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Extra! Extra!News and headlines about the media industry November 19, 2008Number Crunch: Downsizing at the Newsweeklies Portfolio.com By Jeff Bercovici Layoffs. That's just about the only news in the magazine business at the moment, and it's happening on a scale the industry's never seen before. A 10-year comparison shows Time magazine's masthead has shrunk by 39%, while Newsweek's is 17% smaller. November 19, 2008 The Worst of Times(s) for 250 New York Post By Keith J. Kelly TIME Inc. today becomes not a publisher of magazines but of pink slips instead. The magazine giant is expected to cut more than 250 from the payroll as part of an overall plan by Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore and Editor-in-Chief John Huey to slash 600 jobs from its overall work force of 10,200 employees worldwide. November 19, 2008 Overload! Journalism's battle for relevance in an age of too much information Columbia Journalism Review By Bree Nordenson The information age is defined by output: we produce far more information than we can possibly manage, let alone absorb. Before the digital era, information was limited by our means to contain it. The internet, on the other hand, has unlimited capacity at near-zero cost. There are more than 70 million blogs and 150 million Web sites today. Two hundred and ten billion e-mails are sent each day. Pick your metaphor: we’re drowning, buried, snowed under. November 19, 2008 The Web Tightens -- What's Behind the Slowdown in Online Revenue Growth Editor & Publisher By Jennifer Saba Amidst the plague-like conditions newspapers are facing--the locusts eating up print ad revenue, a flood of ill will from Wall Street, the arid credit markets, and crushing loads of debt--publishers could at least find relief in online ad revenue. For several years, executives touted the double-digit rise in online dollars as the reason to keep believing in newspapers. At the start of summer, that comfort vanished. November 19, 2008 Big Changes Coming At Sun-Times Media Group Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald Sun-Times Media Group late Tuesday announced a series of sweeping changes to its board of directors, the status of its publicly traded stock, and the so-called Special Commission that alleged its former Chairman Conrad Black and other executives had "looted" the parent of the Chicago Sun-Times. November 19, 2008 Changes by Obama will reshape labor law Virginia Lawyers Weekly By Jeffrey L. Rhodes The election of Barack Obama promises to bring change to Washington, D.C., but the question most employment lawyers are asking these days is, "Who will benefit most from this change?" The answer to this question is simple: unions. November 18, 2008 Web Sites That Dig for News Rise as Watchdogs New York Times By Richard Perez-Pena As America's newspapers shrink and shed staff, and broadcast news outlets sink in the ratings, a new kind of web-based news operation has arisen in several cities, forcing the papers to follow the stories they uncover. Their news coverage and hard-digging investigative reporting stand out in an internet landscape long dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, vitriol and citizen journalism posted by unpaid amateurs. November 18, 2008 Strib memo: 'Painful' cuts coming MinnPost.com By David Brauer As the economy melts down and newspapers around the country announce multiple rounds of layoffs, folks keep asking me when the Strib will announce new cuts. Answer: any minute now. November 17, 2008 Newspapers face fresh printing pressures Financial Times By Robert Anderson and Christopher Mason Newspapers, which are already bracing themselves for falling advertising sales as the global economy turns down, face more bad news next year as newsprint producers try to push through steep price increases. European producers are currently negotiating with customers to increase prices by up to 20%. November 14, 2008 Group signs deal to buy Blethen Maine Newspapers Portland Press Herald By Tux Turkel An investment group that includes principals who are well-known in Maine has signed a purchase agreement to buy the state's largest newspaper company by year's end, pending the completion of financing. The deal comes eight months after The Seattle Times Co., parent company of Blethen, announced plans to sell its Maine media holdings. November 14, 2008 Advertising Industry May Not Recover Until 2010, Citigroup Says Bloomberg By Philipp Schlaeger Advertising in the U.S. may not recover until 2010 if businesses wait for the economy to bounce back before boosting marketing spending, analysts at Citigroup Inc. said. Newspaper spending may suffer the biggest drop, slipping 16.3% this year and 12.5% the next, Citigroup forecast. November 14, 2008 A Bailout Plan For U.S. Newspapers Business Week By Jon Fine The post-Election Day landscape brings great change for America and its governing philosophy, and this is why we must move quickly to craft a federal bailout for the newspaper industry. I recognize some may perceive this as an admission of defeat. But let's feel a sense of opportunity, not shame. And remember: No newspaper ever bankrupted a country or peddled a product as patently putrid as the Pontiac Aztek. November 14, 2008 Online Piracy Costing Publishers Millions, Study Says Forbes By James Erik Abels Web publishers struggling with the devastating effects of a collapsing advertising market are also losing millions of dollars thanks to a problem as old as the commercial internet: piracy. At least 1.5 times as many people are reading publishers' stories on third-party sites than on the publishers' own sites, says a new study by Attributor, a California-based start-up. November 14, 2008 Absent Buyers, New Britain, Bristol Papers To Close Hartford Courant By David Owens, Janice Podsada and Eric Gershon Journal Register Co., owner of five daily newspapers in Connecticut, plans to close The Bristol Press and The Herald of New Britain by January unless buyers emerge. In a bluntly worded memo to the staff, Edward Gunderson, publisher of both newspapers, did not indicate that the company is in talks with any potential buyer. Finding buyers won't be easy, said John Morton, a newspaper analyst in Silver Spring, Md. November 14, 2008 Papers' future gets a bit clearer Portland Press Herald By Tux Turkel The prospective owners of Blethen Maine Newspapers have been in discussions with Newspaper Guild leader, who represent roughly 350 workers in Portland and Waterville. Among the topics are an employee stock ownership plan, in which workers would receive a stake in future profits in exchange for concessions in the current union contract. November 14, 2008 S&P: Tribune Downgraded Again Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald S&P further downgraded Tribune Co. debt on Friday. The company has about $11.8 million in long-term debt. S&P gave Tribune's senior unsecured and subordinated debt issues a rating recovery of 6, a rating it says indicates "that lenders can expect negligible (0% to 10%) recovery in the event of a payment default." November 12, 2008 KC Star Cuts More Jobs, Considers Plant Sales/Lease-back Editor & Publisher The Kansas City Star reports today that in a third round of recent cost cutting it will eliminate the jobs of approximately 50 staffers across all departments. November 11, 2008 Sun-Times Shareholder Calls for Board Changes Associated Press A second major shareholder of the Sun-Times Media Group is calling for the ouster the head of the embattled publisher, while asking the company to also replace members of its board. November 11, 2008 Gannett Credit Downgraded Again, This Time By S&P Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald For the second consecutive day, a credit ratings agency on Tuesday downgraded the debt incurred by Gannett Co. Inc. And once more, the agency said it believes the dropping revenue and cash flow at the nation's largest newspaper company is likely to accelerate. November 8, 2008 Time Inc. staffers brace for layoffs Crain's By Matthew Flamm In the face of a severe advertising recession that has brought double digit ad-page declines to many of its titles, the Time Warner division