Jan. 29 stock stats

Add a comment to this post with your company's closing price on Jan. 29 and current value of your investment. Please add this by the time class begins Monday.

Clear Channel Communications closed Friday

Clear Channel Communications closed at 10.70 on Friday.

I (Corey) choose Clear Channel Communications

I chose Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel is a privately owned company. The company was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs. Its headquarters is in San Antonio, Texas.

Clear Channel wields great influence in American radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and billboard advertising.

Daniel Shofner- Game Fly

I would like to follow gamefly corp. because i think it will be interesting to see how video game vendors do financially in the near futture.

Apple (Britton Barrett)
1/22 Closing price: $204.78
Investment value: $ 1,000

James Worsham - Liberty Media

I'm going to follow Liberty Media, who own 50% of Discovery Communications Inc., partial corporate owners of Direct TV Group Inc. as well as numerous other electronic media outlets.

Jan. 22 stock stats

Add a comment to this post with your company's closing price on Jan. 22. Please add this by the time class begins Monday.

Stephen Holmes - Electronic Arts

I'll go with Electronic Arts, the video game developer that owns BioWare and Mythic Entertainment (among other things). They've got EA Sports too - that's a pretty big deal. The most interesting part about them, though, is their recent initiative to buy out independent mobile game developers and try to corner the market for mobile devices. Because of their casual style and extremely cheap prices, mobile games (for the iPhone, etc) are starting to concern PC and console game manufacturers.

Kelli Minardo- Netflix

I am going with Netflix because I admire their business strategy, and how they were able to market their product. They have been able to keep up with technology, and it will be interesting to watch how the company matures.

Scripps Networks Interactive

I chose Scripps Networks Interactive because they own the Travel Channel and the Food Network as well as other cable networks. They are on the New York Stock Exchange. The Scripps Networks Interactive stock symbol is SNI.

Lauren Kilpatrick- Hewlett-Packard

Okay since Hearst won't work, I will choose Hewlett-Packard

Sam Huff - Rogers Communications

I chose Rogers Communications because of their large holdings in Canada. I also chose them because I like the Outdoor Life Channel (now Versus).

Brian Lane-AT&T (From Curtis Leitko's Profile)

I chose AT&T because it is a well known company and is very popular for their cell phone services as well as its up and coming U-Verse.

Jake Grinnell- Playfish

I chose Playfish, the company behind many of the newest social networking media games on facebook and myspace. I spend a large amount of time on facebook and social media, in my opinion, will only continue to rise. It will be interesting to follow this company throughout the semester.

Sutton McKee: I Choose Canon

I would like to take a stab at Canon as my company, due to their rapid growth in DSLR HD video technology.

Brett Odorizzi - Cumulus Broadcasting

I enjoy talking about radio and TV. I discuss radio online with some of the professionals in the industry. Some of the stations owned by Cumulus have adopted the new HD Radio technology. I really wonder if spending the money on that technology helps the company or hurts the company. I would love to compare a company that has adopted HD Radio on some of its stations verses a company that hasn't and compare the results.

James Evans - Warner Music Group

I chose Warner Music Group because I found it interesting that they are not owned by Time Warner. I also chose WMG because several of great artists are signed with them. I think it would be interesting to learn about this family of record labels.

Mathew Pilkington - Activision/Blizzard

I have chosen to follow Activision/Blizzard as my media company because I am extremely interested in video games and they have some of the most popular gaming series on the market. They revolutionized the music/rhythm genre with games like Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, and they showed that video games can compete with other media, as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 became the most profitable entertainment launch in history. The game alone has generated $1 billion in sales since its launch. After buying Blizzard, they are also in control of World of Warcraft, the most popular MMO in the world, with over 11 million players in the US alone. Their future looks bright.

The company I choose to follow is Vivendi S.A. They control several TV channels, but my main interest about them are their record labels.

Curtis Leitko - Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

I have chosen Lions Gate Entertainment for this assignment. I think this company offers a divers range of productions. Shows like MAD MEN and venters in consumer technology like video-on-demand and digitally delivered content make this a forward thinking production company. I am very interested in production companies like Lions Gate because I can easily see myself working with or for one in the future.

Danielle Stolley - Sirius XM Radio, Inc.

I would like to cover Sirius XM Radio, Inc. because I am passionate about the music and entertainment industry. Sirius XM Radio, Inc. has a wide range of demographics and stations, however the recent merger is still affecting it's customer base. It will be interesting to see if the company's popularity rises or falls.

Barron Swope - Adobe Systems

I chose to follow Adobe systems because they play such a big role in the media industry. Adobe is the producer of software such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, After Effects, Illustrator and many other programs that have set the standard for multimedia design. Information shows that Adobe has continuously increased yearly profit except for the most recent year of 2009. I am interested in following their financial performance because information stated Adobe believes demand will pick up in the upcoming year. This is important because their products are vital to the industry.

