coming up, the new head of myspace. you remember myspace. mike jones with the world's hardest job, taking on facebook. and the world's toughest boss. that was selina lo's reputation. we have two stories of turnaround. our reporters, editor of mashable ben parr and kym mcnicholas of "forbes." this week on "press: here." good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. you know what's a great story?

the comeback. once on top of the world, the fall and then the return. defying all odds to beat the current champion. almost never happens. oh, sure, it happens in "rocky" movies, and from time to time in real life. the red sox, the only team to battle back from three games down to win the american league championship. >> it's me, man. >> reporter: famous hollywood comebacks, john travolta or robert downey jr. they did it against all odds. >> i don't want to see -- >> reporter: but in high-tech the comeback is a rare story indeed. apple did it, going from all but bankrupt to the world's most influential tech company. and now myspace is going to try it. myspace, once the world heavyweight champion of all social networks, pummeled by

scrappy young startup facebook. myspace was the one thing every newscaster was talking about, every parent worried about. the website rupert murdoch paid more than half a billion dollars for. it fell to a distant second place. now the comeback. a new design adopting much of facebook's look and feel. easier ways to share music and videos. an aging champion trimming down and readying itself for one more fight. so if myspace is rocky in this analogy, i guess mike jones is burgess meredith. mike is president of myspace, joined by kym mcnicholas of "forbes" and ben parr of mashable. is a comeback possible? there must be a lot of people saying to you there is not, that it isn't. >> i think it's definitely possible. as i stated at the beginning of the show, i mean, apple is definitely a company that's represented that type of

comeback. i think it requires some very distinct things that we're focused on now in order to provide us the ability to come back, but we definitely believe it's possible. >> who in a sense is your role model? who would you model yourself after? what company would you say they did these things right to make the perfect turnaround that you're going to do to kind of model yourselves after them? >> i think apple and nintendo are two companies we pay a lot of attention to. i think it's driven off principles of focus, really understanding one's specific need and one's specific kind of desire of what you're building for your audience and then making sure the whole company's aligned on that individual goal. >> so the audience thing, you -- myspace used to be focused on everybody. now you're saying you're really focused on generation y. why the change? >> well, today 79% of our current audience is within the 14 to 35-year-old demographic. so there's already a large concentration there. and they're very focused on music and movies and entertainment. >> let me just interrupt there for a second. the majority of which are i'm sorry, 14 to 35? >> yeah.

>> that's kind of everybody's majority, isn't it? except twitter. twitter kind of skews older. am i wrong? >> different services have different concentrations. our concentration's specifically within that gen y segment. >> comp score is reporting there's been a 35% drop in unique visitors to myspace over the past 12 months and it continues to drop. are you seeing anything different? are you seeing a turnaround? >> we're seeing different metrics. that's also because a substantial portion of our daily audience engages with myspace via mobile. we have a young audience using mobile products in addition to the web. that's not typically reflected in metering services like comp score. when we look ought our audience we look at 130 million unique visitors a month that engage with mobile. >> is it possible the site that really masters mobile is going to be the one that wins in the end? it seems more and more that you're using your facebook or your myspace mobile. twitter all the time. >> mobile is the future. and not only within the united states. but if you look at globally, you

have a substantial portion of the global audience that's using the internet on phones specifically and exclusively. so mobile today is a hard place to make a lot of money, but mobile tomorrow will be where the entire audience is concentrated. >> and you're launching a new mobile experience, correct? next month. >> we are. actually, this month. >> what's going to be part of that? >> part of this for which is a big change is you'll be able to interact with all the content, all the music, all the video without logging in. so today's mobile experience specifically has a membership clause, you have to log in to interact with the content. tomorrow's mobile experience will actually allow to you interact without an account. >> isn't your goal to actually get people to be able to log in to become members so you can track them, so you can make money off them through advertising? >> our goal is to provide a highly social entertainment experience. but if you don't log, in you still want to be able to have meaningful content to interact with. the experience gets much better and much more personalized if we have an account with you where we can actually personalize that content. >> what is the corporate story

