The New York Sun published its final edition this morning, ending the 6 1/2-year-old newspaper's tenure.
The daily paper never posted a profit during it's short life.
Like many other newspapers, the Sun had been losing a considerable amount of money each month with the high price of newsprint and plummeting advertising revenue. The paper was known, according to a New York Post article, for its "conservative, pro-Israel editorial slant."
Editor Seth Lipsky wrote that he and vice president and managing editor Ira Stoll did everything they could to save the paper.
"We have spoken with every individual who seemed to be a prospective partner, and everywhere we were received with courtesy and respect. I tend to be an optimist and held out hope for a favorable outcome as late as mid-afternoon [Sunday]. But among other problems that we faced was the fact that this month, not to mention this week, has been one of the worst in a century in which to be trying to raise capital, and in the end we were out not only of money but time."
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was sad to see the paper go.
"In a City saturated with news coverage and commentary, The Sun shone brightly, though too briefly. Whether you agreed or disagreed with the Sun’s writers, they were smart, thoughtful, provocative – and sometimes even courageous. What other paper in America urged Dick Cheney to run for President? The Sun launched the careers of many talented and dedicated journalists, whose stories often raised the bar for their competitors. I am sorry to see the Sun halt its presses and send my best wishes to all labored so hard to make it a success, especially Seth Lipsky and Ira Stoll."
Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, in his first comments since resigning from office, said "The Sun has been a spectacular addition to the city's political discourse and is one of the finest papers in terms of editing, writing, and analysis that one can find anywhere."
Read Lipsky's statement to the newspaper staff here.
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It's a good time to be a business reporter, says Columbia Journalism Review
Washington Post Co. buys foreign policy magazine
Mizzou's famed journalism alums and professors ponder newspaper's future
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wichita Eagle, Miami Herald, Tacoma News Tribune all lose key staffers
A longtime cartoonist, a county hall reporter, and 18 more employees have departed from some of the biggest newspaper's in America this week, each leaving in a fashion befitting the industry's current free-fall state.
The Wichita Eagle lost Richard Crowson, who had been the paper's cartoonist since 1987. There were once 350 editorial cartoonists in the country, the Wichita Business Journal reports, but that number has been whittled to just 75.
The Miami Herald's Matthew Pinzur, a country hall reporter, left the newspaper to take a six-figure job as a "special assistant to Miami-Dade County Manager Geroge Burgess," the Miami New Times reports.
Both people in the newsroom and that work for Miami-Dade County are concerned about the move, with one Herald reporter saying he felt "jilted" and a county official saying the move "makes me very suspect."
And the Tacoma News Tribune is cutting 18 more employees, the newspaper's publisher told his staff Sept. 24. Just one of the 18 employees will be laid off; 17 will be offered buyouts. The newspaper cut 82 staffers in July. During this round of layoffs, just six of the 18 come from the editorial staff and just four are reporters.
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Longtime Red Sox beat reporter leaves Providence Journal
Post-Dispatch to reduce Washington Bureau to one after election
Twenty seven Ombudsmen cut in the past year
The Wichita Eagle lost Richard Crowson, who had been the paper's cartoonist since 1987. There were once 350 editorial cartoonists in the country, the Wichita Business Journal reports, but that number has been whittled to just 75.
The Miami Herald's Matthew Pinzur, a country hall reporter, left the newspaper to take a six-figure job as a "special assistant to Miami-Dade County Manager Geroge Burgess," the Miami New Times reports.
Both people in the newsroom and that work for Miami-Dade County are concerned about the move, with one Herald reporter saying he felt "jilted" and a county official saying the move "makes me very suspect."
And the Tacoma News Tribune is cutting 18 more employees, the newspaper's publisher told his staff Sept. 24. Just one of the 18 employees will be laid off; 17 will be offered buyouts. The newspaper cut 82 staffers in July. During this round of layoffs, just six of the 18 come from the editorial staff and just four are reporters.
