Best Media Companies To Own In Right Now

Carey Smith, left, and a production associate at Big Ass Fan's manufacturing plant in Lexington, Ky.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Carey Smith grew up familiar with a hard day's work. He started selling Christmas cards door to door at age nine and moved on to setting newspaper type, cleaning hospital bedpans and washing shirts.

"I come from a blue-collar family," Smith said. "My mother used to work for a company that gave employees a ham at the holidays as a bonus. It really bothered her to work so hard all year and get a $5 ham as a 'thank you'."

Employees of Big Ass Fans don't have to worry about that. Based in Lexington, Ky., the company sells fans for homes, factories and businesses in 80 countries. In 2012, Smith's 481 workers were paid about 30% more than the U.S. median of $45,790 -- and 50% more than Kentucky's median of $38,940.

Top 10 Long Term Companies To Invest In 2015: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Topping our list of cash-rich companies is News Corp. (NWSA), the media company behind brands like The Wall Street Journal, The Times, and Foxtel. News Corp. celebrated its one-year anniversary in its current iteration just a month ago, after spinning off from 21st Century Fox (FOXA) last July. Today, the company comes with quite a bit of cash on hand -– the firm's $3.14 billion net cash works out to a whopping 32% of its current market capitalization.

  In a market where investors are complaining about a lack of bargain opportunities, that huge discount on shares of News Corp. is worth paying attention to.

  NWSA isn't without challenges –- print media has been under pressure for years now, and legacy assets like book publisher HarperCollins could be a further drag. That said, News Corp. is cash flow positive in its present form, and the firm has an enviable amount of dry powder ready for acquisitions. Some of the most exciting investments are the ones that live outside of NWSA's print media wheelhouse: exposure to partially-owned TV carrier Foxtel and online real estate classified provider REA Group in Australia are great examples of that.

  Ironically, it's the fact that News Corp.'s predecessor took part in some utterly terrible acquisitions that could help dissipate some of the risks of bad bets at the new company. Names like MySpace (it paid $580 million for the website in 2005, only to sell it for $35 million in 2011) are cautionary tales for News Corp.'s management team. If NWSA can affect some transformational buys in the next few years, investors should collect a premium for shares.

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  News Corp(NWSA) swung to a profit for the fiscal quarter, as cost-cutting helped offset lower revenue. Revenue missed expectations, sending the publishing company’s shares down 2.4% to $17 premarket.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  News Corp. is a media and information services company that has recently spun-off of its very profitable entertainment segment. It is being reported that the company recently made a profit which is a turn around from last year, signaling signs of improvement. The stock has seen progress but is now pulling-back as markets book gains. Over the last four quarters, earnings and revenues have been on the rise which has left investors optimistic about the company. Relative to its peers and sector, News Corp. has been a weak year-to-date performer. WAIT AND SEE what News Corp. does this quarter.

Best Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caroline Bennett]

  So how did Netflix overtake Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) HBO, when just two years ago the company had enraged its subscribers over spiking prices and the Qwikster debacle? Fool contributor Caroline Bennett takes a closer look at Netflix's latest earnings report, and analyzes whether the company's success is because of its push for original programming, or something else.

• [By Lawrence Meyers]

  In retrospect, all of these purchases make sense. Would News Corporation (NWS) studio subsidiary 20th Century Fox have made more sense for Indy’s new home? What about Time Warner (TWX) conglomerate�� Warner Bros.? Or maybe Lionsgate Entertainment (LGE)? No, no, and no.

Best Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

Best Media Companies To Own In Right Now: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Moskowitz]

  Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) �doesn't have the best reputation among its customers, but all that matters to investors is whether or not the company can make shareholders money through stock appreciation and dividend payments. Let's take a look at the Time Warner Cable situation and compare the company's potential to that of Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) and Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR  ) .

• [By Harold L. Vogel]

  For cable networks and distributors, first admire the long-term pricing power for cable services (shown in the chart below). Price increases have far exceeded the rate of gain of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for decades and thereby supported the stock prices and earnings growth of the entire industry (even though some companies such as Charter (CHTR) stumbled into bankruptcy even with this pricing wind at their backs).