that you tell yourselves about what happened to myspace? to be clear to the viewer, you weren't there. you're the hired gun to come in and turn things around. >> yeah. >> but what's the story myspace tells itself about what just happened? it was very fast. >> it was. there's been a lot of changes in the market, very, very quickly. i think the company overall became very broad and was trying to become something for everybody and lost a lot of focus around what made it special and unique. >> what's interesting is your chief revenue officer actually said recently for any brands wanting to reach young adults myspace is an easy place to find them all. >> mm-hmm. >> but all of them aren't there. i'm not there. >> sure. >> i was there. and then i discovered facebook. how do you get me back? >> how do i get you back? well, i think i get you back by creating a compelling experience that becomes a part of your everyday life, specifically around a new product that's on social entertainment. how do i connect you to the tv shows and the movies and the celebrities that you're interested in and give you a highly personal experience that

i think if i can do that well is something you'll want to come back to every day. >> but treading very lightly. you're not necessarily looking for kym. you're looking for a slightly younger woman. >> well, i'm not -- >> i'm gen y. >> kym's within the age demographic. but i think we should be able to -- >> i would be -- i had to make sure that we were staying on topic and that we were staying within the -- go ahead. >> you added a new element to myspace. there's in th curator type of element. just a little about what is a curator and why do you want them? >> sure. that's a great question. originally when you look at social systems historically you really saw that the audience was in two segments. people that created content and then people that kind of consume content. we found that in myspace there's this branch of an audience that's called curators. they're the tastemakers. they're your friend that has the best taste in music. they're your buddy that knows every independent film that comes out and gives you the best

reviews. right? so we want to elevate those people so they can build audiences underneath them. so if you want to connect up to the coolest bands and the coolest movies and the coolest content you can catch up to that person and they'll kind of guide your experience. >> so they're called mavens probably in the tipping point. >> sure. >> they earn this title and then i can say who's my local maven? >> absolutely. there's an algorithm that will apply to the network that says who's sharing the most content around "glee," who's sharing the most content around independent music, who's becoming influential within the network and injecting that content into myspace and people are all excited about it. so we'll algorithmically find those people and reward them with a promotion. >> just like for themselves or what do you do? >> we give them access to unique tools and also promote them on different areas of the website as being category experts of what they're interested in. >> and historically, people will work for an award that is nothing more than a badge. it's amazing what people will do just for the thing to stick on

their -- >> well, everyone wants recognition for what they love. if you happen to be the best at picking out new bands, we like to recognize you for doing that. >> mike jones, we're going to take a quick break for a commercial, but "press: here" will be right back. so, we book a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions.

welcome back to "press: here." we've really enjoyed chatting with viewers online. and you can join the conversation at pressheretv.com. and there are details of how to do it on the right-hand side of the web page. it's very easy. iphone, ipad, pc, laptop, whafrks you can join in. meanwhile, we were talking to mike jones of myspace. i want to show you something that i know you've already read but i know our viewers may not have. and this is the chief operating officer of newscorp. and he said, we've been clear,

this was last week, "we've been clear that myspace has been a problem, the current losses not sustainable, current management did not create those losses. that's you. but we know they have to address them. and i think it's something we look to judge in quarters, not years." >> mm-hmm. >> quarters. because this is you, this is the guy that's got to turn this around. quarters? >> i mean, frankly, we look at the business in months. right? standard operating procedure for our business or any business he within newscorp is a monthly financial review. so i look at the business month over month. and yeah, we definitely want to change the trajectory of the business. right? so we're excited about the new strategy. newscorp's committed to it. and we're keeping it in a very tight conversation with them regarding the progress. >> but how much pressure is your newscorp overlords putting on you to -- >> enormous pressure. >> you're feeling the enormous pressure. what are you feeling from them? >> i mean, i feel a general belief in our strategy and a speed to execute against that strategy. and i'm excited about it. newscorp's committed to it.

