CNYB 04-30-07 A 1 4/27/2007 7:23 PM Page 1 TOP STORIES BUSINESS LIVES Retailers switch The heavy stress of from defense adjusting to a new to offense with life after rapid their online stores weight loss ® PAGE 2 PAGE 27 Nightlife hot spot goes looking for cheaper digs VOL. XXIII, NO. 18 WWW.NEWYORKBUSINESS.COM APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2007 PRICE: $3.00 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, P. 6 What Don Imus can learn from the fall and rise Selling Bloomberg’s vision of Martha Stewart VALERIE BLOCK, PAGE 13 TEAM EFFORT: Administration mobilizes allies Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Tensions emerge to generate support in Albany aides spent five between Spitzer months briefing brief on changes needed from the constituencies and Bloomberg BY ANNE MICHAUD to build a Legislature. A coalition of 70 coalition. His THE INSIDER, PAGE 14 groups—from environmentalists plan includes mayor michael bloomberg and to labor and business interests— proposals Regime change his staff labored for nearly two has begun mobilizing to talk up the involving traffic, years on an ambitious plan for the plan with lawmakers. Called the transportation brings new ideas city’s growth over the next Campaign for New York’s and energy. to kitchen at Tavern quarter-century. Now the PlaNYC Future,the coalition has or- work of selling his vision to 2030 ganized a lobbying day on on the Green the public begins—a task Next Wednesday. PAGE 29 that may be just as arduous. Steps “This is a new concept Last week,two days after CONGESTION for New York, and it’s a the mayor had presented pricing’s silver complicated one,” says PlaNYC 2030,state legisla- lining Page 3 Deputy Mayor Daniel REPORT ENERGY plans tors began receiving infor- dovetail closely Doctoroff, who led mation packets detailing its Page 3 PlaNYC development. “It 127 initiatives. Included EDITORIAL: may take a lot of discussion nyc.gov: reed edward was an analysis of the com- A political map and compromise, and we’re muting patterns in each Page 12 eager to do that.” lawmaker’s district—a POLL: Narrow PlaNYC is a grand de- majority backs building block for winning Mike Page 13 sign to prepare New York NY FILM INDUSTRY approval for the most con- City to accommodate Plum is pick of indie troversial piece of PlaNYC: con- 900,000 more residents by 2030, crop; bigger budgets for gestion pricing. by adding capacity to parkland, distributors PAGE 17 The mayor’s lobbyists in Al- electrical supply, drinking water, bany have drawn up a two-page See ADMINISTRATION on Page 8 AT DEADLINE THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY’S PLAN to redevelop NBC’s ratings woes mount Lutnick Willets Point in Queens is likely to become a forum for versus the local property and business as key ad sales period begins owners to protest the use of eminent domain.The purpose loudmouth of the meeting is to hold a vised parent company General scoping session on the Former No. 1 Electric to spin off the NBC Uni- environmental impact of the network in cellar versal division, saying that the net- Cantor CEO and Economic Development work’s problems had become a Corp.’s plan for the area, now a after spending big; distraction. investor square off collection of auto body shops Wall Street restive Worst of all, the most recent over eSpeed and metal scrap yards next failures occurred despite NBC’s door to Shea Stadium. expensive effort to revive its repu- BY MATTHEW FLAMM tation for upscale, quality pro- BY AARON ELSTEIN NEW YORK DOWNTOWN gramming. HOSPITAL named Jeffrey it has been a tough spring for “The majority of what they after 658 Cantor Fitzgerald em- Menkes, a consultant at most of broadcast television, but it tried to do didn’t pan out,”says Bill ployees perished in the World PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been positively brutal for Carroll, director of programming Trade Center attacks, Chief Exec- chief executive. Earlier in his NBC. for consulting firm Katz Television utive Howard Lutnick staked his career, Mr. Menkes was chief The Peacock network has suf- Group.