To: surpow who wrote (1010 ) 12/8/1999 12:18:00 AM From: Estephen Respond to of 6516
MarketWatch Renegade PaineWebber media conference The picture from TV Guide By Jon Friedman, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 6:05 PM ET Dec 7, 1999 NewsWatch NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- When it comes to powerful brand names, you'd be hard pressed to find a better media magnet than TV Guide, which is in the midst of merging with Gemstar. TV Guide President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Boylan III sought to dispel any concerns by investors that the merger was problematic. "There are lots of silly rumors in the marketplace," he said, adding that he is "highly confident that the deal will clear Justice," referring to the U.S. Department of Justice. Today on CBS MarketWatch Nasdaq ends day at record high Yahoo shares thunder ahead IPO Report: Airnet Communications soars in debut Net stocks snap winning streak Productivity data shows biggest jump in seven years More top stories... CBS MarketWatch Columns Updated: 12/7/99 3:57:12 PM ET Boylan, who made his comments Tuesday at the 27th annual PaineWebber (PWJ: news, msgs) media conference in New York, stressed that TV Guide's (TVGIA: news, msgs) strong brand familiarity gives it an edge in the new digital media world. "We've got content second to none," Boylan said. He conceded that TV Guide Online is "relatively unnoticed" but said the magazine's strengths, such as the largest weekly readership in the world and its "intellectual property," will give it a leg up. "There is no substitute for a book that sits on a coffee table for a week with a pretty face on it.," he said. Shares of TV Guide rose 7 5/16 to 74 3/4; Gemstar (GMST: news, msgs) shares moved up 6 5/16 to 128 1/2.. cbs.marketwatch.com