Though newspapers have made considerable cutbacks and laid off thousands, the industry isn't dying as it appears; just changing, according to an article in Fortune Magazine published today.
But the answer for newspaper companies to attract advertisers they so badly need, the article states, is to change the product into two categories: niche products aimed at small audiences and cheaply-produced commodities aimed at large audiences.
The article, which was written by Richard Silkos, an editor at Fortune, refutes what seems to be common opinion that newspapers are dying because newspapers' once gold-mine of classified advertising is gone to the Internet, and so too is the steady stream of revenue that funded papers for decades.
"Is the sky falling or is this just a necessary correction in an industry that is, after all, supposed to be a mirror on society? My bet is that it's not the end of print, but it might just be the end of print as we ink-stained hacks have known it," Silkos writes.
Silkos ended his article with an anecdote about Bib Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney, whom Silkos met at a social occasion. Silkos asked Iger about the future of newspapers and Iger said it would be hard to recreate a product that "delivers the world to your doorstep every morning in a smartly-produced package."
But, Silkos continued, "he then noted, with some relief, that Disney briefly owned newspapers but unloaded them more than a decade ago..."
Read the article here.
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College papers endorse Obama 63-1; Alt-Weeklies 57-0
Three major Florida dailies trim staffs heavily
NY Times adds three to investigative unit
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Time Inc., Gannett to make massive layoffs
A pair of massive media organizations announced sizable layoffs Tuesday.
Time Inc., the world's largest magazine publisher, announced it will lay off about 600 employees and Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, said it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or nearly 3,000.
The layoffs continue a trend that doesn't seem to be ending or even slowing as media companies struggle to turn profits with high costs of newsprint and the shift of advertising from print to online formats. The result is layoffs across the board, consolidating publications, shrinking sections, and efforts to refocus on local coverage.
Time Inc.'s layoffs begin in about two weeks, but none of Time Inc.'s 24 magazines will close. Instead, all publications will be organized into three divisions: news, lifestyle titles, and style and entertainment. It was also reported that Time Inc. would refocus on putting its larger magazines -- Sports Illustrated, People, Time and Fortune -- in alternate platforms.
"We'll have a more centralized management structure that will group together titles that share similar audiences, advertisers and the talents and skills of their staffs," said Dawn Bridges, a spokeswoman for Time Inc. in a New York Times article.
Gannett's layoffs follow McClatchy Co's announcements of two 10 percent workforce cuts since June. It also follows the more than 1,000 employees that were laid off in Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing division since August. None of Gannett's newspapers are expected to close.
Read more about the changes at Time Inc. here.
Read more about Gannett's layoffs here.
--
CNN to offer wire service
CS Monitor drops print publication, focuses on Web only
Keller using "investment fund" to increase NY Times' business coverage
Time Inc., the world's largest magazine publisher, announced it will lay off about 600 employees and Gannett, the nation's largest newspaper chain, said it would cut 10 percent of its workforce, or nearly 3,000.
The layoffs continue a trend that doesn't seem to be ending or even slowing as media companies struggle to turn profits with high costs of newsprint and the shift of advertising from print to online formats. The result is layoffs across the board, consolidating publications, shrinking sections, and efforts to refocus on local coverage.
Time Inc.'s layoffs begin in about two weeks, but none of Time Inc.'s 24 magazines will close. Instead, all publications will be organized into three divisions: news, lifestyle titles, and style and entertainment. It was also reported that Time Inc. would refocus on putting its larger magazines -- Sports Illustrated, People, Time and Fortune -- in alternate platforms.
"We'll have a more centralized management structure that will group together titles that share similar audiences, advertisers and the talents and skills of their staffs," said Dawn Bridges, a spokeswoman for Time Inc. in a New York Times article.
Gannett's layoffs follow McClatchy Co's announcements of two 10 percent workforce cuts since June. It also follows the more than 1,000 employees that were laid off in Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing division since August. None of Gannett's newspapers are expected to close.
Read more about the changes at Time Inc. here.
Read more about Gannett's layoffs here.
--
CNN to offer wire service
CS Monitor drops print publication, focuses on Web only
Keller using "investment fund" to increase NY Times' business coverage
Monday, October 27, 2008
Column: Newspaper's decline threatens democracy
An op-ed column in Sunday's Hartford Courant states "America is a society built upon newspapers," and the decline of newspapers during their historic decline in advertising revenue threatens that same democracy.
The column, which was authored by the editor of the University of Connecticut student newspaper, the head of the university's journalism department and the university president, argue that the Internet has created "talking heads" that are the go-to sources for information instead of credible journalism organzations.
Furthermore, the column states, newsroom cutbacks are costing readers vital information about Washington and other areas of the world.
"In an age where talking heads have replaced journalists, where opinion passes as journalism and where newspapers are driven by profit to reduce and compromise their reporting, Americans are more at risk than ever," the column states.
It concludes with a powerful message that for America's democracy to continue, there must be a strive for good, responsible journalism.
