News Round Up: BBC, Sky reshuffle, Black's Leisure continues buyer search, Lady Gaga adorns most mag covers
This final news round up of the day sees Sky consider a 'reshuffle' of its channels, Lada Gaga named the celebrity to feature on the most magazine covers and BBC's director general become Chair of the Cultural Diversity Network.
BBC Director-General to chair Cultural Diversity Network
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson has signed up to become Chair of the Cultural Diversity Network for the next two years, taking over from Channel 4's Chief Executive David Abraham. Thompson will lead an association of Britain's leading broadcasters and independent production companies to improve diversity in the television industry – both on screen and behind the camera. He said: "Everyone working in broadcasting has a responsibility for promoting diversity both on and off screen. By drawing on the talents of all parts of society and reflecting their lives on screen, we can make better programmes for audiences." CEOs and senior executives from the major UK broadcasters will meet later this month to agree a common diversity strategy for the coming year.
Sky reshuffles shows after Bravo closure
Sky has announced a reshuffle of its entertainment content line-up in response to the closure of cable channel Bravo, reports Digital Spy. The Bravo channels - acquired by Sky last June as part of the £160m deal to purchase the Living TV Group - ceased broadcasting on all digital TV platforms, including Sky and Virgin Media on New Year’s Day. The satellite broadcaster opted to scrap Bravo because it serves a similar demographic to Sky1, while Channel One, previously Virgin1, will also shut down some time in 2011. Sky has reallocated some of Bravo's most popular programmes to its other entertainment channels including Sky1.
Blacks Leisure still searching for buyer
The Times is reporting that Blacks Leisure, the British outdoor goods retailer, is still in talks with potential buyers including rival GO Outdoors. The owner of Millets and Blacks Leisure shops said this morning that trading had improved over the Christmas shopping period and that the buy-out process remains "ongoing". In October, Blacks appointed McQueen Ltd as advisers to assess a number of approaches. Total sales in December for the business increased by 12.9% as the snow and cold weather helped sales of outdoor wear. However, total sales in the final three months of last year were £85.4 million, down from £95.8 million for the same period in 2009.
And finally…
Lady Gaga dominates U.S magazine covers
U.S pop star Lady Gaga helped shift the most magazines on American newsstands in 2010, says new circulation figures printed in the Guardian today. Covers featuring the Gaga in Rolling Stone (July, 245,000 copies sold) and Cosmopolitan (April, 1.7 million copies sold) were their best-selling issues of the year. Vanity Fair's September issue with Gaga on the front was the title's second-best seller of the year (behind Angelina Jolie). The Lady was also the cover girl in the January issue of Elle, which was the magazine's third-best seller in 2010. Gaga's next stop, according to online rumours is a Vogue cover in March.