text:
Blockbuster LLC
Blockbuster logo 1985–present
|Home Entertainment & On Demand Entertainment
|October 19, 1985
Dallas, Texas, US
|David Cook[1]
|November 7, 2013 (brand name still franchised to 51 stores)
|Englewood, Colorado, United States
Number of locations
|51 (2015)
|Video rental
|Dish Network
|Sling Television
Dish Movie Pack
Blockbuster LLC, also known as Blockbuster and formerly Blockbuster Video Entertainment, Inc.,[2] is an American-based provider of home movie and video game rental services through video rental shops, DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater.[3] At its peak in 2004, Blockbuster consisted of nearly 60,000 employees and over 9,000 stores.[4][5]
As a result of competition from Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster lost significant revenue and filed for bankruptcy protection on September 23, 2010.[6] On April 6, 2011, the company and its remaining 1,700 stores were bought by satellite television provider Dish Network at auction for $233 million and the assumption of $87 million in liabilities and other obligations.[7] The acquisition was completed on April 26, 2011.[8] Dish closed 200 branches in July 2011,[9] 500 more in the first half of 2012,[10] and another 300 in 2013.[11]
As of 2015, Blockbuster still maintains 51 stores across the United States. While the Blockbuster brand has mostly been retired, Dish will continue to license the brand name to franchise locations. Until 2015, Dish kept its "Blockbuster on Demand" video streaming service open along with a "Blockbuster@Home" television package for Dish subscribers. In 2015, "Blockbuster@Home" was renamed "Dish Movie Pack." In November 2015, Blockbuster On Demand was shut down and all customers were redirected to Sling TV.[12][13][14]
- 1 History
- 2 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- 3 Senior management
- 4 Business model
- 5 Retail operations
- 6 Online rentals
- 7 Controversy
- 8 Advertising
- 9 See also
- 10 References
- 11 External links
The first Blockbuster store opened October 19, 1985, in Dallas, Texas.[15][16] The founder of the company was David Cook, who grew the business and brought it public.[1] The innovation was derived from Cook's experience with managing huge databases.[1] After the first few stores opened, Cook built a $6 Million warehouse in Garland, Texas, that could pull and package multiple stores in a day. Key to the early success of Blockbuster was their ability to customize a store to its neighborhood, loading it up with films geared specifically to demographic profiles in addition to the popular new releases, and a sizable collection of catalog titles.[1]
In 1987, the company won a court case against Nintendo of America, Inc, which paved the way for the rental of video games.[17]
Scott Beck of Dallas approached John Melk, prior executive with Waste Management, about buying a franchise. Melk brought the idea to his friend and business associate, Wayne Huizenga, who agreed to buy the company after overcoming initial concerns about the video industry.[18] Huizenga and Melk used similar techniques in growing Waste Management, and soon, they were opening a store every 24 hours.[19] They also bought every Blockbuster franchise they could acquire. Huizenga spent the late 1980s acquiring several of Blockbuster's rivals, including Major Video.
In 1990 Blockbuster bought mid-Atlantic rival Erol's which had more than 250 stores.[20] In 1992, Blockbuster acquired the Sound Warehouse and Music Plus music retail chains and created Blockbuster Music.[21] In October 1993, Blockbuster acquired controlling interest in Spelling Entertainment Group, a media company run by television producer Aaron Spelling.[22] They also owned a large stake (35%) in Republic Pictures; that company merged with Spelling in April 1994.[23]
The company became a multibillion-dollar company and in 1993 proposed a merger with Viacom. After both companies' stocks tumbled in 1994, Viacom purchased Blockbuster for $8.4 billion.[24][25][not in citation given]
The Blockbuster Block Party concept was test-marketed in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Indianapolis, Indiana in 1994. It was an "entertainment complex" aimed at adults, containing eight themed areas housing a restaurant, games, laser tag arena, and motion simulator rides, and was housed in a windowless building the size of a city block.[26]
During the 1990s, Blockbuster expanded in the United Kingdom, purchasing that country's Ritz Video chain. The stores were rebranded to Blockbuster, making it the number one rental chain in that country.[27]
In 1996, the Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation was renamed Blockbuster Entertainment Inc.[2] and the retail stores, then called Blockbuster Video, were renamed Blockbuster. During that year Blockbuster, which was then headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, began studying the idea of moving its headquarters into the Renaissance Tower in Downtown Dallas.[28] In November 1996 Blockbuster confirmed that it was moving into the Renaissance Tower.[29] Most of the workers at the Florida headquarters did not want to relocate, so Blockbuster planned to hire around 500 to 600 new employees for its Dallas headquarters. The company had offered various relocation packages to all of its Fort Lauderdale employees.[30] In 1998, Blockbuster created DEJ Productions which acquired 225 films primarily to provide exclusive content to its Blockbuster stores prior to being sold off to First Look Studios in 2005.[31] During that same year, Blockbuster bought the Irish video rental store Xtra-vision, with over 200 stores in Ireland and the UK. In 2009, Blockbuster sold off its Irish operations to Birchall Investments, with the few Xtra-vision stores in the UK being rebranded as Blockbuster. In August 1998, Viacom sold the Blockbuster Music chain to Wherehouse Entertainment, who was subsequently purchased by Trans World Entertainment in 2003.[32]
In 2000, the company turned down a chance to purchase the still fledgling Netflix for $50 million.[33]
In 2002, Blockbuster acquired Movie Trading Company, a Dallas chain that buys, sells, and trades movies and games, to study potential business models for DVD and game trading. Also that year, it acquired Gamestation, a 64-store UK computer and console games retailer chain.
Blockbuster separated from Viacom in 2004. Online DVD subscription was introduced on Blockbuster.com (aka Blockbuster Online).[34] Blockbuster also rolled out its "Game Rush" store-in-store concept to approximately 450 domestic company-operated stores. Blockbuster began game and DVD trading in select US stores.[35]
In May 2005, financier Carl Icahn waged a successful proxy fight to add himself and two other members to the board. Icahn accused Blockbuster of overpaying Chairman and CEO John F. Antioco, who had served in that capacity since 1997, receiving $51.6 million in compensation for 2004. Icahn was also at odds with Antioco on how to revive profit at Blockbuster; Antioco scrapped late fees in January, started an Internet service, and wanted to keep the company independent, while Icahn wanted to sell out to a private equity firm.[36] In 2007, Antioco left the company, reportedly due to continued controversy over his compensation. He left with a $24.7 million severance package.[37]
On July 2, 2007, the company named James W. Keyes (former president and CEO of 7-Eleven) as the new chairman and CEO. He introduced a new business strategy that included de-emphasizing the unprofitable Total Access online service, in favor of an in-store, retail-oriented model. His predecessor John F. Antioco attempted this same plan in 1997. Additionally, Blockbuster lifted the ban on using check cards to secure rentals of movies and games in excess of the per-visit checkout limit.[citation needed]
On September 14, 2007, Blockbuster GB Limited bought a number of retail stores from ChoicesUK Plc. ChoicesUK is an AIM-listed multi-channel distributor and retailer of DVDs, computer games and CDs. The sale secured employment for approximately 450 employees across 59 stores in the UK. As part of the transaction, Blockbuster GB decided to rebrand the stores as Blockbuster.[citation needed]
On February 17, 2008, Blockbuster proposed a buyout of struggling Circuit City. However, after a due diligence review of Circuit City's financial books by Blockbuster (pushed for by Carl Icahn), Blockbuster withdrew its offer in July 2008. Analysts were not favorable to the proposed deal, viewing it as a desperate effort to save two struggling retailers rather than a bold turnaround initiative.[38] Subsequently Circuit City filed for bankruptcy on November 10, 2008 and, after liquidating all of its stores, ceased operations on March 8, 2009.[39]
This section may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. (June 2012)
On June 19, 2007, after a pilot program launched in late 2006, Blockbuster announced that it had chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD rental format to rent in a majority of its stores. In the pilot program, Blockbuster offered selected titles for rental and sale in 250 stores. Blockbuster stocked Blu-ray titles in almost 5,000 stores across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Australia.[40]
On February 10, 2010, Blockbuster announced that it would cease all its operations in Portugal, closing down 17 outlets and leaving over 100 workers unemployed. Blockbuster representatives in Portugal blamed Internet piracy and the lack of government response to it as the key factors to the company's bankruptcy in the country.[41]
On March 1, 2010, Blockbuster began "Additional Daily Rates", or "ADRs", for rentals not returned by their due date in the United States, having already used this procedure in other countries such as the UK for many years. An "Additional Daily Rate" was charged for each day a member chooses to keep the rental beyond the rental terms.