Read the column here.
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LA Times to cut 75 more
NY Times editor: No further cuts at paper
Study: Major papers continue circulation decline
The column, which was authored by the editor of the University of Connecticut student newspaper, the head of the university's journalism department and the university president, argue that the Internet has created "talking heads" that are the go-to sources for information instead of credible journalism organzations.
Furthermore, the column states, newsroom cutbacks are costing readers vital information about Washington and other areas of the world.
"In an age where talking heads have replaced journalists, where opinion passes as journalism and where newspapers are driven by profit to reduce and compromise their reporting, Americans are more at risk than ever," the column states.
It concludes with a powerful message that for America's democracy to continue, there must be a strive for good, responsible journalism.
Read the column here.
--
LA Times to cut 75 more
NY Times editor: No further cuts at paper
Study: Major papers continue circulation decline
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
USC Director: Journalism business model distorted social mission
The collapse of journalism's conventional economic model is due in part to large profit margins that turned the industry from its social mission to a vast business, said a director at the University of Southern California's business school.
But newspapers can create a new model that is mission-driven and is still profitable, said Adlai Wertman, a director at USC's Marshall School of Business.
Wertman's comments appeared in a Knight Digital Media Center column by Geneva Overholser, the director of the School of Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Wertman strongly stated that he believed the country's politics and social issues relfect journalism, and told the journalism school at one point that "I think it's all your fault."
"Take the mission away from journalism and think more about journalism as a tool: We care about poverty, and how could we use journalism as a tool to make a difference," said Wertman.
Saving journalism in its current state, Overholser said, is the wrong idea.
"You persuade your donors (and consumers) that a full, fair balenced and propotional picture of the issue is the best way to get people insterested and informed, and thus to bring about action," she wrote.
Read the rest of her column here.
--
Mercury News considers move to new offices
Study: Media has been overly negative on McCain
No hazards from suspicious powder in letter sent to NY Times
But newspapers can create a new model that is mission-driven and is still profitable, said Adlai Wertman, a director at USC's Marshall School of Business.
Wertman's comments appeared in a Knight Digital Media Center column by Geneva Overholser, the director of the School of Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Wertman strongly stated that he believed the country's politics and social issues relfect journalism, and told the journalism school at one point that "I think it's all your fault."
"Take the mission away from journalism and think more about journalism as a tool: We care about poverty, and how could we use journalism as a tool to make a difference," said Wertman.
Saving journalism in its current state, Overholser said, is the wrong idea.
"You persuade your donors (and consumers) that a full, fair balenced and propotional picture of the issue is the best way to get people insterested and informed, and thus to bring about action," she wrote.
Read the rest of her column here.
--
Mercury News considers move to new offices
Study: Media has been overly negative on McCain
No hazards from suspicious powder in letter sent to NY Times
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
LA Times launches redesign
The Los Angeles Times launched its redesign Tuesday, becoming the last major Tribune Co. newspaper to do so.
The redesign isn't nearly as dramatic as what many other newspapers, including its sister paper the Chicago Tribune, have undergone. The changes are subtle, like removing datelines and altering the bylines to show where the story was reported from. Overall, the paper has gotten fairly good reviews, the Times Web site reported Tuesday. But there have also been several complaints.
The 126-year-old newspaper, which is the fourth-largest newspaper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 773,884, joins other major papers like the Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel who have all launched redesigns in the last few months.
"How do we find that sweet spot that honors our tradition but makes it feel like a modern newspaper," said Times Assistant Managing Editor Michael Whitley in a Times video about the redesign. "I'd say the way to do that is we made content and information a first priority.
"It just feels a little fresher,:" Whitley said. "It's a little bolder. We're proud of who we are and we think it's okay to say it a little bigger than we have maybe in the past."
The Sunday edition is also supposed to be quite different with the section front flags basked in full colors that reflect the Southern California environment.
Look at the redesign here.
Read comments from Tribune Co. chief innovation officer Lee Abrams about the LA Times redesign here.
--
Several papers who endorsed Bush have gone Obama in '08
New Hampshire students emphasize journalism fundamentals
Christian Science Montior editor: I don't know where print goes in the long run
The redesign isn't nearly as dramatic as what many other newspapers, including its sister paper the Chicago Tribune, have undergone. The changes are subtle, like removing datelines and altering the bylines to show where the story was reported from. Overall, the paper has gotten fairly good reviews, the Times Web site reported Tuesday. But there have also been several complaints.
The 126-year-old newspaper, which is the fourth-largest newspaper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 773,884, joins other major papers like the Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel who have all launched redesigns in the last few months.
"How do we find that sweet spot that honors our tradition but makes it feel like a modern newspaper," said Times Assistant Managing Editor Michael Whitley in a Times video about the redesign. "I'd say the way to do that is we made content and information a first priority.
"It just feels a little fresher,:" Whitley said. "It's a little bolder. We're proud of who we are and we think it's okay to say it a little bigger than we have maybe in the past."
