Week of May 5th, 2014

The full timeline

The breakdown of merger plans between Publicis and Omnicom is a reminder of how difficult it can be to execute a merger of equals.

David Gura talks to Cardiff Garcia

Apple is in talks to buy Beats, known for its trendy- and expensive- Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. IF it goes through, this would be Apple’s biggest acquisition at a reported $3.2 billion. But Beats doesn’t just make headphones. We look at Beats the company, its produts and services, and what it could offer Apple if te deal goes through. Plus, the breakdown of merger plans between Publicis and Omnicom is a reminder of how difficult it can be to execute a merger of equals that has the goal of a 50-50 arrangement. We investigate. 

A third of all homes sold last quarter were paid for in cash.

This week on Marketplace Money, guest host David Lazarus of the LA Times and Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson discuss how Target will keep your information secure — for real this time. Lindsay Gellman tells us when hiring a financial adviser is a good decision. David Lazarus answers questions from listeners. Kiplinger’s Kimberly Lankford explains why HSA’s can be a good option for saving, Liz Weston gives her best picks for financial gifts for new grads and Celia Rivenbark tells us how her parents changed her relationship with money.

Global Grind's politics editor Christina Coleman tells us why it's not so strange.

HSAs make that high-deductible insurance plan go down a little smoother.

The average Nigerian uses about 1/5 the energy of the average American.

Marketplace Datebook for the week of May 5, 2014

The potential sale of Beats by Dre could upend the richest hip hop moguls

The tech goliath is in talks about a big, big purchase.

Congrats college grads; now start job hunting. And, the Marketplace Morning Report Quiz.

New York Times columnist Mark Bittman on what labels like "organic" really mean.

Despite the economic recovery, it'll still take new grads awhile to find jobs.

China is in conflict over its claim to a vast part of the South China Sea.

China is in conflict with several nations over its claim to a vast part of the South China Sea. The battle with Vietnam is over both territory and potential oil under the sea, started by China moving an oil drilling rig near the contested Paracel Islands. Plus, it’s graduation time! But the Class of 2014 isn’t celebrating the job market. Young college grads face a 8.5 percent unemployment rate (it was 5.5 percent before the recession), and high school grads face high underemployment. Despite the economic recovery, it’ll still take new grads awhile to find good jobs in a promising career.

On today’s show, the latest news from the Comcast Time Warner hearings. Plus, Adrienne LaFrance, an editor and technology reporter at The Atlantic, joins us for our weekly quiz on the week in tech, Silicon Tally. Finally, Rekha Malhotra, a.k.a. DJ Rekha, who is credited with bringing Bhangra music to the United States talks to us about combining traditional folk music of India with modern dance beats, and how the technology involved in DJ-ing has evolved.

How well have you kept up on this week's tech news.

How the VCR played a part in bringing Bollywood and Bhangra to the U.S.

It may be less expensive for states to expand Medicaid than previously estimated.

One of the biggest reasons for Alibaba’s success? Its founder, Jack Ma.

A Marketplace report on income inequality garnered a lot of feedback.

FedEx says it will charge by the size of a package into account when figuring out shipping costs. Bulky but lightweight items  will get more expensive to send. We look at all the ripple effects a change like this can make, everything from how consumers might modify their buying habits to how big shippers like Amazon might consider more efficient packaging. Plus, Janet Yellen feels pretty good about most of the economy, except for housing. Activity in this sector has been disappointing, she said, and many economists agree. We report on what it would mean if the housing market can’t find its mojo. Then, we follow up on listener questions about her story on people who spend time in the “1 percent.”

Janet Yellen feels pretty good about most of the economy, except for housing.

How to figure out if you should fly solo or hire a professional financial adviser.

FedEx is changing its large item shipping rates. Will that change your orders?

Davidson College tells students to handle their own dirty laundry.

A look at why and how retailers use cheap book prices as a selling point.

In his new book of essays, "But Enough About You," Christopher Buckley delves into history's forgotten billionaires.

