— ITV had high hopes for Britannia High, its answer to High School Musical, with songs penned by Take That's Gary Barlow. However, it has not worked. With ratings of 2.5 million on early Sunday evenings, the popularity of the show is well below the 4 million or so the commercial broadcaster would be looking for. Part-produced by Anita Land, Michael Grade's sister, and, the word is, given the green light by the executive chairman himself, the failure of the programme prompts the thought: has the ITV mogul lost his popular touch?

— The Independent held extensive talks with Telegraph Media Group about a move to Victoria before settling on moving in with the Daily Mail in High Street, Kensington. One not very reliable story holds that there was not enough room at Victoria, and surely nobody else could be dimissed to make way for the Independent titles. But more reliable sources insist that Murdoch MacLennan, Telegraph Media's chief executive, was never keen on an office-sharing deal. Keeping the talks going may have helped to glean useful information and prompted the Mail's owner, Associated Newspapers, to offer better terms.

— Malcolm Bluemel, the owner of Planet Rock, is thoroughly enjoying owning the digital radio station after buying it in the summer. Business, though, is not easy. He estimates that overall radio advertising may be down by as much as 30 per cent at present, an estimate that sounds so gloomy as to make the television business look like fun. With no debts, it is no problem for Bluemel. How everybody else is faring remains to be seen.

— No sign of a recession at City Screen, the high street cinema owner. Revenue for the year is up so far for the company behind the Picture House chain, and will remain so, despite the postponement of the latest Harry Potter film, which would have provided an extra fillip. As the media industry shrinks, jobs selling popcorn are clearly the way ahead.

Times Recommends

• C&G axed - 1,660 jobs to be lost
• UK house prices rise 1.1% as buyers return
• Mixed reaction to US banks repaying bailouts