In an article which revealed an upturn in UK regional newspaper property advertising (Johnston buoyed by property ads), the Financial Times quoted an optimistic Johnston Press which predicted that the "total advertising revenues [should] fall less than 3 per cent in the third quarter of 2010, compared with a nadir of 32.7 per cent declines in the depth of the recession last year".
Douglas McCabe was asked for his view. He said: “It’s hard to share Johnston’s optimism that job or property advertising are going to improve or even stay flat in the next year.”
In an interview with Gavin Patterson, Chief Executive of BT Retail (Sleeping giant wakes up to technology), the Financial Times observed that BT Vision "has not tackled its rivals impressively since launching in 2006. With fewer than 500,000 subscribers, it missed its initial target of 2m-3m". The article also revealed that BT's average revenues per broadband customer were declining in the company’s first quarter, due to discounting.
Ian Watt was asked for his view. He estimated that BT will need 2m customers to match Sky’s cost base and see the real benefits start to flow.
Speculating on the future of Channel Five following its acquisition by Richard Desmond(Knives at Five: Can Richard Desmond rescue his new channel?), the Independent observed: "all eyes are on his next move, as he sets about building a business that he wants to "go toe-to-toe with the biggest players in the TV world".
Claire Enders was asked for her view. She said when the deal closed that his edge was in the "free publicity" from his publications. "He will build the buzz and the glamour in the publications, which is something the channel has been sorely lacking."
