Comcast-Spectacor sale of 76ers makes headlines, includes Will Smith: Roundup [VIDEO]

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an email subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates.

• Will Smith now part owner of the 76ers [Marquee: CNN] More on the Comcast-Spectacor sale of the 76ers from the Inquirer here.
• Reducing the Cost of Logging In to Learn [New York times] — On issues of access, mentioning Comcast’s Internet Essential program
• Comcast-Spectacor subsidiary Front Row names president  [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “Chris Lencheski was named president of Front Row Marketing Services, a Comcast-Spectacor subsidiary that negotiates sports sponsorships, naming rights deals and other advertising and vendor rights agreements for professional and college sports teams, public assembly venues and municipalities.”
• “The Comcast Holiday Spectacular 2011″ Featuring Pennsylvania Ballet [Comcast blog] — Video being shot for this year’s Comcast Center video
• Comcast Ventures Appoints Tina Warner to Lead Communications, Marketing and Brand Awareness from New Headquarters in the Bay Area [Business Wire press release]
• United Way Campaign 2011 – We Give Because… [United Way] — See video of Comcast employees talking about donating below.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts hosts President Obama on Martha’s Vineyard: Roundup [VIDEO]

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an email subscription for our weekly Comcast roundup or other news updates

• Comcast’s Roberts hosts President Obama on Martha’s Vineyard [Inquirer]
• Comcast ends action against DirecTV [Philadelphia Business Journal] — DirecTV dropped the ads it had been running about Comcast’s NFL Sunday Ticket package, featuring claims that Comcast reps felt were false and misleading. More form paidContent

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Phillies new HD video board gets video tech junkie review

Click to enlarge the Motrin advertisement.

You’ve seen news of the new $10 million, 7,372 square foot HD video screen at Citizens Bank Park but, ahead of tonight’s series kickoff with the Mets, read the video tech junkie’s guide to the upgrade:

Going into the 2011 MLB season, an absurdly deep starting rotation isn’t the only asset the Philadelphia Phillies can gloat over. The team are also stacked with weapons in the video department, having upgraded Citizens Bank Park’s control room to HD and installed the largest HD display in the National League: a 76-ft.-high x 97-ft.-wide Daktronics video board in left field.

H/T Colin Weir

Searching a ‘cure for Philadelphia Sydrome’ and other Links

• Philadelphia Syndrome: In Search of a Cure [Matt Monihan] — One of the leads in the Northern Liberties Devnuts co-working crew gives his take on Philly defeatism
• Philadelphia region lags in job creation, according to U.S. figures [Philadelphia Business Journal]
• SEPTA to sell ads on its website [PlanPhilly]
• Protesters disrupt speech by Sunoco CEO [PhillyInc: Inquirer] — “Protesters interrupted a speech being given by Sunoco Inc. chairman and chief executive Lynn L. Elsenhans at a luncheon at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Thursday afternoon.”
• 76er Evan Turner’s life now an app [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “”Philadelphia 76ers rookie Evan Turner has joined forces with XCO SportsLink to develop a free smartphone application that will provide fans with exclusive access into his life on and off the court.”
• Emotional tributes to Baldino at Pennsylvania Bio Awards [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Frank Baldino, the life sciences legend in the region, was honored after passing last year
• Straight talk about the Japanese nuclear plant disaster [PlanPhilly] — By a local nuclear power plant operator, not long before Temple University-Japan students were evacuated.
• AT&T’s ‘river of data’ flows through Philadelphia [Philly Inc: Inquirer] — Tour of their regional control center

Texting saving lives in Africa, High-speed rail video and other Links

How Texting Is Protecting People in Africa [GSK blog] — GlaxoSmithKline

Valley Forge man takes on Google [NewsWorks] — WHYY gives Gabe Weinberg of Duck Duck Go the love.

DB Schenker moves area operations to Philadelphia [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “DB Schenker, an international transportation and logistics company, has relocated regional operations to Philadelphia, bringing 130 employees”

University City Science Center adds two tenants [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Adaptimmune LLC and Optofluidics

WorldGate CEO and CFO resign amid cash squeeze [Philly Inc: Inquirer] – “Video-phone maker WorldGate Communications Inc. is once again facing a cash crunch and has responded by beginning to cut its workforce by 65 percent.”