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Longtime Red Sox beat reporter leaves Providence Journal
Post-Dispatch to reduce Washington Bureau to one after election
Twenty seven Ombudsmen cut in the past year
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Providence Journal to cut entire part-time staff
All of the Providence Journal's part-time staff members will be cut along with five-full time staffers, the Providence Newspaper Guild announced Sept. 24. No employees from the advertising department will be cut.
The Journal's company A.H. Belo, which also own the Dallas Morning News, has offered severance packages of 1.25 weeks of pay for every year of employment, with up to 30 years. Staffers who have worked beyond 30 years can earn double.
Belo hopes the cuts at the Journal, the News and also The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., will save the company nearly $30 million this year. The company had announced Sept. 5 that 413 employees companywide had taken voluntary buyouts. Of that amount, 23 were accepted at the Journal before the 30 were cut Sept. 24.
Belo is one of many newpaper companies that have had to undergo massive layoffs. Most recently the McClatchy Co. laid off 20 percent of its workforce in order to help ease its nearly $4 billion debt. It was also announced this month that another 1,150 McClatchy employees would be laid off.
The Journal is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island and has won four Pulitzer Prizes.
Read the Providence Newspaper Guild's announcement here for more details on the cuts.
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New York Sun editor mum on paper's future
SF Chronicle book editor take buyout
Press threatens to boycott covering Palin because of access issues
The Journal's company A.H. Belo, which also own the Dallas Morning News, has offered severance packages of 1.25 weeks of pay for every year of employment, with up to 30 years. Staffers who have worked beyond 30 years can earn double.
Belo hopes the cuts at the Journal, the News and also The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., will save the company nearly $30 million this year. The company had announced Sept. 5 that 413 employees companywide had taken voluntary buyouts. Of that amount, 23 were accepted at the Journal before the 30 were cut Sept. 24.
Belo is one of many newpaper companies that have had to undergo massive layoffs. Most recently the McClatchy Co. laid off 20 percent of its workforce in order to help ease its nearly $4 billion debt. It was also announced this month that another 1,150 McClatchy employees would be laid off.
The Journal is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island and has won four Pulitzer Prizes.
Read the Providence Newspaper Guild's announcement here for more details on the cuts.
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New York Sun editor mum on paper's future
SF Chronicle book editor take buyout
Press threatens to boycott covering Palin because of access issues
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tribune to reveal redesign
The Chicago Tribune will debut its new redesign next week, a slickly-designed magazine-style layout that offers readers fewer stories and bigger graphics.
The new redesign will also reduce the paper to three sections. The front section will have all local, national, foreign and business news. Reports have said the paper will have a 50-50 ratio of ads to newsprint, but with larger graphics and photos, there will be less stories.
There were prototypes of the proposed redesign that had surfaced on the Internet with the word "Trib" taking up nearly a third of the front page. The redesign that surfaced in recent days is less dramatic.
The redesign comes after plummeting ad revenue and high costs of newsprint that many newspaper companies, especially Tribune Co. which owns its namesake Chicago daily newspaper, have resorted to redesigns along with buyouts and layoffs to save money.
Other Tribune Co. newspapers that have undergone redesigns include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Baltimore Sun.
See the new redesign here.
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Chicago Tribune names new publisher
Oregonian reports sharp drop in advertising revenue
McCain aide bashes New York Times, says paper is a "pro-Obama advocacy organization"
The new redesign will also reduce the paper to three sections. The front section will have all local, national, foreign and business news. Reports have said the paper will have a 50-50 ratio of ads to newsprint, but with larger graphics and photos, there will be less stories.
There were prototypes of the proposed redesign that had surfaced on the Internet with the word "Trib" taking up nearly a third of the front page. The redesign that surfaced in recent days is less dramatic.
