Deep cuts at CBS-owned stations
Posted on April 1, 2008
Deep cuts at CBS-owned stations
"While local TV is a very profitable business and certainly not threatened like the newspaper industry, declining audiences and a softening economy will bring tough times in the months and years ahead."
Bad to worse for newspapers
Posted on March 31, 2008
"Ken Doctor, a newspaper analyst with Outsell, Inc., summarized the situation. “Given the high rates they charged in print, and that over 90% of their revenue is still in print, even if they could get the growth rate back up to 25% or 30%, they still won’t be able to make up for these losses,” he said–thus, the outlook is grim. “These companies are going to get much smaller, with fewer employees, producing less content, both online and in print. The real question is: can they even stabilize at any point in the near future?”
To stem the tide of losses, Doctor said newspapers need to invest heavily in boosting the kinds of news content that are proving most popular on the Web, including business, health, and travel–especially with online video if possible. “That’s where you’ll get the most bang for your buck,” according to Doctor, who said CPMs for online video business news are now around $50 dollars.”
More than 100 staffers take Newsweek buyout
Posted on March 31, 2008
More than 100 staffers take Newsweek buyout
"The departure of so many senior staffers at once—all of them are expected to be gone by the end of this year—will mean the loss of much of the magazine’s institutional memory, as well as many of its most talented writers and editors. All of the chief researchers are also leaving, including Nancy Stadtman, Ray Sawhill and Ray Anello, and their positions may be eliminated.”
NAA: Newspapers see biggest ad revenue plunge in more than 50 years
Posted on March 28, 2008
NAA Reveals Biggest Ad Revenue Plunge in More Than 50 Years
Oh dear.
"There are signs that online revenue is beginning to slow as well. Internet ad revenue in 2007 grew 18.8% to $3.2 billion compared to 2006. In 2006, online ad revenue had soared 31.4% to $2.6 billion. In 2005, it jumped 31.4% to $2 billion."
How are you dealing with change?
Posted on March 28, 2008
The Merc Has It (Mostly) Right. So Of Course Reporters Are Pissed
An interesting take on the memo posted by San Jose Mercury News Executive Editor Dave Butler and the responses to that post:
"We live in an ever-changing world. While I recognize the the management at most newspapers (everywhere really) leaves something to be desired, that doesn’t give reporters the right to reject change because they don’t like it. It’s not the marketing department that changed the world. It’s not the bean counters.
It’s the Internet. The sooner you come to grips with this, the better — and easier — your job will be.”
Maybe it is time to panic
Posted on March 27, 2008
From AJR:
"No wonder journalists, who aren’t necessarily all that normal to begin with, react in unorthodox, often contradictory ways, endorsing change but clinging to old ways, cynical on the outside but altruistic at heart.
This duality, and the perseverance it breeds, may well save them in the end. The tough part is that, for now, they’re acting a lot like a nervous puppy about to be loaded into the family van.
Are we going to the park to play, or to the vet to get those shots?
Mobile ad spending projected to top $19B by 2012
Posted on March 27, 2008
Mobile ad spending projected to top $19B by 2012
"A breakthrough mobile app would also have to include some type of social element–since cell phones are, at the core, communication devices. "Then you get that killer consumer experience where people are going to dive in," du Pre Gauntt said."
A wi-fi solution for rural areas
Posted on February 23, 2008
You can read the full text story here.
If all else fails, try brainwashing ink
Posted on February 9, 2008
I stumbled upon a cartoon, “Jacob Two Two,” this morning while I was flipping channels on TV. The animation caught my eye, and then the content of the show drew me in.
I was watching episode #5 “Jacob Two Two and the Daily Crown,” (which originally aired in 2001, I think) about Jacob, a 10-year-old boy who lives in Montreal, and his friend Buford who think their city’s newspaper is dull, dull, dull. Bad grammar and comics that aren’t funny top their list of complaints. Who would read the newspaper? they ask as they throw it in the trash.
Hmm.
But wait, all is not lost … soon, they find all the adults in Montreal mesmerized by the paper. Everyone’s reading it. Subscriptions and advertising is at an all-time high.
How could this be? Is there actually some news in it worth reading that the kids are missing or don’t understand? Is the newspaper catering too much to older readers? In the end, do Jacob and Buford learn about journalism and the importance of the press?
Nah.
