Another coup for Chapman U’s Dodge College: Seven of its student filmmakers are showing their work at the Cannes Film Festival. The students leave this week for the French Riviera, along with chaperones Jim Doti, Bob Bassett and Linda White-Peters and their hosts, Western National Group’s David Stone and wife Sandy …
How apt that Freedom Communications shareholders held their recent annual meeting at Disneyland. The theme park is celebrating its Big 5-0, while Freedom’s flagship paper, the OC Reg, is marking its Big 1-0-0. Also, in contrast to the acrimony of previous get-togethers, Freedom’s remaining family and new outside investors had much-improved financial results to celebrate at The Happiest Place on Earth …
The Register’s increase in profitability in the past year came from higher ad revenue,and despite drops in daily and Sunday circulation of just less than 3% (year-to-year for the six months ended March 31). Still, the Register lost far fewer readers than the Los Angeles Times, whose 7.9% decline in Sunday circ was steepest in the nation and 6.5% daily decline was second only to the 6.6% drop of its sister Chicago Tribune. The Times story about the generally poor showing of daily newspapers did not specify that its own results were the nation’s worst. But that point was drilled home in a story by the rival L.A. Daily News, whose circulation was flat … Speaking of Freedom, the Insider hears that the search is on for a CEO to replace trouble-shooter/peacemaker Alan Bell, soon to turn 73 “going on 28.” The transition is expected by year’s end …
CEO and 17% owner Aram Keith is the big winner in the pending sale of Irvine engineering firm Keith Cos. to Canada’s Stantec for $174 million ($22 a share). But a couple of politically connected directors will make out, too. Former California Gov. George Deukmejian and government relations consultant Christine Diemer Iger will cash in a combined 22,000 shares, including 16,000 from options …
EE RR wants to know how many other people mistakenly have gone to the Center Club for an appointment at the Pacific Club, or vice versa …
Saving KOCE isn’t enough part-time work for retired Toshiba America Electronic Components exec Bob Brown. He’s also helping a tech startup, Accelerate Performance Inc. of San Juan Capistrano, which has secured a patent for a plug-in device that tracks anything on a computer network. Brown, sounding like a proud papa, is hustling up the next $500,000 in financing …
The Irvine Chamber of Commerce’s Hot Rodz event this Saturday at Park Place feature muscle cars, the Kawasaki Kidz Zone, rock ‘n’ roll and the Laker Girls …
Honors: to Art Birtcher, the Diocese of Orange’s annual Bishop Tod D. Brown business integrity award this Wednesday. To Pat Boone, Concordia U’s Lifetime Achievement Award on May 21.
