28 February 2009

"Trinity Mirror scraps dividend and reports loss" - FT.com

More grim news.

"Broadcast Networks Battling Uphill for Profit and Audience" - NYTimes.com

Newspapers learned long ago that they can never afford to ignore what is happening in the television world.

27 February 2009

"Newspaper Convention Canceled Amid Industry Woes" - NYTimes.com

Another telling sign of where things are going....

"Part of Denver’s Past, The Rocky Says Goodbye" - NYTimes.com

Rest in peace.

"CanWest Teeters, and Big Changes Loom" - NYTimes.com

More problems in more places.....

"Rocky Mountain News Is Closing in Denver" - NYTimes.com

There are very few people or companies left who are prepared to buy existing newspapers. It is astounding to think that I am writing that sentence in 2009.

26 February 2009

"Google adds ads to Google News searches" - CNET News

One of the reasons why paying attention to Google is such a high priority.

"Hearst to use Helium citizen journalists" - Boston Business Journal

This strikes me as a smart move.

"German group Springer bucks media slump" - European Journalism Centre

I am not sure if there is anything to be drawn from this for application elsewhere.

25 February 2009

"Vidders Talk Back To Their Pop-Culture Muses" - NPR

Imagine how this might work if applied to newspapers and news stories instead of television programs.

"5 Newspapers in Northeast to Share Content" - NYTimes.com

The Associated Press, just like a paper's printing press, only makes sense if their is a minimum level of work. If the work drops below that minimum, neither the press nor the agency can continue.

"Murdoch on the prowl for print sales" - Variety

Whether it be he or not, it is most likely to be someone without a SULZBERGER name or some relation to it.

"Hearst to Slash, Sell or Close the San Francisco Chronicle Newspaper" - WSJ.com

More perspective on this news.

"Washington Post Shares Decline After Profit Falls" - NYTimes.com

If the Washington Post did not have its other businesses, this would be a very dismal picture.

24 February 2009

"Metro International receives bid offer" - European Journalism Centre

There inevitably will be purchasers, at some price, for many remaining newspaper properties.

"Hearst May Sell or Close San Francisco Chronicle" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com

Another sad chapter nears an end.

"Downie Says Newspapers Must Constantly Look For New Revenue Streams" - Neon Tommy

I think we are all dancing around economics and essentials. Either there is a business or there is not!

"Goodbye to the Age of Newspapers (Hello to a New Era of Corruption)"

It's a sound argument for deaf ears.

"Americans watching more TV than ever" - Nielsen

And likely reading their newspapers less or - perhaps - less intently while the television plays.

"Currah: Kitemarks Have Great Potential to Help the News Business" - Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits

A lot of this discussion is really on the fringes of what needs to happen.

"Financial Times to cut costs" - Reuters

Cutting back time worked, and compensation, seems like a fair way to address the economic challenges newspapers face.

"Hearst Taps Yahoo Vet Khemlani as VP, Digital Media"

The trendlines are slow to develop but inevitable.

Microsoft Forms Coalition of Web Publishers"

Microsoft Forms Coalition of Web Publishers

23 February 2009

"Information Wants to Be Expensive" - WSJ.com

I agree with this thinking, but it is a huge change to make --- for newspapers to really focus on how they can become really valuable in the lives of their customers.

"ICFJ to offer online course on investigative journalism in Arabic" - IJNet

I have believed for a long time that a huge amount of continuing professional education could be carried out online. It is wonderful to see this course offered in Arabic and I hope many more will follow.

"New Search Technologies Mine the Web More Deeply" - NYTimes.com

This has profound implicaitons for newspapers who ought to remain extremely attentive to what Google is trying to do. More important, tho, is the need for newspapers to look locally - where their greatest strength lies - and ask what they could be doing to bring more of the "knowledge" of and about their market to their customers who rely on them for that local insight and perspective. Show me one newspaper that is doing this today.

22 February 2009

"Rupert Murdoch’s Love of Newspapers Is Weighing on News Corp" - NYTimes.com

Newspaper love afflicts many of us.

"The Media Biz: Memo to Newspaper Publishers"

This is useful from a wise commentator, but not enough focused on the big picture; the changes recommended are not enough. A clearer strategy needs to precede them.

"Marc Andreesen advises newspapers to shut down the presses" - Reportr.net

The issue of how printing facilities fit into the future of newspapers is worth a lot of fresh analysis. It needs to be approached more from the standpoint of job printing than newspaper production, I think.