by The Editors on October 29, 2009
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. may be in the process of considering the sell off Fuel TV to help finance an approximately $800 million purchase of Travel Channel from Discovery, according to a Media Memo column by All Things D’s Peter Kafka.
If News Corp. does part with the channel, it won’t be a whopper of a deal: Fuel TV, which features skate and surf-themed programming like “The Adventures of Danny and the Dingo” (I know. Me neither) boasts just 25 million subscribers — about half of what cable networks need to get taken seriously by operators and advertisers.
Kafka said he spoke to several Wall Street analysts and no one could come up with an approximate price for the channel, which isn’t all the surprising. No one knows what it’s actually worth, if anything.
[Link: All Things D]
by The Editors on October 29, 2009
This winter Portland snowboarders who want to catch a ride to Mt. Hood Meadows can do it any day of the week for $10 round trip in eco-style thanks to Mike Parziale and the Grease Bus. But there is much more to this story as Yobeat.com’s Jared Souney discovered in this video.
[Link: Yobeat.com]
by The Editors on October 29, 2009
Former Brighton UK pro skateboarder Steve Brooker, 48, spends a lot of his time these days down on the muddy banks of the Thames River, but he’s not homeless, according to a story in Time Magazine.
Brooker. . . is a member of the Mudlarks, a society of amateur archaeologists who are licensed by the Port of London Authority to scavenge the banks of the Thames for historical artifacts. Because of Brooker’s oversize frame, his talent for major discoveries and his overall awesomeness, he is known by admirers as the Mud God.
Apparently, Steve just loves getting down and dirty.
[Link: Time.com]
by The Editors on October 29, 2009
After sitting out the men’s side of Rip Curl Pro Search for what seemed like months, we didn’t even get a chance to check in with the women’s event until it was already over. And we’re bummed because we missed seeing Coco Ho, 18, win her first ASP Dream Tour event.
Ho exercised excellent judgment in the Final, patiently waiting while her elder opponent kept herself busy. With conditions deteriorating, the young Hawaiian let loose with a barrage of backhand hits on the dumpy lefthanders, collecting a 7.50 and an 8.33 to combo Hedges and take the win. . . “I knew Chelsea (Hedges) would be dangerous on the left after seeing her this morning getting those barrels,” Ho said. “This afternoon it turned into a more rippable wave and it was hard on the forehand, but I was lucky to get the waves I did.”
Our favorite, Steph Gilmore, lost to Chelsea Hedges in quarter final number two, but she held on to her lead in the ratings. Follow the jump for the rest of the details.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 28, 2009
Hey, look: Mick Fanning won the Rip Curl Pro Search. It is his third win this season. Is he unstoppable in this title race? If only Owen Wright hadn’t wrecked his ear drum then we’d might have a little better answer.
“Yesterday was one of the best days of competition I’ve ever seen and we all showed up today and had to adjust our frame of mind to deal with the drop in size and quality,” Fanning said. “I’ve been surfing conditions like this all summer at home so I knew what I had to do out there. I was able to pick off a couple of good scores at the start and then I basically had to sit on Bede (Durbidge) so he didn’t get any back on me.”
Follow the jump for the ASP press release.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 27, 2009
ASP and Rip Curl officials are promising that tomorrow will see the end of one of the most drawn out WCT events of the season, as the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Search rolls into the semi-finals. After that it will be up to Pipeline put a cap in the 2009 ASP World Championship Tour season.
Tomorrow kicks off with Bede Durbidge vs. Parko and Owen Wright vs. Mick Fanning in the semi finals. Heat two will definitely be the one to watch if Owen is able to surf after busting his eardrum during his round three heat with Damien Hobgood. Follow the jump for the official ASP press release.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 27, 2009
A six-meter long Great White shark regulator is apparently cruising Deadman’s Beach in Queensland, Australia, and taking bites out of other Great Whites according to a story on Metro.co.uk. Swimmers and surfers have been advised to stay out of the water after officials “found the remains of a smaller Great White that bitten almost entirely in half.”
Ashton Smith, a 19-year-old surfer, said: “Whatever attacked and took chunks out of this big shark must be massive. . . .”I’ve heard about the big one that’s lurking out there somewhere. . . “We’re all being very, very cautious and looking out for each other. Some people aren’t going in the water at all.”
Dun dun. . . We think we’d just stay behind the nets for a while.
[Link: Metro.co.uk and Telegraph.co.uk]
by The Editors on October 27, 2009
Marc Ecko just turned 51 percent of his clothing business into $63.5 million dollars in cash by selling the majority stake to Op and Mossimo parent Iconix Brands.
Iconix said it will form a joint venture company with an affiliate of the sellers of Ecko, whose brands include Ecko Unlimited, Marc Ecko, Rhino logo and Zoo York. . . “This new venture provides me the bandwidth for my brand and allows me the resources and freedom to extend my professional and creative ambitions beyond my current platform of fashion, video gaming and publishing,” said Mr. Ecko in a statement. He will continue as chief creative officer.
Wonder how Zoo York is going to get along with Walmat, Target , and Kohls?
[Link: Reuters and Crain’s New York Business]
by The Editors on October 26, 2009
At Billabong’s annual shareholder’s meeting today CEO Derek O’Neill explained a down year as well as the negative effects of the rising value of the Australian dollar, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
. . .after-tax profits had dropped more than 13 per cent to $152.8 million last financial year. . . O’Neill said the company’s net profit after tax would decrease by $500,000 for each one cent rise in the monthly average value of the Australian dollar against the US dollar.
For Billabong’s sake let hope the Australian dollars bites down hard in the next few months.
[Link: Sydney Morning Herald]
by The Editors on October 26, 2009
We got word this morning that Sinisa Egelja, the creative mind behind the emergence of the Airwalk skateboarding footwear brand, has died.
Sin, who was always eccentric, had one of the most creative minds in skateboarding. His footwear designs, which seemed delivered from the future, where endlessly boosted, ripped off, and appropriated by employers, competitors, and corporations. That coupled with personal troubles, made things extremely difficult for Sin, and for his family and friends during the past few years.
The last time we spoke Sin was especially hyped on his interview in Sneaker Freaker #10. The magazine, which came out in the summer of 2007, had finally given Sin the opportunity to tell the Airwalk story from his point of view (click the link to download the PDF). It was going to set the record straight once and for all. Sin believed the story would help put his career back into forward motion. Read it, and you’ll understand why. But things didn’t exactly go the way Sin had hoped and his life continued to be plagued with difficulty.
Our thoughts are with Sin’s family and friends who did so much for him over the past few years. Sadly, we don’t have any more details on his death. As soon as we get them, we’ll pass them along.
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. may be in the process of considering the sell off Fuel TV to help finance an approximately $800 million purchase of Travel Channel from Discovery, according to a Media Memo column by All Things D’s Peter Kafka.
