Posted by tecwrg on 10/10/2012 8:13:00 AM (view original):

Posted by damag on 10/9/2012 11:45:00 PM (view original):
Having worked for a smaller chain that was bought by a broadcast giant, I can speculate on two things that happen.

1. Giants sometimes buy things just to buy things. They create their own inertia. They simply acquire properties to sustain existence.

2. Whoever - singular or plural - had the idea to buy this has probably moved on to somethIng else by now, and this is in the hands of people who had nothing to do with it back then, so they have no investment in it other than cash flow.

"Giants sometimes buy things just to buy things. They create their own inertia. They simply acquire properties to sustain existence."

Not true at all.  Corporations exist to make money.  If mega-company A decides to mini-company B, they're doing it for a specific business reason which they've concluded will, somehow, enhance them.  It may be to pick up the customers that come along with B; it may be to expand the portfolio of products and services they provide; it may be to remove B as a direct competitor; or it may be for some other reason that they have concluded is beneficial to them in the long run.

Sometimes, these decisions don't always work out the way they planned.  But there was a very definitive plan and logic behind the decision.

If a corporation is buying things just to buy things, then they have a pretty misguided business plan and are not going to survive very long in a competitive business environment.

Posted by mal247 on 10/9/2012 9:47:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/9/2012 4:22:00 PM (view original):
I think you underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

News Corp had revenues of 13.28 billion last year, with operating income of 2.9 billion.

Hardball Dynasty has an estimated revenue of 350,000 per year.

If you think that anyone who matters at News Corp gives two sh.its or a fiddlers fu.ck about HBD, you are delusional.

Posted by damag on 10/10/2012 8:41:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tecwrg on 10/10/2012 8:13:00 AM (view original):

Posted by damag on 10/9/2012 11:45:00 PM (view original):
Having worked for a smaller chain that was bought by a broadcast giant, I can speculate on two things that happen.

1. Giants sometimes buy things just to buy things. They create their own inertia. They simply acquire properties to sustain existence.

2. Whoever - singular or plural - had the idea to buy this has probably moved on to somethIng else by now, and this is in the hands of people who had nothing to do with it back then, so they have no investment in it other than cash flow.

"Giants sometimes buy things just to buy things. They create their own inertia. They simply acquire properties to sustain existence."

Not true at all.  Corporations exist to make money.  If mega-company A decides to mini-company B, they're doing it for a specific business reason which they've concluded will, somehow, enhance them.  It may be to pick up the customers that come along with B; it may be to expand the portfolio of products and services they provide; it may be to remove B as a direct competitor; or it may be for some other reason that they have concluded is beneficial to them in the long run.

Sometimes, these decisions don't always work out the way they planned.  But there was a very definitive plan and logic behind the decision.

If a corporation is buying things just to buy things, then they have a pretty misguided business plan and are not going to survive very long in a competitive business environment.

Your points are all true.  My greater point - which I didn't state very well and which you've illustrated - was that overtaking owners tend to show very little investment in the quality of the product provided, because they have no true insight into the intent with which the product was created, and therefore display a natural detachment from the customer base.

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/10/2012 8:58:00 AM (view original):

Posted by mal247 on 10/9/2012 9:47:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/9/2012 4:22:00 PM (view original):
I think you underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

News Corp had revenues of 13.28 billion last year, with operating income of 2.9 billion.

Hardball Dynasty has an estimated revenue of 350,000 per year.

If you think that anyone who matters at News Corp gives two sh.its or a fiddlers fu.ck about HBD, you are delusional.

I think you also underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

Perhaps you've never had to deal with an accountant.   Or someone who felt the need to justify their job. 

350k, to the bigwigs, may feel like a dime to them.   However, some nerd in a partitioned office is looking for some way to be noticed.   He's pouring over every bit of data he can find to say "Hey, look at this!!!"    Do they care about HBD?   No.   Do they know the financials of HBD?  Yes.   As we've been discussing, the meter has to move for Bob the Bean Counter to take notice and bump it up the ladder.  That said HBD probably isn't on the ledger.    It's probably Whatifsports.com.    No idea how much revenue WifS generates but HBD is just a fraction of it. 

