The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News may soon stop home delivery for some days of the week making them the first major daily newspapers in the country to do so.
The move could save a considerable amount of money, but it is also expected to drive readers to the papers' Web sites.
According to a report that quoted anonymous sources, papers could be delivered on Sunday and either Thursday or Friday or both. Those days are considered the most profitable and on the other days, a slimmed single-copy edition would be put on newsstands.
"There will be an announcement of a new business model made on Tuesday," said a spokesman for Detroit Media Partnership, which runs both papers. "We do expect to print newspapers every single day."
A few papers have stopped running their presses entirely, including The Christian Science Monitor and Kentucky Post. Others have stopped printing on days with weak advertising.
Read more about the changes to these Detroit newspapers here.
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NY Times launches alternative home page
Washingtonpost.com adopts Apture content-compilation technology
Boston.com launches first hyper-local Web site
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Illinois Gov. threatened Tribune's editorial writers
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich threatened to get members of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board fired after they criticized the governor who today was arrested on corruption charges stemming from an an allegation that he tried to sell an Illinois U.S. Senate seat.
The Tribune, though, took no action when pressed by Blagojevich and didn't fire any writers even though Blagojevich threatened to withhold the state's help in a business deal to sell the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, a move the recently-bankrupted Tribune Company badly needs and has been trying to finalize for the past year.
The threats Blagojevich made were uncovered in wiretapped converstations in which he called for the Tribune to fire its editorial board after it called for his impeachment. In the tapes, Blagojevich warned members of the Tribune that the Wrigely Field deal "could get derailed by your own editorial page."
Said Blagojevich: "Our recommendation is fire all those [expletive] people, get 'em the [expletive] out of there and get us some editorial support."
But there was no instance when the paper's editorial department was contacted, said Tribune editor Gerould Kern. Said Tribune Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold: "This whole thing comes as a complete surprise to me today. (Tribune Co. owner) Sam Zell said when he took over the company (last June) that he didn't want to interfere with editorial decisions. He has been absolutely good to that."
Read stories about the Illinois Gov. threatening the Tribune here, here, and here.
EXTRA: The Chicago Tribune reportedly delayed publication of stories about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stating that he was being taped by the FBI. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was the one who made the request and said "the Tribune was very gracious." Fitzgerald had been investigating Blagojevich for six weeks and said the story could have compromised the investigation.
Read more about the Tribune withholding a story on Blagojevich here.
--
Downie wins editor of the year award
Seattle Times introduces new changes
LA Times op-ed: They're eyewitnesses, not iReporters
The Tribune, though, took no action when pressed by Blagojevich and didn't fire any writers even though Blagojevich threatened to withhold the state's help in a business deal to sell the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, a move the recently-bankrupted Tribune Company badly needs and has been trying to finalize for the past year.
The threats Blagojevich made were uncovered in wiretapped converstations in which he called for the Tribune to fire its editorial board after it called for his impeachment. In the tapes, Blagojevich warned members of the Tribune that the Wrigely Field deal "could get derailed by your own editorial page."
Said Blagojevich: "Our recommendation is fire all those [expletive] people, get 'em the [expletive] out of there and get us some editorial support."
But there was no instance when the paper's editorial department was contacted, said Tribune editor Gerould Kern. Said Tribune Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold: "This whole thing comes as a complete surprise to me today. (Tribune Co. owner) Sam Zell said when he took over the company (last June) that he didn't want to interfere with editorial decisions. He has been absolutely good to that."
Read stories about the Illinois Gov. threatening the Tribune here, here, and here.
EXTRA: The Chicago Tribune reportedly delayed publication of stories about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stating that he was being taped by the FBI. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was the one who made the request and said "the Tribune was very gracious." Fitzgerald had been investigating Blagojevich for six weeks and said the story could have compromised the investigation.
Read more about the Tribune withholding a story on Blagojevich here.
