June 14, 2013

Gannett to buy TV station owner Belo for $1.5BBy Barbara Ortutay & Bree Fowler, Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Gannett Co., the publisher of USA Today, is buying TV station owner Belo Corp. for about $1.5 billion. If approved, the all-cash deal will make Gannett the fourth-largest broadcast group in the U.S.

Gannett already owns television stations as well as dozens of newspapers. But the deal transforms Gannett from “a newspaper company with broadcast and digital assets to being a broadcast company with strong newspaper and digital assets,” said Ken Doctor, a media analyst with Outsell Inc.

Under the agreement announced Thursday, Gannett will pay $13.75 per share for the Dallas-based TV station operator. That represents a 28 percent premium over Belo’s closing stock price on Wednesday.

The acquisition nearly doubles Gannett’s portfolio of stations from 23 to 43, reaching nearly one-third of U.S. households. Gannett, which is based in McLean, Va., will own 21 stations in the country’s top 25 television markets. The company said the deal will give it access to what it said are some of the fastest-growing television markets, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, as well as Seattle and Portland, Ore.

The move should help stabilize Gannett at a time when the newspaper business is faltering. Last year, revenue at Gannett’s publishing business fell nearly 3 percent to $3.7 billion, compared with a year earlier. By contrast, broadcast revenue grew more than 25 percent to $906 million, much of it from political advertising.

In recent months, Gannett’s newspapers have turned to a new revenue source: charging readers fees to access many of their websites. Because of that, revenue in the publishing division was mostly unchanged at $871 million in the first three months of the year.

But broadcast revenue during the same period grew nearly 9 percent to $192 million, even without major political campaigns.

In the latest quarter, earnings increased 53 percent to $105 million, boosted by a tax benefit and the new website fees. The company’s revenue was up less than 2 percent, meeting Wall Street’s expectations.

Doctor said the deal will give Gannett more negotiating clout over fees that local TV stations get from cable and satellite TV companies for the right to include those stations on cable and satellite systems.

“The pressures on profit in the newspaper sector are much greater than in the broadcast sector,” the analyst said.

Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher by circulation, also will assume $715 million in debt. Gannett said it is paying for Belo with cash it has or plans to borrow.

After the announcement, the stocks of both companies soared to their highest levels since 2008. Belo Corp.’s shares jumped $3.04, or 28 percent, to close at $13.77, the high for the day. Gannett’s stock rose $6.75, or 34 percent, to $26.60 after peaking at $26.75.

Gannett President and CEO Gracia Martore called the acquisition an important step in Gannett’s diversification and said it will significantly improve the company’s cash flow and financial strength.

“We have been successfully transforming Gannett into a diversified multimedia company with broadcast, digital and publishing components across high-growth markets nationwide,” Martore said in a conference call with analysts.

Gannett expects the deal to increase its adjusted earnings by 50 cents per share within the first 12 months and generate $175 million in annual cost savings within three years after closing.

Belo President and CEO Dunia Shive said the sale is an “outstanding and financially compelling transaction” for her company’s shareholders.

The deal, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to close by the end of 2013. It needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission and at least two-thirds of Belo shareholders.

The FCC may require Gannett to sell some stations or newspapers it owns because of rules restricting multiple media outlets in the same market. The companies said only five markets are potentially affected — Phoenix, St. Louis, Portland/Salem, Ore., Louisville, Ky., Tucson, Ariz.

Belo executives and shareholders representing about 42 percent of the company’s voting power have agreed to support the sale, the companies said.

ESPN to kill 3-D broadcasts by end of yearBy Peter Svensson, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN will stop broadcasting in 3-D by the end of the year, the network said Wednesday, dealing a major blow to a technology that was launched with great fanfare but has been limping along for years.

The sports network said there were too few viewers to make 3-D broadcasts worth it. It didn’t say exactly how many viewers had, but the number was “extremely limited and not growing.”

Last year, only 2 percent of TVs in the U.S. were able to show 3-D programming, according to the most recent data from research firm IHS Screen Digest.

ESPN 3D launched in 2010 as one of nine 3-D channels that followed on the release of James Cameron’s “Avatar.” TV makers rushed to introduce 3-D sets as well. ESPN said then that it expected a “3-D tsunami” in the industry.