announced a major restructuring on Oct. 29th that was set to include a 6% cut in its workforce, or about 600 jobs. Insiders expect the troubled magazine giant to start offering buyouts to staffers as the work week begins. November 7, 2008 How Many Newspaper Execs Does it Take? Recovering Journalist By Mark Potts Following up on the news of the American Press Institute's plans to convene 50 newspaper execs for a one-day summit next week to come up with ideas to save the industry, a friend asks, "How many newspaper CEOs does it take to change the business?" Possible answers: November 7, 2008 Globe lays off up to 40 in 'bloodbath' Boston Herald By Christine McConville The Boston Globe terminated as many as 40 high-level employees, various employees told the Herald. "The cold, hard hatchet was coming down all day," one Globe employee said. "It was a bloodbath." The company also told six members of the Boston Globe's labor union who work in the classifed advertising department that their jobs would be eliminated on Nov. 14. November 7, 2008 The Scoop on the Associated Press Business Week By Jon Fine Today the 162-year-old AP is poised to loom larger than ever as a news entity, given how American newspapers are slashing staff -- unless the very factors that could enable its rise don't destroy it first. The brute facts are that it's expensive to run a breaking-news organization, and the AP isn't insulated from the declining market value of news. November 7, 2008 3rd-quarter losses signal more cuts at Sun-Times Chicago Tribune By Phil Rosenthal Sun-Times Media Group lost $168.8 million in the third quarter. That, Chief Executive Cyrus Freidheim Jr. told shareholders Thursday, means the heart-breaking $50 million in expenses slashed earlier this year from the Chicago Sun-Times and its area sister publications will be followed by another $45 million to $55 million in reductions by mid-2009. November 7, 2008 It's Official: E.W. Scripps Cutting 400 Positions Editor & Publisher The E.W. Scripps Co., which is set to report Q3 earnings today, is cutting some 400 jobs company-wide. Scripps' statement didn't say where jobs are eliminated but said employees were notified Thursday. The Knoxville paper, for example, is losing 50 spots. The company notes newspapers are dealing with "rapidly changing business conditions." November 7, 2008 GateHouse Media Q3 Loss Widens, But Revenue Dips Slowing Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald GateHouse Media reported a third-quarter net loss of 18.5 million Friday, an increase from the year-ago period of $8.8 million -- but the community newspaper publisher also showed revenue declines that were more modest than its peers during this reporting season. November 7, 2008 Guild workers demand fair deal from Plain Dealer People's Weekly World By Marilyn Bechtel Over 100 members of the Newspaper Guild Local 1 held a brief rally and picketed the Plain Dealer Oct. 30 to protest an anti-union buyout offer in an ongoing downsizing of the city's only daily. Since 2005, union jobs at the paper have been reduced through buyouts from around 300 to 238, and the paper now proposes to eliminate 38 more jobs by early December. November 7, 2008 Canwest drops suit over parody against Mordecai Briemberg Seriously Free Speech A campaign to defend free speech has pushed media giant Canwest to drop its legal suit against Mordecai Briemberg over a parody of The Vancouver Sun. The political activists' 10-month ordeal highlights the need for legislation to discourage lawsuits designed solely to burden individuals with legal costs until they abandon their criticism or opposition. November 7, 2008 Layoff notice at BANG-EB N. Cal. Medua Workers Guild Yet another layoff notice hit the Bay Area News Group-East Bay Unit on Thursday. Company officials said they planned to cut eight more Guild-covered jobs out of the BANG-EB workforce, effective Nov. 14. The Guild Unit was already reeling from buyouts this spring and 29 layoffs in July. About 200 employees are left in the bargaining unit, which a year ago had more than 300. November 7, 2008 NY Times Co. Slashes Retirement Benefits Portfolio.com By Jeff Bercovici If you're thinking about retiring from your job at The New York Times Co., you should probably do it soon. Tucked inside its latest 10-Q are the Times Co.'s plans to shave tens of millions of dollars from its budget by hacking away at pension and medical benefits for non-union employees. November 6, 2008 Newspapers a Hot Commodity After Obama's Win New York Times By Richard Perez-Pena For a day, at least, newspapers were cool again. Cool enough for people to try a dozen places in hopes of finding one, and then line up around the block for it. Cool enough for the seekers to call friends for help in finding copies, and for the finders to put them up for sale online. The election of Barack Obama produced a clamor for newspapers that publishers said they had never seen. November 6, 2008 On the Day After the Day After: Obama Newspaper Rush Continues -- Millions of Extra Copies Out Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Papers from The New York Times to the Los Angeles Times, and numerous dailies in between, said demand for the printed paper sparked expanded press runs nationwide, with millions of extra copies eventually hitting the newsstands and hawkers. November 6, 2008 Job fears as News Corp profits fall 30% The Guardian By Mark Sweney News Corporation has reported a 30% drop in profits for the three months to the end of September. The company said it would impose cost-cutting measures across the business, such as outsourcing the work of 10 out of 17 Wall Street Journal printing plants and merging back-office functions, with job cuts also likely. November 6, 2008 Big Business Prepares for a Less Friendly Washington McClatchy Newspapers By Kevin G. Hall Corporate America enjoyed favorable treatment under the Bush administration for almost eight years and for most of the era of Republican control of Congress from 1995 to 2007. Now unions may gain a stronger hand, and business is bracing for greater financial regulation, worker-friendly policies and an emphasis on social spending. November 5, 2008 City Looks To Bolster Media Industry New York Observer By Eliot Brown The Bloomberg administration is launching an initiative to boost the media industry in New York City. But instead of searching for suggestions on how to prop up dying mediums, the city wants recommendations on how to help "traditional media" companies heal their wounds and better adapt to the digital world, while also attracting and growing internet and tech-focused firms. November 5, 2008 Obama May Fight Media Concentration, Expand Access to Internet Bloomberg By Todd Shields President-elect Barack Obama will try to use his office to hinder media concentration and to increase local TV news coverage. While in the Senate, Obama sought to reverse last year's FCC ruling that makes it easier for companies such as Gannett Co. and Tribune Co. to own daily newspapers and nearby TV and radio stations in the 20 largest U.S. markets. November 4, 2008 Could It Be The End of Local News at The Montreal Gazette RushPRnews Readers of the Montreal Gazette may have gotten their first glance into the newspaper's fate, as pages produced by the Financial Post (a part of the National Post newspaper), were inserted into The Gazette's business section and into all ten Canwest-owned daily newspapers this Saturday. Meanwhile, Canwest Publishing Inc. has refused to back down on its outsourcing demands to the Guild. November 4, 2008 The Platform: Make Google Pay The Century Foundation By Peter Osnos Google has now conceded, with a very large payment to book publishers for digitizing copyrighted books, that information is not free. This leads to an obvious, critical question: Why aren't newspapers and news magazines demanding payment for use of their stories on Google and other search engines? Why are they not getting a significant slice of the advertising revenues generated by use of their stories via Google? November 4, 2008 Star locked down after letter labeled 'anthrax' arrives Indianapolis Star By Francesca Jarosz Several hundred employees at The Indianapolis Star were locked