On March 12, 2010, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Blockbuster's independent registered public accounting firm, issued its audit opinion disclosing substantial doubt about Blockbuster's ability to continue as a going concern. This report was included in Blockbusters's 10-K SEC filing. On March 17, 2010, Blockbuster issued a bankruptcy warning after continued drops in revenue threatened its ability to service its nearly $1 billion debt load. By April 1, 2010, Carl Icahn had resigned from Blockbuster's board of directors and sold nearly all his remaining Blockbuster stock.[42]
In May 2010, the liquidation of Movie Gallery began, leaving Blockbuster as the only remaining national video rental chain in the United States.[43] During the same month, a dissident shareholder, Gregory S. Meyer, in an effort to be elected to Blockbuster's board of directors, engaged in a proxy battle with Blockbuster's board, alleging that the board had been responsible for significant destruction of value to shareholders. Mr. Meyer was elected to the board at Blockbuster's shareholder meeting in Dallas on June 24, 2010.
On July 1, 2010, the company was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after its shareholders failed to pass a reverse stock split plan aimed at heading off involuntary delisting because of the stock's trading at well below $1 per share.[44] The stock was then traded on the OTCBB (over-the-counter bulletin board).
Blockbuster was unable to make a $42.4 million interest payment to bondholders and was given until August 13, 2010 to pay off the debt. The company hired Jeff Stegenga to be its chief restructuring officer (CRO) in an effort to satisfy bondholder demands and recapitalize the company. After failing to pay on August 13, bondholders gave Blockbuster until September 30, 2010.
On August 26, 2010, news media reported that Blockbuster was planning to file a pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid-September. In light of this news, the company's chief financial officer (CFO), Tom Casey, resigned on September 11. He was replaced by Dennis McGill, formerly CFO of Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. On September 23, 2010, Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to challenging losses, $900 million in debt and strong competition from Netflix, Redbox, and video on-demand services.[45] Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation earlier in 2010 for similar reasons.[46]
At the time of its Chapter 11 filing, Blockbuster said it would keep its 3,300 stores open;[47] In December 2010, Blockbuster announced it would close an additional 182 stores by the end of April 2011 in attempts to emerge from bankruptcy.[48] It was reported in February 2011 that Blockbuster and its creditors had not come up with a Chapter 11 exit plan and that the company would be sold for $300 million or more, along with taking over debts and leases.[47] Blockbuster has admitted that it may not be able to meet financial obligations required under its Chapter 11 filing, a circumstance which could mandate conversion of the bankruptcy filing to Chapter 7 (liquidation).[49] On March 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a claim disclosing that Blockbuster does not have the funds to continue reorganizing and should liquidate.
In April 2011, Blockbuster's landlords objected to its assumption of leases that it sought to assign to soon-to-be-owner Dish Network Corp., claiming that they did not have adequate assurance that the new owner would honor those leases. Blockbuster signed a deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to launch ITV Programmes released on DVDs, Blu-rays, etc.[50]
On August 31, 2011, the liquidators announced the closure of the remaining 253 Canadian stores and shuttering of the entire Canadian unit.[51]
On March 28, 2011, South Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom made a surprise bid to buy Blockbuster.[52] Dish Network had also expressed interest in bidding, as did Carl Icahn, despite calling Blockbuster "the worst investment I ever made".[53] Dish eventually won the auction on April 6, 2011, agreeing to buy Blockbuster for $320 million.[54] On April 19, 2011, it was announced that Dish would only keep 500 Blockbuster stores open. At its peak in 2004, Blockbuster had more than 4,000 stores nationwide. In April 2011, Dish Network told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court that it needed more time to negotiate with landlords in an effort to keep more than 600 Blockbuster stores open.[55] The deal was finalized on April 26, 2011.
On Friday, January 13, 2012, Dish CEO Joseph Clayton announced that while Dish had planned to keep 90 percent of the stores in operation (meaning around 15,000 employees would remain employed), because of market factors "there are ones that aren't going to make it. We will close unprofitable stores. We will close additional stores." Clayton did not say when these additional closings would happen and only remarked that some stores were not turning a profit. The Dish chief would not say which stores the company was planning to close, but that each potential closing was to be assessed on a "case by case basis".[56]
On October 4, 2012, Dish Network announced that it was scrapping plans to make Blockbuster into a Netflix competitor.[57]
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Blockbuster Inc. ran an awards show, the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, annually from 1995 to 2001. In November 2001, Blockbuster announced that it was cancelling the awards following concerns after the September 11 attacks.[58][59]
Senior management
- Michael Kelly, President: 2011–present
- Dennis McGill, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: 2010–present
- Kevin Lewis, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer: 2008–present
- Greg Nichols, Senior Vice President of Human Resources: 2011–present
Chief executive officers
- James W. Keyes 2007–2011
- John F. Antioco 1997–2007
Business model
The standard business model for video rental stores had traditionally been to pay a large flat fee per video, approximately $65, and offer unlimited rentals for the lifetime of the medium itself. Sumner Redstone, whose Viacom conglomerate then owned Blockbuster, personally pioneered a new revenue-sharing arrangement for video in the mid-1980s. Blockbuster obtained videos for little cost and kept a 60 percent rental fee, paying the other 40 percent to the studio, and reporting rental information through Rentrak. In addition to benefiting from a lower initial price, Blockbuster also capitalized on the fact that movies were generally not available for purchase at affordable price points during initial release periods. Thus customers had a choice to rent, wait, or buy the film on tape at the much higher Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price targeted at other rental chains and film enthusiasts, which at that time ranged between $70–$100 per title.[citation needed]
Quantity and selection of titles
Blockbuster, like most other rental stores, tended to stock more copies of new movies than older releases, in order to capitalize on heavy consumer demand for new-release titles; the trade term is "depth of copy".[60] Titles more than 12 months past their initial release dates were stored as "Blockbuster Favorite" (non-new release) titles. Typically only one to four rental copies of each title were retained past the first year of release. The large volume of new release copies were typically sold after the initial renting rush. Some of these copies were sold as "previously viewed" for around $10–$15, sometimes as low as $3.99. Most Blockbuster locations also accepted trade-ins of used DVDs, which were sold alongside the existing stock of previously rented movies.[citation needed]
Representing itself as a family-friendly chain, Blockbuster never rented or sold pornographic titles in the US market (other markets vary). However, the stores did carry R-rated and unrated films, including a large number of "soft porn" titles (including Red Shoe Diaries, which was distributed exclusively by Blockbuster in an agreement with then-sister cable network Showtime during the Viacom era). Blockbuster required employees to check ID and did not allow rental of "Youth Restricted Viewing" titles with an R rating to children under 17, unless their parents or guardians had specifically allowed it through a family account.[citation needed]
Blockbuster has been the exclusive rental chain for The Weinstein Company movies since January 1, 2007,[61] although due to the First Sale Doctrine, other rental stores and online DVD rental-by-mail companies, like Netflix, could still rent DVDs released by The Weinstein Company.[citation needed]
Retail operations
At the beginning of 2010, Blockbuster had over 4,000 US stores and 2,500 international stores.[62] In the United States, it planned to close between 810 and 960 retail stores and instead launch as many as 10,000 "Blockbuster Express" video rental kiosks by the middle of 2010.[63] It has been claimed that more than 43 million U.S. households had Blockbuster memberships.[64]
In December 2004, Blockbuster announced its intention to pursue a hostile takeover of Hollywood Video, its major U.S. competitor.[65] After some extensions of the tender offer, Blockbuster eventually gave up due primarily to resistance from the FTC.[66] In response to the Blockbuster offer, Hollywood Video agreed to a buyout in January 2005 by a smaller competitor, the Dothan, Alabama-based Movie Gallery. Since then, Movie Gallery has filed for bankruptcy twice and its entire chain of stores has been liquidated.
