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SEARCH RESULTS FOR "" Next big thing? TV-newspaper staff mergers Newspaper and TV newsroom mergers could become the next big thing as profit-pressed publishers and broadcasters seek to cut costs and strengthen their digital presence.
Many journalists give former Washington PostPresident and Publisher Philip L. Graham credit for being the first to describe journalism as "the first rough draft of history." Philly papers' deal deadline extended as negotiations continue The clock may still be ticking, but at least now there's more time left on the board. Philadelphia Media Network Inc., which purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com at a bankruptcy auction in April for $139 million, had planned to finalize its purchase of the media outlets Tuesday, when it was scheduled to emerge from bankruptcy. In California, an old-style print war The office of The Bay Guardian at the bottom of Potrero Hill in San Francisco -- the site of one of the last great newspaper wars -- was eerily quiet last Thursday morning, with the sounds of a bell at the front desk echoing up into the high ceiling. Google, AP reach new deal on licensing rights Google Inc. will be able to continue posting content from The Associated Press under a new licensing deal the two companies announced Monday after months of sometimes thorny negotiations. Newspaper drivers reject tentative contract The drivers who deliver The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News voted overwhelmingly Sunday to reject a tentative contract agreement reached between their union, Teamsters Local 628, and Philadelphia Media Network, the newspapers' new owner. The Newsonomics of news in a diversified world The Washington Post Company has been much in the news recently, but not because of its flagship paper. It's making news around its other holdings. It has shed Newsweek, staunching a $30 million annual bleed. More importantly to the company's finances, its Kaplan "subsidiary" has been much in the spotlight, under investigation by the feds, along with other for-profit educators, for fraud around student loans Tribune Co. creditors court Michael Eisner and Jeff Shell for top jobs Former Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael D. Eisner is in discussions that could lead to his return to the media spotlight -- as chairman of the now-bankrupt Tribune Co. Colorado mulls shutting down journalism school The University of Colorado at Boulder is considering the possibility of discontinuing its School of Journalism and Mass Communications "for strategic and budgetary reasons," the state's flagship university announced Wednesday. The executive editor of The Washington Times says the owner of the financially troubled newspaper has reached a preliminary agreement to sell the paper to a company affiliated with the Unification Church. Washington Post Co. shares rebound on bullish Barron's article Back in April, Barron's said The Washington Post Co. "may be the most undervalued media company in America," with a share price that was "dirt cheap." With the stock having plunged since then, the financial weekly repeated its assessment even more firmly over the weekend. Albany Times Union ordered to reinstate 11 axed employees The Times Union in Albany, N.Y., violated federal labor law in 2009 when it laid off 11 employees without negotiating criteria with their union, an administrative law judge has ruled -- and the newspaper has been ordered to reinstate the workers with benefits as well as back pay. Honolulu Advertiser vets create 'Metromix'-like Website Former Honolulu Advertiser staffers on Monday launched a Website patterned after the Metromix entertainment site at the former Gannett Co. daily. Tribune bankruptcy plan collapses; JPMorgan, Angelo Gordon Ankle The Tribune Co.'s plan to emerge from bankruptcy has unraveled in the wake of an independent report concluding that talks leading up to the company's 2007 leveraged buyout bordered on fraud, attorneys said Friday. Imagine if the New York Times gave $1 million to the Democratic Party I'm sure curious what Fox News talkers like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck make of the news that their corporate bosses recently contributed $1 million to the re-election drive of Republican governors nationwide. Unfortunately we don't know what the talkers think of the stunning development because there's apparently been a news blackout inside Fox News and it appears nobody on staff is allowed to discuss the embarrassing development, let alone try to defend the actions. Unions say Sun-Times parent cutting ex-workers health benefits without court O.K. Unions representing former employees of the Sun-Times Media Group Inc. are seeking information from the company in a dispute over termination of health insurance benefits.
