MEDIAFREAK

THE BITES THAT BITE

Do you realise who she is?

Don't mess with the boss's daughter - especially when the boss is Rupert Murdoch. Wise advice that Sam Chisholm, chief executive of BSkyB, appeared recklessly to ignore recently. According to insiders at the satellite giant, he could hardly wait for the new programming supremo, Elizabeth Murdoch, to go off on maternity leave so that he could overhaul her Sky One schedule - until a quick call from papa persuaded him to think again. Of course there's no truth in rumours that the Antipodean bruiser is now scouring the shops for a teddy-bear fit for his master's first grandchild.

Left-field marketing

Will the trade journal Marketing Week be changing its name to Marxism Week? In recent months it has challenged the cold-hearted outlook of its core readership with lengthy articles on the harmful effects of social inequality and the eagerness of Tory MPs to take the lobbyist's shilling. This week's front cover carries a picture of a Third World farmer above the headline: "It would take this supplier 15 centuries to earn the annual wage of Tesco's Lord MacLaurin. Can that be good for business?" With a circulation above 40,000 the magazine far outsells any other journal of the left and could never be accused of preaching to the converted.

nNo sex, please, we're Irish

A few weeks ago Media+ reported on the promotion of the forthcoming Irish cable channel Tara using famous Irish folk such as Bob Geldof, Shane MacGowan and Jack Charlton. Apparently, two other shamrock shakers were rejected by Tara's marketing team. One poster featured the actor Gabriel Byrne: "I watch it to find out about current affairs. Mine." In another, the singer Sinead O'Connor declared, "I watch it religiously."

n Could do better, dear reader

People on this side of the pond who read Time magazine might like to know that the editor of its Atlantic edition is looking for "better quality readers". Chris Redman, who heads the mag's 25-strong London office, told the trade journal Press Gazette that he was happy with its current circulation of around 620,000, but "I want to improve the quality of our readers". What could he possibly mean ...?