In March 2010, Blockbuster paired up with Time Warner to have Warner Bros. movies be made available in Blockbuster stores on the DVD release date and not be subject to a four-week delay in availability.[citation needed] Similar agreements were also made with Universal and 20th Century Fox. Also in 2010, Blockbuster shuttered 545 operated stores.[citation needed]
Blockbuster Express
Blockbuster Express is a movie-rental kiosk brand sublicensed for use by Redbox from licensee NCR Corporation. In 2011, nearly 10,000 Blockbuster Express kiosks were in operation.[67] Apart from the license to use the Blockbuster brand name, Blockbuster Express kiosks are unrelated to Blockbuster LLC, its stores, its DVD-by-mail service, or its online streaming service.
The names Blockbuster Express[68] and Blockbuster Video Express[69] had also been used for certain Blockbuster retail stores in the United Kingdom.
In the summer of 2003, Blockbuster started converting some stores to GameRush stores. These stores sold and bought consumer DVDs, games, gaming systems, and accessories. GameRush was positioned as a direct competitor to stores such as GameStop and Game Crazy. Blockbuster used its location status to get instant coverage; it also promoted these stores by hosting video-game tournaments, special trade-in offers, and a more "hip" look to the selection and staff. However, when Blockbuster introduced the discontinuation of late fees, GameRush was put on the chopping block. In April 2007, GameRush stores were reduced back to just a games section.
Blockbuster UK operated trade functions in all their stores, buying and selling pre-owned consoles, including PS2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 DVDs, DVD Games, games and accessories, and price-matching with competitors by offering either store credit or cash for trade-ins.
In Australia, the first Blockbuster store was opened in 1991 in Melbourne. In 1992, the Virgin Group and Blockbuster Inc entered into a joint venture to set up Australia's first Virgin Megastores in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. This lasted until Virgin sold their interest in the six stores to Blockbuster, who promptly rebranded them in 1993 to Blockbuster Music. In 1994 Australian store numbers rose to 54 with the acquisition of Major Video and Focus chains in both Victoria and South Australia. In 1995, the growth continued with the opening of the 100th video store in the country. By the end of 1998, Blockbuster Australia opened over 125 stores. In July 1998, Blockbuster Australia launched into franchising with the conversion of the former Video Flicks franchise group in Queensland, and the former Movieland group in Western Australia six months later. Also in 1998, the company sold its last two Australian Blockbuster Music stores in Pitt Street, Sydney and Chapel Street, Melbourne to Brazin Limited, who incorporated them under their Sanity Entertainment brand. Throughout 1999 and 2000, Blockbuster Australia quickly expanded its franchise store network through the conversion of smaller groups and the granting of individual franchises. Before 2005, this was done through the acquisition of the Movies Plus Group and the conversion of some individual Movies 4U and Movieland outlets.[70][71][72]
In February 2007, Blockbuster sold its entire Australian store network to Video Ezy Australasia Pty Ltd. At the time, Blockbuster Australia comprised 370 outlets nationwide – 29 owned by the company and 341 owned by franchisees. Video Ezy had 518 Australian outlets, all of them being owned by franchisees, pushing the combined group's market share to 40% of the country's video rental sector. Video Ezy committed to the master franchise agreement with Blockbuster for 10 years operating the brand with the possibility of renewal for a further 10 years after that. As a consequence of the deal, the company changed its name from Video Ezy Australasia Pty Ltd to Franchise Entertainment Group (FEG).[73][74][75][76]
In October 2010, FEG transferred control of the Video Ezy Australia and Blockbuster Australia online businesses to their newly acquired and reorganized company, Élan Media Partners, leaving FEG to manage the franchise relationships with individual Video Ezy/Blockbuster outlets.[77][78] However, since the two brands came together, the network has shrunk, reflected in Video Ezy/Blockbuster franchises closing 270 stores across Australia in the four years to August 2011.[79]
Blockbuster was the largest video rental chain in the country, but finances were not good enough due to high rental prices. Lojas Americanas, the largest Brazilian department store, acquired half of the shares and now it is named under Americanas Express Blockbuster. The store layout is now similar to a regular American store with a Game Rush, but instead of games it offers electronics goods like computers and DVD players, groceries like candies and microwave popcorn, and even toys from Mattel and Hasbro's board games. Blockbuster sold its Brazilian stake in 2007 for a steep loss.
In Canada, Blockbuster Canada (established in 1990) had operated independently, and it initially remained financially stable.[80] It began a partnership with Wind Mobile in December 2009, selling mobile phones at all stores in cities where Wind's service was available. Phone sales began in Toronto and Calgary, later expanding to other cities with Wind coverage. Some stores even featured a full Wind "store-in-a-store" for postpaid activations and a larger selection of devices.[81] However, on May 3, 2011, it was announced that the company had gone into receivership.[82] On May 25, 2011, it was announced that 146 stores, accounting for approximately 35% of the company's stores in Canada, would be shut down effective June 18, 2011. On August 31, 2011, Blockbuster Canada announced that no buyer could be found for its remaining stores that were acceptable to the court-appointed bankruptcy receiver, and that it would wind down operations and close all stores by December 31, 2011. The company had acted as a guarantor towards Blockbuster's remaining debt.[83]
Blockbuster came to Denmark in 1996 with the acquisition of the 29 Christianshavn Video stores. Since then, it has opened many stores across the country and is now at 51 stores in total. Blockbuster Video Denmark sold the rights for the Blockbuster brand to the Danish telecommunications corporation TDC in 2013 and continued as RecycleIT A/S diversifying in refurbishing and reselling consumer electronics. RecycleIT A/S filed for Bankruptcy on August 1, 2014 - effectively closing down all but 12 stores, which have been continued by the company Blue City.
Thus Blockbuster Video only exists as a product brand name in TDC today.
In March 2010, Blockbuster announced that it intended to sell all operations in Europe. The company once had an Irish subsidiary, Xtravision, which did not operate under the Blockbuster brand name. Blockbuster sold Xtravision at a loss in August 2009 to Birchhall Investments Limited.
In March 1991, Fujita Den Trading (then, the master franchise owner of McDonald's in Japan) and Blockbuster Inc entered into a joint venture to established Japan's first Blockbuster Video stores. By October 1992, Fujita and Blockbuster opened 15 stores in the country – four of them next to McDonald's outlets and most being located in the Greater Tokyo Area. Unlike Blockbuster's US stores, each Japanese outlet only occupied about half the floor space at 5,000 square feet due to the country's more limited available real estate.[84][85] By June 1996, 32 stores were in operation with a public aim for 150 by 1998. Blockbuster Japan faced heavy competition from Osaka-based video rental chain, Tsutaya, with its 817 outlets, but the company saw opportunity in the population having high VCR ownership levels (at around 75%), low satellite TV penetration (at around 27%), and well-ordered store layouts (unique for most local video stores).[86] However, Blockbuster's business strategy of "wholesome home entertainment" saw it not stock adult entertainment or extreme horror films where they account for 35% of the Japanese video market. That meant Blockbuster was unable to fit into the Japanese market adequately, and was put at a disadvantage to other businesses selling and renting these movies. In 1999, Blockbuster handed its remaining shares over to Fujita Den Trading and exited the Japanese market.[87]
Blockbuster announced that it plans to shut down its stores in Peru due to poor revenues, which it blamed on the effect of movie piracy.[88] The company has already closed down its stores in Ecuador, Spain, Portugal and El Salvador.