down for more than two hours late Monday afternoon while police and health officials investigated a mysterious envelope that arrived at the newspaper's downtown office. The mailing was similar to anthrax hoax mailings that have been sent to newspapers across the country. November 4, 2008 Northern California members approve merger with San Jose Media Workers Guild Members of the Northern California Media Workers Guild have voted by nearly a 10‑to‑1 margin in favor of merging with the San Jose Guild. That was the last hurdle needed to approve the merger, following a similarly lopsided vote by the San Jose membership in October. November 3, 2008 Will Print Survive the Next Five Years? Advertising Age By Nat Ives The print business was horrified enough last week when The Christian Science Monitor revealed plans to fold its 100-year-old daily print edition in favor of the web and a weekly print product. But by the end of one of the worst weeks in the history of newspapers and magazines, the Monitor was starting to look like one of the few places publishing could turn for even a dim ray of hope. November 3, 2008 Fitch: Next McClatchy Cash Crunch Could Be Pension Funding Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald The McClatchy Co. could face a new cash-flow pinch in the next few years as it accelerates funding of its pension obligations, Fitch Ratings said Monday. McClatchy has already been impacted by its low credit rating, which Fitch has assigned deep in "junk bond" territory with a "negative outlook" suggesting further downgrades. November 3, 2008 Seattle Times announces another 130-150 job cuts Frank Blethen and Carolyn Kelly memo "Within your departments today you will hear more detail about the steps being taken for the 2009 budget, including the staff positions being reduced. Among the most difficult is the workforce reduction of approximately 130‑150 positions, a combination of voluntary separations and layoffs. Additionally, there will be reductions in hours for some groups." November 3, 2008 Seattle Times Co. to cut work force by about 10% Seattle Times By Nick Perry The Seattle Times Co. announced more cutbacks today, amounting to just under 10% of the remaining work force and coming seven months after a similar round of cutbacks. The company hinted there might be more cutbacks to come, warning: "As the 2009 budgeting process continues, there will be additional expense reductions, which may include additional layoffs." November 1, 2008 Buyout costs widen A.H. Belo’s 3Q loss Providence Business News By Susan A. Baird A.H. Belo Corp. saw its third-quarter loss widen to $17.26 million, a 275% increase from the $6.28 million loss posted a year ago by its predecessor, the newspaper segment of Belo Corp., on revenue that fell 15.45% to $153.83 million. October 31, 2008 Stories Unravel Police Cover-up of Broader Conspiracy in Chauncey Bailey's Death MarketWatch Journalists investigating the death of Chauncey Bailey have uncovered evidence that the lead detective in the case "ignored" substantial information indicating that the journalist was murdered as part of a broader conspiracy. In response to the Project's stories, Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums this week asked State Attorney General Jerry Brown to investigate the police handling of Bailey's killing. October 31, 2008 Washington Post Co. Earnings Plummet in Third Quarter Washington Post By Frank Ahrens The Washington Post Co. today reported an 86% decline in third-quarter earnings compared with the same period last year, as a significant loss at the flagship newspaper offset gains at the company's education and cable divisions. October 31, 2008 Lee Enterprises suspends dividends as ads weaken Associated Press By Anick Jesdanun Lee Enterprises said Thursday it was suspending dividend payments and paying higher interest rates to gain more flexibility with lenders. Although Lee and other newspaper companies have been paying off debt, the reduction hasn't been as fast as the decline in advertising revenue, causing what's known as the leverage ratio to approach or exceed the maximum permitted. October 31, 2008 Boomers -- Or Bust! Are Newspapers Forgetting Most Loyal Readers? Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Are papers overdoing it with reinvention and content tweaks, to the point where they are driving away their largest base of loyal readers -- baby boomers? While editors and publishers caught up in the redesign craze claim that changes are needed to attract new subscribers, they may be losing their best customers by chasing non-readers -- and chasing away confirmed readers. October 31, 2008 'Dayton Daily News' Latest Hit with 'Anthrax'; Arrest Made in Probe Editor & Publisher Several employees at the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News were interviewed by authorities Friday after they touched a suspicious package that contained a packet labeled "anthrax," which was actually sugar. The package is believed to be one of 120 faux anthrax letters sent out to media outlets in the past week. October 31, 2008 Lee suspends 401(k) contributions Lee Watch By Memo from Mary Junck "Until economic conditions improve, the company's profit-sharing contribution to most employee 401(k) retirement accounts is being suspended beginning in December. Also, the company's match to employee contributions is being reduced." October 31, 2008 Studs Terkel dies Chicago Breaking News Author-radio host-actor-activist and Chicago symbol Louis "Studs" Terkel died at his home on the North Side today. He was 96. At his bedside was a copy of his latest book, "P.S. Further Thoughts From a Lifetime of Listening," scheduled for a November release. October 30, 2008 The Commercial Appeal to Cut Several Jobs Memphis Daily News By Bill Dries Twenty-seven jobs are expected to be cut at the Memphis Commercial Appeal effective Nov. 5, although the Guild is trying to find ways to reduce the number of firings. The newspaper's editorial department would be the hardest hit with eight layoffs, including two reporters, two copy desk workers and four news assistants. The CA online presence would lose three online content producers. October 30, 2008 Minneapolis 'Star Tribune' Latest Target of Anthrax Scare Associated Press The Star Tribune of Minneapolis has received a package containing a white powder labled "anthrax," making it the latest news organization to receive such mail. Minneapolis police say they don't believe the powder is actually toxic. October 30, 2008 Double Standard at the Labor Department Center for American Progress By Scott Lilly and Anne Shoup While the Labor Dept. under the Bush administration has used the Landrum-Griffin Act to mercilessly harass, discredit, and weaken the U.S. labor movement, it has turned a blind eye on the act's reporting requirements for anti-union consulting firms and the companies that hire them. Among them most notable offenders getting a pass has been the Chinese Daily News. October 29, 2008 Time Inc. Plans About 600 Layoffs New York Times By Tim Arango Time Inc., the world's largest magazine publisher, plans to cut 6% of its work force -- more than 600 positions -- and will revamp the organization in a way that could radically alter the culture at the company. The layoffs will begin in about two weeks. No magazines are scheduled to close, but some are likely to be severely cut back. October 28, 2008 Wal-Mart Has Perfected the Art of Union-Busting, Researcher Says workday Minnesota By Barb Kucera Want to understand why so many American workers find it so hard to organize unions in their workplaces? Look no further than Wal-Mart, a researcher for Human Rights Watch says. Wal-Mart is a case study "of the abysmal workers' rights regime we have here in the United States," said Carol Pier, senior researcher on labor rights and trade. October 28, 2008 Newspaper union proposes business change Whig Standard By Jordan Press Bernie Lunzer, the head of one of the largest newspaper unions in North America, says that it could soon bring an idea to Canada that is being tried in the U. S. -- having staff become part owners. "Employers that don't include their employees, we think . . . are going to be the first people to go out of