so i mean, this is no -- this is nothing new, right? so we continue to talk to newscorp consistently. they signed off on the mission that we're going after. they've been intimately involved in the product and the planning and in the strategy. so this is part of the way that we work with that company. >> so what is your exact mission statement? >> well, specifically, it's to create the best social entertainment experience for this gen y audience. right? again, so connecting people with all the things that they love within entertainment, be that music, celebrities, tv, et cetera, and then build a social experience beyond that. so they can connect to people who also share those interests. >> are they going to be able to tie into facebook and twit wrer and things like that through myspace and share that way? >> we do have partnerships with facebook and twitter where we allow syndication of certain things on myspace off-site through their apis. >> was that a struggle through myspace to get that done? if i'm suggesting we've got to link up with cbs and really work together to -- that would -- >> it wouldn't go over well. >> yeah, it wouldn't go over

well. was that a struggle within myspace? >> no. i think we clearly recognize that the social entertainment category for us is distinctly different than what we've been in the past. we also believe that our platform is something that's a complement to other platforms. understanding the scale of these other platforms is important. and understanding how we can work with them is important. it wasn't a challenge. it was frankly -- >> most companies, most traditional media companies, and newscorp is a traditional media company of some sort, would say absolutely not, that we're trying to beat facebook, we're not trying to link to them. >> and it would almost feel like a concession. >> but i would say newscorp is a very forward thinking media company. their investments within digital are on the forefront of other traditional media companies. they're very involved in the digital landscape zme definitely understood and early on saw that myspace relative to entertainment content was the right place for that business to be. >> so what's the threshold? how much risk is newscorp willing to take with you? >> that's a newscorp question.

i can't answer their risk threshold. i can say we planned out the scenarios around our relaunch. we're all eager to understand the implication round our new product and the engagement it drives. we're a quarter of the way through the rollout today, and we'll basically have consistent updates with them to make sure they're on the same page. >> so you need to get new users. you need to do a turnaround in terms of users with the new myspace. but how about in terms of revenue? what kind of plans do you have for that? you had a big google contract which was a major part of the revenue when google had that search contract, but now how are you going to really generate revenue with this new myspace? >> well, the new myspace is very, as i said, content focused, right? which means it drives high levels of engagement around brand advertising. he with already have a very strong brand advertising business. i think within the new framework and the new product, the new website, we have a better -- and advertising continues to be the primary focus of our revenue. >> mike, we only have about a minute. let me ask you the hard question. when newscorp said oh, good goly, we have sunk a lot of

money into myspace and we've gotten beaten by facebook, somebody said go get me mike jones. >> mm-hmm. >> why did they say that? >> i think specifically john miller, who runs newscorp digital, recognized that the turnaround for myspace required an entrepreneurial approach. i'm very much an entrepreneur. i think working with him on this strategy and him and i coming to a really good consensus in regards to where we want to build this business he felt that my entrepreneurial background was what was needed to drive the company forward. >> at what point -- it feels like even with all of us here that you have to be on the defensive. at what point are you hoping to -- do you see actually becoming more on the offensive? >> i think when i see you next and you tell me i log into myspace every day and i'm getting all this information about everything i love and i just can't wait to get back to my computer to check out the myspace experience or pull it up on my phone, that's the thing i look forward to. >> that's mike jones in his first but soon to be eventually second victorious return. we look forward to that. mike jones, the president of

myspace. coming up, does this look like the world's most difficult boss? selina lo, ceo of ruckus wireless, demanding a lot from her employees and getting it. the company that says it can solve your wi-fi woes. that's next. our points from chase sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel. we're like forget florida, we're going on a safari. so we're on the serengeti, and seth finds a really big bone. we're talking huge. they dig it up, put it in the natural history museum and we get to name it. sethasauraus. really. your points from chase sapphire preferred are worth 25% more on travel? means better vacations. that's incredible. believe it...with chase sapphire preferred your points are worth 25% more on travel when booked through ultimate rewards.