“They must be disappoint- brokerage’s fu- operating officer at Beth Israel fered through five straight weeks ed, given the investment they ture on eSpeed Medical Center, where he of its lowest prime-time ratings made.” Inc., an electron- headed an effort by the during a regular season since peo- lindström bekka Disappointed and frustrated, ic trading opera- See AT DEADLINE on Page 2 ple meters went into use two considering how well the season tion that he had decades ago. The dismal numbers come just started. created two years as NBC is preparing for the adver- Sunday Night Football,a new earlier. tising upfront sales period, ensur- face in the lineup,helped boost rat- “Godspeed to bloomberg news 18 Howard Lutnick 5 ing that the network will begin ne- ings among advertiser-friendly eSpeed—I love gotiating next season’s sales in 18- to 49-year-olds by 16%. The you,” Mr. Lutnick wrote in a pub- fourth place for the third straight drama Heroes became the biggest lic statement on Sept. 20, 2001. ELECTRONIC EDITION year. NBC plunged from its long- new hit on television. Game show At first, his faith was rewarded. time first-place perch in 2004. Deal or No Deal also took off. Trades once made over the phone Wall Street is concerned, too. But football season ended, and by Cantor brokers migrated almost NEWSPAPER On Friday, Citigroup analysts ad- See NBC’S on Page 8 See ACTIVIST on Page 9 71486 01068 0 CNYB 04-30-07 A 2 4/27/2007 7:28 PM Page 1 AT DEADLINE Continued from Page 1 mobile telecommunications and NY Post rehikes price hospital to reach out to New broadband startups. i-Hatch has York’s Asian communities. invested mostly in local tech That experience could be firms including mobile software to stem steady losses useful at New York Downtown, company Vindigo, which was which markets its services sold to For-Side in 2004. aggressively to residents of releasing the nearby Chinatown. “China- SO FAR, 13 OVERSEAS Move will put off latest circula- town is one of our main COMPANIES that have gone some readers; tion figures for communities; obviously, Jeff ’s public this year have elected to newspapers. experience at Beth Israel will list their shares on New York will ad rates drop Though num- fit right in with our goals,” says exchanges, according to with circulation? bers were ex- Dr. Bruce Logan, who has Renaissance Capital, a pected to be held the CEO and president Greenwich, Conn., research down across posts for three years. He will firm.That is three more to list BY MATTHEW FLAMM the country, resume his previous post as on the New York Stock Post Publisher medical chief. Exchange, Nasdaq or the the new york post returns to the Paul Carlucci American Stock Exchange real world of newspaper economics said in a recent than at this point last year. today,when it doubles its newsstand statement that Some business leaders price to 50 cents a copy. NEW YORK’S TABLOIDS enter a new phase of competition. the paper will contend that heavy The News Corp. tabloid has report “sub- regulation is discouraging been the lowest-priced daily in town stantial circula- getty images foreign companies from raising since it started selling at a discount circulation goes down,” says news- tion gains.” Six months ago, the THE FIRST capital in the United States. in 2000. The 25-cent newsstand paper industry analyst John Mor- Post’s circulation rose 5% to 704,011. MAJOR MOVIE price worked successfully as a key ton.“The question is how much the The Daily News, owned by real es- PREMIERE in Queens DELOITTE & TOUCHE IS factor in the Post’s relentless climb to lower circulation will affect adver- tate developer Mortimer Zucker- takes place today when CONSIDERING the launch of surpass the Daily News in circula- tising rates.” man, increased 1% to 693,382. Spider-Man 3 is unveiled at a campus-like training center tion, but also contributed to a river “[Post executives] are confident Kaufman Astoria Studios. More called Deloitte University.The of red ink. Estimates of its losses Gains in ad revenue enough at this point that they’re not than 3,000 people are expected Manhattan-based consulting range from $10 million to $75 mil- the post has made gains in ad- going to lose circulation,” says a to attend the event, which is firm plans to hold at least 75% lion a year. vertising in the last year as its circu- newspaper industry insider. being held in Queens because of its training exercises, Observers expect that the paper lation has grown, but its advertising A spokesman for the Post did not it’s the home borough of Peter conferences and events at the will shed some readers, but say that revenue still lags far behind the return a call. Executives at the Dai- Parker, aka Spider-Man.The site, according to a company the move is still worthwhile. News’. ly News declined to comment. premiere kicks off a citywide official.The location of the “It’ll increase revenue and reduce The move to 50 cents comes as promotional week organized by facility has not been determined, newsprint costs to the extent that the Audit Bureau of Circulations is COMMENTS? [email protected] NYC & Company and and the size of the investment Columbia Pictures. Other was not disclosed. events will include a live-spider exhibition at the American PATINA RESTAURANT GROUP MUCH MORE THAN A REARGUARD ACTION Museum of Natural History, IS TAKING OVER a management Spider-Man workout classes at contract at Walt Disney Crunch gyms and Spider-Man World’s Epcot in Orlando, sightseeing tours on Gray Line Fla., from Alfredo of Rome, a buses.