But few consumers proved willing to pay the extra $200 or so for a 3-D-capable set. The sets also required viewers to wear glasses, and many people felt the 3-D effect didn’t add that much to the viewing experience.

Optometrists say as many as one in four viewers have problems watching 3-D movies and TV, either because the technology causes tiresome eyestrain or because they have problems perceiving depth.

TV makers have turned their focus to increasing the resolution of their sets to the “Ultra HDTV” level and getting broadcasters to take advantage of that.

ESPN said it would be ready to provide the broadcasts again “if or when 3D does take off.”

ESPN is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

Davis Named President, Prodn. Administration for Columbia Pics
CULVER CITY, Calif.–Andrew Z. Davis has been named President of Production Administration for Columbia Pictures, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures.

A respected industry veteran, Davis, in his new role, will supervise all aspects of physical production including post production and visual effects for all Columbia Pictures films as well as live-action portions of films from Sony Pictures Animation.  He will work closely with President of Worldwide Business Affairs and Operations Andrew Gumpert, President of Production Hannah Minghella and Sony Pictures Digital Productions President Bob Osher to manage physical production while supporting the creative needs of the studio.  Davis will report to Belgrad. Columbia Pictures’ physical production, post production, and visual effects executives will report to Davis.

Davis takes over the role from Gary Martin, who is retiring after 51 years in the entertainment industry, 32 years at Columbia Pictures, and overseeing the production of more than 600 films.

Davis oversaw physical production at MGM from 2003 to 2005, then returned to producing motion pictures.  He most recently executive produced In Time, starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, Your Highness, starring Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman, and Role Models, starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. 

 Davis was the producer on the blockbuster comedy Rush Hour 3 and executive producer of Rush Hour 2, both directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Prior to that, he executive-produced Universal’s Red Dragon, directed by Ratner and starring Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton and Ralph Fiennes, and The Family Man, also directed by Ratner and starring Nicolas Cage and T�a Leoni; the critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama Love & Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, starring Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard; the hit Enemy of the State, starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman; and Love Affair, starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. Davis also produced the action film Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche. His other producer credits include Lost Angels, Sid and Nancy, and Tapeheads.

New Myspace takes it back to the futureBy Chris Talbott, Music Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tim and Chris Vanderhook think Myspace had it right — at one point. And they believe they’ve revived and improved that formula for success as the revamped first titan of social media debuts its latest incarnation.

The Vanderhooks unveiled the new Myspace.com Wednesday, revealing a site focused on entertainment that combines social networking with streaming music. There are new features aimed at helping musicians, writers and other artists connect with their followers, an app and a radio function.

“Today more than ever there’s this need for a creative ecosystem that kind of caters to the creative community and that’s both a social network and the streaming services attached,” Tim Vanderhook said. “For us when we looked at it, we really talked to a lot of artists and … they all said, ‘I use all these various platforms but none of them really do what we need.’ What they really needed, they explained to us, was a home.”

The launch comes nearly two years after the Irvine, Calif.-based Specific Media owners teamed with Justin Timberlake to buy the ailing website for $35 million, a fraction of the $560 million News Corp. paid for it in 2005.

The new owners briefed media this week in the run-up to release. Timberlake was not made available, but the company says he provides the strategic vision for the company and was the person behind the idea of focusing on the creative community.

The Vanderhooks believe the previous owners made a mistake when they tried to compete with emerging force Facebook. At its peak, they believe Myspace was driven by a sense of discovery and sharing. Bands, for instance, would post songs, tour schedules and blogs for fans to follow. It was more direct than a website and gave users the first true sense of social media’s larger possibilities.

“Everyone had a lot of fun on Myspace at one point,” Chris Vanderhook said. “It’s easy to kick it and say, oh, yeah, Myspace sucks now, but everyone had fun on Myspace before. It’s just that they didn’t keep pace with technology and they didn’t keep up with the times.”

The site continues to help those bands (or filmmakers or writers) with analytics that measure fan response and other tools to help them grow.

And by focusing on artists initially, they’re gambling fans will soon follow in large numbers.

“We think the creative class is about 38 million people in the United States and growing every single day,” Tim Vanderhook said. “And by really servicing that group, we think reaching out to one level past that — all of their fans and the creative consumers that like this type of entertainment — we think are going to be critical to our success.”