business," Lunzer said. October 28, 2008 Some Newspapers Shed Unprofitable Readers Wall Street Journal By Russell Adams and Shira Ovide Already struggling from the industry's worst stretch in decades, most of the largest U.S. newspapers saw a decline in print circulation in the six months through September. But the reality is in some ways less bleak than the latest numbers indicate: Some newspapers have raised newsstand prices, curtailed discounted copies and halted delivery to the least profitable customers. October 28, 2008 Moody's Threatens Washington Post Co.'s Stellar Credit Rating Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald At a time when newspaper company bonds are almost uniformly rated as junk, The Washington Post Co. has maintained top ratings among agencies impressed by the diverse holdings that cushion it from the cyclical and permanent pressures on newspapers. But now Moody's Investors Service is threatening to downgrade its stellar rating of the Post Co. October 28, 2008 'Christian Science Monitor' to Drop Daily Publication Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp After 100 years as a daily newspaper, the Christian Science Monitor will report nearly all of its news online beginning next year. As of April 2009, the Monitor's only print presence will be in a weekly magazine-style publication delivered each weekend. October 28, 2008 Is America Still a Beacon for Press Freedom? Huffington Post By Craig Aaron and Josh Stearns The United States of America -- land of the free, home of the First Amendment -- is supposed to be a beacon for the rest of the world. So where do we stand in the latest global rankings of press freedom? Thirty-sixth. That's not a typo. It's a national disgrace. October 28, 2008 Reporters Getting Burned Out With New Technology, Journalists Tell National Press Club Forum MarketWatch News organizations are burning out reporters by demanding that they use more and more different types of technology to tell their stories, leading journalists said Monday. Yet there is scant evidence that this new technology is bringing in enough revenue to save journalism jobs and support the news business. October 28, 2008 Bulletin: Gannett laying off 10% of newspaper staff; Dickey warns: 'fiscal crisis is deepening' Gannett Blog By Jim Hopkins Reeling from a second consecutive quarter of big revenue losses, Gannett just announced plans to lay off 10% of its newspaper employees -- about 3,000 workers -- by early December. The unprecedented cuts follow the elimination of more than 1,000 jobs since August in Gannett's biggest and most troubled unit: the U.S. Community Publishing newspaper division. October 28, 2008 CNN Courts Newspapers With New Wire Service Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp CNN is courting newspapers -- and possibly competing with The Associated Press -- with a new wire service the cable network plans to launch soon, with plans for an all-expenses-paid, three-day summit in December to show off its news gathering capabilities. October 27, 2008 Newspapers in Northeast Pursue a Content-Sharing 'Consortium' Editor & Publisher By Shawn Moynihan Top executives and editors from several major dailies in the Northeast, dissatisfied with The Associated Press, met recently to discuss the formation of a content-sharing agreement that in several cases would serve in place of their AP agreements. One executive close to the Northeast consortium added that several Midwest newspapers learned of their plans and the Manhattan summit, and have expressed interest in joining. October 27, 2008 Selling Papers Forbes By James Erik Abels There's nothing like bad news to sell newspapers. Unless there are no newspapers left to sell. Many people are wondering if this may soon be a reality. Revenues were in free-fall last week at many of the country's largest newspaper companies. October 27, 2008 A Requiem for Reporting as Newspapers Face Mortal Danger North Star Writers Group By Llewellyn King No entity in the blogosphere has the resources to take up the newspaper role. Opinion is cheap. Reporting costs money -- a lot of money. The unintended consequence of this collapse is that the Associated Press will become more important politically and socially than is good for any organization in the news business. The shafts of light will be fewer in the long winter for news ahead. October 27, 2008 Why Did I Buy CanWest Stock? The Tyee By Marc Edge At least for the next handful of years, CanWest should "continue as a going concern," but the stock market soured long ago on media "convergence." Asset sales are probably the only thing that might keep the Aspers' heads above water in the maelstrom, most logically their newspaper holdings, which include both of Vancouver's biggest dailies. October 27, 2008 Advice to publishers: Go private Toronto Star By Kelly Toughill Lauren Rich Fine was the most powerful media-stock analyst on Wall Street for more than a decade. She built her career telling newspapers how to maximize profits to boost share price, then retired a year ago. Thursday she delivered an unusual message: Make less money. Get off the stock exchange. October 27, 2008 The AP Is Breaking More Than News Washington Post By Jay Newton-Small Just as the internet is changing newspapers, so it is also changing the AP. In its efforts to survive the tectonic shifts destabilizing most daily newspapers and to brand itself online, the wire service is evolving into the world's largest virtual newspaper--and a direct competitor to the papers that own it. October 27, 2008 NEW FAS-FAX OUT: Most Major Papers Continue Circ Decline Editor & Publisher By Jennifer Saba The Audit Bureau of Circulations released the latest figures for the six- month period ending September 2008 and the report shows major drops in circulation at the big metros. According to ABC for the 507 newspapers reporting in this period, daily circulation slipped 4.6% to 38,165,848 copies. For the 571 papers, Sunday dropped 4.8% to 43,631,646 copies. October 27, 2008 Another bad day at 1st and Spring LA Observed The Los Angeles Times cuts 75 newsroom employees today, about 10% of total staff. October 27, 2008 Slaughtering the Cash Cows a Bit Too Early Content Bridges By Ken Doctor One big reason newspaper circulation numbers are declining is the product itself. In the last year, we've seen unprecedented cuts in the product -- and the customers are noticing. It looks like the amount of newsprint is down about 10-15%. Trusted bylines have disappeared overnight. Readers notice, and talk to their friends, and they're saying: it's not the newspaper it used to be. October 25, 2008 Taking the 'Montreal' out of the Gazette RushPRnews By Mary Montserrat-Howlett Unhappy with Gazette management trying to outsource pagination and other editing work to non-Gazette employees, Gazette workers continue their byline strike. Vice-President and spokesperson for the Montreal Newspaper Guild, Irwin Block, told RushPRnews, "We expect The Gazette to realize it will have to improve its offer and forget about outsourcing our work if it wants labor peace." October 25, 2008 What price 'g'? The Phoenix By Adam Reilly According to the Boston Globe, the paper's redesign in general--and the debut of "g" in particular--is all about serving readers better. But what if "g" and the rest of the redesign are as much about cutting costs as making things more reader-friendly? The Boston Globe has given notice of layoff to 6 Living Pages/Calendar section members of the Boston Newspaper Guild. October 25, 2008 Star-Ledger Newspaper Says 40% of Staff to Leave Wall Street Journal By Shira Ovide The Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey said about 40% of its newsroom staff will depart in a buyout wave, among the steepest cuts in the continued downsizing of the newspaper industry. Jim Willse, editor of the Star-Ledger, told staff Friday that 151 buyout offers were accepted in a newsroom of about 330 people. October 25, 2008 AH Belo alters debt terms, freezes salaries Reuters By Robert MacMillan Dallas Morning News publisher AH Belo Corp on Friday became the latest U.S. newspaper owner to say it is changing the terms of its bank debt to run its business more flexibly during the