--
Downie wins editor of the year award
Seattle Times introduces new changes
LA Times op-ed: They're eyewitnesses, not iReporters
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tribune Co. files bankruptcy
The Tribune Company, the largest-owned media company in America, filed for bankruptcy today in a move that underscores the struggles of the media industry at a time when the country is in a recession and advertising revenue is at record lows.
Tribune had accumulated nearly $13 billion in debt, largely accrued when real estate mogal Sam Zell bought the company last year. The filing is an effort to restructure it sizable debt interest payments.
“Over the last year, we have made significant progress internally on transitioning Tribune into an entrepreneurial company that pursues innovation and stronger ways of serving our customers,” said Zell, chairman and CEO of Tribune. “Unfortunately, at the same time, factors beyond our control have created a perfect storm – a precipitous decline in revenue and a tough economy coupled with a credit crisis that makes it extremely difficult to support our debt."
The company owns two of the eight largest newspapers in the country by circulation: The Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. It also owns 23 TV stations and 10 other newspapers. Tribune Co. also owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which it has been trying to sell since last season but for several reasons, a sale didn't take place.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is believed to be the highest bidder for the Cubs, but his recent federal allegations of insider trading may hinder that deal.
Read the official press release of the Tribune Co.'s Chapter 11 filing here.
Read Sam Zell's letter to Tribune employees here.
Read a Chicago Tribune blog posting about the filing here.
Read about the filing here.
--
No applications yet for the U. of Florida student newspaper editor position
NY Times to borrow against its building
Downie to teach at ASU's j-school
Tribune had accumulated nearly $13 billion in debt, largely accrued when real estate mogal Sam Zell bought the company last year. The filing is an effort to restructure it sizable debt interest payments.
“Over the last year, we have made significant progress internally on transitioning Tribune into an entrepreneurial company that pursues innovation and stronger ways of serving our customers,” said Zell, chairman and CEO of Tribune. “Unfortunately, at the same time, factors beyond our control have created a perfect storm – a precipitous decline in revenue and a tough economy coupled with a credit crisis that makes it extremely difficult to support our debt."
The company owns two of the eight largest newspapers in the country by circulation: The Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. It also owns 23 TV stations and 10 other newspapers. Tribune Co. also owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which it has been trying to sell since last season but for several reasons, a sale didn't take place.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is believed to be the highest bidder for the Cubs, but his recent federal allegations of insider trading may hinder that deal.
Read the official press release of the Tribune Co.'s Chapter 11 filing here.
Read Sam Zell's letter to Tribune employees here.
Read a Chicago Tribune blog posting about the filing here.
Read about the filing here.
--
No applications yet for the U. of Florida student newspaper editor position
NY Times to borrow against its building
Downie to teach at ASU's j-school
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Gannetts downsizing campaign nears 2,000
The Gannett Co.'s company-wide downsizing effort reached 1,770 newspaper jobs Thursday, according to blog operated by a former longtime Gazette editor.
The cuts come following the release of Gannett's recent profit margins for several of its newspapers, which, contrary to popular belief, show the company seems to be doing quite well. Several of the papers are making more than 35 cents on the dollar, including the Green Bay Press-Gazette's 42.5 percent profit margin.
Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, announced it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or about 3,000 jobs, in late Oct. About 1,000 Gannett jobs were already eliminated in August. In this recent round of cuts, the newsroom to be hit hardest so far is the Salinas Californian, which lost 31 percent of its workforce or 130 jobs.
"As difficult as this is, it does provide us with an opportunity to take a look at everything we do," said General Manager Terry Feinberg told his newsroom.
Other notable papers that have lost a considerable amount of employees include the Des Moines Register, which has elimiated 41 jobs, and the Tennessean, which has cut 92.
Read more about the layoffs here and here.