The Sunday edition is also supposed to be quite different with the section front flags basked in full colors that reflect the Southern California environment.
Look at the redesign here.
Read comments from Tribune Co. chief innovation officer Lee Abrams about the LA Times redesign here.
--
Several papers who endorsed Bush have gone Obama in '08
New Hampshire students emphasize journalism fundamentals
Christian Science Montior editor: I don't know where print goes in the long run
Monday, October 20, 2008
To cut costs, newspapers are cutting AP service
In an effort to save money, several newspapers are cutting ties with The Associated Press, the worldwide news wire service that began in 1846.
The move marks a serious shift in the newspaper industry because for many newspapers the only national and international news they carry is from the AP. The conflict between newspapers and the AP has come in two forms: high fees by the AP and worries of online competition from newspapers.
Last week, the Tribune Company, which owns The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times, and the Columbia Dispatch each told the AP it would be end its contract in coming years. E.W. Scripps, which owns 17 newspapers, is also reportedly considering dropping the AP.
“I don’t think any of us can ignore the economic circumstances newspapers are in now,” Kathleen Carroll, executive editor of The A.P., told The New York Times. “Being the editor of a newspaper in the United States right now is really hard.”
According to the Times story, the A.P. is considering cutting prices and adding new services to help newspapers in their current economic struggle.
Read more about the A.P. and its dwindling relationship with newspapers here.
--
LA Times gets "overwhelming" response to Obama endorsement
Former NYT reporter Miller joins Fox News
Lobbyist speaks out on NYT's McCain affair story
The move marks a serious shift in the newspaper industry because for many newspapers the only national and international news they carry is from the AP. The conflict between newspapers and the AP has come in two forms: high fees by the AP and worries of online competition from newspapers.
Last week, the Tribune Company, which owns The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times, and the Columbia Dispatch each told the AP it would be end its contract in coming years. E.W. Scripps, which owns 17 newspapers, is also reportedly considering dropping the AP.
“I don’t think any of us can ignore the economic circumstances newspapers are in now,” Kathleen Carroll, executive editor of The A.P., told The New York Times. “Being the editor of a newspaper in the United States right now is really hard.”
According to the Times story, the A.P. is considering cutting prices and adding new services to help newspapers in their current economic struggle.
Read more about the A.P. and its dwindling relationship with newspapers here.
--
LA Times gets "overwhelming" response to Obama endorsement
Former NYT reporter Miller joins Fox News
Lobbyist speaks out on NYT's McCain affair story
Friday, October 17, 2008
Breaking tradition, LA Times and Tribune make presidential endorsements
A pair of the largest newspapers in America broke tradition and endorsed Barack Obama today.
The Los Angeles Times, the fourth-largest newspaper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 773,884, broke a long-standing policy of not endorsing candidates by choosing Obama. The Chicago Tribune, the eighth-largest paper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 541,663, also endorsed Obama today
Both papers are owned by the traditionally conservative Tribune Co. The Times, which has a well-known Republican slant since its founding by the conservative Chandler family, made the Illinois Senator its first choice for endorsement since choosing Richard Nixon. The Times had run a series of editorials leading up to today that suggested it would endorse Obama.
The Chicago Tribune, which Obama noted in Wednesday's presidential debate as a "Republican-leading newspaper," broke its tradition of endorsing Republican candidates by choosing Obama.
"This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for president," the editorial stated.
The Times' and Tribune's endorsements of Obama coincide with recent endorsements from The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle. As of today, Obama leads McCain in newspaper endorsements 51 to 16, according to editorandpublisher.com
Read the Times' endorsement here.
Read the Tribune's endorsement here.
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Post editorial page editor explains Obama endorsement
Tribune Co. to drop AP
Columbia Dispatch to drop AP
The Los Angeles Times, the fourth-largest newspaper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 773,884, broke a long-standing policy of not endorsing candidates by choosing Obama. The Chicago Tribune, the eighth-largest paper in the country with a reported 2007 circulation of 541,663, also endorsed Obama today
Both papers are owned by the traditionally conservative Tribune Co. The Times, which has a well-known Republican slant since its founding by the conservative Chandler family, made the Illinois Senator its first choice for endorsement since choosing Richard Nixon. The Times had run a series of editorials leading up to today that suggested it would endorse Obama.
The Chicago Tribune, which Obama noted in Wednesday's presidential debate as a "Republican-leading newspaper," broke its tradition of endorsing Republican candidates by choosing Obama.
"This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party's nominee for president," the editorial stated.
The Times' and Tribune's endorsements of Obama coincide with recent endorsements from The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle. As of today, Obama leads McCain in newspaper endorsements 51 to 16, according to editorandpublisher.com
Read the Times' endorsement here.
Read the Tribune's endorsement here.
--
Post editorial page editor explains Obama endorsement
Tribune Co. to drop AP
Columbia Dispatch to drop AP
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