world financial crisis. AH Belo, which also publishes The Providence Journal in Rhode Island, also said it is freezing employee salaries, effective Nov. 1. October 25, 2008 Gannett 3Q profits down 32 pct, signals job cuts Associated Press By Anick Jesdanun Gannett Co., the nation's largest newspaper publisher, said Friday that its third-quarter profits fell 32 percent as advertising revenue declined, and new job cuts are likely as a result. Advertising revenue at Gannett's publishing business fell 17.7 percent during the quarter compared with the same period last year. October 24, 2008 AP Backs Further Rate Deductions -- To Review Membership Structure Editor & Publisher With the U.S. economy sinking and several newspapers signaling they will drop its services, the Associated Press has announced it "will reduce U.S. newspaper member assessments by another $9 million next year and immediately begin a re-examination of the AP membership structure." October 24, 2008 Moody's may cut New York Times into junk territory Reuters By Karen Brettell Moody's Investors Service said on Thursday it may cut its ratings on New York Times Co. into junk territory, citing concerns about continuing revenue declines and risks associated with refinancing its debt. The New York Times posted a quarterly loss from continuing operations on Thursday and said advertising revenue at its news media group dropped 16% for the quarter. October 24, 2008 Big fall for the Boston Globe’s value Boston Herald By Christine McConville Yesterday, the nation’s third-largest newspaper company had its debt rating reduced to junk status. With $1.1 billion in debt and its stock at a 13-year low, the New York Times is carmbling for cash--and one possibility is that it may try to unload the Boston Globe. October 24, 2008 Seattle Times, employees reach labor agreements Seattle Post-Intelligencer By Andrea James The Seattle Times Co. has reached two labor agreements with nearly 500 union employees. Voting on the contracts finished Wednesday. The new contracts expire in July and August 2010. The Newspaper Guild contract covers employees in the advertising, circulation, marketing and news units, while one with CWA covers employees in the composing unit. October 24, 2008 Union Card or Master Card -- How a Nation of Workers Became a Nation of Debtors AlterNet By Frank Joyce Declining union membership and power is one variable in the equation that has brought us to the white hot economic and political meltdown now dominating our news and our lives. Another is this: as the wallets of workers held fewer and fewer union cards, credit cards were filling up those very same wallets. Workers were in effect trading union cards for MasterCards. October 24, 2008 Blueprint for a Real Secretary of Labor In These Times By Kim Bobo When the unemployment figures came out last week, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao issued a one-sentence statement: "Today's employment report provides further evidence of the need for the House of Representatives to pass an economic rescue package today, before it adjourns, which will protect Main Street America and mitigate further job loss." That's it. That's all she could muster on the subject. October 24, 2008 Tribune considers purchase of local rival Financial Times By Julie MacIntosh Tribune Co is considering whether it can buy the Orange County Register and fuse it with its flagship Los Angeles Times to consolidate the Los Angeles newspaper market, as owner Samuel Zell scrambles to find ways to save the debt-swamped newspaper company. October 22, 2008 Post-Gazette offers newsroom buyouts Pittsbrgh Post-Gazette By Joyce Gannon As part of companywide cost-cutting moves, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday offered a voluntary severance package to approximately 100 Guild-represented newsroom employees. It's looking to cut a minimum 18 full-time equivalent positions. October 22, 2008 The Journal Trains Reporters to Produce Online Video Beet.TV By Kelsey Blodget The Wall Street Journal publishes 25-30 videos a day, and the majority of them are produced by the paper's reporters -- more evidence that multi-platform reporting is an increasingly necessary skill for today's journalists. October 22, 2008 GateHouse Media to Exit Big Board This Week Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald GateHouse Media Inc. stock will be de-listed by the New York Stock Exchange before the market opens this Friday, the exchange's regulatory arm announced. GateHouse, which trades under the symbol GHS, closed at 18 cents Tuesday, and had not traded above $1 a share since July. October 22, 2008 GateHouse Media's Second-Biggest Stakeholder Dumps All His Stock Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald San Francisco investor Jeffrey G. Edwards, who had been the second-biggest single stakeholder in GateHouse Media Inc., disclosed Tuesday that he has sold off virtually all his holdings in the community newspaper publisher. The stock has performed poorly in recent months, falling more than 98% in the past 52-week period. October 22, 2008 Singleton Outsourcing Comments Draw Fire Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Several unions representing workers at MediaNews Group newspapers in California reacted angrily to CEO William Dean Singleton's announcement this week of likely further consolidation at his newspapers, particularly among copy desks. October 22, 2008 Can GateHouse Media stop the shrinkage of community newspapers in the Bay State? CommonWealth Magazine By Dan Kennedy It's hard to be optimistic about the newspaper business these days, but Kirk Davis, president and publisher of GateHouse Media New England, is trying. GateHouse is outperforming other newspaper companies, he says, and though its debt is sizable -- $1.2 billion, or about 10 times earnings -- he says GateHouse has no problems making its payments. October 22, 2008 Guild Seeks 10% Annual Raise in First AP Contract Proposal Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp The News Media Guild launched its bargaining effort with the Associated Press by aiming rather high in its initial contract proposal, which seeks a two-year contract with 10% annual raises, more training, and improved retirement and health benefits. October 22, 2008 U.S. is 'satisfactory' on press freedom UPI The United States ranks 36th out of 173 countries in press freedom this year, Reporters Without Borders said. The ranking is 12 places above last year's grade, the group said, adding that the United States earned a "satisfactory" label for press freedom. October 22, 2008 Did journalism's business model distort journalism's social mission? Knight Digital Media Center By Geneva Overholser The profit model may be responsible for much of the problem now confronting journalism: "There is a major difference between a mission-driven business and a business," according to Adlai Wertman, of USC's Marshall School of Business. Profit-seeking companies "quickly go from no social mission to no social responsibility." October 22, 2008 Fat newspaper profits are history Reflections of a Newsosaur By Alan Mutter If newspapers had invested in new products even a modest fraction of the bodacious profits they reaped in the last decade and a half, they might have invented anything from MarketWatch to Yelp to Google. Instead, they borrowed what proved to be dangerously large sums of money to buy more of the newspapers they regarded as perpetual money-making machines. October 21, 2008 MediaNews CEO: Outsourcing could be in journalism's future Associated Press Newspaper publishers should consider consolidating and outsourcing news operations -- even overseas -- to save money as revenues continue to shrink, according to MediaNews Group CEO Dean Singleton, who also serves as chairman of the board of The Associated Press. October 21, 2008 Dayton Daily News to cut newsroom staff Dayton Business Journal The Dayton Daily News will be making cuts to its newsroom, following an announcement Monday from the newspaper's owner, Cox Ohio Publishing. The company said it is restructuring the newsroom in an effort to make operations, "more flexible and responsive to changing market conditions." October 21, 2008 Buyouts