News Corp. gives Republicans $1 million With Republicans hoping to recapture a number of statehouses in November, the media conglom- erate headed by Rupert Murdoch is inserting itself into the races in bold fashion with a $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association. Rupert's $1 million Republican gift: Why it matters Why has News Corp's million dollar gift to the Republican Governors Association gotten so much attention? I think there are a few top-of-mind reasons and one -- a little paper called the Wall Street Journal -- that forms the subtext here. No newspaper growth until 2014, VSS forecast says Declines in newspaper spending are expected to slow this year, with the market eventually stabilizing by 2013 and growth beginning in 2014. But with spending of only $36.76 billion in that year, newspapers will not come close to the $66.37 billion in peak spending the industry saw in 2005, according to the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast 2004-2014. Bankruptcy judge again gives Tribune Co. more time A Delaware judge has agreed to again extend deadlines in the Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy as the company continues negotiating with creditors. Nine questions on Patch's new push It's Patch day in the news news world, as AOL formally announces the expansion of its network of local sites. It's really a ratification of what we've been hearing, as CEO Tim Armstrong stakes his reborn company's future on professional news content creation, here, specifically local. The number bandied about: $50 million in investment in Patch, resulting in 500 local sites across 20 states by the end of the year. AOL's plan to own your neighborhood AOL's effort to own America's local news, said it has grown to 100 sites in 20 states, up from six sites since the company bought the fledgling news startup in June 2009. AOL also said it hopes to be in 500 communities by year's end. Tribune Co. asks bankruptcy judge for more time Tribune Co., citing "vigorous negotiations" toward a new settlement with its creditors, asked the judge in its bankruptcy case for more time to work out a reorganization plan that "would maximize consensus" around a deal. Murdoch dreams of a digital newspaper Murdoch may be the world's most successful newspaper man, with a history of outsized reach and profits (though, now, fading) in Australia and the UK, but here, in the US newspaper business, he's only ever been a dud. The Newsonomics of TBD's new D.C. news site Thirsting for good news, the welcome given TBD.com by news observers has been a bit overwhelming. In a desert of too-scarce good news about the news business, TBD represents one of the potential oases, like its smaller -- and largely nonprofit -- counterparts from San Diego to Austin to the Twin Cities to New York. Zell to bankruptcy court: If lower creditors get money back, I want mine Tribune Co. Chairman Sam Zell is demanding his share of repayment in the media company's bankruptcy if lower-priority creditors, emboldened by a recently released examiner's report, get anything. News Corp. plans national newspaper for tablet computers and cellphones It's the latest bid by a major media company to build readership using new devices such as the iPad. The new publication would offer short, snappy stories and operate under the auspices of the New York Post. Point Reyes shines 'Light' on L3C ownership For the past couple of years there's been a lot of buzz about the so-called L3C ownership model, which theoretically would let papers continue to operate as if they were for-profits, but also allow them to accepted tax-deductible donations and foundation money. Theoretically, because no newspaper has actually tried organizing that way -- until now. The write stuff: A Yahoo stylebook If you strolled by a copy editor's desk at any metro newsroom thirty years ago, you would have likely seen, sandwiched between the pica pole and the Carter's Rubber Cement, a well-worn, dog-eared version of the Associated Press Stylebook. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism considers $5,000 annual fee "I am writing to seek your advice and suggestions as we contemplate an annual fee for future students at the Graduate School of Journalism" -- Dean Neil Henry. Newsday to hire 34 journalists, add news/opinion pages "In a big step forward on boosting our local coverage, during the next six months we will hire 34 new journalists for our newsroom and digital teams" -- Debby Krenek. Zell not responsible for paying Tribune Co. returement fund losses, says judge A judge has ruled that Sam Zell can't be made to pay for his company's retirement fund losses -- a blow to workers who claim the Tribune Co. CEO caused the company's employee stock ownership plan to lose value, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. Canceling Que, Plastic Logic works on next-gen e-reader Plastic Logic has revised its product strategy, canceling introduction of its original Que e-reader in favor of development of a next-generation ProReader. The company had planned to ship the thin, lightweight, large-screen Que this summer. New journalism ventures in the works In a city filled with unemployed reporters, creative talent, and entrepreneurial spirit, journalism experiments abound. Among the new efforts brewing in Seattle are 10 projects that came out of the "Journalism That Matters" conference at the University of Washington in January.