The so-called Pink Palace could weaken more than the Sultan of Brunei's will.

How much parents pay when their kids are in trouble with the law.

We're here to answer olive your questions.

Marketplace Datebook for Friday, May 9, 2014

GPS monitors are cheaper than juvenile detention, but they come with other costs.

The new nominee for HHS Secretary goes before the Senate. And more Americans are going online to find cremation urns.

What's scarier than dying young? Living longer without enough savings.

What would people in the health care business want to ask Sylvia Burwell?

Is an expensive home a good safe haven investment for wealthy people these days?

Homeownership is at its lowest rate since 1995, but values of single-family homes over $1 million have seen an 8 percent bump in the last year. A hedge fund founder just bought a Hamptons mansion for $147 million, which broke the record for highest sale price of a home. Plus, the President’s pick to head the Department of Health & Human Services, Sylvia Burwell, gets her first Senate hearing on Thursday. The Affordable Care Act will come up. But what would healthcare providers, insurance executives and patient advocates want to ask her?

How Radiohead inspired a week-long look at computers and music.

All this week, we’re talking to musicians about technology. How it’s changing their writing, performing, even how they define their art form. Our series is called Playing With Machines. It would be hard to talk about music and tech without talking to Dan Deacon. The Baltimore-based musician has developed a reputation for infectious live performances that include all kinds of technology. We spoke to Dan as he was preparing for a recent show in New York. 

Electronic musician Dan Deacon talks working with technology, for better or worse

Online businesses that sell cremation products are thriving.

North Carolina-based author and humorist Celia Rivenbark talks about how her parents shaped her views on money as an adult.

New media once again upends traditional media.

Stanford becomes the first major university to eliminate fossil-fuel investments in its endowment — but only coal.

How can exchanges profit from big listings like Alibaba, financially or otherwise?

Alibaba filed its IPO yesterday. But it hasn’t chosen an exchange yet, and the competition between the hot favorites, NYSE and the NASDAQ, will likely be intense.We report on how much money an exchange makes from a big listing like Alibaba. Plus, Stanford University is the first major university to divest itself of carbon-producing fossil-fuel investments – but only coal. Can coal producers be isolated when coal still generates nearly 40 percent of U.S. electricity and is integral to many other industries? Then, Coca-Cola has quickly abandoned an ad campaign whose tagline was “You’re on Diet Coke,” after people on social media took some shots at it. 

A court case in Colorado challenges the rights of employers to test their workers for legal pot use.

Comcast will pay a reported $7.65 billion.

Live events and digital media as ways for comic book stores to survive.

A tale of two economies living in the same country.

Is Alibaba worth $100 billion? And how is that calculated?

Philadelphia is cracking down on dilapidated buildings, because it pays to.

Despite backlash to their "Real Beauty" ad campaign, Dove is the best perceived brand by mothers in the U.S..

Marketplace Datebook for Thursday, May 8, 2014

Why advertisers care how long a show sits in your DVR. And, the struggles to unionize workers in Bangladesh.

Labor unions in Bangladesh continue to struggle for expanded worker rights.

More and more Americans are withdrawing money from their retirement accounts, despite the high tax penalties. Have retirement accounts become the ATM that people’s homes were in the run-up to the housing crisis? Plus, there’s a debate now in the broadcast world about whether to change the way networks measure viewership during commercials. Currently, networks count someone as a viewer if they watch within three days of the broadcast. But, now the technology exists to measure seven days out. The question for networks: Is viewership being under-represented right now when they strike deals with advertisers?

Some lessons we've learned on our American Futures series.

In 2012, one out of five employees took loans out against their 401k plan.

They don’t pay for your eyeballs if you watch Scandal on Day Four.

An increasing number of cities are looking to wean us off single-use bottles.