The deal to purchase Myspace drew plenty of attention — partly for Timberlake’s involvement and partly for what seemed the foolhardy nature of the venture. Even the Vanderhooks admit Myspace was on a downward spiral that should have ended in the site’s demise. But they became infatuated with it in 2008 as they watched it fade and were convinced it could be rescued.

The revamped site debuts at a particularly competitive time, however, with Apple launching iRadio this week and other established brands like Google moving into the streaming field using the subscription model, the radio model or both.

The Vanderhooks don’t start from scratch, however. They say the site still has 27 million users in the United States and about twice that worldwide. Those users will be switched to the new site Wednesday and the previous version will disappear.

“Keep playing up the crazy angle so when people actually do decide that we made a good decision, it will serve our ego even bigger,” Chris Vanderhook said with a laugh. “To the average person out there they think you’re totally nuts, but no, I don’t think we’re crazy, to be honest.”

Facebook introduces hashtagsBy Barbara Ortutay, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook is introducing hashtags, the number signs used on Twitter, Instagram and other services to identify topics being discussed and allow users to search for them.
    Facebook Inc. said in a blog post Wednesday that users will be able to click a hashtag to see a feed of discussions about a particular topic. For example, typing a number sign in front of “ladygaga” or “sunset” will turn the words into a link that users can click on to find posts about Lady Gaga or sunsets.

Facebook said hashtags are a first step toward making it easier for users to find out what others are discussing. The company is not giving exact details about other tools it might introduce. If Twitter’s use of hashtags is any indication, Facebook will likely incorporate them into its advertising business.

“We’ll continue to roll out more features in the coming weeks and months, including trending hashtags and deeper insights, that help people discover more of the world’s conversations,” wrote Greg Lindley, product manager for hashtags, in the post.

The hashtags will conform to users’ privacy settings — so putting a hashtag in a post that’s only visible to your friends won’t make it show up for anyone other than your friends.

Facebook said it will make the clickable hashtags available to users in the coming weeks, beginning on Wednesday. Though hashtags haven’t worked on Facebook until now, many people were using them anyway, having grown accustomed to them on Twitter, Instagram and elsewhere.

Using hashtags will help users gain a larger view of what others are talking about, Lindley said.

Comcast’s new X2 platform saves TV shows onlineBy Ryan Nakashima, Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Worried about filling up your DVR? The nation’s largest cable TV provider, Comcast Corp., is rolling out a new TV platform that does away with the hard drive and saves your TV shows online.

Comcast unveiled the platform, called X2, on Tuesday at the annual gathering of cable TV companies, The Cable Show. The system takes its name from the X1 platform that it introduced last year, and will be available to customers later this year.

The update is akin to a new operating system for cellphones or computers and will also work on X1 set-top boxes through an optional update delivered over the Internet. Comcast also unveiled a small set-top box for secondary TVs in a home. It is a third the size of a normal set-top box.

X2 is one of many offerings from cable TV companies that seek to improve the living room experience. Time Warner Cable Inc. showed off an updated channel guide with personalized recommendations that it plans to roll out on new set-top boxes this year.

Cable and satellite TV companies have faced criticism for offering hundreds of channels while providing clunky guides that make it difficult to find shows. As they seek to keep customers, cable providers are updating channel grids. Newer guides do a better job of showing off what’s available on-demand, what’s saved on the digital video recorder, and what’s on live TV.

The X2’s channel guide acts more like a website than traditional channel guides. Customers can customize the view to include weather and road traffic apps. Program listings include movie ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a “buzz” meter showing how many posts from Twitter a particular show is getting each hour. The guide also displays video from the Web, and includes voice-enabled search results for the first time.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts demonstrated the new guide’s search ability by saying, “Find Don Cheadle.” The guide pulled up 25 movies and TV shows featuring the actor as well as videos from the Web.

“The whole look and feel is meant to be easy, personal, smart, fast and fun,” Roberts said. “And I think we’re just scratching the surface.”

The company says that because its new guides rely on Internet technology, they can be changed as easily as updating a website. Comcast has updated its guide 1,200 times since the X1 set-top box was introduced in May 2012. Its new guide will work on tablet computers and smartphones as well.