offered at the Advertiser Honolulu Star Bulletin By Robert Shikina The Honolulu Advertiser is offering buyouts to full-time employees in an effort to save $5 million to $10 million, but did not say how many employees it wants to cut. Wayne Cahill, administrative officer of the Newspaper Guild, estimated that the cuts could reach more than 100 of the 600 or so union employees. October 21, 2008 Battle Intensifies Over Bill to Expedite Union Organizing Washington Post By Michael A. Fletcher Organized labor and business groups are facing off in an increasingly intense battle over legislation that would make it easier to organize unions. The Employee Free Choice Act -- which would require employers to recognize unions once a majority of workers sign cards of support -- would be perhaps the most significant change in federal labor law in six decades. October 21, 2008 Some Papers in Financial Trouble Are Leaving the A.P. to Cut Costs New York Times By Richard Perez-Pena For most of its 137-year history, The Columbus Dispatch has carried articles and images from The Associated Press. Like most big American newspapers, it supplements the work of its own staff with dozens of items daily from The A.P. That may end soon--and not just at the Dispatch, but at a snow-balling number of other newspapers across the U.S. October 21, 2008 McClatchy posts 3Q profit, but ad revenue erodes Associated Press By Anick Jesdanun The McClatchy Co. said Tuesday it recorded a profit in the third quarter, but the newspaper publisher saw advertising revenue erode more quickly in September. McClatchy's revenue fell 16 percent to $451.6 million, below Wall Street estimates of $453.4 million, from $540.3 million a year ago. October 21, 2008 It's time to look out for readers and credibility, not save a buck American Copy Editors Society Some things just can't be measured in terms of money. It's easy to say that you'll save thousands of dollars by hiring overseas workers to edit your copy. It's not so easy to say how much that loss of credibility is going to cost you when they miss errors a local person would have caught. But cost you it will. October 21, 2008 The 'Secret Weapon' of Newspapers in the Digital Age? Paper! World Association of Newspapers "The world needs -- desperately needs -- what newspapers do," William Powers, media columnist for The National Journal, recently told the annual Readership Conference of the World Association of Newspapers. "In a multi-tasking world where pure focus is harder and harder to come by, I believe print media's seclusion from the web is an emerging strength. It's an island in the chaos." October 21, 2008 Guild: AP Problems Should Not Hinder Contract Talks Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Leaders of the News Media Guild do not believe that the AP's ongoing troubles with some member newspapers will impede their efforts to get a new, fair contract. Tony Winton, president of the guild unit that will begin bargaining today, says the AP has shown rising profits in recent years and is able to pay a fair wage and other benefits. October 20, 2008 Guild to launch new English-language daily in Puerto Rico Associated Press The Puerto Rico Guild, in response to a lockout at the English-language San Juan Star, has set up a permanent cooperative paper. Unlike typical strike papers this is intended to go the distance: 70 members have "bought‑in" for two shares, and are required to buy six more shares in the next six months. The linked story, however, makes no reference to either the lockout or the union. October 20, 2008 Will Scripps Follow Tribune In Dropping AP? Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Just days after Tribune Co. revealed it had given its two-year notice to possibly drop the Associated Press following a recent new rate structure, E.W. Scripps-- which owns 17 daily papers, including the Rocky Mountain News in Denver and The Commercial Appeal in Memphis--indicated it is considering the same move and is negotiating with the wire service. October 18, 2008 Tentative contract settlement at The Seattle Times Crosscut By Chuck Taylor The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, which represents journalists as well as advertising and circulation employees at The Seattle Times, says it has reached a tentative contract agreement with the company. Ratification voting will occur next week. October 18, 2008 U.S. Chamber of Commerce targets Al Franken and his pro-labor stand Los Angeles Times By Dan Morain Labor's ability to organize workers is one of the major issues bubbling up in this year’s campaign, though it garners far less attention than broader questions of the economy, healthcare and war. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent $1.44 million in Minnesota, most of it on sharp-edged ads attacking Al Franken over his support of labor’s position on the Employee Free Choice Act. October 18, 2008 Dispatch gives notice of cancellation to AP Columbus Dispatch The Columbus Dispatch has become the latest Associated Press client to give notice that it is severing its relationship, explaining to readers that "The changes to AP's rate structure were not as substantial as we were led to believe or that we need to maintain our service." October 17, 2008 Seattle Times Co. is reported close to a deal in Maine Crosscut By Bill Richards The word out of Maine is that the Seattle Times Co. may be close to closing a deal to sell the struggling Blethen Maine Newspapers chain. Maine Media Investments, the company headed by Pennsylvania publisher Richard Connor, reportedly could wrap up a purchase as soon as the end of the month. October 17, 2008 Some Observer & Eccentric employees will move to Detroit Crain's Detroit Business By Bill Shea Reporters, editors and administrative staff of the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers will be moved later this year to downtown Detroit, according to the small chain's owner, the Detroit Media Partnership. Lou Mleczko, president of the Detroit Guild, said the union is researching the legality of the move under the federal Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970. October 17, 2008 Eye of Sauron settles on Gazette Hour By Jamie O'Meara 181 editorial, advertising and sales staff at the Montreal Gazette have been without a contract since June. And although word is that negotiations with the Montreal Newspaper Guild are moving forward on several fronts, Gazette management, doing Canwest's bidding, has held up an agreement by insisting the union give up jurisdiction over the jobs affected. October 17, 2008 S&P Bearish on Print Ads Women's Wear Daily By Amy Wicks S&P says newspaper revenue and cash flow will continue to drop "at rates that accelerate each quarter" and expects the economic downturn will bottom out in early- to mid-2009 -- although it doesn't expect a pickup in activity until late next year. Five out of the nine rated newspaper companies are "CCC," "signaling a near-term liquidity threat." October 17, 2008 Independent Journalists Tour the South StopBigMedia.com Six journalists from different regions across the country and varying media backgrounds have embarked on the first Grassroots Media Justice Tour, hoping to "get information out" about social justice struggles. In the face of massive media consolidation that stifles diverse and independent voices, one of the participants explained, reaching people requires creativity. October 17, 2008 Changes at the Chicago Sun-Times Reflect the Growing Whitewashing of the News Huffington Post By Daniel Sinker In Chicago, a city that's 36% African American and 26% Latino, the last two persons of color on the Sun-Times editorial board have been given the boot. As one of them observes: "Look at where our nation is now -- about to elect the first African-American President of the United States -- and what that means for how far we've come as a society. But newspapers? They're slipping backwards." October 16, 2008 Media General: Ad Sales Down 23% in Publishing Associated Press Media General Inc. said Thursday that advertising sales in its publishing unit plunged 23% in September, as the worsening economy further depresses an ad market already suffering from a migration of readers to