United Kingdom
In 1989, the company entered the United Kingdom via its purchase of the 875–store Ritz Video chain for $135 million, from parent company, Citivision. Ritz Video was Europe's largest rental chain, with a 20% share of the United Kingdom video market, and annual sales of about $150 million. The first re–branded Blockbuster outlet opened on Walworth Road, South London, the same year.[89][90] By November 1991, Blockbuster UK converted 30 stores to its brand.
In early 2013, the company had 528 locations in the United Kingdom. On January 16, 2013, Blockbuster placed its United Kingdom subsidiaries in administration, putting over 4,000 jobs at risk. Non–United Kingdom stores were not affected by the administration, and continued to trade as normal. On February 1, 2013, a large number of Blockbuster stores in the United Kingdom were closed, and the United Kingdom business was purchased out of administration by restructuring firm Gordon Brothers Europe on March 23, 2013.[91]
Blockbuster UK then traded as TS Operations, with only 264 branches retained. On October 29, 2013, Blockbuster UK announced it was to go into administration for a second time.[92] On November 14, 2013, 72 store closures were announced,[93] with another 62 made on December 5.[94] A week later, with no success in finding a buyer, it had been announced by Moorfields Corporate Recovery that all remaining stores in the country would cease operation on December 16, 2013, with stock cleared the day before.[95]
Online rentals
United States
In August 2004, Blockbuster introduced a DVD-by-mail service in the U.S. to compete with the established market leader, Netflix.[96]
Blockbuster's U.S. online operation started with around 10 warehouses; further expansions every year brought that number to 41, plus more than 1400 stores in the Blockbuster Online network. Most Blockbuster independent franchises did not honor the Total Access program. The company had 1.5 million subscribers at the end of the third quarter of 2006.[97] Blockbuster's move to follow the business pattern with its online rentals as was established by Netflix prompted Netflix to sue Blockbuster for patent infringement. Blockbuster counter sued with a counterclaim alleging deceptive practices with its patent which it alleged was designed to maintain an illegal monopoly. The suits were eventually settled, and while the terms were not disclosed it was later reported that Netflix recorded a settlement payment from Blockbuster of $4.1 million in the second quarter of 2007.[98]
Blockbuster offered several online movie rental plans. In some cities customers could add games to their movie rental queue as if they were included in their plan, but game rentals resulted in a separate additional fee which was not displayed or charged until the end of the billing cycle.[99] Until July 26, 2007, Blockbuster offered and advertised unlimited free in-store exchanges of online rentals with all plans. Since then there were several changes back and forth with regard to this policy; as of March 2010 customers were allowed a limited number of in-store exchanges.
At the end of 2006, Blockbuster Total Access had 2.2 million customers, exceeding their original goal of 2 million, according to its website.[100] After an aggressive media campaign that accounted for much of Blockbuster's $46.4 million net loss in the first quarter of 2007, the Total Access subscriber base surpassed 3 million customers in total, marking the company's highest subscriber growth quarter ever.[101] By 2009, however, the company was declining to provide figures when asked by The Wall Street Journal.[102]
On January 5, 2007, Southern Stores Inc., one of Blockbuster's largest franchise operators in the United States, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that, by introducing Blockbuster Online and Blockbuster Total Access, the rental chain has undercut the group's franchise agreement.[103]
On August 6, 2010, Blockbuster By Mail subscribers gained access to Blockbuster's library of console games, in addition to movies and television shows.
On March 31, 2012, Blockbuster On Demand removed support from set-top box media players, including Vudu, WDTV, and Roku. Supported devices now only include computers, Blu-ray players, select television sets and cellular phones.[104]
On February 26, 2013, Roku, Inc. announced that Blockbuster On Demand was being launched on Roku's channel store. Supported devices now include computers, Blu-ray players, select television sets, cellular phones and at least the Roku set-top box.[105]
In November 2013, Dish Network said its DVD-by-mail service would shut down by mid-December.[106]
United Kingdom
Blockbuster UK's DVD-by-mail service began in October 2002 and was titled "Pay Per Rent".[97][107] Rentals cost £3.50 to £4.50 and lasted for five nights, usually from Monday to Friday due to the postal service. Late fees of £0.70 to £0.90 per disc applied if a disc was not returned on time.[108]
In May 2004, Blockbuster also introduced a conventional online subscription service. The unlimited three-disc plan costs £14.99/month but does not allow in-store exchange, contrary to the US service. Partial support for in-store exchange would not be added until April 2005 with the launch of an "OnlineXtra" service. This service costed £2 per month, required an online subscription to a disc plan and added two extra discs sent by mail. The OnlineXtra discs could be exchanged in store, but the non-OnlineXtra discs could not. The program was discontinued in 2006 with no grandfathering, but an in-store-only variant of it resurfaced in early 2008.[109] A "Click & Collect" service launched in September 2010 allows the reservation of Blockbuster movies in store, but the store's regular rental fees applied until the company added in-store exchanged in May 2012.[110][111] Support for game reservations was added in November 2011.[112]
In 2008, Blockbuster UK's website underwent an overhaul, with an online store, a retail store stock checker, improved search functionality and a critically acclaimed layout.[113] In-store pickup and exclusive titled were added in 2009. Some of the titles which had an exclusivity period at Blockbuster include Gran Torino, Changeling, Taken and Knowing. Additionally, online rental downloads of Universal Pictures in the United Kingdom remains exclusive to Blockbuster. This provides an advantage to the rental company compared to its competitors HMV, Play and LoveFilm.[113]
In January 2010, Blockbuster UK launched an online blog.[114] Improved search algorithms, product pages and social network links were added to the site in April 2010.[115] Blockbuster UK aired a monthly BB Insider online video show from May 2010 to January 2011[116] and launched an iPhone App in September 2010.[117] Throughout the year 2011, Blockbuster UK announced several price cuts along with a new Blockbuster loyalty card program.[118]
These price drops were followed by a price drop of the Blockbuster UK online pay per rent service.[119] Although some Blockbuster UK advertisements claim that the company no longer charges late fees, the fine print and/or voiceover clarifies that rentals will be charged an extra pound for every additional night.[120] A "Top Ticket" feature was added in April 2011, allowing monthly subscription customers to rent an additional movie at no extra charge and to receive it before other movies they request.[121][122] Support for online sales of used movie and game discs was added in July 2011.[123] The Blockbuster UK website was enhanced in September 2011.[124] During the following month, a new TV section was added to the website.[125]
3D Blu-rays were added to Blockbuster UK in February 2012.[126] In May 2012, Blockbuster UK partnered with IGN to launch a new Blockbuster VIP Gamer loyalty program.[127]
On January 16, 2013, Blockbuster UK entered administration, appointing Deloitte as company administrators, casting doubt over the future of their 528 stores in the country.[128] An announcement was then made by Deloitte that 160 UK stores would close.
On February 13, 2013 Deloitte announced a further 164 stores closures, leaving 204 stores trading in the UK. The business was sold to restructuring firm the Gordon Brothers Group on March 23, 2013.[91] On October 29, 2013, Gordon Brothers filed notice of intention to appoint an administrator. On November 28, 2013, Blockbuster UK officially entered administration for the second time, and by December 2013, all stores were closed, as no buyer for the chain was found.