The redesign comes after plummeting ad revenue and high costs of newsprint that many newspaper companies, especially Tribune Co. which owns its namesake Chicago daily newspaper, have resorted to redesigns along with buyouts and layoffs to save money.
Other Tribune Co. newspapers that have undergone redesigns include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Baltimore Sun.
See the new redesign here.
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Chicago Tribune names new publisher
Oregonian reports sharp drop in advertising revenue
McCain aide bashes New York Times, says paper is a "pro-Obama advocacy organization"
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Milwaukee journalist: Print journalism may die
Print newspapers in their current form may soon expire, which is not certainly news itself, but Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter William Glauber expounded on this topic during a presentation Sept. 15.
The presentation titled "The Past, Present and Future of Journalism" focused on the decline of print journalism and how the primary factor that newspapers are competiting with is not each other, but people's time.
"William brought up a good point: Americans today won’t walk to the end of the curb to get their news, but would prefer to look online," said Elisabethtown College sophomore Dillon Gaul. "He confirmed my understanding that print media is heading down the tubes because of the Internet."
Glauber said future generations will shape the new form of print journalism, whatever it may be.
“You ultimately will decide the fate of American journalism,” he said, “by your reading habits, buying habits and by your interest or lack of interest in the civic life of your community, your country.”
Read more about Glauber's speech here.
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ABC News lays off "handful" of staffers
Charlotte weekly becomes online-only product
Deluth News Tribune lays off eight
The presentation titled "The Past, Present and Future of Journalism" focused on the decline of print journalism and how the primary factor that newspapers are competiting with is not each other, but people's time.
"William brought up a good point: Americans today won’t walk to the end of the curb to get their news, but would prefer to look online," said Elisabethtown College sophomore Dillon Gaul. "He confirmed my understanding that print media is heading down the tubes because of the Internet."
Glauber said future generations will shape the new form of print journalism, whatever it may be.
“You ultimately will decide the fate of American journalism,” he said, “by your reading habits, buying habits and by your interest or lack of interest in the civic life of your community, your country.”
Read more about Glauber's speech here.
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ABC News lays off "handful" of staffers
Charlotte weekly becomes online-only product
Deluth News Tribune lays off eight
Friday, September 19, 2008
Daily News loses 25 to buyouts
The New York Daily News, a tabloid in New York City with a circulation of nearly 800,000 in 2006 making it one of the top ten largest in the country, has lost 25 of its employees to buyouts, the New York Post reported Sept. 19.
The names of those who accepted the buyout were not released, but since the goal of 25 employees was met, there will be no layoffs.
Expected to depart, though, are a few top staffers including award-winning photographer Michael Appleton, drama critic Howard Kissel, Tamer El-Ghobashy who covered Hurricane Katrina for the News, and editorial writer Karen Zautyk, according to a media column in the New York Post.
The Daily News competes with two other large tabloid dailies in New York City: Newsday and the New York Post. Newsday was bought by Cablevision in May of 2008 while the Post remains in the control of Rupert Murdoch, who also bought the Wall Street Journal in 2007.
The Boston Globe also reported that the News is going to get rid of its religion column by former New York Times writer Ari Goldman.
Read more about the layoffs at the Daily News here.
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New York Times stock improves because of online advertising revenue growth
Former LA Times environmental reporter becomes editor of Environmental Health News
Boston Herald reaches deal with teamsters to print paper off site
The names of those who accepted the buyout were not released, but since the goal of 25 employees was met, there will be no layoffs.
Expected to depart, though, are a few top staffers including award-winning photographer Michael Appleton, drama critic Howard Kissel, Tamer El-Ghobashy who covered Hurricane Katrina for the News, and editorial writer Karen Zautyk, according to a media column in the New York Post.
The Daily News competes with two other large tabloid dailies in New York City: Newsday and the New York Post. Newsday was bought by Cablevision in May of 2008 while the Post remains in the control of Rupert Murdoch, who also bought the Wall Street Journal in 2007.
