Movie theaters are wary of rumbles by big movie producers, including Disney, who want to sell DVDs the same day the movie hits the big screen.

Iger said, “I don’t think it’s out of the question that a DVD can be released in effect in the same window as a theatrical release. Although I’m sure we will get a fair amount of push-back on this from the industry, it’s not out of the question. I think that all the old rules should be called into question because the rules in terms of consumption have changed so dramatically.”

While no major exhibitor has suggested taking aggressive action against Disney based on Iger’s comments, theater owners in the past have shown tremendous resistance to anyone who advocates a compressed windows strategy. Many in the industry believe it’s just a matter of time until a major studio attempts such an experiment in the hope of reducing marketing costs and maximizing profits across the various platforms.

Apple’s iPod and iTunes is proving to be a serious challenge in Sony’s own backyard.

Variety reports that TV execs are concerned about declining summer audiences, which may make new show launches difficult in the fall.

With three weeks left to go, the broadcast nets are down a collective 10% among adults 18-49 vs. last summer — and 15% in viewers 18-34. ABC is the only net up over last year, while Fox is flat; other four nets are down sharply.

This summer’s slump is particularly disappointing after a regular season in which the Big Six managed to stem the tide of erosion with a bevy of buzzmaking skeins.

A new Al-Qaeda group plans to use our own media technologies against us by spreading terroristic images to American families.

An al-Qaeda linked-group has launched what it calls a media jihad, or holy war, to “terrorise” United States-led forces in Iraq and their families by bombarding them with e-mails and by posting gruesome photos online.

The group, calling itself the “Brigade of Media Jihad”, called on its militants to “post terrifying pictures on the internet in order to terrorise the enemy”, said a statement on an Islamist website whose authenticity could not be verified.

Hat tip: Wizbang

Two of the major networks face decisions that stand to change the look and function of evening network news.

As the fall television season arrives with its larger audiences and advertising budgets, CBS and ABC need to find formats that will at least maintain what have been falling audiences.

Jennings, Rather and Brokaw no longer come into our homes every night. Brian Williams is network TV’s only permanent anchor; Bob Schieffer is temporary at CBS, and Charlie Gibson and Elizabeth Vargas at ABC are filling in while their network decides what to do. And those questions become even more pressing, not only because of the lower viewership for the evening newscasts over the summer but because the numbers have dropped so much over the past 25 years.

Google’s plans to scan academic libraries’ books into the Internet have been put on hold while publishers worry about copyright infringements.

The project troubles publishers because they fear making digital versions of copyright books available on the internet could open the door to unauthorized duplication and distribution, similar to the rampant online pirating that has decimated sales in the music industry.

Publishers are also upset that Google might be able to generate more advertising revenue by offering an index of copyright books and so far hasn’t offered to pay any royalties for its potential financial gains.

A two-week blogstorm about a scandal at the liberal Air America finally crosses into the MSM today.

A Washington Post staffer takes an opportunity to critique his newspaper to tell newspapers to calm down on critiques and redesigns, and to start to act and look like big, bad newspapers again.

I think we’ve overlistened to people who never read the paper, and yet insist it include more about their neighborhoods, lives, and concerns. A newspaper is filled with criminals, celebrities and fools and I for one am happy when it doesn’t include my life or neighborhood in theirs.

Then again, no one is interested in my new slogan for The Post: “News Flash: Everything’s Not Always About You.”

Hat tip: NRO