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NEWS OF THE INDUSTRY Next big thing? TV-newspaper staff mergers Newspaper and TV newsroom mergers could become the next big thing as profit-pressed publishers and broadcasters seek to cut costs and strengthen their digital presence.
Many journalists give former Washington PostPresident and Publisher Philip L. Graham credit for being the first to describe journalism as "the first rough draft of history." Philly papers' deal deadline extended as negotiations continue The clock may still be ticking, but at least now there's more time left on the board. Philadelphia Media Network Inc., which purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com at a bankruptcy auction in April for $139 million, had planned to finalize its purchase of the media outlets Tuesday, when it was scheduled to emerge from bankruptcy. In California, an old-style print war The office of The Bay Guardian at the bottom of Potrero Hill in San Francisco -- the site of one of the last great newspaper wars -- was eerily quiet last Thursday morning, with the sounds of a bell at the front desk echoing up into the high ceiling. Google, AP reach new deal on licensing rights Google Inc. will be able to continue posting content from The Associated Press under a new licensing deal the two companies announced Monday after months of sometimes thorny negotiations. Newspaper drivers reject tentative contract The drivers who deliver The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News voted overwhelmingly Sunday to reject a tentative contract agreement reached between their union, Teamsters Local 628, and Philadelphia Media Network, the newspapers' new owner. The Newsonomics of news in a diversified world The Washington Post Company has been much in the news recently, but not because of its flagship paper. It's making news around its other holdings. It has shed Newsweek, staunching a $30 million annual bleed. More importantly to the company's finances, its Kaplan "subsidiary" has been much in the spotlight, under investigation by the feds, along with other for-profit educators, for fraud around student loans Tribune Co. creditors court Michael Eisner and Jeff Shell for top jobs Former Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael D. Eisner is in discussions that could lead to his return to the media spotlight -- as chairman of the now-bankrupt Tribune Co. Colorado mulls shutting down journalism school The University of Colorado at Boulder is considering the possibility of discontinuing its School of Journalism and Mass Communications "for strategic and budgetary reasons," the state's flagship university announced Wednesday. The executive editor of The Washington Times says the owner of the financially troubled newspaper has reached a preliminary agreement to sell the paper to a company affiliated with the Unification Church. Washington Post Co. shares rebound on bullish Barron's article Back in April, Barron's said The Washington Post Co. "may be the most undervalued media company in America," with a share price that was "dirt cheap." With the stock having plunged since then, the financial weekly repeated its assessment even more firmly over the weekend. Albany Times Union ordered to reinstate 11 axed employees The Times Union in Albany, N.Y., violated federal labor law in 2009 when it laid off 11 employees without negotiating criteria with their union, an administrative law judge has ruled -- and the newspaper has been ordered to reinstate the workers with benefits as well as back pay. Honolulu Advertiser vets create 'Metromix'-like Website Former Honolulu Advertiser staffers on Monday launched a Website patterned after the Metromix entertainment site at the former Gannett Co. daily. Tribune bankruptcy plan collapses; JPMorgan, Angelo Gordon Ankle The Tribune Co.'s plan to emerge from bankruptcy has unraveled in the wake of an independent report concluding that talks leading up to the company's 2007 leveraged buyout bordered on fraud, attorneys said Friday. Imagine if the New York Times gave $1 million to the Democratic Party I'm sure curious what Fox News talkers like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck make of the news that their corporate bosses recently contributed $1 million to the re-election drive of Republican governors nationwide. Unfortunately we don't know what the talkers think of the stunning development because there's apparently been a news blackout inside Fox News and it appears nobody on staff is allowed to discuss the embarrassing development, let alone try to defend the actions. Unions say Sun-Times parent cutting ex-workers health benefits without court O.K. Unions representing former employees of the Sun-Times Media Group Inc. are seeking information from the company in a dispute over termination of health insurance benefits.
News Corp. gives Republicans $1 million With Republicans hoping to recapture a number of statehouses in November, the media conglom- erate headed by Rupert Murdoch is inserting itself into the races in bold fashion with a $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association. Rupert's $1 million Republican gift: Why it matters Why has News Corp's million dollar gift to the Republican Governors Association gotten so much attention? I think there are a few top-of-mind reasons and one -- a little paper called the Wall Street Journal -- that forms the subtext here. No newspaper growth until 2014, VSS forecast says Declines in newspaper spending are expected to slow this year, with the market eventually stabilizing by 2013 and growth beginning in 2014. But with spending of only $36.76 billion in that year, newspapers will not come close to the $66.37 billion in peak spending the industry saw in 2005, according to the Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast 2004-2014. Bankruptcy judge again gives Tribune Co. more time A Delaware judge has agreed to again extend deadlines in the Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy as the company continues negotiating with creditors. Nine questions on Patch's new push It's Patch day in the news news world, as AOL formally announces the expansion of its network of local sites. It's really a ratification of what we've been hearing, as CEO Tim Armstrong stakes his reborn company's future on professional news content creation, here, specifically local. The number bandied about: $50 million in investment in Patch, resulting in 500 local sites across 20 states by the end of the year. AOL's plan to own your neighborhood AOL's effort to own America's local news, said it has grown to 100 sites in 20 states, up from six sites since the company bought the fledgling news startup in June 2009. AOL also said it hopes to be in 500 communities by year's end. Tribune Co. asks bankruptcy judge for more time Tribune Co., citing "vigorous negotiations" toward a new settlement with its creditors, asked the judge in its bankruptcy case for more time to work out a reorganization plan that "would maximize consensus" around a deal. Murdoch dreams of a digital newspaper Murdoch may be the world's most successful newspaper man, with a history of outsized reach and profits (though, now, fading) in Australia and the UK, but here, in the US newspaper business, he's only ever been a dud. The Newsonomics of TBD's new D.C. news site Thirsting for good news, the welcome given TBD.com by news observers has been a bit overwhelming. In a desert of too-scarce good news about the news business, TBD represents one of the potential oases, like its smaller -- and largely nonprofit -- counterparts from San Diego to Austin to the Twin Cities to New York. |
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