The Boston Globe also reported that the News is going to get rid of its religion column by former New York Times writer Ari Goldman.
Read more about the layoffs at the Daily News here.
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New York Times stock improves because of online advertising revenue growth
Former LA Times environmental reporter becomes editor of Environmental Health News
Boston Herald reaches deal with teamsters to print paper off site
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
LA Times reporters sue owner
Six former and current reporters for the LA Times filed a federal lawsuit Sept. 16 against Sam Zell, the real estate mogul and owner of the Tribune Company, stating he has damaged the reputation of the Times as well as his company.
Zell, who took over the Tribune Company last December, has been vilified by members of the Times for his handling of the Times. More than 1,000 jobs have been eliminated since he took control of the newspaper, which is the fourth largest newspaper in the USA with a 2006 circulation of 1,231,318.
Read the complaint on behalf of the reporters here.
The Tribune Company released this statement Wednesday: "The lawsuit filed yesterday is filled with frivolous and unfounded allegations…The media industry is in crisis, the advertising environment is extremely difficult and the economy is in turmoil. The overwhelming majority of our employees have taken up the challenge — they are working hard [and] leading by example…"
The company is the largest employee-owned media company in America but it is currently $12.5 billion in debt.
Read more about the lawsuit here.
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Former Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist will not join Tribune
Famous comic strip creator fears for newspapers' future
Seattle PI loses pair of top technology reporters
Zell, who took over the Tribune Company last December, has been vilified by members of the Times for his handling of the Times. More than 1,000 jobs have been eliminated since he took control of the newspaper, which is the fourth largest newspaper in the USA with a 2006 circulation of 1,231,318.
Read the complaint on behalf of the reporters here.
The Tribune Company released this statement Wednesday: "The lawsuit filed yesterday is filled with frivolous and unfounded allegations…The media industry is in crisis, the advertising environment is extremely difficult and the economy is in turmoil. The overwhelming majority of our employees have taken up the challenge — they are working hard [and] leading by example…"
The company is the largest employee-owned media company in America but it is currently $12.5 billion in debt.
Read more about the lawsuit here.
--
Former Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist will not join Tribune
Famous comic strip creator fears for newspapers' future
Seattle PI loses pair of top technology reporters
Wichita Eagle cuts 22
The Wichita Eagle, one of the largest papers in the Midwest with a daily readership of more than 200,000, announced Sept. 17 that 16 of its employees have taken voluntary buyouts, which, along with the six to be laid off, brings the total cuts to 22.
"When our customers are feeling the economic slowdown, so are we," said Eagle president and publisher Pam Siddall.
The Eagle's parent company McClatchy Co. recently reduced company-wide workforce by 10 percent (1,150 employees), which is expects will save nearly $100 million through the next four quarters.
The cut, which is the third one this year, is a 6 percent drop in the Eagle's total staff of 356. The previous cuts eliminated eight positions in April and 12 in June.
The Eagle serves the largest city in Kansas, Wichita, which is 199 miles from Kansas City and 364 miles from Dallas.
Read more about the Eagle cuts here.
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Kansas City Star to lay off 30
Miami Herald Media to eliminate 250 positions
Study: Major newspaper Web sites extremely valuable
"When our customers are feeling the economic slowdown, so are we," said Eagle president and publisher Pam Siddall.
The Eagle's parent company McClatchy Co. recently reduced company-wide workforce by 10 percent (1,150 employees), which is expects will save nearly $100 million through the next four quarters.
The cut, which is the third one this year, is a 6 percent drop in the Eagle's total staff of 356. The previous cuts eliminated eight positions in April and 12 in June.
The Eagle serves the largest city in Kansas, Wichita, which is 199 miles from Kansas City and 364 miles from Dallas.
Read more about the Eagle cuts here.
