Over the weekend, I attended a day-long workshop in Santa Barbara, California, where several dozen people got together to discuss what organizers called “Newspaper 2.0” — the next version of a venerable, and valuable, part of the traditional media ecosystem. The gathering’s subtext was the rapid decline of the main local daily newspaper. That reality […]
Posts under ‘News Business’
Dog Bites Man
Editor & Publisher: How ‘Orlando Sentinel’ Broke Astronaut Arrest Story. The Orlando Sentinel mixed old-fashioned beat reporting with the modern advantages of the Web to break the sensational story Monday evening of a NASA astronaut’s arrest on charges she attacked the girlfriend of another astronaut in an unfolding love triangle that has drawn national attention. […]
Newspapers in Education: Modern Oxymoron
Editor & Publisher: Major Survey Finds ‘Need to Rethink’ Newpaper in Education Programs. Teachers are using more online sources to discuss news-related issues in the classroom, with less use of newspapers — particularly local daily publications — according to a new survey from the Carnegie Knight Task Force at Harvard University. So, teachers are following […]
When Pigs Fly
LA Times: Tribune board’s difficult choice. An offer for Tribune Co. by two Los Angeles billionaires would not require significant cuts at the company’s newspapers, contrary to initial criticism of the debt-heavy proposal, people close to the transaction said Thursday. This is such transparently empty spin that the reporters should be ashamed to have their […]
Will Big Media Benefit from or Exploit Citizen Media?
Reuters: User-generated content good for old media-report. Traditional media companies are ideally placed to benefit from the explosion of user-generated content and should see it as an opportunity and not a threat even though the potential revenue is limited, a report says. Clearly true. But one big question is whether the media organizations will see […]
Excellent Ideas for Small (and Big) Newspapers
It’s from Steve Outing and is in Editor & Publisher: Some Words of Advice for Small Newspapers. Example: 1. Copy and build from the industry leaders Some of the most innovative new-media work in the newspaper industry in the last decade has come from small or medium-small newspapers. To get ideas, you don’t have to […]
Public Service Investing? Yeah, Right
Star Tribune: Star Tribune’s sale turns several new pages. The Star Tribune’s new chairman is a Wall Street investor who says he’s driven by public service. Chris Harte is also a resident of Texas and Maine and a former newspaper executive who’ll be advising an investment group that has never owned a daily newspaper. Oh, […]
Google and Newspapers: Who's Getting the Long Range Benefit
Washington Post: Google Set To Expand Newspaper Ad Program. But to hear newspaper executives and analysts tell it, the outlook is more cautious. They said Google has brought in new advertisers, such as small companies outside their distribution areas looking to build more awareness for their products. But Google’s online ad technology is so new […]
A Harbinger of Worse Times, or Just a Sensible Financial Deal?
Wall Street Journal: McClatchy’s Minneapolis Sale Aids Web Efforts. One of the biggest believers in the newspaper field sold its largest paper yesterday, as McClatchy Co. agreed to sell the Minneapolis Star Tribune to private-equity firm Avista Capital Partners for $530 million. The price is less than half of what McClatchy paid for the paper […]
When Broadcasts are Suitable Only for Children
NY Times: Saturday Night Live – Special Treat in a Box. Given the subject matter, it was little surprise that NBC bleeped a recurring word in the chorus 16 times. But soon after the broadcast concluded at 1 a.m. Sunday, viewers who’d seen the bit on TV (and others who had just heard about it) […]