the internet. The latest monthly reports suggest that the year-over-year improvements seen a month earlier were temporary, as many analysts had feared. October 16, 2008 S.F. Bay Area Guild Units Vote On Merger Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Through newspaper strikes, ownership changes, and, of course, recent job cuts, the two major Newspaper Guild units in the San Francisco Bay Area have operated separately. But that may soon change, as ballots are going out this week to the Northern California Media Workers Guild and the San Jose Newspaper Guild to approve a merger of the two locals. October 16, 2008 Big Media. Bad Idea. Portfolio.com By Sophia Banay Say what you want about the benefits of synergies and size for big media companies; for their shareholders, the bigger the company, the smaller the gains. Between last week and the same week a year ago, Time Warner shares were down 50%; News Corp. slid 65%. Is it time to say "enough, already" with big media? October 16, 2008 Shocker: Tribune Co. Gives Notice To Drop AP Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Tribune Company has given a two-year notice to the Associated Press that its daily newspapers plan to drop the news service, becoming the first major newspaper chain to do so since the recent controversy over new rates began. October 16, 2008 Triple Financial Whammy Afflicts Newspapers Content Bridges By Ken Doctor If the newspaper industry was on thin ice a month ago, the financial meltdown has meant that the creaking and cracking is getting more audible. Think of it as a triple whammy for an industry used to declaring itself the victim of a perfect storm. October 15, 2008 Twilight of the Media Idols New York Observer By Felix Gillette and John Koblin In media as well as politics and banking, 2008 is not a good year for incumbent institutions. New York Times stories don't land the way they once did. The audience for the CBS Evening News is diminished. There's no Abe Rosenthal or Uncle Walter. October 15, 2008 Tribune's Lee Abrams: 'Some People Didn't Get It, and They're Gone' Portfolio.com By Jeff Bercovici Why do so many people love to hate Lee Abrams? Maybe because he says things like, "There was a big myth that you could not have these [newsroom] cuts that were going through and still produce a quality newspaper, and that's just nonsense." October 15, 2008 Times-Picayune Columnist on Journalism and His Post-Katrina Transformation Seven Days By Ken Picard "Katrina brought back that very poignant, meaningful mission of journalism -- like it really, really mattered every day what came down on people's doorsteps. Suddenly, high school students to folks 90 years old were reading the paper because we were the only ones people could trust." October 15, 2008 New Ways of Financing Journalism Will be Found, Georgia Journalists Say at NPC Forum MarketWatch The future of journalism may be in niche products supported less by advertising and more by corporate sponsorships, by interest groups and by public broadcasting-style memberships, leading Georgia journalists said at a National Press Club Centennial Forum in Atlanta Tuesday. October 14, 2008 P-I, Times keeping staffs slim, belts tight Seattle Post-Intelligencer By Andrea James Seattle's two daily newspapers are grappling with the worsening economy as they struggle to cut expenses and retain subscribers. In union negotiations with the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild, The Times has hinted that more cuts are coming. Layoffs are still on the table. The P-I, also in union negotiations, has proposed a two-year wage freeze. October 14, 2008 'Detroit Free Press' Reporter Fights Deposition Over Sources Associated Press A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at the Detroit Free Press, seeking to protect the identity of unnamed sources, asked two judges today to stop a deposition intended to reveal who leaked information about an investigation of a terrorism prosecutor. October 14, 2008 Media in a Muddle New York Post By Brian Garrity Trouble in the credit markets is sparking fresh concerns that highly leveraged players in advertising-dependent businesses will struggle to keep pace with their debt covenants and payment schedules. Companies that loaded up on debt late in the leveraged buyout boom -- including Tribune Co., Univision Communications and Clear Channel Communications -- are drawing the most concern. October 13, 2008 Newspapers Axe Monday Issues on Paper Cost, Ad Slump Bloomberg By Sarah Rabil When the McPherson Sentinel stopped publishing on Mondays, the newspaper told readers it wasn't any different from Extra gum offering two fewer pieces per pack at the same price. Monday issues have also vanished for readers of The Dispatch in Davidson County, North Carolina; GateHouse's Daily Review Atlas in Monmouth, Illinois; the Star Courier in Kewanee, Illinois; and the East Valley Tribune near Phoenix. October 13, 2008 Mainstream News Outlets Start Linking to Other Sites New York Times By Brian Stelter "Thou shalt not link to outside sites" -- a long-held commandment of many newsrooms -- is eroding. Embracing the hyperlink ethos of the web to a degree not seen before, news organizations are becoming more comfortable linking to competitors, acting in effect like aggregators. October 13, 2008 New twist on internships UNC School of Jouranlism and Mass Communication By Jean Folkerts, Dean The Philadelphia Inquirer has decided it can no longer afford to pay interns--but because union contracts don't allow the newspaper to let interns work without being paid, the Inquirer now is asking journalism schools to pay the newspaper a stipend to support the internships. October 13, 2008 Newspapers' Web Revenue Is Stalling New York Times By Stephanie Clifford Newspapers, already facing a grim economic forecast, are digesting another piece of bad news: the growth in online advertising they saw as their salvation has slowed to a crawl. October 13, 2008 Newspapers Mired in Debt Even Before Economic Crisis Associated Press By Anick Jesdanun With revenue at newspapers shrinking and few investors willing or able to buy them, lenders are loath to force companies to liquidate assets that are plunging in value. They have few alternatives but to help newspapers stay on track with their payments and hang on until ad prospects improve -- if they ever do. October 12, 2008 Western Journalists in Iraq Stage Pullback of Their Own Washington Post By Ernesto Londono and Amit R. Paley In a stark indication of the changing media focus here, the number of journalists traveling with American forces in Iraq has plummeted in the past year. U.S. military officials say they "embedded" journalists 219 times in September 2007. Last month, the number shrank to 39. October 12, 2008 Retailers Reprogram Workers In Efficiency Push Wall Street Journal By Vanessa O'Connell In a move with potential implication for newspaper sales staffs, the Wall Street Journal reports that retailers have a new tool to turn up the heat on their salespeople: computer programs that dictate which employees should work when, and for how long. The system schedules the most productive sellers to work the busiest hours. October 10, 2008 Writing history in the Wyoming Valley -- daily Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice By Caleb Sheaffer Thirty years after it was started as a strike newspaper, the Citizens' Voice in Wilkes-Barre. Penn. is still publishing -- and so is the paper that forced the Guild and two other unions out on strike, the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. The key element in the upstart's success: widespread community support for organized labor. October 10, 2008 Too many want to fly the coop at Star-Ledger New York Post By Keith J. Kelly There's a stampede emerging at The Star-Ledger in Newark, which recently threatened to go out of business unless enough employees accepted a buyout. 