welcome back to "press: here." selina lo's own company says the ceo "never shies away from controversy." share sugarcoating. the business magazine "inc."once wrote her bag of management tools includes yelling, fist pounding, and tomming-curdling sarcasm. the selina lo of then is not the selina lo of now. as a magazine writer put it, "lo has been reborn to be mild." after guiding her previous company, altion web systems into a sale worth $7.8 billion lo

discovered many of her privaciees didn't want to work with her anymore, wouldn't follow her on new ventures. so changing her very personality, who she was at work, became job number one for selina lo. now as founder and ceo of ruckus wireless, a kinder, gentler lo leads a staff of a few hundred, expanding wi-fi, wireless prnt, heaping ease the network load off already taxed cell phone systems. asked once what she thought was the most overrated virtue you can find in a person, selina lo said patience. the british news site says her charisma hits you straight between in the eyes. joined by kym nicholas and ben parr of mashable, the "inc." article is a couple years old. did it sting or did you take it in stride? did you know that about yourself, you're silicon

valley's most demanding boss? >> well, that's a big honor. i'm an expressive person. and sometimes some people think that that's too direct, i guess. but in general i try to be very straightforward and very transparent. i think that's the best way to get everybody aligned. and some people think that there's not enough finesse. >> but how is it that it's okay for men in a sense, excuse me, to -- you know, men versus women here. but how is it that it's okay for folks like steve jobs and larry ellison to put the so-called fear of god into their employees but it's not okay for you? did you feel like being a woman that you're held to a different standard? >> oh, you know, i think definitely it's a topic that people like to discuss. you know, to me people like to joke about that and i allow them to.

obviously. i think in general for a woman people expect niceness. and you know, that's overrated. >> so how do you overcome it? >> well, you know, i try to put a little -- i think aging has something to do with it. over time i've learned that there are some things that are not good to be put in the open. for example, if i need to really cream an employee, i may want to do it -- >> you can do it right in front of their office. >> that's the tip, first tip of the day from selina, yes. and cream. yes. >> but i think in general all our employees know what they see is what they get. they don't have to second-guess me. and i think they appreciate that. >> how much of -- i'm sorry. >> the biggest change for you. this is i think your first ceo role? >> yeah. >> and so what's the biggest difference for you being a ceo

rather than being a vp or just an employee? >> you know, when i was vp, i always have the ceo cleaning up all the for me. now that i'm the ceo there's nobody cleaning up after me. so i have to really think about the consequences of my words and my actions. >> the military and a lot of companies will kind of teach you the ceo, or the head ought to be approachable, it's the number two that is the mean one. because that's how you get around, you're still popular -- do you have a number two that's the mean one, meaner than selina lo? >> you know, i'm training them. >> how much of it -- you're from hong kong, right? >> yeah. >> you talk about the gender culture difference. how much of it is a culture difference across an ocean? >> well, hong kong, being a chinese society, is surprisingly open to women, you know, leading corporations and organizations. and so we were all taught when

we were young to -- that, you know, we can do it. so i grew up without a lot of gender differentiation. and i guess, you know, in the u.s. you would think that that's the case too. but people here -- sometimes i actually encounter a little more conservative approach toward female being very demanding -- >> and even more so in europe. i think we're kind of halfway between. >> yeah. >> but also you had mentioned in one of the articles that it's bad manners in china to actually praise your child. so you were forced to be self-driven. do you think here in the united states we need to do more with our kids to help them be more self-driven and not be driven by affirmation? >> you know, i think that in the u.s. people spend a lot of time trying to say nice things. i think honesty is something that actually has to be -- it's very important. when you really say nice things

about somebody, you really need to mean it. because people can tell. and you know, whether it's u.s., asia, europe, it's the same. people can tell when you are not authentic. and you know, that's why we try to really encourage intellectual honesty. >> let's talk about the business of ruckus wireless for a bit. you are creating the wi-fi access points for enterprise. now, i don't go and buy one at best buy for my house. for enterprise. hardware has not always been the best business to be in. and yet this is a business that you chose. >> yes. so first of all, i fundamentally believe in wireless. anything in my home, anything that i can -- you know, any cord that i can cut i cut. and so in general i believe that enterprise homes as well as in public people want to be untethered. and so i do believe that wireless has a long future.