Turns out it’s part of an evil plot by con man Carl Fester King, the new owner of the paper and printing press who declares himself “King of the World.” He put a brainwashing chemical in the ink to get readers to, well, read.
That’s a great lesson for the kids: The only way circulation could rise for print papers is if we brainwash the readers.
Another interesting tidbit: Jacob refused to do research on the newspaper’s Web site, too, saying “no not that one … I want to get the dirt.”
Part I
Part II
Part III
Speak up or hold your peace?
Posted on February 6, 2008
Sam Zell, owner of the Tribune Company, dropped the F-Bomb at a staff meeting at the Orlando Sentinel when one of the paper’s photographers asked a question about the role of journalism in a struggling market and pushed back at his first response.
Ironically, this interaction came shortly after the much talked-about release of the new employee handbook, which states:
8. QUESTION AUTHORITY. In transforming Tribune, you are encouraged to ask your manager, supervisor, business unit head or anyone in Corporate, any question you have regarding the business. Question authority and push back if you do not like the answer. You will earn respect, and not get into trouble for asking tough questions. Remember, you are an employee owner. You have the right and obligation to ask questions.
and …
4.1. Working at Tribune means accepting a creative, quirky, intelligent, odd, humorous, diverse, opinionated and sometimes annoying atmosphere.
4.2. Working at Tribune means accepting that sometimes you might hear a word that you, personally, might not use. You might experience an attitude that you don’t share. You might hear a joke that you might not consider funny. That is because a loose, fun, non-linear atmosphere is important to the creative process.
4.3. This should be understood, should not be a surprise and is not considered harassment.
and ..
6.1. Have fun and treat each other with respect.
Now for the news of this blog post, reported by the LA Times (which is one of Zell’s papers):
In Orlando, Sentinel photographer Sara Fajardo asked Zell at the staff meeting for his views on “the role journalism plays in the community, because we’re not the Pennysaver, we’re a newspaper.”
Zell, standing at a podium, responded, “I want to make enough money so that I can afford you. You need to in effect help me by being a journalist that focuses on what our readers want that generates more revenue.”
Fajardo told Zell that “what readers want are puppy dogs,” presumably referring to soft feature stories. She added, “We also need to inform the community.”
Zell shot back: “I’m sorry but you’re giving me the classic, what I would call, journalistic arrogance by deciding that puppies don’t count. . . . What I’m interested in is how can we generate additional interest in our products and additional revenue so we can make our product better and better and hopefully we get to the point where our revenue is so significant that we can do puppies and Iraq.”
As he finished his remarks, he stepped back from the podium and muttered the obscenity.
Watch it yourself here:
I’m fascinated by the responses on orlandosentinel.com and chicagotribune.com that may include some journalists but are mostly reader reactions, which range from:
“I can appreciate that Zell was disrespected, and that he uses salty language, but it’s quite another thing to say “f you” to a person who works for you - that takes things to a whole new level. Especially if you are senior management. I’d expect more from Zell, and he does owe her an apology.”
to …
“He owns the company, if the photographer wants to give him a hard time, then I say fire her. It’s sad that you can’t even tell anyone off anymore without it being “news.” Start printing things that are worthwhile.”
and …
“As a “puppy dog”, I resent the arrogance of reporters who think they know better than the general public. Reporters should report the news, not make the news.”
and …
“Who decides what we need to know, you? Zell isn’t wrong because a paper needs to earn money. If it doesn’t it folds and then no one is telling anyone anything. Typical elitist garbage…”
One comment on Gawker.com explains that “puppies” comment:
“Thanks to instantaneous metrics on Web sites, the Sentinel found it struck gold last year with this story about an 18-ounce, 4-inch tall Chihuahua. That damn dog received the most page views of almost anything else last year. Once top editors in the newsroom saw the hits, the story got moved from B3 to A1. It was a cute brite maybe once, but there were several followups.”
There are two issues here:
>> Is it OK to speak to a coworker/boss/employee that way? And if not in general, are there exceptions, such as when that person seems rude? And should the boss be held to a higher standard? Or does he/she not have to play by the “rules”?
>> Is the photographer really arrogant for thinking that “puppies don’t count”? Should newspapers push the “brites” described above to generate revenue so that “hopefully we get to the point where our revenue is so significant that we can do puppies and Iraq”?
The Times reports that Zell will arrive in L.A. this week for meetings at their newsroom.
That should be interesting.
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