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Chicago Tribune to cut more than a dozen from newsroom
Wall St. Journal runs first ever spadia ad
NY Times to launch alternative version of home page
The cuts come following the release of Gannett's recent profit margins for several of its newspapers, which, contrary to popular belief, show the company seems to be doing quite well. Several of the papers are making more than 35 cents on the dollar, including the Green Bay Press-Gazette's 42.5 percent profit margin.
Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, announced it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or about 3,000 jobs, in late Oct. About 1,000 Gannett jobs were already eliminated in August. In this recent round of cuts, the newsroom to be hit hardest so far is the Salinas Californian, which lost 31 percent of its workforce or 130 jobs.
"As difficult as this is, it does provide us with an opportunity to take a look at everything we do," said General Manager Terry Feinberg told his newsroom.
Other notable papers that have lost a considerable amount of employees include the Des Moines Register, which has elimiated 41 jobs, and the Tennessean, which has cut 92.
Read more about the layoffs here and here.
--
Chicago Tribune to cut more than a dozen from newsroom
Wall St. Journal runs first ever spadia ad
NY Times to launch alternative version of home page
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
NBC blog visitors want NBC to explain controversy
Many NBC News blog visitors posted Monday that NBC and particularly anchor Brian Williams should address a New York Times article that states the network was using a military analyst that used the position primarily to promote military contractors.
Williams made no mention of the article in his post, referring only to the traffic for Black Friday and the overall economy.
The Times article stated retired Army general Barry R. McCaffrey, who worked for NBC News as a military analyst, had ties to military contractors and, whether intentionally or otherwise, would often advise the governement to buy more military equipment, particularly from companies that employed him.
"I'd like to hear an explanation from you rather than the NBC [public relations] department speaking to this weekend's revelations in the New York Times that Barry McAffrey has been promoting his private defense industry interests in the guise of "expert commentary" on NBC News," wrote one. "This is corruption at its most insidious, influence peddling masquerading as objective commentary. I would expect better from NBC News."
Of the 15 posted comments on the blog, eight asked for an explanation from Williams. Conde Nast's Portfolio magazine posted an online media blog entry titled "Why NBC News Should've Known Better." In it, Jeff Bercovici, the blog's author, states "NBC News should end its relationship with [McCaffrey] or face the loss of its credibility. NBC News president Steve Capus released a statement following the article's publication that stated "McCaffrey was a man of honor and achievement who would never let business obligations color his analysis."
Read the NBC News blog posts demanding an explanation to the Times article here.
Read Portfolio.com's Mixed Media blog reponse to the article here.
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Online page views released, NY Times leads; second-place USA Today is 600 million behind
ProJo declines to run departing columnist's criticism of newspapers
WSJ staffers worry about their stories appearing in NY Post
Williams made no mention of the article in his post, referring only to the traffic for Black Friday and the overall economy.
The Times article stated retired Army general Barry R. McCaffrey, who worked for NBC News as a military analyst, had ties to military contractors and, whether intentionally or otherwise, would often advise the governement to buy more military equipment, particularly from companies that employed him.
"I'd like to hear an explanation from you rather than the NBC [public relations] department speaking to this weekend's revelations in the New York Times that Barry McAffrey has been promoting his private defense industry interests in the guise of "expert commentary" on NBC News," wrote one. "This is corruption at its most insidious, influence peddling masquerading as objective commentary. I would expect better from NBC News."
Of the 15 posted comments on the blog, eight asked for an explanation from Williams. Conde Nast's Portfolio magazine posted an online media blog entry titled "Why NBC News Should've Known Better." In it, Jeff Bercovici, the blog's author, states "NBC News should end its relationship with [McCaffrey] or face the loss of its credibility. NBC News president Steve Capus released a statement following the article's publication that stated "McCaffrey was a man of honor and achievement who would never let business obligations color his analysis."
Read the NBC News blog posts demanding an explanation to the Times article here.
Read Portfolio.com's Mixed Media blog reponse to the article here.