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Kansas City Star to lay off 30
Miami Herald Media to eliminate 250 positions
Study: Major newspaper Web sites extremely valuable
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
McClatchy buyouts continue, now at Washington state papers
The Olympian, The News Tribune of Tacoma and the Tri-City Herald in Kinnewick, Wash., are all offering buyouts in an effort to combat declining revenue.
The three papers are owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, which stated it would like to eliminate 1,400 of its total employees.
The Olympian, which has a staff of 45 full- and part-time employees, is offering 38 buyouts; The News Tribune has offered 189 to its staff of 350 full-time staffers; and the Tri-City Herald has offered 60 to its staff of more than 200.
Depending on who or how many employees take the buyouts, the papers could layoff several staff members.
"We're just not immune to what is happening on the national stage," said Tri-City Herald Publisher Rufus Friday.
Read more about the layoffs at the three Washington papers here.
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Google plans to expand search to old newspapers
New England to get its first Spanish-language daily newspaper
Web site claims it can spot media bias
The three papers are owned by the McClatchy newspaper chain, which stated it would like to eliminate 1,400 of its total employees.
The Olympian, which has a staff of 45 full- and part-time employees, is offering 38 buyouts; The News Tribune has offered 189 to its staff of 350 full-time staffers; and the Tri-City Herald has offered 60 to its staff of more than 200.
Depending on who or how many employees take the buyouts, the papers could layoff several staff members.
"We're just not immune to what is happening on the national stage," said Tri-City Herald Publisher Rufus Friday.
Read more about the layoffs at the three Washington papers here.
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Google plans to expand search to old newspapers
New England to get its first Spanish-language daily newspaper
Web site claims it can spot media bias
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Two Virginia newspapers to combine into one
Two newspapers that belong to the Richmond-based Media General Inc. announced Sept. 6 they will combine to form one newspaper effective Oct. 13.
The two newspapers are the Potomac News and the Manassas Journal Messenger and share a consolidated staff. The staff will be reorganized, though, to help focus on more "community-orientated coverage," according to a story on insidenova.com, the newspaper's Web site.
Other changes include the time the staff comes in to work as well as the overall coverage of the Web site.
"This change will allow our newsroom to refocus its efforts on gathering additional news and feature stories and photographs from the rapidly growing area that we serve," said Bruce Potter, publisher of the newspapers, on the Web site."
Media General's other media properties are not expected to be affected by this move.
Read more about the combination of the two newspapers here.
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Column: Can e-newspapers save industry?
US newspapers plan to outsource publishing, graphic design to India
Sudanese editor to defy publishing ban, have paper printed outside country
The two newspapers are the Potomac News and the Manassas Journal Messenger and share a consolidated staff. The staff will be reorganized, though, to help focus on more "community-orientated coverage," according to a story on insidenova.com, the newspaper's Web site.
Other changes include the time the staff comes in to work as well as the overall coverage of the Web site.
"This change will allow our newsroom to refocus its efforts on gathering additional news and feature stories and photographs from the rapidly growing area that we serve," said Bruce Potter, publisher of the newspapers, on the Web site."
Media General's other media properties are not expected to be affected by this move.
Read more about the combination of the two newspapers here.
--
Column: Can e-newspapers save industry?
US newspapers plan to outsource publishing, graphic design to India
Sudanese editor to defy publishing ban, have paper printed outside country
Friday, September 5, 2008
DMN to cut 50 after buyouts
After offering 413 employees buyouts, A.H. Belo Corporation, the newspaper company that owns The Dallas Morning News, The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif, and the Providence Journal in Rhode Island, announced Sept. 4 its plans to cut more than 80 employees.
The largest amount of employees to be laid off will be at the Morning News (50) then the Press-Enterprise (30) and an unknown number at the Journal.
Belo said in July it would cut 14 percent of the company (roughly 500 employees) because of declining revenue. The target goal is to reduce annual expenses by about $50 million.