Chronicle's David Perlman wins lifetime award Chronicle Science Editor David Perlman has been honored with a lifetime achievement award for a journalism career that spans seven decades. Perlman took his first job at The Chronicle in 1940 and, except for some time off to serve in World War II and a stint at the International Herald Tribune, he has been spitting out newspaper stories at the San Francisco paper ever since. TBD: First takes on the launch For a multimedia site, TBD showed some media savvy, lining up a media briefing today, complete with visuals, numerous staffers and a sampling of local bloggers who've joined the TBD Community Network. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newsroom staffers stage symbolic walkout In what was described as a symbolic action on Aug. 9, 38 editors and reporters walked out of the downtown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette building, ABC television station WTAE. Washington Post Co. stock tumbles on for-profit education warning The Washington Post Co. (WPO) stock was hammered in midday trading Friday, and was off 10.5% at the noon hour. Earlier in the day, WPO set a new 52-week low of $363.71 -- a little more than four months after hitting a 52-week high of $547.18 a share. E.W. Scripps reports Q2 results The E.W. Scripps Company on Monday said total segment expenses for its newspapers were down 3.8% from the prior-year period to $93.4 million. Second-quarter segment profit in the newspaper division was $14.6 million, down 5.6% from $15.4 million in Q2 2009. Billionaire philanthropy Bingo: How 'bout 1% for News? You see A15, I say A1. Found in the print New York Times, page 15, but a big story for the country, and one that could be a big one for the next generation of news media. Murdoch: iPad is 'game changer' that will get youth reading newspapers News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has been leading the charge among media executives to get customers to pay for things they are used to getting for free online, like news stories. New journalism is hungry for new business models. Beyond millions in foundation start-up support, what will sustain these enterprises? Forget the content flow, Watch the money flow Some things never change, like people trying to get between us and our wallets. Or in this case, the long-struggling electronic wallets that have never quite caught on in the U S of A, as they have in Japan and South Korea (broadband penetration: 95% and counting). Morningstar: New York Times Co. stock still overvalued Shares of The New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT), which led the newspaper sectors with a 6.7% increase Monday on a 58 cents gain to $9.32, have also followed the sector by sliding significantly in value since hitting a 52-week high of $14.87 back on Jan. 11. N.Y. Times Co. to license technology for mobile platform apps The New York Times Co. announced it is launching Press Engine, a business that later this year will license technology to help other publishers put their content on mobile platforms. Wash. Post Co. inks deal to sell Newsweek Sidney Harman, the 91-year-old founder of audio equipment maker Harman International Industries, has agreed to buy Newsweek, ending a nearly half-century chapter for the magazine as part of The Washington Post Co. McClatchy 2Q earnings plunge but ad slump eases McClatchy Co.'s second-quarter earnings plunged as the newspaper publisher shouldered higher costs on its debt to buy more time to recover from a bedeviling ad slump. Thomson Reuters Q2 profit slips 8% News and information provider Thomson Reuters Corp. said Thursday its second-quarter net income fell 8% on weakness in its legal and markets divisions. The company is still recovering from last year's economic downturn, which put a crimp in budgets at many of the law firms and financial institutions that it counts as customers. Study: Newspapers sink below internet and TV as information sources Newspapers continue to be seen as less important at their primary job -- being sources of information -- according to the latest edition of the nine-year-old Digital Future Project from the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism. How WikiLeaks is changing the news power structure WikiLeaks' Julian Assange has figured out that on the Internet, being homeless means you don't have to play by anybody's rules. Stockton Record says paywall a success so far The Record figured it would lose half its viewership online and unique users, but has lost just between 30 and 35% of its page views and only a quarter of its unique users. Zell's not the bad guy In Tribune Co.'s collapse The exhaustive report of the independent examiner in Tribune Co.