WHEN SMG announced its management restructuring last week, the one name missing was Alan Clements, the big poach from independent producer IWC, owned by RDF. Regular media watchers will know that Clements, husband of Kirsty Wark, landed in hot water after apparently breaking his contract with his old employer and has been trying to wriggle free for some weeks.

With RDF's whole strategy based on buying companies and retaining talent, its credibility would be ruined if the likes of Clement were able to jump ship less than two years after the takeover. Last week it became clear that there was no early resolution in sight when Dimmable LED Down Light K1109 - 3x1x1W / 3x1x3W SMG had to announce Elizabeth Partyka as acting managing director for content - the job pencilled in for Clements.

The word is that RDF is playing some serious hardball. It is reputedly about to take out an interdict to prevent Clements from making the move. What an awkward blow to the new SMG management's turnaround story this could turn out to be.

DO SMG BELIEVE IN SETANTA? Tw o other theories are doing the rounds about SMG. The first is that its sports department will close and be outsourced to its tenant, Setanta. The second is that STV will further whittle down its Aberdeen news studios and turn the northeast into another opt-out to a single, Glasgow-based service. The latter may not be politically possible just yet, but there are those who say it will be on the management's to-do list.

makeup brushes

TYCOONS' PAPER TRAIL The Observer's media diary last week mentioned the prospect of Stagecoach boss Brian Souter launching a nationalist paper for Scotland.

Having apparently missed its sister paper The Guardian's blunder and apology on the same matter only days earlier, The Observer said the problem was that no Scottish papers supported the Nats at the election - even though four did. But that bungle aside, the story had legs. It emerged the following day that Sir Tom Farmer and Sir George Mathewson were part of the plan too.

These three tycoons certainly seem to have been mulling the idea over, not so much because of lack of nationalist support but because of the extreme anti-natness of the Record, Sun and Daily Mail at the election. They are particularly frustrated at the fact that Trinity Mirror chief executive Sly Bailey and Sun UK editor Rebekah Wade were said to have dictated lines respectively to the Scottish editors for the Record and Sun.

Launching a paper is not the only dream in the pipes, however. Another possibility is a bid for the Record, if it could be loosed from Bailey's grasp. At least that would end the uncomfortable sight of the two red-tops agreeing with one another.

CIVIL UNREST Speaking of the Nationalists, those with sharp ears might have heard a fluttering sound in recent days. It was not late spring snowfall or birds flying south, however. It was the sound of job applications from those Labour diehards in the Scottish Executive communications team desperate to get anywhere else. Have they never heard of civil service neutrality, we wonder?

BREAKFAST PLUG Paul Jackson, ITV's director of entertainment and comedy, is coming to Glasgow to give a talk to Scottish indie producers at a creative breakfast at TRC (formerly The Research lingerie wholesale Centre) on Wednesday June 27. With TRC involved in improving producers' links with North America, Jackson's experience as chief executive of Granada USA will be seen as particularly useful
Other articles:
http://bosanci-x.hostei.com/blog/view/id_597/title_Drinking-didn’t-solve-life-pro/
http://prepdreamsports.com/community/blog/view/id_309/title_/

Mándalo a la red: