Media Notes

Carey Says Ad-Supported Broadcast  TV Model No Longer Works

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Georg Szalai reports News Corp. is considering a "plan to charge consumers for all of the company's news Web sites within a year." News Corp. Deputy Chair, President & COO Chase Carey also "argued that the ad-supported broadcast TV model 'doesn't work' anymore and mentioned international markets as a key growth opportunity" for the company. Carey added that Fox "should get paid for quality content like 'American Idol' and the NFL -- though he did not detail how, beyond saying that windowing content could provide opportunities in the digital age" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/6).

HOMETOWN TREATMENT: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez has been treated like a "martyr" by Yankees announcers after he admitted during the offseason to using performance enhancers, but Red Sox DH David Ortiz "will not be anointed with similar status" when the teams play tonight. Ortiz reportedly is on the list of 104 players who tested positive for PEDs in '03, and it is unlikely the Yankees broadcasters will "take a similar ... approach with Ortiz" as it did with Rodriguez. Raissman wonders how long it will take before Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay "calls Ortiz a hypocrite and reports that before he was outed, Big Papi called for a one-year suspension for any player who tested positive for steroids?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/6).

ON AN ISLAND: FROM THE RINK's James Mirtle noted former Islanders VP/Media Relations Chris Botta last week said his Islanders Point Blank blog "may not be around much longer," adding it is "no longer the 'team-sponsored blog.'" Botta launched the blog in '08, which was "bankrolled by the team and which quickly grew an enormous following." Botta pegged the audience of the blog "at about 400,000 unique visitors per month." Mirtle wrote the "sad reality is that monetizing something like Point Blank would likely be a long process" (FROMTHERINK.com, 7/30).

MISSING THE ACTION: LAOBSERVED.com's Kevin Roderick reported Tuesday's Brewers-Dodgers game, which featured the "most runs scored by the Dodgers at home in 20 years," was not seen in Port Hueneme, California, as the local cable company "switched from the game to 'Big Brother'" on KCAL-CBS (LAOBSERVED.com, 8/4).