In January 2006, Blockbuster Brazil also introduced an online rental service now featuring both DVD and Blu-ray plans. There were four Block plans available with prices ranging from R$34.90 to R$79.90. The 3-disc plan with unlimited exchanges was R$49.90/month. Unlike the US service, there was no in-store disk exchange.[129][not in citation given]
Movielink acquisition
On August 8, 2007, Blockbuster announced that it reached an agreement to purchase Movielink. According to the 8-K filing by Blockbuster, the total purchase price was $6.6 million.
Misleading advertising
In 2005, Blockbuster launched a marketing campaign describing changes in its late fees policy and offering "No Late Fees" on rentals. The program sparked investigations and charges of misrepresentation in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as state attorneys general including Bill Lockyer of California, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Eliot Spitzer of New York argued that customers were being automatically charged the full purchase price of late rentals and a restocking fee for rentals returned after 30 days. In a settlement, Blockbuster agreed to reimburse the states the cost of their investigation, clarify communication to customers on the terms of the program and offer reimbursement to customers charged fees prior to the clarification. New Jersey filed a separate lawsuit and was not a party to the settlement.[130][131][132][133][134]
The 2005 controversy came after a related lawsuit settled in 2002 in Texas. That lawsuit, alleging exorbitant late fees, led the company to pay $9.25 million in attorney fees and offer $450 million in late fee refund coupons (which were rent-one get-one-free coupons, and thus required the customer to make an initial expenditure). The company estimated that the coupons would ultimately cost about $45 million depending on the redemption rate; an attorney for the plaintiffs estimated the final cost at closer to $100 million at a redemption rate of about 20% (calculated based on a similar case in Michigan).[135][136]
Such corrections were also sent to international stores such as those in Canada to prevent further lawsuits.
Blockbuster reintroduced late fees in the United States in 2010 under the name of "Additional Daily Rates". With this pricing scheme, rentals were once again limited to a certain number of days and accrued pay-per-day rates after the days allocated are exceeded.
Super Bowl
One of Blockbuster's most well known advertising campaigns was launched during the 2002 Super Bowl. It starred the voices of James Belushi and James Woods, as a rabbit and a guinea pig in a pet shop, located across the road from a Blockbuster store. The first campaign ended in 2003. The Carl and Ray campaign started again in 2007 starting with a commercial in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLI.[137]
See also
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hyatt, Joshua (July 1, 2003). "He Began Blockbuster. So What? David Cook created a household name, but he refuses to become one". CNN Money. Retrieved January 23, 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "BLOCKBUSTER'S ENTERTAINMENT STORE!". website home page. Wayback Machine. December 24, 1996. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
Blockbuster name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. © 1987, 1996 Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Blockbuster Technology – Online Group and Viacom Interactive Services.Unknown parameter
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- ↑ Rick Newman (February 6, 2009). "15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009". US News. Retrieved December 9, 2010.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Clifford, Stephanie (April 8, 2011). "Other Retailers Find Ex-Blockbuster Stores Just Right". The New York Times.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Blockbuster Reaches Agreement on Plan to Recapitalize Balance Sheet and Substantially Reduce its Indebtedness" (Press release). Blockbuster. September 23, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Fritz, Ben (April 7, 2011). "Dish Network wins bidding for assets of bankrupt Blockbuster". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "DISH Network Completes Acquisition of Blockbuster Assets". DishNetwork.MediaRoom.com. April 26, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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- ↑ "More Blockbuster stores closing". MSN Money. February 23, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Pankratz, Howard (January 21, 2013). "Dish to close 300 Blockbuster stores". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 7, 2013.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ http://www.dish.com/dish-movie-pack/. Missing or empty
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Even Blockbuster's late fees came back to bite the chain in an unlikely way. In 1997, a man named Reed Hastings returned a late copy of Apollo 13 to his local Blockbuster. He was assessed a $40 fee. Two years later, he founded Netflix. Blockbuster was caught flat-footed by many of these changes. It could have purchased Netflix for $50 million in 2000, but passed. As Netflix rose, Blockbuster's attempts to compete on Netflix's terms—especially through the mail—foundered. It also tried to compete with Redbox using standalone kiosks. That didn't work, either.
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- ↑ "Blockbuster Sued Over Late Fees". CBS News. February 18, 2005.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Blockbuster settles "no late fees" claims". MSNBC. March 30, 2005.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Caroline Mayer (February 19, 2005). "Blockbuster sued over return policy". The Washington Post.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Michael McCarthy (February 27, 2005). "'No late fees' ads cause a stir". USA Today.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Lorenza Munoz (March 30, 2005). "Blockbuster Settles State Probes Into Late Fee Ads". The Los Angeles Times.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Sarah Hale (June 6, 2001). "Blockbuster to settle lawsuit over late fees". The Los Angeles Times, via the Hartford Courant.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Blockbuster customers to be reimbursed for late fees". Fox News. January 11, 2002.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Neill, Rob (February 5, 2007). "Best Super Bowl ad? Readers pick a Blockbuster". NBC News. Retrieved November 21, 2014.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
External links
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- Official website
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- Crocker, Ronnie and Purva Patel. "Has digital age killed the video store?" Houston Chronicle. September 24, 2010.
- November 2008 The Onion spoof of a Blockbuster Store becoming a historical experience 'museum'
- Blockbuster LLC's history from prior to its bankruptcy and closure
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- Home video companies of the United States
- Blockbuster LLC
- Dish Network


text:
Toyota is testing a system that would allow the Japanese company's electric cars to automatically top up their batteries every time they are positioned over a charging coil in the road.
wants to make recharging an electric car as simple as parking and so is examining resonance charging systems in the hopes of offering the feature in the near future. Unlike other wireless charging technologies, systems that use magnetic resonance don't need to make physical contact with a battery in order to charge it and can therefore top up a car's batteries over a short distance. Toyota's plan is to fit recharging coils under parking spaces and then to tweak its existing parking assist technology to ensure that any compatible car is optimally positioned over the coil when it stops. A small test program is currently underway in Japan using three plug-in hybrid cars, and Toyota will assess the results and levels of user satisfaction before making a decision regarding commercialization. Fellow Japanese carmaker and electric vehicle pioneer Nissan has been developing
for its line of LEAF all-electric cars since 2011. It is also investigating the feasibility of building wireless charging points along major highways that would continually charge electric vehicles as they traveled. So far the only stretch of road capable of automatically charging electric vehicles as they drive by is in
and is used for powering two buses. It went live in August 2013.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cousins Dan Baumiller and Nick Fertig launched Full Tilt Brewing in December, brewing beers in the basement of Baumiller's Sykesville home.
Now, less than a year later, Full Tilt beers are on tap at more than 180 bars and restaurants and sold at more than 500 stores across the state.
"We're just two home brewers who are trying to go into business," Baumiller said. "There's so much interest in local beers right now. We hope to open our own brewery in a couple years."
It's heady time for Maryland brewers like Baumiller and Fertig. Interest in local beer is at an all-time high, with restaurants and bars seeking a frequently rotating selection of unique and seasonal brews, according to industry leaders.
"People like local beer because it's accessible," said Ben Savage, president of the Brewers Association of Maryland. "You can actually shake hands with the person who brews your beer."
A decade ago, a dozen brewers were members of the association. Today, there are 28 breweries, said Savage, who is also the chief marketing officer for Frederick's Flying Dog Brewery.
The association lobbied hard in recent years to relax the state's laws for breweries, many of which dated back to the period just after the end of Prohibition, Savage said. Now customers can buy a glass of beer at local breweries, which was illegal a few years ago, he said.
