"Great news inside for all our readers!"

Read all about it NetRatings and Jupiter to merge

extensive operating synergies = Tom now does the work of two people. Bugger.

Or it means I lose my job. We shall see. Sigh.

..or you could be moving office to London?

I can't see how, Martian.

..and buying up control of its eRatings joint venture with sister company ACNielsen.

If your working in ACNielsen building? at the mo? .. you could move?

haha! the dunedin takes over ile conspiracy is gradually coming into effect.

nah, its a bummer

Turns out the analysis wing of Jupiter MMXI has an office in baker street, fingers crossed eh?

Corporate mergers = dud, in my experience. People crying at their desks and making loadsa bitchy comments. I didn't care all that much at the time, so it was kind of funny to observe.

Tom, more info NetRatings to buy Jupiter MMXI

A spokeswoman for NetRatings, which operates the global brand Nielsen//NetRatings, was unable to say what the move will mean for the two companies in the UK, or the potential effect on staff numbers.

"It's too early to tell. There's a phenomenal amount to go through in terms of integration," she said.

Jupiter MMXI employs 75 staff in Europe, of which 35 are located in the UK. NetRatings has 24 UK-based staff.

Corporate mergers suck big time for the most part. The one good part that often comes out from them is the raise that the start up people get when joining with big corp daddy. I've only survived one corporate takeover and as a student I didnt have to worry cause my contract was over in 3 monthes anyways.

From the NY Times:

"The companies said there would be layoffs but would not say how many."

So keep your fingers crossed for The Beard. Oh, and for Tom too.

My dad's company has laid off about a quarter of its employees in the last two weeks.

"You're going to be very busy" quoth my boss. This is better than "You're going to have lots of gardening time"....I don't think I'm going to lose my job - the people who pushed the acquisition through and are on the 'integration committee' are the same people who hired me. But I do think my job is likely to change. Groan. I suspect this poleaxes the novel-writing, annoyingly. I'm going to try and at least start one, though.

GNfaoR! part 2456

The Independent on Sunday greets me today with news of its GREAT NEW MAGAZINE: ABC - incorporating 'Talk of the Town'!

In effect they have scrapped TotT - their rather beautiful attempt to ape the New Yorker, and the only worthwhile development in British newspaper cultural journalism in the last ten years - and replaced it with another sleb features/list articles/tv listings rag.

I am very sad.