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case doesn't name names when it charges the 2007 going-private deal may very well have been a "fraudulent conveyance," that is, so overloaded with debt that the Chicago media giant was insolvent from day one. News flash! Circulation up 1042%! Wow. If the multi-platform strategy -- newspapers, online editions, replica e-editions, iPad editions, smartphone editions, holographic ones to come -- works, we'll see circulation reports unlike those ever reported. That's because ABC, the industry's Audit Bureau of Circulations, has loosened its counting standards yet again. Circ accounts for nearly 30% of total revenue at Dallas Morning News parent A.H. Belo Circ is really pulling its weight at A.H. Belo Corp. In a conference call with analysts Monday afternoon, Belo executives said revenue from circulation now accounts for 29.2% of total revenue, principally a result of higher subscription prices at its flagship Dallas Morning News. Judge to Conrad Black: No Canada for you A federal judge ordered Conrad Black to surrender his passport Friday, meaning the former media mogul can't return to his home in Canada now that he's free on $2 million bond. On Gannett's plans to create five centralized design centers After Gannett recently announced plans to create five centralized centers to handle most of the design demands at its community newspapers, the Society for News Design responded with an open letter on the value of design. I never had a personal investment in that space between the words, but as part of my job, it was my duty to point out that it should exist. It was a job that suited my tendency to worry about details, but one that also forced me to engage in unexpectedly absurd conversations. New York Times Co. Q2 profit doubles as revenue turns positive The New York Times Co. became the first big newspaper publisher to report top-line growth in its second-quarter results, with total revenue increasing 1.2% from a year ago. In suprise, FCC defends loosened newspaper cross-ownership rules -- but Copps vows tighter ban In a surprise move, the Democrat-controlled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Wednesday defended changes to media cross-ownership rules adopted in the George W. Bush administration that loosened somewhat the ban on same-market common ownership of a newspaper and broadcast station. Conrad Black released from prison on $2 million bond Conrad Black walked out of a federal prison in Coleman, Fla., Wednesday afternoon after 28 months of incarceration. Earlier in the day, a federal judge set bond at $2 million, ruling that the former media mogul can't leave the continental United States and must return to a Chicago courtroom to receive further conditions of his release. KQED expands local news, integrates media KQED Public Media will increase its local news content and integrate radio and online formats starting today when 10 newscasts are added to 88.5 FM and made instantly available in audio on kqednews.org. Help-wanted classified revenue actually turns positive as Lee Enterprises swings to Q3 profit Lee Enterprises Inc. reported a profit for its third fiscal quarter ended June 27 on ad revenue that remained stubbornly on the decline even as it improved from the year-ago quarter. Judge OKs settlement to change Charleston newspaper JOA A federal judge granted final approval to changes to the Charleston, W.Va., joint operating agreement (JOA) that is intended to bolster the Charleston Daily Mail. First Amendment defenders 'must sometimes share their foxhole with scoundrels' The Newspaper Guild-CWA is among 22 media groups that have signed onto a "friend of the court" brief supporting the Westboro Baptist Church's right to picket service members' funerals, offensive picket signs and vituperative outbursts notwithstanding. Guild, CWA, NABET argue against relaxing of media ownership rules The Newspaper Guild, CWA and NABET formally entered the debate over media concentration this week with a joint submission to the Federal Communications Commission, which is conducting a quadrennial review of its media ownership rules. It's important to remember that the era of digital journalism is still in its very early stages. It's going to evolve dramatically over the years. That means that many of the truths about online news that we hold to be self-evident aren't written in stone, etched in granite or ready to be taken to the bank. Gannett's whimper & bang show strategies plainly in flux Gannett's second quarter announcements: A whimper and a bang. The whimper comes from its tepid revenue data. The bang from its coincident statement that it is joining its newspaper colleagues in the Yahoo Newspaper Consortium.