Sales of craft beer in Maryland grew 18 percent by volume in 2012, according to the association. That growth came as total beer sales grew just 0.9 percent by volume nationwide.
Representatives from many of the state's breweries attended the Maryland Brewer's Harvest at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Saturday. Attendees were given a small tasting glass and plastic coins to trade for beer samples. Some of the state's top chefs, such as Bryan Voltaggio of Frederick's Volt restaurant, offered small plates of food to accompany the beer.
Jon Zerivitz, 34, a co-founder of Woodberry's Union Craft Brewing, said interest in small-batch breweries is linked to the increasing desire for locally grown foods.
"There's a whole generation of young people who are growing up without Coors Light, who are just into craft beers," he said.
Union Craft's sales have grown rapidly since June 2012, when it became the first brewery to open in the city in 30 years, he said.
The brewery is about to begin canning its third beer, Black Wing Lager, and now offers Thursday and Friday happy hours as well as Saturday brewery tours, Zerivitz said.
Eli Breitburg-Smith, 27, a brewer for recently opened Peabody Heights Brewery in Waverly, said he sees the potential for more breweries to open in the state, particularly in the Baltimore area.
"There's a lot of room in Baltimore for more beer," Breitburg-Smith said. He formerly brewed beer in an Oregon town about a sixth of the size of Baltimore that supported 20 local breweries.
Breitburg-Smith currently tends 15 beers at Peabody Heights, a large facility that allows smaller breweries to rent space.
Full Tilt, the company started in December by Baumiller and Fertig, is among the breweries that use space at Peabody Heights.
The cousins, who are both 29, have full-time jobs, but spend nearly every free moment brewing or promoting their beers.
"We've been hitting every bar we can" with samples, Baumiller said. "One night we drove out to Frederick. Another time we went to Ocean City."
The cousins tap into the demand for new flavors by creating seasonal brews such as a rich, spicy Patterson Pumpkin ale and a slightly sweet Fleet St. Raspberry Wheat. They plan to introduce a Berger Cookie Chocolate Stout, brewed with the iconic local flavor, later this month.
Many of those who attended the Maryland Brewer's Harvest said they experimented with home brewing, which Tanya Janish, 30, of Laurel, described as a "messy and time-consuming," but ultimately rewarding hobby.
Her husband, Scott Janish, also 30, found the profusion of local breweries inspiring.
"Every homebrewer wants to be the guy behind the table," he said.


text:
Catching It All
Former television announcer and NFL star Ahmad Rashad strides safely into the Plaza Hotel's Oak Room--the same room where, in North by Northwest, Cary Grant is kidnapped for an improbable journey to South Dakota. In a linen summer suit, Rashad navigates the tables without being tackled, fouled--or kidnapped. Looking as fit as a receiver, hauling a leather bag over his shoulder, he weaves across the floor, heading for the plush leather booth in the corner. The alcove is made to order for two-hour lunches and one-hour-long smokes.
In a few minutes, Rashad talks about everything: from basketball and football, to Islam and vegetarianism; from Marv Albert and television to his good friend Michael Jordan. And cigars. Rashad possesses a fresh stock of ideas on a broad spectrum of subjects--in and out of sports. But that's not out of character. Marv Albert, America's best play-by-play voice in basketball, says of Rashad: "When you look at the athletes who turned broadcasters, he's one of the best out there."
His bright-eyed television persona isn't far from the way he comes across in person. Rashad is not one of the athletes who took the Lite Beer trail after retirement, but looks as if he could step back on the field and snag a touchdown pass on a post-pattern. "I work out every day. I run or I ride a bike when I'm tired of running. I have a gym in my house and I work out there. I never lifted a weight until two years ago. Then Michael Jordan gave me his routine, and I went through it with him. It takes about 45 minutes. It's light weights with a lot of repetitions, but you go through four or five stations three times a week and that's it. And I play tennis, sometimes two or three times a day."
We come around to his age and he says, "I'm 44--I was trying to figure out if I was 44 or 43, but I think I'm 44." In November he turned 45. "I eat whatever I want to eat because I work out so much." Indeed, Rashad--with an earring and jet-black hair--still looks youthful, even boyish.
"I don't eat [red] meat. I was a vegetarian before I changed the name (from Bobby Moore, in 1972). I went to school during the late '60s and early '70s," he says, shifting gears but keeping to the same road. "Oregon was a hippie school. People were into good food and good health, eating grains and not so much red meat. We didn't have guys who had steaks for pregame meals; we had guys who came in with some kind of bag of grain or something--that's probably why we got beat all the time! Half of our guys had their hair pinned up or their hair beneath their helmets all down the back. We didn't win any national titles, but we had very well-rounded people on the team. We weren't football jocks." Rashad then orders the Caesar's chicken salad and clam soup, after repeated assurances from the waiter that there is no bacon in it.
He quickly gets back into his story. "Our coach, Jerry Frei, was one of those guys who said you could miss practice if you had a good reason. Guys would come to practice and say 'I couldn't make practice yesterday because there was a protest. Dow Chemical was on campus and we don't think that's right during the Vietnam War.' With Frei, that was fine. He wanted guys to be successful human beings, and that was more important to him than turning out good football players. Football was never primary. It wasn't primary when I got out of high school and when I got out of college it still wasn't primary.
"As I was driving here I thought about this one coach I used to have. I was with St. Louis, about 25 years old, and he was a short, stocky guy who smoked big, fat, long cigars. I wasn't practicing one day. This coach saw me talking to someone who wasn't on the team and he just went ape shit. He looked at me and yelled 'Hey, get your ass over here. You keep your head in the game. I don't care if you're not practicing, I want you to stand over here and watch everything we're doing. Get over here now.' I was thinking to myself 'how funny is that?' I thought this guy was going to have a stroke," Rashad smiles that boyish grin. "I thought 'Hey, chill.'
"I didn't have a relaxed attitude. I just had priorities," Rashad continues. "When it was time to practice, I practiced. But in between plays you didn't have to have this crazed look all over your face. I didn't feel like I played better if I got myself into some frenzy. Some people did and that was fine. I watched guys get ready to play by knocking their heads on walls. I talked to people on the sidelines, I talked to fans if they were close, I talked to the other team, I talked to refs. I talked to everybody. Then one morning, it dawned on me that I didn't want to do this anymore."
Not playing football was nothing new for Rashad. For most of his life he didn't know it would be his future. Born in Oregon in 1949, Bobby Moore was raised in Tacoma, Washington. He was the youngest of six children--three boys and three girls. And if ever a child needed a life lesson, young Moore had his--a trial that served as constant motivation. "When I was six years old, I started developing a skin disease. And they never did figure out what it was. It was something that drove me inside a lot. It was ugly; I had it on my ears, hands and elbows and wrists and everything. Big bumps. I'd be embarrassed about them. Crueler kids called me 'Bumpy' or 'Raisin Ears.' I felt like a freak. If I caught a ball the bumps would burst and spill blood all over me.
"I remember when I was 12, my mother and I got on a bus to go to a medical convention where they had all these unknown diseases. I thought of myself as being pretty normal, but when I saw these people they had at this convention, man, they had the most deformed people I had ever seen in my whole life! All the people were kept in one wing of a hospital and doctors would come around with their assistants and pinch you and do all kinds of things to you and take notes. I can still remember a nurse nod toward me and spell out l-e-p-e-r. Just because I had bumps all over, she didn't think that I could spell out a two-syllable word when I was 12-years-old? I just remember that was my lowest point ever. I would always draw on that and make sure that gave me strength rather than tear me down. I remember my mother crying all the way home from Vancouver to Tacoma." But Rashad's childhood trial ended almost as mysteriously as it began. After a doctor cut the bumps off, they stayed away.