Posted by tecwrg on 10/10/2012 9:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/10/2012 8:58:00 AM (view original):

Posted by mal247 on 10/9/2012 9:47:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/9/2012 4:22:00 PM (view original):
I think you underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

News Corp had revenues of 13.28 billion last year, with operating income of 2.9 billion.

Hardball Dynasty has an estimated revenue of 350,000 per year.

If you think that anyone who matters at News Corp gives two sh.its or a fiddlers fu.ck about HBD, you are delusional.

I think you also underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

Perhaps you've never had to deal with an accountant.   Or someone who felt the need to justify their job. 

350k, to the bigwigs, may feel like a dime to them.   However, some nerd in a partitioned office is looking for some way to be noticed.   He's pouring over every bit of data he can find to say "Hey, look at this!!!"    Do they care about HBD?   No.   Do they know the financials of HBD?  Yes.   As we've been discussing, the meter has to move for Bob the Bean Counter to take notice and bump it up the ladder.  That said HBD probably isn't on the ledger.    It's probably Whatifsports.com.    No idea how much revenue WifS generates but HBD is just a fraction of it. 

That's a good point.

XYZ Company might manufacture and sell widgets, gadgets, and doohickeys.

ABC Corporation might manufacture and sell widgets and a crapload of other products.  They don't make or sell gadgets or doohickeys, but they see doohickeys as an attractive market that they want to get into.  They notice that XYZ Company makes some pretty good doohickeys.  Rather than "reinvent the wheel", ABC Corp decides that it would be cheaper and make more business sense to purchase XYZ Comp for the sole purpose to pick up their doohickey business.  XYZ Comp's widget product line is now redundant to ABC Corp, so it's dropped.  XYZ Comp's gadget product line is not redundant to ABC Corp, but it's also not very important.  It gets little attention and is left to flounder.  Maybe they discontinue it altogether, maybe they sell that product line off to a third party, or maybe it just flounders indefinitely.

XYZ Company is Whatifsports.com.

ABC Corporation is Fox.

HBD is the gadget product line.

Posted by tecwrg on 10/10/2012 9:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/10/2012 8:58:00 AM (view original):

Posted by mal247 on 10/9/2012 9:47:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 10/9/2012 4:22:00 PM (view original):
I think you underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

News Corp had revenues of 13.28 billion last year, with operating income of 2.9 billion.

Hardball Dynasty has an estimated revenue of 350,000 per year.

If you think that anyone who matters at News Corp gives two sh.its or a fiddlers fu.ck about HBD, you are delusional.

I think you also underestimate the bean counters at big companies. 

Perhaps you've never had to deal with an accountant.   Or someone who felt the need to justify their job. 

350k, to the bigwigs, may feel like a dime to them.   However, some nerd in a partitioned office is looking for some way to be noticed.   He's pouring over every bit of data he can find to say "Hey, look at this!!!"    Do they care about HBD?   No.   Do they know the financials of HBD?  Yes.   As we've been discussing, the meter has to move for Bob the Bean Counter to take notice and bump it up the ladder.  That said HBD probably isn't on the ledger.    It's probably Whatifsports.com.    No idea how much revenue WifS generates but HBD is just a fraction of it. 

That's a good point.

XYZ Company might manufacture and sell widgets, gadgets, and doohickeys.

ABC Corporation might manufacture and sell widgets and a crapload of other products.  They don't make or sell gadgets or doohickeys, but they see doohickeys as an attractive market that they want to get into.  They notice that XYZ Company makes some pretty good doohickeys.  Rather than "reinvent the wheel", ABC Corp decides that it would be cheaper and make more business sense to purchase XYZ Comp for the sole purpose to pick up their doohickey business.  XYZ Comp's widget product line is now redundant to ABC Corp, so it's dropped.  XYZ Comp's gadget product line is not redundant to ABC Corp, but it's also not very important.  It gets little attention and is left to flounder.  Maybe they discontinue it altogether, maybe they sell that product line off to a third party, or maybe it just flounders indefinitely.

XYZ Company is Whatifsports.com.

ABC Corporation is Fox.

HBD is the gadget product line.