Lauren Kilpatrick- Hearst

I chose Hearst Corporation because they own many of the popular magazines such as O, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping. They have their foot in many mediums from networks like ESPN and Lifetime to interactive media such as Sirius/XM radio. I think it will be interesting to watch their progress in these different types of mediums through out the semester.

Brittany Miles - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM is a production and distribution company with its hand in a variety of different entertainment entities including films, television, home videos and theatrical productions to say the least. I have an interest in all of these media forms, making MGM a company that I would really enjoy working with. Watching this company's progress will not only be interesting but important to me as well.

Adam Kayati-- Entercom Communications

I chose to follow Entercom Communications, wihich is one of the largest radio braodcasting companies in the U.S. It has 110 stations in 23 markets and partners with professional sports teams. I would like to see how they stay strong as radio becomes less popular.

Drew Byrne - General Electric

I am going to follow General Electric for this project. Yes, it is the company, but after looking further into it, GE owns several NBC and Telemundo stations, as well as Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. I am really curious to find out how this company is able to own such a diverse range of companies from technology, media and financial services.

Tiffany Coffey - Microsoft Corporation

I chose the Microsoft Corporation because it branches across different media outlets. They own Xbox game consoles, Windows operating systems, the Zune music player, MSN, and MSN TV. I think it will be interesting to see how they progress.

WWE

WWE

Britton Barrett - Apple

I guess if nobodies called it, I'll get Apple.

Joshua Ramos - Yahoo

I have chosen Yahoo as my company. I have picked Yahoo because it has grown huge over the past couple of years. I think it will be interesting to see how their company evolves.

Kristen Martinez - News Corporation

I chose the News Corporation mainly because of its 20th Century Fox holdings, the same company who brought you movies such as Avatar and I Robot. I would like to direct/produce films and I think staying updated with the News Corporation would be a good experience. They also have several holdings in television, newspapers, and book publishers.

Alexe Phariss - CBS

I am choosing CBS as my media company to follow. I chose the company because it is well known. CBS owns Showtime, CSTV and The CW (partially). But the company also owns print publishing and radio stations. I think it will be interesting to report and research the company’s performance throughout the semester.

Brady Price- New York Times

I chose The New York Times because it is an old company transitioning into new media. The organization was founded in 1851, and has remained a viable media force. Their main income is from print media. I am interested in researching how The New York Times will continue to be profitable in a world where more people consume digital media than print.

Corye Gill- Time Warner Company

For my project I would like to follow the Time Warner Company. I have enjoyed television shows and movies that have been produced by the companies that it holds, not to mention the vast differences in the companies holdings. They have everything from magazines to film. It should make for an interesting prospect.

Nick Baughman - Sony Corp.

I have been a fan of Sony since I got my first Walkman (yes, I'm old enough to remember cassettes). They have their hands in everything from film production to consumer electronics. I wouldn't mind working for their marketing or advertising department.

Lauren Findley- Google

I choose Google because they are taking over the world, or the world wide web. Since I want to be a web designer they seemed like the perfect company to follow because they deal with the internet. It should be interesting to look deeper into their company.

Robin Garrett - Comcast

I have chosen Comcast corp. to follow this semester.
I am a fan of verses and like that they own several other sport related items
and also E! so I can take a break from sports every now and then. Also I think it would be
fun to work in the sports field.

Vicki Barge - Viacom

I have chosen the media company, Viacom, for this project. I am a fan of a few of the company's holdings (Comedy Central, Paramount, Dreamworks, etc.). I also have an interest in the company because my uncle, Jimmy Barge, is the Executive Vice President and Controller of Tax and Treasury for Viacom.

-Vicki Barge

Austin McDaniel - Disney

I would like to write about The Walt Disney Company because of the vast amount of medias and mediums that it owns such as ABC, the ESPN networks, as well as radio stations and children's networks. I have always had a great interest in how Disney is so succesfull. Their content always brings the next standard to the table in terms of quality and technology.

Following the market

1. Choose a media company.

• The company should be listed in one of the major U.S. markets (e.g., Dow Jones, Nasdaq, S&P).
• You should look at the parent company level (Viacom, not MTV; Belo, not WFAA-TV).
• Check out two good resources for finding media companies. Advertising Age lists the nation's 100 largest media companies, and Columbia Journalism Review has a "Who Owns What" feature that details many media companies' holdings.

2. Select your company and post your choice to the blog by Jan. 22.

• Only one person in the class may hold any given company. Check the blog to make sure no one else has your first choice.
• Along with the name of the company, include a brief (few sentences) rationale for your selection. For example, perhaps you're a fan of one or more of the company's holdings, you think the company will grow in the next few months, or you would like to work for the company some day.