increased about 3 percent, and pay-per-click prices were up 5 percent, according to the respondents.

Literary ‘Magazine’ Launched via DVD

A new magazine - and, indeed, a new concept of a magazine - has launched with four yearly issues containing not articles but short films via DVD, The Washington Post writes. The DVD magazine, Wholphin (a cross between a whale and a dolphin), is being published by the people who publish McSweeney’s and the Believer, two fairly avant-garde literary magazines.

‘Teen Vogue’ Offers Event for Fashionistas

According to Teen Vogue vp/publisher Gina Sanders, today’s readers of the teen fashion magazine dream less of becoming fashion models and now aspire to be in the business of fashion, writes Mediaweek. That’s why the magazine is offering readers a crash course on the fashion business in October, during a three-day event in New York dubbed Fashion U. Participants can attend seminars and lectures led by Vogue’s fashion team, on everything from jewelry design to managing a clothing line.