(Barry) Diller Blocking Gore's Cable Buy

[kskiska]

Al Gore is having serious trouble getting on TV.

The former vice president has desperately been trying to buy a small cable news channel for $70 million but is getting blocked by mogul Barry Diller.

Diller holds veto power over any sale of the channel, News World International, and says he wants to hold up the deal, but only for business reasons.

Gore intends to create a liberal cable news channel for young people.

"This isn't about passing editorial judgment one way or another ," Diller, a longtime Democratic supporter, told TV Guide.com. "There's simply a lot to be sorted out."

What's entailed is a complex chess game Diller is playing with crippled French conglomerate Vivendi, whose subsidiary controls the Gore target. The French are selling their subsidiary to NBC, and Diller owns a piece of the overall deal because of his earlier transactions with Vivendi.

more…
http://www.nypost.com/business/10767.htm

[sujan]

1. hint

NYPOST is a gossip magazine.

[Dagaz]

2. so the story is wrong?

Gore will buy the network with no opposition?

[Lorien]

3. let's get Soros involved!

If he really wants to oust Bush*, he should by a few channels and voting machine companies.

[R Hickey]

7. I agree

It is going to take a long term committment, and the Democrats have to own some of the media in order to get their message out.

[hang a left]

8. Oh he is involved alright. That you can take to the bank.

[w4rma]

4. "The Indie Channel" and "VTV"? Ugh, both of these names suck.

VTV has no ring to it. "Indie Channel" sounds low budget and therefore low viewership.

They need a hard hitting and tough name, IMHO. And one that rolls of the tongue. One that folks will remember and will say over and over again.

[Copperred]

5. Ya that wuld be good....

Yes that is true...

I'm not sure though Gore has a vision, but the desire to have a vision.

[Laughing Mirror]

6. you're right

something simple that people understand immediately
something along the lines of "Get Real News"

i'm not good at thinking up names, but if you are you should think about getting in touch with these folks and giving them some good suggestions

[R Hickey]

9. How about "The Liberal Media Network" ?

People will know what it is then.

[Laughing Mirror]

10. yes, like that, and it also reduces nicely to LMN

which slips easily off the tongue
like a riff off the alphabet

[lostnfound]

11. And rightwingers can call it a lemon?

[Laughing Mirror]

12. why would you worry what rightwingers would call it?

anymore than leftwingers called Fox Faux?

[Tansy_Gold]

17. I **LOVE** lemons. . . . . .

. . . .and lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

But I do agree with the posters down-thread that NWI is a superb alternative to the usual drivel from the US networks. The removal of one of the shopping channels could only HELP -- I mean, good gracious, how many lavender ice cubic zirconia rings can a person own????

[Copperred]

13. Downstairsparts...

DOWNSTAIRS.....i have a plan 20 plus years in development sitting here... Our development team is slated to finish it in 04. I emailed with Joel...but was short...i want direct to Gore... If you get him to me.....i'll talk with him and show him a true vision...

RRK

[Fovea]

23. I agree

We need to call it "The American Freedom Channel"
The Slug?
'Be American, live free.'

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Actually, I hope Gore doesn't get to buy NWI

It's a superb resource just as it is, with Canadian and other international news reports. It was the only news channel I could stand to watch during the Iraq invasion.

I'd hate to see it disappear and become some dumbed-down clumsily "youth-oriented" programming.

Why doesn't he buy one of the shopping channels or fundie channels or something equally worthless?

[Copperred]

15. Right again....

U bring up an important point Lydia. If he cannot improve on what NWI is doing....or intergrate it into a larger vision without destroying its credibility......he should leave it alone.

RK

[dusty64]

16. Yeah but if ge gets

its hands on it ...... I kinda like "The Truth" as a name or something similar to highlight the fact that the rest of the media is full of propaganda and feeding us lies.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. How do you say "Truth" in Russian?

Pravda.

My point is that "Truth" is pretty hackneyed & easy to satirize.

[bicentennial_baby]

21. Same here

I'm gonna be pissed if I lose my NWI!

[jokerman93]

19. Designating a news outlet as "liberal"

(IMO) would be self defeating. If the news is hard hitting, critical, and well researched, you would have the kind of news and analysis we produce for ourselves here at DU.

Actually when you think of it, the FACTS of current events have no liberal bias. But armed with the facts, analysis and high quality forensic debate, viewers with a sovereign intellect and humanistic sense of values would be empowered. The network could then give instructions on how to participate locally, regionally, and nationally in the democratic process. People across the political spectrum could be prompted to civic participation in order to influence the course of policy determination and legislation in congress.

I suggest a name that trumps the propaganda networks but doesn't suggest a bias at all.

How about

Network One
PrimeNet
PrimeNet America
ParaNet USA
The LightSpeed Network

This is fun but I have work to do!

[GinaMaria]

20. Corporate Free News

CFN

Free of corporate bias. Just a thought.

[alfredo]

22. You know that Apple will advertize on his network.