LOCAL BRIEFS: AJC to reduce circulation area

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will reduce its circulation area to 27 counties in and around metro Atlanta and cut 56 full-time and 100 part-time jobs as the media industry faces “unprecedented economic challenges,” the company said Wednesday.

The cutback —- the third such move since early 2007 —- will eliminate circulation in 22 counties: Banks, Butts, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Greene, Habersham, Haralson, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Morgan, Pickens, Rabun, Spalding, Towns, Troup, Union, and White in Georgia, along with Cherokee, Clay and Macon counties in North Carolina. The change is effective Jan. 11.

The move will reduce daily and Sunday circulation about 5 percent. But it will not significantly affect overall readership —- a measure of readers rather than the number of copies —- because that is based on a 28-county area, the AJC said.

—- Staff report

Switch to digital could boost cable

Cable networks stand to benefit when over-the-air TV stations switch to digital broadcasting next year, an executive with Turner Broadcasting System said Wednesday.

Advertising-supported cable networks have added an average 8 million viewers since 2004 —- the last time there was a presidential election and the Olympics in the same year —- and could increase those figures as more people sign up for cable and satellite TV before the February deadline, said Jack Wakshlag, Turner’s chief research officer, on a conference call.

About 7.4 percent of the nation’s population still watches analog TV and will need to buy a converter box before Feb. 17, according to Nielsen Media Research data supplied by Turner. But Wakshlag said about 37 percent of those viewers are switching to cable or satellite TV, according to Nielsen research.

“That’s a big number,” he said on Turner research’s end-of-the-year press briefing.

And, it’s good for companies like Turner, which owns cable networks TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network and TruTV.

“Instead of being in a home with four channels or five, you have 100 or 200,” Wakshlag said.

—- Kristi E. Swartz

2080 Media buys PlayON Sports

Newly formed digital media company 2080 Media has bought the assets of PlayON Sports from Turner Sports International Enterprises, the company announced Wednesday.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PlayON Sports is a digital media company that produces and distributes untelevised, live events on the Internet. Its clients include the Atlanta Coast Conference and Raycom Media.

David Rudolph, CEO of 2080 Media, said the company is going to focus on fast-growing high school markets as well. “The bigger market long term is the high school market,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph, a former Turner executive, recently left the Atlanta-based media company after 13 years to form what is now 2080 Media. The company closed on a round of $3 million in financing last week. The lead investors were Imlay Investments, and others included Buckhead Investment Partners and Noro-Moseley Partners.

Turner is a shareholder in 2080 Media.

—- Kristi E. Swartz