The Journal had been considered to be one of the few publications to be doing OK in these dismal times for daily newspapers. While several papers in New England like the Hartford Current, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette had undergone staff cuts and buyouts while the Journal seemed to be doing fine.
If anything, this may show that intensely focused community newspapers, even mid-size daily metro dailies, fall victim to being owned by larger companies that are struggling.
Read more about the buyouts and staff cuts at Belo here.
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New York Times to combine sections to save costs
Redesigned Chicago Tribune reduced to three total sections
Newspaper ad revenuedrops to lowest level in dozen years
The largest amount of employees to be laid off will be at the Morning News (50) then the Press-Enterprise (30) and an unknown number at the Journal.
Belo said in July it would cut 14 percent of the company (roughly 500 employees) because of declining revenue. The target goal is to reduce annual expenses by about $50 million.
The Journal had been considered to be one of the few publications to be doing OK in these dismal times for daily newspapers. While several papers in New England like the Hartford Current, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette had undergone staff cuts and buyouts while the Journal seemed to be doing fine.
If anything, this may show that intensely focused community newspapers, even mid-size daily metro dailies, fall victim to being owned by larger companies that are struggling.
Read more about the buyouts and staff cuts at Belo here.
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New York Times to combine sections to save costs
Redesigned Chicago Tribune reduced to three total sections
Newspaper ad revenuedrops to lowest level in dozen years
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Oklahoman layoffs, buyouts to affect 150 jobs
The Oklahoman, the largest newspaper in Oklahoma, announced Sept. 4 that the "downsizing" its staff of about 1,100 should be complete by the end of next month.
As with many other newspapers and media outlets, The Oklahoman is offering retirement packages and is also reducing the size of its staff by other means. All told, 150 positions are expected to be eliminated by the end of October, according to David Thompson, the newspaper's publisher.
One hundred two veteran employees who have worked at the paper for 15 years or longer are expected to be offered the retirement packages. They have until Sept. 24 to decide whether to take the packages. Positions in The Oklahoman Publishing Co.'s media division (OPUBCO Communications Group) are also expected to be laid off.
The news comes as many newspaper industries are struggling to maintain print advertising revenue as more advertisers look at Web sites as lucrative mediums to reach larger audiences.
An interesting point is that though The Oklahoman has little competition as far as other Oklahoma City metro daily newspapers, it faces the same pressures as major metropolitan newspapers because of advertising woes, the rise in fuel costs of fuel and newsprint and also the shift from traditional print readers to online readers.
Read more about the specifics the staff reductions here.
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New England's Worcester Telegram & Gazette to cut about 36 jobs, scale back to one edition
Syracuse student newspaper cancels Friday edition of paper because of "financial setbacks"
Raleigh's News & Observer offering voluntary buyouts to 320 employees
As with many other newspapers and media outlets, The Oklahoman is offering retirement packages and is also reducing the size of its staff by other means. All told, 150 positions are expected to be eliminated by the end of October, according to David Thompson, the newspaper's publisher.
One hundred two veteran employees who have worked at the paper for 15 years or longer are expected to be offered the retirement packages. They have until Sept. 24 to decide whether to take the packages. Positions in The Oklahoman Publishing Co.'s media division (OPUBCO Communications Group) are also expected to be laid off.
The news comes as many newspaper industries are struggling to maintain print advertising revenue as more advertisers look at Web sites as lucrative mediums to reach larger audiences.
An interesting point is that though The Oklahoman has little competition as far as other Oklahoma City metro daily newspapers, it faces the same pressures as major metropolitan newspapers because of advertising woes, the rise in fuel costs of fuel and newsprint and also the shift from traditional print readers to online readers.
Read more about the specifics the staff reductions here.
---
New England's Worcester Telegram & Gazette to cut about 36 jobs, scale back to one edition
Syracuse student newspaper cancels Friday edition of paper because of "financial setbacks"
Raleigh's News & Observer offering voluntary buyouts to 320 employees
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