John Powell, a “computer-aided composer” who has scored everything from the Bourne trilogy to the Shrek franchise, talks about his elaborate studio set-up, as well as his process of recording for film. Plus, there’s a debate now in the broadcast world about whether to change the way networks measure viewership during commercials. Currently, networks count someone as a viewer if they watch within three days of the broadcast. Now the technology exists to measure 7 days out. The question for networks is: Is viewership being under-represented right now when they strike deals with advertisers? Finally, New York Times tech columnist Molly Wood discusses the Alibaba IPO.      

Film composer John Powell calls himself a computer-aided composer

TV weathermen are the most common contact most Americans have with meteorology and climate, but the consensus on climate change is significantly lower than among them than climate scientists. What is it about the TV meterologist industry? Plus, Bayer has acquired Merck’s over-the-counter consumer pharmaceutical business, and is focusing on developing new drugs. We look at the difference between these two businesses: OTC and Rx, and the advantages of being on one, rather than the other (or even both). Finally, former PayPal Executive Rakesh Agrawal sent a Twitter message to a friend that criticized a colleague. It went out to 11,000 people.  He then sent a series of Tweets threatening to share embarrassing content from the communications of corporate colleagues who didn’t support him. Now, Twitter is trying to bring the situation under control.

Many Americans get their weather and climate information from TV weather casters.

“I thought I was destined to smash capitalism,” she says.

Some states have been shortening the time banks have to claw back what’s still owed after a foreclosure.

Turns out prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs are two very different businesses.

If the Rakesh Agrawal Twitter soap opera had pictures.

Marketplace Datebook for Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Brazil's about to host the World Cup and the Olympics…and they're not ready.

Chinese e-commerce giant could be biggest U.S. IPO since Facebook.

Some hospitals have come up with a counterintuitive way to save money: offer minor surgery for free.

Google and Amazon compete on same-day delivery. And, turning a rookie poker chump into a champ.

One man's story of the changing face of poker.

Retailers and e-tailers are going after impatient shoppers.

Climate change does not rate very high on the list of the public's concerns.

The new National Climate Assessment, released Tuesday, will say the climate is most definitely changing. It comes as President Obama is waging a regulatory campaign against carbon-dioxide emissions despite industry opposition and public lack of interest. Plus, Google has announced that its Shopping Express same-day delivery service (initially offered near San Francisco) will now be extended to parts of Los Angeles and Manhattan. It’s Google’s answer to Amazon Prime. Why are the companies so focused on same-day delivery?

Google has announced that its Shopping Express same-day delivery service (initially offered near San Francisco) will now be extended to parts of Los Angeles and Manhattan. It’s Google’s answer to Amazon Prime. So why are the companies so focused on  same-day delivery? Plus, Merill Garbus, the lead singer of tUnE-yArDs, joins us to talk about how she went from being just another “chick with a ukulele” to being an artist known for performing with a looping pedal and drum machines. 

Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs finds the human side of drum machines on "Nikki Nack."

Target's new CEO will face more than just the aftermath of a giant credit card breach.

Target finally booted its CEO but any new CEO will face more problems than just the aftermath of a giant credit-card breach. What’s a new CEO to do when the stylish discount store is losing sales to people who never go in a store? Plus, right when it seems that we need computer security more than ever, Symantec’s executive announces in the Wall Street Journal that “antivirus is dead.” Stacey Vanek Smith reports on the demise of antivirus as a computer security measure and what is taking its place. Also, new reports from the Center for American Progress and the National Education Association say U.S. teachers are nowhere near as radically diverse as their students. Almost half the students attending public schools are minorities, yet fewer than 1 in 5 of their teachers is nonwhite. What is causing this “diversity gap”? How important is it? And, what can be done to narrow it?  

When stock markets are going down, the VIX index is going up.

Match.com's latest campaign goes beyond the baby carriage to college.

Inside the mind and career of longtime sports agent Leigh Steinberg.

As college students face pressure to gain experience, unpaid internships fall out of favor.

Gregg Steinhafel resigns as company seeks to rebuild its reputation.

Marketplace Datebook for Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The annual meeting of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway company wraps up. And limes are getting more expensive.

With beef and pork prices rising, many restaurants push chicken dishes.