409 employees have volunteered to walk -- more than 50% of the non-union workforce of 756. The company said it needed 200, and would accept up to 230. October 10, 2008 The Sucking Sound of Ad Dollars Disappearing Business Week By Jon Fine It has been a lousy few years for much of the media, and 2008 has offered no respite. But to quote the hideous '70s band Bachman Turner Overdrive, b-b-b-baby, you just ain't see n-n-nothing yet: on top of the wrenching change affecting essentially every non- online media, here comes a very scary-looking economic downturn. October 10, 2008 AP discloses hiring freeze AP memo, Poynter Online An AP memo to staff buries the lede, describing its financial health ("solid") and the health of its pension plans ("good news") before disclosing that the wire service had quietly instituted "a company-wide strategic hiring freeze." Use of the word "strategic" suggests the freeze will be selectively ignored. October 10, 2008 'Providence Journal' Finally Reports Layoffs Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp More than two weeks after telling staff that some 31 newsroom employees would be laid off, The Providence Journal finally reported the news to readers Friday in a story that declared the cuts were due to "a broader cost-cutting effort" by parent company, A.H. Belo. "Overall, 25 part-time workers and 6 full-time Journal workers are to be laid off, effective today," the story said. October 10, 2008 No Longer Invulnerable, Washington Post Stock Hits 11-Year Low Editor & Publisher By Mark Fitzgerald Shares of The Washington Post Co. -- which had been able to resist the downward pressure on stocks with its mix of media properties -- hit an 11-year low Thursday as an analyst warned of a it faces a "liquidity squeeze" in the U.S. credit lock-up. The stock hit an intraday trading low of $405. October 9, 2008 Gazette staff ready to strike if needed Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The union representing about 200 workers at the Montreal Gazette says it is prepared to carry through a strike mandate if necessary. The Montreal Newspaper Guild, which has been working without a contract since June 2008, has been protesting CanWest Global Communications' decision to transfer page layout duties to a non-unionized shop. October 9, 2008 At least 7 groups look into purchasing Union-Tribune San Diego Union-Tribune By Thomas Kupper The proposed sale of The San Diego Union-Tribune has attracted interest from a number of newspaper companies as well as investors from outside the industry. In recent weeks, representatives of Los Angeles Times owner Tribune Co. and San Jose Mercury News parent MediaNews were among those who visited the paper's Mission Valley offices for presentations on the business. October 9, 2008 Why Media Is a Big Election Issue The Tyee By Steve Anderson With online media taking an increasingly important role in the media ecology, Canada is on the brink of a major restructuring of its media and communications system. The government and MPs elected on Oct. 14th will play a decisive role in developing not only the kinds of media available, but also in how Canadians communicate with one another. October 9, 2008 Guild: 'Indy Star' Should Have Sought Layoff Volunteers Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Should The Indianapolis Star have asked for volunteers before announcing specific layoffs last August? The Indianapolis Newspaper Guild thinks so, deciding this week to formally seek arbitration in the layoff of five newsroom employees it believes were wrongly terminated. October 8, 2008 Prospective Buyers Kick the U-T's Tires Voice of San Diego By Randy Dotinga Two months after it put itself up for sale, The San Diego Union-Tribune has been courted by four major suitors. But all the companies -- New York Times Co., MediaNews Group, Tribune Co. and Black Press, Ltd. -- would have to overcome major financial hurdles in order to buy the U-T, which announced in July that it's up for sale. October 8, 2008 Plain Dealer to cut 38 unionized newsroom jobs Plain Dealer By Sarah Hollander The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper, plans to cut 16% of its unionized newsroom jobs by the end of the year. The newspaper will begin layoffs if 38 employees do not volunteer to leave. There are 299 employees in the newsroom, 238 of them represented by the Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild. October 8, 2008 How Local Media Feel Recession Advertising Age By Abbey Klaassen Unlike the last recession around 2001, when local markets stayed relatively insulated from the fallout of the dot-com bust, they are anything but immune to this one. And that's bad news for local media, whose advertisers view advertising differently than big national ones: They often see advertising less as a strategic investment and more as a necessary evil. October 8, 2008 FCC Launches Inquiry Over Iraq War Coverage Wall Street Journal By Amy Schatz Federal regulators have launched an inquiry into whether broadcast networks and military analysts violated federal sponsorship identification rules as a result of an effort by the Pentagon to increase favorable news coverage of the Iraq war. The probe comes six months after a New York Times investigation into the Pentagon's efforts to mold war reportage. October 8, 2008 Unreported 'Providence Journal' Layoffs Irk Union Editor & Publisher By Joe Strupp Plans announced last month for The Providence Journal to layoff 30 newsroom staffers have yet to be reported by the paper, a situation that has union leaders upset. Tim Schick, administrator of The Providence Newspaper Guild contends that the paper's failure to report on its own cuts -- expected to take place by Friday -- is hypocritical. October 8, 2008 Philadelphia Papers Miss an Interest Payment, Again Associated Press The owners of Philadelphia's two major daily newspapers missed an interest payment once again as they seek a new agreement with lenders to account for the continuing decline they expect in advertising revenue. The latest move appears aimed at forcing lenders to renegotiate debt terms. October 8, 2008 The Gawker Guide to a Journalism Career Gawker By Hamilton Nolan So, you want to be a journalist? Ha ha ha. Jeez. Your timing sucks. But hey, it's a perfectly semi-honorable profession; nobler than finance, not as noble as being a postman. Somebody has to do it. It might as well be you. It's mostly shoveling coal for Satan, anyhow. October 8, 2008 FCC Grants 30-Day Extension For Cross-Ownership Filings Broadcasting & Cable By John Eggerton The FCC has given a group of broadcasters a 30-day extension on the Oct. 7 deadline for filing amendments to their pending requests for a waiver of the FCC's new adjusted newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule, which the commission says went into effect July 9. October 8, 2008 The top 10 stories the US news media missed in the past year San Francisco Bay Guardian By Amanda Witherell The daily dispatches and nightly newscasts of the mainstream media regularly cover terrorism, but rarely discuss how the fear of attacks is used to manipulate the public and set policy. That's the common thread of many unreported stories last year, according to an analysis by Project Censored. October 6, 2008 Employees of Pekin Times choose to organize! newsguild.org By a vote of 24 to 7, the 35 person unit of the Pekin Times in Pekin, Illinois, have chosen the St. Louis Newspaper Guild as their bargaining representative. October 3, 2008 NAA: Newspaper Ad Revenue Expected to Drop More than 11% in 2008 -- Half That Much Next year Editor and Publisher By Jennifer Saba Total advertising revenue for the newspaper industry is expected to decline 11.5% to $40.1 billion this year, according to the Newspaper Association of America. The organization forecast that by 2009, ad revenue declines would not be as steep -- total ad revenue is expected to drop 5.5% to $37.9 billion that year. October 3, 2008 Tribune keeping ahead of massive debt load Chicago Tribune By Ameet Sachdev "Tribune has some breathing room," said Dave Novosel, an analyst at Gimme Credit, a Chicago-based bond research house. "There's nothing imminent that would necessitate a renegotiation of [lending] terms." October 3, 2008 World Journalists Call for End of Impunity in Russia on Anniversary of Politkovskaya Killing International Federation of Journalists As journalists, their organisations, and human rights and press freedom groups are preparing to commemorate the second anniversary of the kil |