Comcast, with 21.9 million TV subscribers, expects to save money in the long run with its X2 platform by eliminating the hard drive from digital video recorders. Executives also said it would help TV network operators by giving them the chance to insert TV commercials into shows that customers have saved online.

That ad-insertion technology represents a shot at Dish Network Corp., which irked broadcasters with its Hopper DVR because it automatically strips commercials from prime-time shows for playback later.

“You notice we don’t skip commercials here,” said Comcast’s chief technology officer, Tony Werner.

Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second largest cable TV company with 12.1 million TV subscribers, also this week conducted private showings of the guide it plans to test in New York, Los Angeles and Syracuse, N.Y., this fall before rolling it out to new customers and its top-tier subscribers this year.

Its guide also uses Internet tools for easy updating from afar.

It recommends shows based on a user’s history and what they’re searching for; allows people to browse shows by genre and title; and adds cover art to everything. One channel surfing function displays cover art of what’s playing on half a dozen channels in either direction on the lineup. Flipping through the channels scrolls through cover art until you settle on a channel to watch.

Time Warner Cable’s updated set-top box has a 1 terabyte hard drive capable of saving 150 hours of high-definition content. Smaller boxes are also being prepared for other TV sets that use the central DVR on the home network.

“It’s about making a seamless and frictionless experience for customers to more easily find the shows they want,” said Alix Cottrell, group vice president of video for Time Warner Cable. Cottrell said the company expects the improved guide to help increase TV usage “dramatically” as well as make customers more satisfied.

Customer retention is seen as increasingly important for the cable TV industry, which has lost about 10 million TV subscribers in the United States over the last decade — down to 56.4 million in 2012, from 66.9 million in 2001, according to research firm SNL Kagan.

Most of them have switched to satellite companies such as DirecTV or Dish, or gone with TV services from phone companies including Verizon and AT&T, lured by promotional prices and fancier interfaces. Overall, the number of pay TV subscribers across all providers has been steady at about 100 million U.S. homes.

Nintendo focuses on games at E3 with new ‘Mario’By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s all about the games for Nintendo.

Instead of a typical flashy presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the Japanese gaming giant opted to showcase several games for its Wii U system during a brief Tuesday presentation at its booth on the show floor of the gaming industry’s annual trade show.

“Today is different,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told those gathered inside the behemoth white structure. “It’s the reason you’re gathered here inside of our booth — standing instead of sitting — because it was our decision to minimize the time from when we said ‘good morning’ and you getting to play the game.”

Nintendo showed off the cartoony strategy game “Pikmin 3,” anti-gravity racer “Mario Kart 8,” 2D platformer “Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze,” 3D platformer “Super Mario 3D World,” slick action sequel “Bayonetta 2” and a speedier rendition of “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” for the Wii U.

The company also flaunted — but didn’t allow attendees to play — a new installment in the fighting series “Super Smash Bros.” The new edition will feature such characters as Mario, Mega Man and the female yoga trainer from Wii Fit.

The company has struggled since November with the launch of the Wii U, which features an innovative tablet-like controller yet graphics on par with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Nintendo said it sold just 3.45 million units by the end of March, well below the company’s expectations.

During showy Monday presentations, Microsoft and Sony hyped their respective next-generation consoles. Microsoft touted new games for the Xbox One, which it said will cost $499, while Sony unveiled its boxy $399 console, the PlayStation 4. Both consoles feature richer graphics and deeper social networking capabilities.

Google snaps up Waze to add to mapping serviceBy Michael Liedtke, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is buying online mapping service Waze in a $1.03 billion deal that keeps a potentially valuable tool away from its rivals while allowing it to gain technology that could improve the accuracy and usefulness of its own popular navigation system.

The acquisition announced Tuesday ends several months of speculation as Waze flirted with potential buyers interested in its rapidly growing service. Waze blends elements of a social network into its maps to produce more precise directions and more reliable information about local traffic conditions.

Google Inc. is believed to have trumped two of its fiercest foes, Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc., in the bidding for Waze, which is based in Israel but also maintains a Palo Alto, Calif., office near all three of the Silicon Valley giants.

“We evaluated many options and believe Google is the best partner,” Waze CEO Noam Bardin wrote in a Tuesday blog post.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but The Associated Press confirmed the sale price with a person familiar with the negotiations. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was not authorized to discuss the matter. Google isn’t expected to disclose the price until it discusses the transaction in a formal regulatory filing.