--
Online page views released, NY Times leads; second-place USA Today is 600 million behind
ProJo declines to run departing columnist's criticism of newspapers
WSJ staffers worry about their stories appearing in NY Post
Monday, December 1, 2008
Post Ombudsman offers newspaper survival tips
More and more newspapers are experimenting with different business and newsgathering strategies in the hopes of reviving their business as the media industry struggles.
But many are straying from journalistic principles in order to do so.
Deborah Howell, the ombudsman for The Washington Post, offered advice for newspapers during these hard times; much of it was common in newspaper circles -- be local, have in-depth and wise commentary, be a watchdog, and so on. But there was one tip that may prove useful to many publishers and editors.
"When newsprint is at a premium -- the two biggest expenses are people and paper -- reporters should learn to engage readers quickly and tell a story faster," Howell wrote. "If long leads or long stories don't hold a reader through every paragraph, editors should make them shorter."
Many papers are cutting stories from their pages, but the trend of forcing reporters to get to the point rather than expound through lengthy anecdotal leads has yet to take hold. To combat high newsprint costs, many newspapers have also shrunk the physical size of their paper as well as folded sections into one another.
Read Howell's top 10 newspaper tips here.
--
KC Star publisher: We're still "soundly profitable"
CNN pitches news service to newspapers
Boston Globe, union drivers agree on wage, holiday cuts
But many are straying from journalistic principles in order to do so.
Deborah Howell, the ombudsman for The Washington Post, offered advice for newspapers during these hard times; much of it was common in newspaper circles -- be local, have in-depth and wise commentary, be a watchdog, and so on. But there was one tip that may prove useful to many publishers and editors.
"When newsprint is at a premium -- the two biggest expenses are people and paper -- reporters should learn to engage readers quickly and tell a story faster," Howell wrote. "If long leads or long stories don't hold a reader through every paragraph, editors should make them shorter."
Many papers are cutting stories from their pages, but the trend of forcing reporters to get to the point rather than expound through lengthy anecdotal leads has yet to take hold. To combat high newsprint costs, many newspapers have also shrunk the physical size of their paper as well as folded sections into one another.
Read Howell's top 10 newspaper tips here.
--
KC Star publisher: We're still "soundly profitable"
CNN pitches news service to newspapers
Boston Globe, union drivers agree on wage, holiday cuts
Friday, November 21, 2008
Huffington Post raises $15 million
The Huffington Post, a popular liberal blog, has raised $15 million from Oak Investment Partners, an investment firm that has interested in several media entities.
The Times of London is reporting that the money will be used for more local news and investigative journalism as founder Adrianna Huffington hopes to spread the site's influence.
Huffington Post was launched in 2005 on $2 million of seed capital and Adrianna Huffington, the site's founder, has been able to raise a combined $10 million in 2006 an 2007 from investors. The latest donation should bring it up to a reported $100 million in raised capital. Most of the money has been used to increase the site's staff.
There is concern, though, about whether the site can sustain its traffic now that the election of Barack Obama is over, an election that made the site one of the most highly-trafficked online.
Visit the Huffington Post here.
Read more about its recent fundraising efforts here and here.
--
Newspapers' economic decline trickles to college publications
Interactive advertising grows 11 percent in Q3
NY Times' White House team announced
The Times of London is reporting that the money will be used for more local news and investigative journalism as founder Adrianna Huffington hopes to spread the site's influence.
Huffington Post was launched in 2005 on $2 million of seed capital and Adrianna Huffington, the site's founder, has been able to raise a combined $10 million in 2006 an 2007 from investors. The latest donation should bring it up to a reported $100 million in raised capital. Most of the money has been used to increase the site's staff.
There is concern, though, about whether the site can sustain its traffic now that the election of Barack Obama is over, an election that made the site one of the most highly-trafficked online.
Visit the Huffington Post here.
Read more about its recent fundraising efforts here and here.
--
Newspapers' economic decline trickles to college publications
Interactive advertising grows 11 percent in Q3
NY Times' White House team announced
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