The Newsonomics of the dead cat bounce The season's upon us, as newspaper and media companies announce their second-quarter earnings. At least some of the companies will announce: fewer than used to a couple of years ago, as Tribune has gone private (and banko), metros like Philly and Minneapolis have moved to private hands, MediaNews releases less information than it used to, and Dow Jones' results are less decipherable, aggregated within News Corp. news division results.
From jail, Conrad Black fights $71 million tax bill Imprisoned former media baron Conrad M. Black is fighting a $71 million bill from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which says from 1998 to 2003 he filed no tax returns and paid absolutely nothing on $120 million in taxable income. Gannett 2Q expected to show less print ad erosion The prolonged slump has helped make the year-to-year comparisons progressively easier. Although Gannett executives haven't made any promises, there's a growing sense that it might not be much longer before newspaper advertising begins to increase again. BBC unveils original U.S. news site At a time when many newsrooms are contracting or consolidating, the BBC is growing its editorial operations with an original news site aimed at the American audience. Gannett rolls out CCI NewsGate, creates page-production hubs Gannett Blog posted on July 13 a note to staff from The Cincinnati Enquirer's executive editor, Tom Callinan, confirming that Gannett will implement a national page-production network using five hubs for the work. Weigel and Nasr 'Sins' Put the Church of High Integrity on Trial I've always been a faithful disciple, worshipping at the altar of Church and State. (And of the Reverend Al Green, but that's another story.) I've resisted commercial pressures and been party to painful terminations when staffers violated rules bringing the newspaper's integrity or credibility into question. Journalism Online's Press+ paywall: easy to defeat After my skeptical post yesterday about Journalism Online's new Press+ paywall at the Lancaster (Pa.) Online site, a source let me know how easy it was to beat the meter. Yahoo and Google in high-tech news war Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are redefining the online news experience, but in diverging ways that underscore the evolving identities of the search giants. Media executives flock to Sun Valley conference Each July, billionaires and mere multimillionaires flock to the shadow of the Pioneer Mountains, and ride in soft-leather comfort along Dollar Road to mingle and be rich and maybe, just maybe, cut a deal. Patch vs. MediaNews: One little, instructive story AOL's Patch is ambitiously adding websites, lately going after MediaNews territory in the East Bay of the Bay Area -- San Ramon, Danville, Walnut Creek and Pleasanton -- and penetrating SoCal, from Fairfax and West Hollywood to Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. Hundreds of local reporters are being hired as hundreds of new sites are being replicated from California to Illinois to Maryland to Rhode Island, joining the early sites in Connecticut and New Jersey. Annual job review is 'total baloney,' expert says Employee performance reviews should be eliminated, according to UCLA business professor Samuel Culbert. "First, they're dishonest and fraudulent. And second, they're just plain bad management," he says News stocks lag despite dramatic rebound Although the shares of the publicly traded newspaper companies have advanced impressively from their all-time lows 12 months ago, they still are worth on average about a fifth of their value on June 30, 2005. New Honolulu Star-Advertiser owner buys 11 B.C. papers, folds five David Black's Black Press has bought 11 British Columbia papers from Glacier Media and announced the closing of five of them, including the century-old Nelson Daily News and Prince Rupert Daily News. The Wall Street Journal has by far the highest e-reader circulation of any newspaper in the U.S., according to Audit Bureau of Circulations data cited in a recent report by the World Association of Newspapers. Home delivery cuts working for Detroit newspapers Detroit's two daily newspapers knew they were shoving some readers overboard in an effort to stay afloat when they decided to limit home delivery to just three days a week. Time magazine walls off its Web site Want to read the cover story of this week's Time magazine? Whip out your wallet: You can only get all of Steve Brill's piece on lobbying and financial reform via Time's print edition or its new iPad app. Phototypesetting inventor Mayroud dies at 96 Electronics engineer Louis Marious Moyroud, co-inventor of phototypesetting, died at his home in Delray Beach, Fla., June 28 . He was 96. L.A. County supervisors protest Times ad sections County lawmakers say promotions resembling news pages harm the paper's credibility. Publisher Eddy Hartenstein says ads help defray the cost of global coverage. Sam Zell on why Tribune Co. remains mired in bankruptcy In the time since Tribune Co. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in December 2008, at least 10 other newspaper publishers have entered and exited bankruptcy. Why is it taking Tribune so long to for Tribune Co. to get to the other side? Newspaper stocks plunge with sinking Dow Newspaper stocks, which had staged a remarkable rally that began almost exactly a year ago, tumbled again Tuesday along with a Dow alarmed at global and domestic economic news. How about an iHype 'tax' to save the news? The pesky problem of paying for the news could be resolved rather fast if publishers and broadcasters just charged Steve Jobs a nickel a word for all the free hype they provide to sell his iParaphernalia. Daily News, Inquirer sale plan OK'd by bankruptcy judge A federal bankruptcy judge yesterday approved a plan to bring the Daily News and Inquirer out of Chapter 11 with a sale to a coalition of investment firms, willing to put up $105 million in cash for the newspapers and their Web site, Philly.com. Newspaper Guild cuts budget, payments by locals The Newspaper Guild is cutting next year's budget by $415,000, or 13.9%, and for the first time in its history reducing the dues payments union locals make to the national organization -- moves reflecting the layoffs and wage reductions suffered by members. Pension moves key to clearing Philadelphia newspapers sale Creditors poised to take over Philadelphia's two largest newspapers hope to move employees from defined pensions to 401k plans or some mix of both, their lawyer said after a bankruptcy confirmation hearing Thursday. Correct that file: Wells Fargo didn't cut holdings of Dallas Morning News after all This isn't the kind of thing you like to see from a bank: On Monday, Wells Fargo and Co. reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), correcting a previous filing, that they owned a 6.48% stake in A.H. Belo Corp. -- suggesting they had cut their holdings of the stock nearly in half. E&P and other news outlets naturally perked up at that news. Supreme Court sets aside Conrad Black's 'Honest Services' fraud conviction The Supreme Court has sided with former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling in limiting the use of a federal fraud law that has been a favorite of white-collar crime prosecutors. Bankruptcy judge to hear arguments in pending sale of Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, Philly.com A federal bankruptcy judge will be asked Thursday to give his blessing to a reorganization plan that would surrender the parent company of The Inquirer to a collection of the firm's creditors. West Marin Citizen accuses new 'Light' owners of attempting 'hostile takeover' For a weekly that rarely sold more than 4,500 copies -- and is considerably below that circulation now -- the Point Reyes Light in Marin County, Calif., over the years has earned more than its fair share of industry attention. Wells Fargo dumps almost half its A.H. Belo stock Since Memorial Day, Wells Fargo and Co. has dumped nearly half its holdings of A.H. Belo stock, the bank holding company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday. CNN announced today that it has ceased using Associated Press content, in order to rely more on its own newsgathering. "We will no longer use AP materials or services," CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton wrote in a memo to staffers. Google's Newspass: Is the king of free about to help news providers get paid? On Thursday, word seemed to quietly leak out, in Italian no less, that Google would soon unveil a one-click payment system for content called "Newspass." What's Murdoch's aim with latest deal? What is Rupert Murdoch up to? That question comes up anytime the chief executive of News Corp. makes an acquisition, no matter how small. So last week, as the company proposed its biggest deal yet, the possibilities, for Murdoch-watchers, were particularly intriguing. San Diego Union-Tribune newsroom seeks reinvention The San Diego Union-Tribune laid off more than 30 staffers on Thursday in what Editor Jeff Light called in an editor's note an effort to build "a lean, creative, multi-platform team that can lead the industry." |
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