"I realized I was good at football in tenth grade. During the summers, football players at the University of Washington would play touch football in the park. I was picked one time, the guys were all PAC-8 [the PAC-10 today], some were coming up for All-American, and I remember holding my own with those guys. My cousin was supposed to be a big star at the University of Washington. He was covering me one day, and I caught one pass and took off about 60 yards, he couldn't catch me and that gave me so much confidence. I knew I could play. I could run; no matter where I caught it, I could run with it."
The success continued at Oregon, where Rashad was the No. 1-rated wide receiver and running back on the team one year. But leaving college, he didn't want to be a back anymore. "You get beat up," he explains. "I was the first offensive player picked in the 1972 draft. With salary plus bonuses I made about $65,000. But that didn't matter much to me either. I just didn't think that all life was wrapped up in that. I was just into living, the experience of life. I just knew there was a bigger experience outside that practice field. I knew that. My brothers and sisters weren't playing football and yet were enjoying themselves. I used to wonder what everyone else did during the fall?"
Rashad's first experience in the pros was far from memorable. "A guy from St. Louis calls and says 'we just drafted you.' That was it; nothing more. Nothing like 'glad to have you aboard.' Most guys were like 'yeah, I got drafted by so and so and they're glad to have me....' But St. Louis started negotiating right away. They figured 'if we act like we don't like him, then we don't have to pay him so much.' The strategy backfired because I didn't want to be there."
Rashad, mindful of his father's counsel to "always have options," had another option. "I was really into my religion at that time. It was very important for me to spend time developing myself as a Muslim; reading, learning, things like that. My teacher was a guy named Rashad Khalifa, who lived in St. Louis. Football was like a job; I couldn't wait for practice to end so I could go over to Rashad."
Then he changed his name from Bobby Moore to Ahmad Rashad. "That was funny. We had coaches who would say 'Goddamnit, your name is Bobby Moore. Coach Don Coryell would say 'get over here, whatever your name is!' I went from being Bobby Moore to 'whatever your name is.' I put my name on the front of my helmet. 'My name is right here,' I'd tell him. So I always had that attitude, which pissed him off. He would say: 'Where's that wide receiver 'A-med Rash-id?' " Rashad laughs, recalling the time.
Rashad's career as a football player didn't take flight until he was with the Minnesota Vikings for seven years beginning in 1976. "Playing with Fran Tarkenton was one of the biggest reasons. I had never played with a QB of that caliber before. Joe Ferguson was young, and we ran the ball all the time in Buffalo because of O. J. Then I wrecked my knee my second year there. In St. Louis we sucked: Jim Hart was pretty good, but we didn't have a line. So we didn't throw any passes. So all of a sudden I've got Fran Tarkenton, and me and Fran are like connecting." With Minnesota, Rashad went to four consecutive Pro Bowls, where he was also the MVP in 1979.
After 11 years in St. Louis, Buffalo and Minnesota, the 33-year-old Rashad decided to call it quits in 1983. "All the great players we had were gone. We had a lot of young guys who didn't really want to make the commitment. Here I was busting my ass every day, and we had a lot of young guys who didn't really care whether we won or lost, but were just glad to be in the league. That killed me. Before we had Tarkenton--and Jim Marshall, Carl Eller, Alan Page...." Rashad breaks the thought, naming the great "Purple People Eaters" on the defensive line. "These guys were never late; they would never miss a practice.
"My last year, guys would show up whenever they wanted to. Oh man, I just couldn't take it! No commitment, just no commitment; when there has to be a commitment that you guys are together, you're gonna play--you can't play half-assed or they'll kill you! You can't be lollygagging out there or you'll lose your head. 'I'm taking a night off,' " Rashad mocks. "It's not like basketball or baseball. You take a night off in football and that'll be the last night you'll play." And Rashad was surprised to happen into hotel rooms and find young players doing lines of cocaine; so casually they didn't even try to hide it. "When I decided to quit and go home I never went back--I never even went back to clean my locker out. Bud Grant didn't try to talk me out of it."
Despite his early departure, Rashad left his mark on the league. One day, before retiring, Grant came up to him and pointed out Charley Taylor's total of 649 catches, then the all-time leader. "See that," Grant said. "You can do it." Three more years of 60 catches a piece and he would have done it. "I was physically able to play, but not mentally able," Rashad says, weary of the antics of the new players. He retired with 495 catches, 10th on the all-time receiving list at the time.
But the hard reality of retiring was softened for Rashad. He had already begun broadcasting at a CBS affiliate, WCCO television in Minnesota. "I was working in television and after practice I went to the studio to work on my craft in television."
Now Rashad is involved with several NBC programs. "NBA Off the Court," a more in-depth show than his "NBA Inside Stuff," will premier for the 1994-95 season with profiles of players and coaches and longer features. But he admits his biggest current gig is cohosting "NFL Live" with Greg Gumbel on Sundays. He is also host of "Notre Dame Saturday."
The table is cleared as Rashad lights up his Don Lino Robusto. "I just had one the other day. It's a great daytime cigar." Rashad believes that the right choice of cigar is necessary: some cigars are too strong to smoke before a full meal. His taste in cigars is eclectic. He enjoys a Cuban Partagas Series D No. 4. "I like different cigars at different times of the day. I light one Avo Intermezzo cigar. If I light up in my driveway, it's finished by the time I reach New Jersey [the location of the NBA Entertainment studio]. So I tell time by cigars. Don Lino is a little shorter. It has a lighter, milder taste. I like a fat cigar with a 50-ring size. After a meal some are a little heavier. But the Don Lino is very smooth. You can't smoke a Cuban in the daytime; it's too strong. I also like the short, fat Cohiba Robusto. But you can't smoke that in the daytime either."
Rashad cannot get away with smoking in his home, however. His wife, Phylicia, once a regular on "The Cosby Show," won't tolerate it. "I built a separate shack behind my house just for my cigars. The cigar shack has a television and a couch.
"There's an old saying: 'Smoke less, smoke better.' I smoke probably four or five a day, maybe too many. I was coughing the other day, and my daughter goes with me to the doctor and the doctor says 'you smoke?' And I say 'Yeah, I smoke one or two a day. And my daughter cuts in and says, 'Dad, you smoke more than one or two a day.' 'OK, three or four,' I say.
"It's funny, I always wanted to smoke a cigar, but I used to think I would be too young to smoke. I started smoking when I was playing for the Vikings. I was reading books on cigars. Cosby was smoking, and I used to take his. So that would give me a chance to test them. But they would be big, long ones, and I always thought I would look funny with big, long cigars. And then as time went by and I ended up getting married to Phylicia, people thought I smoked cigars because Cosby smoked cigars. I have known Cosby since I was in college," he says. "Since I was 19 or 20. He introduced me to her on the set."
Rashad's proposal to Phylicia was a famous break-in-the-football-action betrothal on television on Thanksgiving in 1985. "I proposed on the set. She didn't know it was coming. That's probably my single biggest moment on TV. I meet people that I know aren't sports fans who have seen copies of it and say 'that was such a wonderful thing.' She was in the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, so the parade ended and she was at Macy's. I had told her when she got off the float to go in and look at TV. She went nuts."
Despite Rashad's foray into cigars, his partner Marv Albert claims he knows nothing about it. "I have never seen him smoke," says Albert. "He'll do anything for publicity. The next thing he'll claim is that electric trains are his favorite hobby, just to get into print." With Albert, one needs the grin or the slight alteration in the voice to detect the humor. "He is the dean of sideline reporting," Albert says dryly, "setting new standards every time, game by game. He's replaced the czar of the telestrater [Mike Fratello]."