Waze ranks as the fourth most expensive acquisition among the more than 240 deals that Google has completed in its nearly 15-year history. The only bigger purchases are Motorola Mobility Holdings for $12.4 billion last year, DoubleClick for $3.2 billion in 2008 and YouTube for $1.76 billion in 2006.

The price underscores the increasing importance of digital maps as people frequently check navigation services on their smartphones and tablet computers to help steer them in the right direction. The reliance on mobile maps creates more opportunities to show money-making ads, particularly those from local merchants. Google can also link the navigation systems to other applications to help generate more revenue.

Forrester Research analyst Julie Ask expects maps to become a main gateway on mobile devices, much like Internet search engines have been on personal computers for the past decade. “A growing percentage of time will be spent discovering, accessing and engaging content within maps,” Ask predicted.

Google is the leader in the field, but both Apple and Facebook would like a bigger piece of the market.

Those ambitions are likely a key reason Google scooped up Waze, said University of Notre Dame management professor Brian Proffitt, who specializes in technology issues. “If Facebook had gotten Waze, they clearly would do something in the mobile market with it,” Proffitt said. “Getting Waze is like a billion-dollar remedy to a potential headache for Google.”

Apple also has been trying to improve the quality of its maps since the debut of its own navigation system last year. The maps, which replaced Google’s technology as the built-in app to get directions on the iPhone and iPad, misplaced landmarks and misguided users, prompting a public apology from Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with vow to get better.

In a blog post, Google said the Waze deal had already closed. The deal didn’t require government approval before it could be completed because of Waze’s relatively small size. Although Waze doesn’t disclose revenue, it only has about 100 employees.

But Waze has been gaining a foothold in the digital mapping market. Waze says nearly 50 million drivers in 190 countries use its mapping app to avoid traffic jams and find the fastest way to their jobs and other destinations. The service figures out the most efficient routes by drawing upon real-time information shared by about 70,000 members who help edit the maps and even provide other helpful tips, such as where to find the best gasoline prices.

In an interview during an April technology conference presented by All Things D, Waze’s Bardin described his service as “the only reasonable competition” to Google in mobile maps.

Even though Google already has assumed ownership of Waze, government regulators could still review the deal to assess its effects on the mapping market.

None of Google’s previous acquisitions have been blocked by regulators, although a few underwent reviews that lasted nine to 12 months.

Most of the previous regulatory inquiries have centered on Google’s dominance in Internet search — a service closely linked to maps — and online advertising.

For now, Google will allow Waze to operate independently and maintain its main offices in Israel. Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., is taking the same tack with Motorola Mobility, which operates autonomously in Illinois.

“We’re excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities,” Brian McClendon, a Google vice president who oversees maps, wrote in the company’s blog post.

Waze’s sharing tools also could help Google improve its own 2-year-old social networking service, called Plus, as it tries to lure traffic away from Facebook.

In his blog post, Bardin said Waze decided it made more sense to tap into Google’s vast resources instead staying on its own and eventually facing the distractions of an initial public offering.

“Choosing the path of an IPO often shifts attention to bankers, lawyers and the happiness of Wall Street, and we decided we’d rather spend our time with you, the Waze community,” Bardin wrote.

Google’s stock shed $10.41, or about 1 percent, to close Tuesday at $879.81. That decline was roughly in line with the broader markets.

Waze, which started five years ago, is the latest mobile startup to blossom into a billion-dollar baby. Last month, Yahoo Inc. agreed to buy Tumblr, a blogging service started in 2008, for $1.1 billion.

The acquisition also could help Israel’s efforts to stamp the country as a wellspring of innovation.

Faced with limited natural resources, Israel has excelled in technology and fostered a vibrant high-tech culture. The country is a popular destination for global venture capital funds seeking to capitalize on Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as expertise honed in universities and advanced technology units of the Israeli army.

Technology is now viewed as Israel’s main economic engine, accounting for roughly half the country’s exports. Israel is even promoting itself as “startup nation.”

The Waze buyout ranks among the largest company sales in Israeli history. Chromatis Networks was sold to Lucent Technologies for $4.5 billion at the height of the dot-com bubble in 2000. Lucent wound up closing Chromatis a year later. Last year, computer networking gear maker Cisco Systems snapped up Israeli video software company NDS Group for $5 billion.

