By Dan Cox

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (Hollywood Reporter) - Major media executives packed their bathing suits, BlackBerrys and iPods this weekend and headed for their version of summer camp -- the annual gathering put together by financier Herb Allen in this exclusive resort.


For five days beginning Tuesday, several hundred media mavens of all stripes will sit through confabs and participate in informal business discussions on topics as far-ranging as Iraq, the economy and the Googling of everything.

Though they wouldn't put it this way, they also get to look and feel important -- and watch veterans like Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone in shorts, sipping cool drinks and looking debonair with their much younger wives.

Last year, the trendy topic was "Content Is King"; this year, Allen & Co. is being predictably tight-lipped about conference subjects and even guest attendees. Best bet: It's still Iraq, the economy and the Googling of everything. Maybe even a deal or two.

Spokesperson Eileen Vegg said the media are allowed informal access to the various moguls, but are not allowed to attend any presentation, lecture or meal.

Among those likely to make the trek, besides Murdoch (with son Lachlan) and Redstone, are Warren Buffett, eBay's Meg Whitman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts co-founder Henry Kravis, Sirius' Mel Karmazin, Viacom's Philippe Dauman, Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, Sony's Howard Stringer, Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Warner Music's Edgar Bronfman Jr., Universal's Ron Meyer, Disney's Robert Iger and Paramount's Brad Grey.

New media will be repped by such upstarts as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Ning founder and Facebook board member Marc Andreessen, Discovery's David Zaslav, Sling Media's Blake Krikorian and Google's Sergei Brin and Eric Schmidt.

A coterie of Hollywood agents also generally jets in.

Bill Gates, normally an attendee, may be a no-show this year. He stepped down as CEO of Microsoft last month to turn his attention to his foundation. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is not expected to attend due to a prior engagement.

DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and possibly Steven Spielberg or David Geffen, may appear, with the latter two likely there to talk up DreamWorks' anticipated big financing deal with India's Reliance conglomerate. It's even conceivable that Reliance topper Anil Ambani, whose company is involved in everything from energy to entertainment, might make the trip for the first time.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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