we have focused our business, started out on the enterprise, and now we are actually expanding into service providers domain. you know, mike just now talked about mobile. mobile social networking. with all these mobile devices now they have wi-fi built in. and so people, you know, they want to access their content, whether they're home, at work, or in public. and sometimes in public, that 3g coverage is -- may be not as fast, or sometimes there are just too many people trying to get a signal. so wi-fi has become a tool for operators to provide more coverage in a cost-effective way. >> i know the problem you're talking about as an at&t iphone customer. but what's the trajectory for the company? you've raised 40 million from some major investors. is the trajectory to go to an ipo? is the trajectory to be

acquired? what's next? >> you already laid the groundwork, what, i believe, in february for an ipo possibly thinking about filing some paperwork? >> well, we are -- the company is looking to definitely do an ipo. i wouldn't specifically pin down a time frame because to me an ipo is really not the angle. the angle is to build a successful long-term sustainable company. and the ipo is just a process to make sure that the financial background for the company is healthy. >> your idea is, well, if there are a lot of people gathering in one spot let's set up a wi-fi spot open to those people. my phone doesn't care one way or the other. and wi-fi is sort of the everyman cheap way of getting this done. >> i can tell you that my 8-year-old nephew, when he and his friends come to my house, they whip out their ps3 or their ipod and they ask me, how do i get onto your wi-fi network? so you know, people are looking at wi-fi as a way to connect to the network. >> and same thing in the office.

everybody's bringing their ipads in. they have their smartphones. they want to be able to connect inside the office wirelessly. >> exactly. >> and i know even at "forbes" it took forever for us to actually get access to a wi-fi network. we were all, you know, plugged in -- >> here's a question. what is the future of wi-fi? because i would love to have a day when i o'could walk anywhere in san francisco and san jose and not have to worry -- >> go ahead but make it somewhat speedy. thank you, selina. >> i think wi-fi is going to be everywhere. part of the reason is because it's a licensed spectrum so operators don't have to pay billions of dollars to buy that spectrum to operate a wi-fi network. >> you are the first guest who ever when i said make it speedy made it speedy. selina lo is the ceo of ruckus wireless. we'll be back in just a minute.

so, we book a flight to hawaii using our points from chase sapphire. last minute... on christmas. and sitting next to us, chevy chase. and we really hit it off. we play golf, and then the luau. he's like da vinci with ice. and after, we help hang christmas decorations. wait, wait, wait. you flew last minute... on christmas... with points from chase sapphire? yeah. amazing. believe it. with points from chase sapphire, you can book airline tickets with no blackout dates or restrictions.

you may have noticed that ben parr is new to our show. he's from mashable.com. ben, can you explain quickly what mashable is and why people should visit? >> so mashable is one of the world's largest technology websites. we focus on news primarily in social media. so news from facebook, from twitter, from apple and the others. but we also focus on business news and entertainment and other things that focus especially on the web. >> insanely popular. >> we have over 10 million, 15 million unique readers per month, and 30 million page views, and we keep on growing, we keep on hiring. >> ben, thank you much. my thanks to kichl and my thanks to ben as well. before we go i wanted to mention the book "fatal system error" by "press: here" contributor and "financial times" contributor joseph mann about the hunt for the new crime lords bringing down the internet. newly available in paperback. and also a very special thanks to sabrina hughes, our very first producer, who's moving on to a new job. thank you very much. and thank you for making us part of your sunday morning. i'm scott mcgrew.