Fox offered an $80 billion deal to Time Warner for the two companies to merge into one giant entertainment force, but Time Warner declined the offer. Also, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a passenger plane carrying 295 people, has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border. Then, how do you deal with embarrassing digital moments?
How will the entertainment industry change if the Fox and Time Warner merger goes through?
21st Century Fox and Time Warner Inc have been rivals for years in the entertainment industry, but that might be changing soon. Fox offered an $80 billion deal to Time Warner for the two companies to merge into one giant entertainment force, but Time Warner declined the offer. 21st Century Fox owns the television networks Fox, Fox News, FX and operates 20th Century Fox film company -- which has made over a billion dollars domestically just in this year. Time Warner owns HBO, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. and CNN. If these two companies were to combine, the total revenue is estimated at $65 billion.
With a merge this size, industry experts say this deal could face antitrust scrutiny. The two companies combined would control a large amount of the entertainment business, both in terms of money and content. One key part in the merger deal is Fox wants Time Warner to sell CNN -- a direct competitor to Fox News.
With a desire to control and change content even before a deal has been made, how much will the entertainment industry be affected if this goes through?
Guests:
Amanda Wait, partner at Hunton and Williams LLP, represents clients in antitrust litigation and government antitrust investigations
Matthew Belloni, Executive Editor at Hollywood Reporter
Malaysia Airlines flight reportedly shot down over Ukraine
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a passenger plane carrying 295 people, has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border. An advisor to Ukraine’s Interior Minister reports that the aircraft was shot down, though both the Ukrainian government and Russian separatists deny involvement. Malaysia Airlines confirmed that it lost contact with Flight 17 over Ukrainian airspace -- there are indications that the plane came apart at cruising altitude. Reporters at the wreckage site say that the debris field is large, and there have already been bodies found in the area.
What are the potential motivations behind this incident? How will the involved parties deal with the situation? Will the U.S. potentially be involved?
Guests:
Robert English, Director of the USC School of International Relations; he’s an expert on Ukraine and the politics of Russia and former Soviet states.
Michael Barr, instructor in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Aviation Safety and Security Program; he’s an expert on air crashes and investigations.
How smartphone addicts slow down restaurant service
Smartphones at restaurants can be both a help and a hindrance to their business owners. On the one hand, customers posting Instagram foodie photos or Yelp check-ins can be great promotion.
On the other hand, patrons who spend a ton of time texting, talking, and scrolling on their smartphones can slow down service and table turnover.
One New York City restaurant reportedly analyzed customer behavior using in-house video from 2004 and compared it to video from 2014. (Note: some publications say the anonymous restaurant rant is a fake.) It's said that the owners were trying to figure out why their service had slowed considerably over the years, despite adding staff.
In 2004, the average start-to-finish time of a table was one hour and five minutes.
In 2014, it jumped to one hour and fifty-five minutes - with most of the time being wasted by customers eyeing their phones instead of reading the menu, eating food or paying the bill.
Are you guilty of dragging out your restaurant experience by focusing on your phone? If you’re in the industry, how do you see customers interact with their phones?
Guest:
Luke O'Neil, Journalist who writes about the food industry and worked in the industry for ten years.
Used cars with best value and safety for young drivers
Recognizing that most young drivers get used cars as their first set of wheels, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released its first ever list of recommended used vehicles for teens.
The list emphasizes crash protection and safety technology knowing that inexperienced young drivers are higher risks. The IIHS list offers a range of price points - from a $5,000 Saab 9-3 to a $19,000 Toyota Prius v.
The recommendations also remind parents to steer away from high horsepower vehicles. What is the right car for the young driver in your life? What about keeping insurance rates down?
Guest:
Carroll Lachnit, Consumer Advice Editor, Edmunds.com
How do you deal with embarrassing digital moments?
Accidental reply-alls, unintended uploads, autocorrect mishaps, and undeleted photos. Almost everyone has a story of a digital mishap that left them feeling embarrassed.
With the number of devices we use daily ever-growing and the number of ways to interact always changing, it’s hard to keep track of our digital behavior. Accidentally sharing something in the cloud, replying to the whole office on a private work email, or texting the wrong person is just the tip of the iceberg.
Not everyone’s story of digital embarrassment is quite as extreme as the plot of the new movie Sex Tape, starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, but even a relatively minor technological flub can leave someone blushing.
What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you online? How did you deal with the fallout? Is digital embarrassment as tangible as an offline incident?
Guest:
Karen North, Ph.D., Director, Annenberg Program on Online Communities, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; psychologist specializing in online communities