http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/newspapers/ en-us Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:59:10 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048010/posts Bridging the Abyss Why a lot of newspapers aren’t going to survive By Charles Layton Charles Layton (charlesmary@hotmail.com) is an AJR senior contributing writer. Mark Potts is a consultant, based in Washington, D.C., who hires out to newspaper Web sites, dotcoms and the like. He was a reporter and editor (Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, San Francisco Examiner) in the '70s and '80s, that golden age for newspapers before the Internet came along to spoil the party. Ad revenue — four-fifths of a daily paper's income — grew by double digits during many of those years. Last summer, Potts and some... American Journalism Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048010/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:59:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047721/posts The Modesto Bee is moving forward with plans to print the newspaper at The Sacramento Bee. In an update to employees, Publisher and President Margaret Randazzo said that based on an analysis of printing The Modesto Bee in Sacramento, "it is clear that this move makes both financial and operational sense." "This regional synergy with our sister McClatchy paper allows us to combine resources and streamline processes, resulting in significant cost savings and the avoidance of future capital expenses," Randazzo said in her memo Friday. "This is consistent with combining operations across the entire industry," including at other McClatchy papers.... Modesto Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047721/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:07:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047662/posts The Baltimore Sun is laying off nine people in its newsroom after accepting what a union representative said seemed like most or all of the employee buyout applications it received last week. Of those forced to leave, four are editorial assistants, four are two-year interns and one is a reporter, the company told employees in a meeting held Friday morning. The Sun told the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild that nine others in the advertising section and call center are also being laid off. Tanika White, co-chair of the Guild, said Friday afternoon management only informed her of the 18 union jobs... Maryland Daily Record http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047662/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:26:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047441/posts Call it the Midsummer Massacre. The last two months have seen a bloodbath at some of America's largest newspaper publishers, with substantial job cuts hitting a number of papers, including a high proportion of newsroom positions. The scythe has visited McClatchy, Media General, the Tribune Co., the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, among others. Media General got the scythe swinging in late May with its announcement that it would cut 810 positions across its properties in the southeast, with the vast majority falling on its publishing business; just 65 of the positions were in broadcasting or corporate. As... Media Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047441/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:49:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047156/posts Alan Mutter runs the numbers to see which newspaper companies could be taken private and Mark Potts fears they could be taken private by private-equity blood/cash-suckers. A few examples: Mutter says the Times Company (NYT) would need to borrow $2 billion to go private, Gannett (GCI) $4.5 billion, and McClatchy (MNI) a K-Mart flashing blue-light special of only $467 million. But what are you buying when you buy a newspaper? And in a buy-or-build debate, which is the better bet? And if you just wait, will some of the giants just topple, leaving holes in the ground that’d be easier... Seeking Alpha http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047156/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:52:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047114/posts More than 300 Palm Beach Post employees have applied for buyouts and all have been accepted, according to an internal memo obtained by the Pulp. Though the newspaper announced it would cut 300 jobs, there will be additional layoffs. According to the memo: The number of applications was more than expected. However, we received too many in some areas and not enough in others, So we still expect to begin a small number of involuntary separations, or layoffs, the week of Aug. 18 in some departments as needed. Thanks to all who applied. You have greatly reduced the number of... Broward-Palm Beach New Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047114/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:40:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046824/posts Media General Inc (MEG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a second-quarter loss on Thursday, hurt by a severance charge and a 17 percent drop in newspaper advertising revenue, and said it would take a writedown of as much as $550 million. The publisher of the Tampa Tribune and Richmond Times-Dispatch posted a second-quarter preliminary loss of $129,000, or a penny a share, compared with net income of $5.1 million, or 22 cents a share, in the second quarter last year. The results do not include the effects of the expected non-cash writedown. Revenue fell to $204.8 million from $228.2... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046824/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:16:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046333/posts The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cut its workforce by 8 percent, some 184 jobs, and eliminate its "geographically targeted news sections" as part of a cost-cutting plan the paper announced Wednesday. "The moves come amid an advertising revenue slump that has ravaged the newspaper industry and has been made worse by rising costs for fuel and newsprint," the paper reported. The paper reported that "job cuts, which will occur between August and October, will mainly affect the news and advertising departments at the company. They will be accomplished through voluntary buyouts, layoffs and job eliminations." The company currently has about 2,300... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046333/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:24:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046289/posts Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI) said Wednesday that preliminary second-quarter earnings were $232.7 million, or $1.02 a share, compared to $365.7 million, or $1.56 a share, in the same period a year ago. Earnings from continuing operations were $1.02 compared with $1.24 per share in the second quarter of 2007. The preliminary results, however, do not include non-cash charges to be recorded in the quarter, which have not yet been finalized. The non-cash charges are expected to total in the range of $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion on a pre-tax basis and $2.4 billion to $2.7 billion on an after-tax basis.... Marketwatch.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046289/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:59:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046001/posts Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation owns The New York Post, and Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the real estate developer and owner of The Daily News, who for years have been bitter tabloid competitors, are considering the unthinkable: cooperation. Representatives of Mr. Zuckerman and Mr. Murdoch have been in discussions for several weeks to find ways to combine some business functions of The Daily News and The Post, according to people briefed on the matter. They spoke anonymously because the talks are at a sensitive stage and both sides had hoped they would remain confidential. Talks between the two papers began in... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046001/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:29:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045915/posts Even though at least 34 journalists at The Sun have applied for buyout packages, the paper will still need to lay off employees to achieve its goal of eliminating 60 newsroom jobs by August. According to Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Co-chair Tanika White, 34 Guild members and a rumored 10 more non-Guild members applied for the buyout by Friday’s deadline. White stressed that some buyout applications could be rejected — that Sun leadership may decide it cannot afford to lose certain skill sets, which would add to the number of layoffs. Judy Berman, senior vice president of marketing for the Baltimore... Maryland Daily Record http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045915/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:31:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045813/posts Arthur Sulzberger Jr. is racing to transform the embattled New York Times for the digital age. Is he up to the job? Corporate annual meetings are generally drowsy affairs—a pep talk by management, some PowerPoint graphics, a little predetermined voting, all topped off by a parade of cranks to the microphones to excoriate management about their pet causes. April’s annual gathering of shareholders in The New York Times Company certainly featured all of those ingredients, down to the codger who shuffled in late, grabbed the seat next to mine, and promptly dozed off. But beneath the surface routine there was... Columbia Journalism Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045813/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:05:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045336/posts Los Angeles Times Publisher David Hiller resigned today after a 21-month tenure that included the departure of two Times editors and plans for the sharpest staff and production cuts in the newspaper's history amid a continuing slide in advertising revenue. Tribune Co. -- which owns The Times and other media assets, including the Chicago Tribune and KTLA-TV Channel 5, and the Chicago Cubs baseball team -- named no successor to Hiller. Hiller was the third Times publisher named since the newspaper was acquired in 2000 by Chicago-based Tribune. He succeeded Jeffrey M. Johnson, who lost his job after publicly resisting... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045336/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:35:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045254/posts SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The Chicago Tribune Media Group said Monday that Ann Marie Lipinski would step down as the editor of its flagship newspaper, with the publication preparing to go through another round of layoffs and shrink the number of its printed pages. Lipinski had been editor of the Tribune since 2001 and had been with the paper since 1978. Her resignation will take effect on Thursday. In a statement, Lipinski said that "the position is not the fit it once was." The Tribune said that Gerould Kern, the paper's vice president of editorials since 2003, will serve as... MarketWatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045254/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:06:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045155/posts Ron Fournier says he regards Sandy Johnson, his predecessor as head of The Associated Press’s Washington bureau, as “a mentor.” Johnson, though, regards Fournier, who replaced her in a hard-feelings shake-up in May, as a threat to one of the most influential institutions in American journalism. “I loved the Washington bureau,” said Johnson, who left the AP after losing the prestigious position. “I just hope he doesn’t destroy it.” There’s more to her vinegary remark than just the aftertaste of a sour parting. Fournier is a main engine in a high-stakes experiment at the 162-year old wire to move from... Politico.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045155/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:29:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044497/posts The shares of seven publicly held newspaper companies on Friday plunged to the lowest point in modern history in what Alan Mutter at his Reflections of a Newsosaur site calls "perhaps the worst single trading day ever for the industry." Here is Mutter's report: --McClatchy (MNI), Lee Enterprises (LEE), and GateHouse Media (GHS) hit all-time lows when their shares skidded respectively to $4.85, $3.11 and $1.55 in the opening hours of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Also hitting new lows today were: --Gannett (GCI) at $17.42, the lowest point since 1990. -- Media General (MEG) at $10.34, the... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044497/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:47:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043573/posts RALEIGH - A News & Observer subscriber is suing the newspaper for cutting staff and the size of the paper. Keith Hempstead, a Durham lawyer, filed the suit last month in Wake Superior Court. He says he renewed his subscription in May just before the paper announced on June 16 the layoffs of 70 staff members and cuts in news pages. The paper, he says, is now not worth what he signed up for and therefore the cuts breached the paper's contract with him. "Plaintiff alleges fraud in that the newspaper announced changes in the coverage after procuring renewals from... News and Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043573/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:35:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043347/posts New York Times Co. stock Wednesday fell nearly 7%, its biggest one-day drop in recent years, after a Lehman Brothers analyst suggested shares were over-priced and that the publisher will cut its dividend. Times (NYSE: NYT) shares closed at $14.01, off $1.05, or 6.97%. The price matched its 52-week low. Lehman analyst Craig Huber shaved his estimate for 2008 earnings per share (EPS) to 75 cents from 85 cents. He also reduced his 2009 EPS estimate to 65 cents from 78 cents. Huber, who said Times stock is overpriced compared to peers such as The McClatchy Co., added he expects... Editor & Publisher http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043347/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:45:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042586/posts The Chicago Tribune began informing staff Tuesday it will eliminate around 80 of its current 578 newsroom positions by the end of August and reduce the number of pages it publishes by 13 percent to 14 percent each week. There also will be a reduction of jobs in other Chicago Tribune departments, but that number was not immediately available. A paper spokesman declined comment. Because some newsroom jobs have been left unfilled in recent months, the actual number of staffers to exit the paper is expected to be between 55 and 58. "Like many newspapers, we're feeling financial pressures," Hanke... Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042586/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 21:17:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041878/posts On the heels of announcing steep layoffs at the Los Angeles Times, Tribune Co. said Thursday it had arranged a $300 million bank loan with Barclays Bank, most of which would be used to pay off part of an existing loan. The Barclays transaction was described as an “asset-backed commercial paper facility,” meaning it’s backed by accounts receivable money that Tribune is owed. The arrangement with Barclays allows Tribune to get a cash infusion pronto without having to wait for those bills to come due. Still, it’s a sign of the cash crunch at the debt-laden Chicago-based newspaper and TV... Variety http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041878/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:09:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040691/posts On the lobby wall of the newspaper where I got my first reporting job are the Thomas Jefferson words that U.S. journalists like to trot out as America's Independence Day nears: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Of course, Jefferson also said the only reliable truths in newspapers were the advertisements, and that he was happiest when not reading the papers. But as to his iconic quote, it's no secret that we're trending toward the former.... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040691/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 13:20:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040678/posts The Davidson family owned the Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida when I worked there in the early 1990s. The newspaper's masthead included the name of the editor of the family's defunct afternoon newspaper, the Evening News. The man would come to work every day, go to his office and close the door behind him. Like everyone else on staff, he presumably was paid a salary; and, as editor of a newspaper regardless of whether it existed or not, he was probably paid more than the reporters and lower-level editors. Every now and then he would drift into the newsroom. If... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040678/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 13:00:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040366/posts Thursday Jul 03, 2008 More Tribune Company Lay Offs: Sun Sentinel to Cut 58 Jobs Man, that Sam Zell is a busy bee. Not only is he ordering up the heads of 150 LAT staffers, but we just got word that the supposed media mogul is bringing his sickle to Florida. From a Sun Sentinel staffer (well, staffer for now): We just got word from the editor today, that 20 percent of the Sun Sentinel editorial staff will be laid off. Meaning, about 58 jobs will be cut. So far, 15 or so have already volunteered to take the separation... Mediabistro http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040366/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 18:42:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039723/posts Journal Sentinel Inc., publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, will cut 10% of its work force by the end of the year because of declining advertising revenue and rising costs, the company said today. The company employs the equivalent of about 1,300 full-time workers. It said in a news release that it would reduce its staff through buyouts, layoffs and attrition. In addition to lower ad revenue, the newspaper has been hit by higher prices for fuel and newsprint, said Elizabeth "Betsy" Brenner, president and chief operating officer of Journal Publishing Group. The cuts mirror those at many metropolitan news... Milwaukee Journal Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039723/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jul 2008 14:05:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039118/posts Star Tribune Co. declined to make a quarterly interest payment Monday to the holders of $96 million in second-tier debt that Avista Capital Partners raised to finance its acquisition of the news company last spring. But Chris Harte, chief executive of the Star Tribune, said in an interview that a lending consortium that holds senior debt of nearly $400 million was paid Monday. The Star Tribune has sufficient cash to make the payment to the "second-lien" debt holders, Harte said, but chose not to as the company works to complete a debt-restructuring plan with its senior creditors and works internally... Minneapolis StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2039118/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jul 2008 13:01:30 GMT