(New Hampshire) Union Leader drops AP for new wire services (Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

New Hampshire Union Leader ^ | December 27, 2010 | Staff

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The New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News and UnionLeader.com will make a major change in national and regional news, feature and photo providers as of Jan. 1, when they subscribe to both the Reuters America and the McClatchy-Tribune Information Services and end their membership in the Associated Press.

New Hampshire's only statewide newspapers and largest newspaper website will also continue to feature content from the Scripps Howard News Service and from the Washington-based Politico group.

Union Leader Corp. President and Publisher Joseph McQuaid said the move to Reuters and McClatchy offers editors a wider and deeper choice of content than did the AP, "but at a considerable savings, which we intend to use for more local coverage.''

Reuters America is part of the Thomson Reuters service, known globally for its strong financial content. It was recently launched as a general news service.

McClatchy-Tribune features material from hundreds of providers, including major newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

McQuaid said the cost of Associated Press, coupled with its diminished New Hampshire coverage, were factors.

"We were providing more of AP's New Hampshire report than we were receiving,'' he said. "We would prefer that New Hampshire news consumers get that information directly from us.''

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http://tdn.com/news/opinion/article_fb222614-111e-11e0-a392-001cc4c03286.html
FCC’s ‘net neutrality’ rules are a lump of coal

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1227/Comcast-dilemma-Buy-NBC-but-allow-rivals-access
Comcast dilemma: Buy NBC, but allow rivals access?

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2010/12/24/protect-the-internet-disband-the-fcc.html?sid=101
Protect the Internet; disband the FCC

[Milhous]

"Protect the Internet; disband the FCC"

Yet another fear based promotion. The FCC can only further embarrass itself with its ignorant, self serving, epically flawed interstate highway metaphor.

[catnipman]

Every time a newspaper bails out of AP an angel gets its wings.

[catnipman]

“I think newspapers are only going to survive if they do more local coverage in a fair and independent manner. Some small nod to international events may be covered but mostly it should be local news where the people can determine for themselves whether it is fair or not. If it’s insightful and well written, they will survive, if it is crap they won’t.”

You’re right. That is the only chance that local newspapers have to survive. Cover local news in depth and do it well. Unfortunately, I don’t think many will do that. They’re run by folks who are essentially clueless, who still don’t understand that the Internet has already killed them unless they radially change, and that there is no going back to the way things were.

I know for sure that this applies to my own local rag because I’ve talked repeatedly with the owner/publishers about these issues, and they claim to believe that the pennies they get from their super-terrible website will somehow magically makeup for the thousands they lose each month on printed ad and subscription revenues.

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They’re run by folks who are essentially clueless, who still don’t understand that the Internet has already killed them unless they radially change, and that there is no going back to the way things were.

I know for sure that this applies to my own local rag because I’ve talked repeatedly with the owner/publishers about these issues...

And when you dare make suggestions, I'll bet they talk down to you like they're doing you a favor by taking your call.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Yes, as a matter of fact, some parts of FR would be useful in a system like that.

Other than the stuff already mentioned, I love the “linkdump” format, which ironically enough is used by Tampa Bay Online for the AP Wire, which drums them up a lot of business.

http://ap.tbo.com/breaking/national/

[catnipman]

“And when you dare make suggestions, I’ll bet they talk down to you like they’re doing you a favor by taking your call.”

Yeah, pretty much. A little condescending, with a bit of tone like, “I’m the professional newspaperman, and what exactly do you know about anything?” Though not quite that bad because the owner/publisher knows me, plus you can hear the bewilderment in his voice as he tries to keep a stiff upper lip. I kind of hated to burst his bubble, especially when he was all excited about the growing readership of their awful website. I gently pointed out that readership and revenue on a website were two different things.

I feel sorry for them actually, though they were mortal enemies when I served on city council, and I’ll will miss the local rag because it still is the only source of local news, even though it has become disgustingly chock-a-block with some of the worst AP propaganda. It’s also anti-gun and mindlessly pro-global-warming, neither of which I understand, since this is a relatively conservative part of Colorado. Talking with the top editor a bit about global warming, taxation, and finance one time, I found him appallingly ignorant about all three subjects, as well as most every other subject for that matter.