The Albert-Rashad connection is one of perpetual one-upmanship. "He basically laughs at anything I say, and then he says it's not funny," Albert says. Despite Albert's constant zingers--during the Dream Team II games he hoped that Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't tear down the basket because the delay would lead to "20 more minutes of Ahmad"--Rashad feels he has the last word, since when the Knicks decided to have a "Marv Albert Night" for his long service to broadcasting, they made "Mike and the Mad Dog" of WFAN the masters of ceremony. Rashad refers to them as "Dog and the Fat Man." "The one guy [Chris Russo] looks like a deranged idiot," Rashad says. "And the other [Mike Francesa] is swelling out of his suit."
If the comments seem a bit strident, it is because Rashad was stung hard by the WFAN pair after his Michael Jordan interview several years ago--right after reports surfaced that Jordan had suffered huge gambling losses. Rashad was widely criticized for not asking Jordan "tough" questions during the interview. Jordan, feeling the lash of the press after his midnight jaunt to Atlantic City during the Knicks-Bulls series in 1993, wouldn't talk to reporters for days.
Then one day Jordan saw Rashad at Chicago Stadium and said 'get a camera; let's get this out of the way.' Says Rashad: "I asked, 'Do you have a gambling problem?' 'No.' 'Are you sure you don't have a gambling problem?' 'No, I don't.' 'Does your wife think you have a gambling problem?' 'No, she doesn't.' So what else am I supposed to say? 'No, you're lying?' I know the answer before I ask it anyway. I know he doesn't have a gambling problem.
"Everyone knows that Michael and I are the very, very best of friends," says Rashad. "So they see us doing an interview and say 'how can he ask him tough questions if they are good friends?' I asked him the same questions that anyone else would have asked. I took the questions, I showed them to the producer [Rick Diamond]--we wrote them up together--and I said 'do you think we should ask him anything else?' He said no. Diamond agreed with me that had anyone else done it they would have asked the same questions. They have a couple of gangs, a couple of talk-radio stations here--Fat Dog and the Mike Man--whatever the hell they are. They like went off on me for two weeks."
Says Albert: "It's tough. As his friend, I would probably not have done the interview." Then he jokes: "I would like to have seen Ahmad with the sunglasses, instead of Jordan." One thing seemed certain. There would not have been an interview if not for Rashad.
But then because television is, as Rashad says, "subjective," he later drew praise from some of the same people who had criticized him. When Rashad grilled Scottie Pippen for taking himself out of the final 1.8 seconds of the Knicks-Bulls playoff game last spring, New York Post writer Phil Mushnick praised him.
What he won't talk about at all is his friendship with O. J. Simpson, who was his roommate when they played together on the Buffalo Bills in 1974 after Rashad's unhappy stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. "O. J. and I were very good friends, and he knew I was going to quit pro football," recalls Rashad. "He said 'don't quit; maybe we can get you here.' " Rashad was traded to Buffalo, but he tore up his knee that season. The friendship endured even though Rashad moved on to Minnesota in 1976. "He was the best man at my wedding in December 1985," says Rashad, expressing some surprise that he's been spared grilling by the media about his friend. But all that Rashad will say about the murder charges leveled against Simpson is "I have no comment."
There are viewers who think that "crossover guys" like Rashad can't really be taken seriously. The notion here is that basketball is an intellectual exercise akin to splitting the atom. Actually Rashad thinks it's an accomplishment that people look at him announcing basketball and forget that he was a football player. It means he has crossed over.
"We used to have a coach who said 'the ship is sailing,' " says Rashad. "What that meant was the ship is sailing with or without you. You're on the boat or you're not on it. Well, that became my saying. The ship is sailing. Hey, we're out of here," he says, recalling his thoughts about his future during one NFL year when he suffered a knee injury. Then his next thought was "let's make sure I've got another boat to get on."
With NBA basketball, NFL football, "Notre Dame Saturday," "NBA Inside Stuff" and "NBA Off the Court," Rashad is now sailing a fleet.
Ken Shouler is an author and regular contributor to Cigar Aficionado. He lives in White Plains, New York.


text:
News flash: Hankburgers go weekly—tonight
Photo of Hank Adaniya and his Hankburger.
Some people go to Hank's Haute Dogs for the burgers—but until now the addicted were able to get their fix only once a month. Starting today, Hank's turns its truck into a burgermobile every weekend, all weekend long. You'll find it parked in Hank's Haute Dogs' parking lot serving only chargrilled hankburgers, natural cut fries, Hank¹s house-made dips, and soda. The schedule: Fridays 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays noon to 3 p.m.
To add to the gourmet fast-food excitement, Hank¹s is extending its hours on Friday and Saturday. Now you can get the regular hot dog menu and burgers for dinner—yah, so much for that New Year resolution. New weekend schedule: Fridays 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Read Martha Cheng's approving look at the hankburger: http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/October-2012/Hamburgersat-Hanks-Haute-Dogs/
Lesa Griffith is writing guest posts for Biting Commentary while dining editor Martha Cheng is on vacation.
(1/7/12 – updated)


text:
The third named tropical storm of the hurricane season, Chantal, has formed in the Atlantic. If it becomes a threat to Coastal Georgia it won't be until early next week, according to the National Weather Service.
A graphic released by the service shows there's a 5-10 percent chance that tropical force winds will reach our coast by early Sunday. If the storm continues toward us it would be a day or two after that when Chantal gets close enough to do damage.
"Slow strengthening is forecast for the next 36 hours…" the service's forecast reads. It should then weaken as it crosses Hispaniola and start to interact with a trough that is moving over the Eastern United States. That trough is expected to bring rain into our area for much of the rest of the week.
And the service's forecast says the trough could move more to the east, causing Chantal to turn more to the west as it near the Bahamas.
Here's a story from Accuweather about Chantal's expected impact in the Caribbean. It was written by the company's senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski:
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. July 8 AccuWeather.com reports as Chantal tracks west-northwestward across the Caribbean, the greatest threat from the tropical storm will be from flooding this week.
The Windward Islands will experience tropical storm conditions Tuesday, followed by similar conditions over parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Tuesday night and Wednesday. Haiti and the Dominican Republic would be impacted by Chantal later Wednesday into Thursday.
While fast movement of Chantal will limit the amount of rain on the smaller islands, large mountains on the Greater Antilles will squeeze out tremendous moisture, regardless of the forward speed of the storm.
In most situations similar to Chantal, the worst of the rain and heaviest squalls tend to occur near, east and northeast of the storm track. The conditions tend to "follow" the storm as it moves along.
All interests from the Lesser Antilles to eastern Cuba should be prepared for mudslides and flash and urban flooding.
Chantal will also generate heavy seas and rough surf along its path.
There is the potential for damaging winds and power outages, especially if the tropical system reaches hurricane status along its journey.
Late in the week, Chantal is forecast to turn on a more north to northwest path, which will take it over the Bahamas and waters just east of Florida.
The area from the Bahamas to the Florida Peninsula will first be hit by a non-tropical system moving in from the east Tuesday into Wednesday. This storm in the upper atmosphere is forecast to pack its own torrential downpours, locally heavy squalls and gusty thunderstorms.
Rainfall from either of the two or both systems brings a risk of urban and low-lying area flooding.
Eventually, moisture from either or both systems will be absorbed over the mainland United States, adding to the mosaic of daily showers and thunderstorms, as well as the risk of flash and urban flooding problems.
While rainfall during the summer season is essential for water supplies in the tropics, parts of the Caribbean have already received double their normal rainfall since June 1. Much of the landscape is primed for excessive runoff and flooding.
At San Juan, Puerto Rico, 13 inches of rain has fallen since June 1, compared to a normal rainfall of around 6.50 inches for the period. At St. Croix, Virgin Islands, nearly 8 inches of rain has fallen during the same period, compared to an average of just under 3 inches.