Pennsylvania Bio awards Wednesday in Philadelphia [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Philadelphia Soul opener to be a real tweet [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Arena football leveraged league-endorsed social media chatter during the opener

The Regional Planning Association put together a video, seen below, on the importance of investing in high-speed rail, featuring interviews with many different parties including Paul Levy, President and CEO of Center City District.

Why Build High-Speed Rail in the Northeast? from Regional Plan Association on Vimeo.

Links: Naval Yard is having a great year, saving NFL players and more

DEFINITE READS

• PhillyInc: Ongoing sea change at the Navy Yard [Inquirer] — The Naval Yard is rockin’, so can we get the Broad Street Line extended there?
• U.S. Drilling Companies Get Moment in Spotlight [Wall Street Journal] — “Two PA drilling equipment companies, Schramm Inc. of West Chester and Center Rock Inc. of Berlin.” H/T Keystone Edge
• Pa. No. 2 on solar job creation list [Pittsburgh Business Times] — With 282 solar companies and 6,700 solar jobs, Pennsylvania is only behind California.

Below, ‘flat growth’ for the region, saving NFL players and more.

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Links: Philly named ‘thinking’ city, four on Forbes’ richest and more

DEFINITE READS

• How Philadelphia’s Navy Yard could lead the way in energy efficiency [Smart Planet] — A Q&A with Hank Foley, the Penn State dean who will help lead the $129 project in South Philadelphia.
• Economists reveal Philadelphia’s economic identity as ‘thinking’ region [PhillyInc, Inquirer] — A report puts Philadelphia in the ‘thinking’ category, one of 12, along with cities like New York City, San Diego and Portland, Maine, as opposed to, say, the ‘innovating’ cities of Boston and Raleigh, N.C.

Below, NPR takes on Harrisburg university’s social media experiment, four in region make Forbes’ richest list and more.

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Links: More Naval Yard development, the science of football and More

DEFINITE READS

• City, bloggers talk taxes over drinks [Inquirer] — Among the dozen or so on hand to talk about the recent blowup around business licensing was Indy Hall co-founder Geoff DiMasi.
• Data center opens at Philadelphia Navy Yard [Philadelphia Business Journal] The making of the Technology Park deal [PBJ] — The data center deal shouldn’t be confused with the energy innovation hub due for the Naval Yard too.
• How Philadelphia’s Navy Yard will become mini-city of energy innovation [Inquirer]
• Gaining on death, cooling therapy catches on slowly [Reuters] — The University of Pennsylvania is leading the trend in “therapeutic hypothermia” to battle the effects of cardiac arrest.

Below, why big companies matter in job creation, the science of football and more.

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Beerleaguer reportedly purchased by Comcast SportsNet

In March, Comcast SportsNet purchased Philadelphia sports blog The700level.com. Three months later, CSN has apparently made another move.

Last week, Jason Weitzel, the founder of seven-year-old Phillies blog Beerleaguer.com, announced that his site had been acquired for an undisclosed sum.

Like in the 700 Level deal, the property was bought out entirely though it will retain editorial control and its founder was given a position with CSN.

Weitzel, who spent eight years at the Reading Eagle newspaper, most recently at readingeagle.com, says he left to take a content manager position with Comcast Sports Group. But he says he’s not worried about stepping on the toes of Enrico Campitelli, the 29-year-old founder of the 700 Level.

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Comcast Roundup: Aol wants confidential files, quiet concerns on NBC deal and more

DEFINITE READS

• WebNewser reports that Aol has requested to see confidential documents involved in the public filing from the Comcast-NBC acquisition.
• The New York Times reports that local TV broadcasters have resigned to ‘quiet concerns’ with the NBC deal, worried about its impact but fearful of disrupting their own negotiations with the cable giant.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that Comcast rivals ‘flooded’ Monday’s call for public comment on the NBC deal.

After the jump, David L. Cohen hits the company blog, Comcast SportsNet buys another local sports blog and more.

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