Sony unveils boxy next-gen PlayStation 4 console
By Lou Kesten
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sony is giving gamers their first look at the PlayStation 4 — and it’s a rectangular black box, just like all the previous PlayStations.

With that non-surprise out of the way, the Japanese company is also providing glimpses of the games it hopes will elevate the PS4 to the top of holiday wish lists.

Upcoming releases include steampunk thriller “The Order: 1866” and fantasy “The Dark Sorceror.” Sony also showed new footage from previously announced games like superhero adventure “InFamous: Second Son,” racing simulator “Drive Club” and shooter “Killzone: Shadow Fall.”

Shu Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, says there are more than 30 PS4 games in development.

Sony Corp. unveiled the PS4 Monday evening at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry’s annual trade show.

Aaron Paul, Drake promote EA video games at E3By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Drake and Aaron Paul are bringing some star power to the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

The rapper and the “Breaking Bad” co-star appeared on stage Monday at Electronic Arts’ E3 presentation to promote games from the video game publisher. Drake hyped the next edition of the soccer simulator “FIFA 14,” while Paul teased the racing game “Need for Speed: Rivals.”

Paul, who is starring in a film based on the pedal-pumping “Need for Speed” series set for release next spring, arrived on stage in the custom Ford Mustang his character drives in the film.

“Just like the game, we’re looking to give you an adrenaline rush that puts you on the edge of your seat,” Paul said while introducing footage from the movie.

However, the celebrity attendees didn’t garner the biggest reaction at EA’s event at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. That was reserved for the moment when “Battlefield 4” executive producer Patrick Bach revealed that 64 players were on stage behind a screen. The mob then proceeded to engage in a multiplayer match of the upcoming military shooter.

“Rivals” and “Battlefield 4” are adding companion apps that allow players to affect online games from mobile devices.

Electronic Arts Inc. concluded Monday’s presentation by revealing that it’s working on a sequel to the 2008 free-running action game “Mirror’s Edge.” A video teased it was “coming … when it’s ready.”

‘Community’ reunited with creator Dan HarmonLOS ANGELES (AP) — NBC’s quirky sitcom “Community” is getting creator Dan Harmon back in charge for season five.

NBC said Monday that Harmon will be joined by another former “Community” producer, Chris McKenna.

Harmon was replaced as showrunner for season four after a clash with then-cast member Chevy Chase. In voicemails that Harmon released last year, Chase called “Community” a “mediocre sitcom.”

Chase has left the series set at a community college. The ensemble cast includes Joel McHale, Yvette Nicole Brown and Alison Brie.

“Community” has modest ratings but a devoted following, among them the 5,000 or so fans who attended a Comic-Con panel last summer.

In May, NBC announced that the sitcom had been renewed for a fifth year but didn’t say where it would land on the 2013-14 schedule.

Hobbits and elves drawing tourists to New Zealand
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Hobbits, elves and dragons appear to be luring tourists to New Zealand as fans await their first glimpse of the second movie in “The Hobbit” trilogy.

Figures released this month by government agency Tourism New Zealand show that international vacations to the South Pacific nation rose 10 percent from January through April when compared to the same period last year. The agency said a survey indicated that 8.5 percent of visitors cited “The Hobbit” as one reason for coming and that 13 percent took part in some kind of hobbit-themed tourism like visiting a film set.

Warner Bros. announced Monday it will release the first teaser-trailer of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The second film will premiere Dec. 13 in Los Angeles.

The trilogy is directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson and shot in his home country. The opener “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” was released December 2012. It received mixed reviews but proved extraordinarily popular with audiences, earning a little over $1 billion at the box office.

In an email, Jackson’s spokesman Matt Dravitzki said fans can expect “a surprise or two” in this week’s trailer, “but I can’t say anything more than that!”

A little over 500,000 tourists visited New Zealand for vacations in the first four months of the year. About the same number again visited for other reasons, such as for work or to visit relatives.

Tourism New Zealand has been running a “100% Middle-earth” marketing campaign that seeks leverage from the movies.

“The Hobbit” is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name and traces the adventures of hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he attempts to help a group of dwarves regain their wealth and stature from the dragon Smaug. “The Hobbit” is the prequel to Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

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