Wednesday, November 28, 2012

FREE e-BOOK DOWNLOAD

Amazon will be offering the e-Book edition of "Dying Breed: The True Story of How the Internet Killed My Career as a Newspaper " for FREE, from December 1-5. It runs not only on the Kindle itself, but also Kindle-for-iPad, Mac and PC, and a variety of smartphones.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Syracuse newspaper to lay off 115 employees

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Post-Standard of Syracuse says it will lay off 115 full- and part-time employees as it moves ahead with plans to combine print and online operations to form two new companies early next year.

http://online.wsj.com/article/APad8eddc03ae94371aa9b6335ac76d526.html

The beginning of the end

Newsweek will publish its final print edition December 31, the company announced Thursday morning. It will launch a subscription product called Newsweek Global, some of whose content will be available on the Daily Beast. A note from Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown lays out the change:

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/192028/newsweek-to-reduce-staff-eliminate-print-edition-as-it-goes-digital-only-in-2013/


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Decline in foreclosure notices prompts layoffs at Bend Bulletin


The parent company of The Bulletin newspaper of Bend announced it is reducing employees because of a loss of revenue from foreclosure notices.

Western Communications, which also published the Redmond Spokesman and five other papers, says the cuts affecting less than 10 percent of the company's nearly 400 workers will be accomplished through layoffs and attrition.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/10/fewer_foreclosures_notices_pro.html

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Decline in foreclosure notices prompts layoffs at Bend Bulletin

The parent company of The Bulletin newspaper of Bend announced it is reducing employees because of a loss of revenue from foreclosure notices.

Western Communications, which also published the Redmond Spokesman and five other papers, says the cuts affecting less than 10 percent of the company's nearly 400 workers will be accomplished through layoffs and attrition.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/10/fewer_foreclosures_notices_pro.html

Media General sells Tampa Trib

Media General Inc. today said it sold the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, completing its exit from the newspaper industry.

Los Angeles-based private equity investment group Revolution Capital Group purchased the paper and TBO.com for $9.5 million. They will be operated by a newly created local entity called the Tampa Media Group, the companies said.

http://www.newsandtech.com/dateline/article_104e40d4-1183-11e2-b94a-001a4bcf887a.html


Friday, September 7, 2012

Journal Register bankruptcy gets second-day analysis

The Journal Register Company announced it was declaring bankruptcy Wednesday. Digital First Media operates JRC; its CEO, John Paton, said in the announcement that a subsidiary of JRC’s current owners has made a bid for the company, so possibly when the company emerges from bankruptcy it will enjoy the same management, just with less debt. It’s not an easy business move to get one’s arms around. Here are a couple of explainers:

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/187689/journal-register-bankruptcy-gets-second-day-analysis/

Union: Providence Journal plans more staff cuts this month

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The Providence Journal will cut an undetermined number of employees this month through buyouts or layoffs, according to the largest union at Rhode Island’s statewide daily.

The Providence Newspaper Guild said Friday management has told union officials the paper will offer “a new round of buyouts, and warned layoffs are possible if enough employees don’t accept them.”

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Are We Ready For the End of the Newspaper?

Think back 10, 15 years. How did you get your news? Chances are you got it by either newspaper or magazine. The channels for obtaining information were relatively few, the Internet still in its infancy. Fast-forward to the present and the entire news landscape is different.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-maron/are-we-ready-for-the-end-_b_1833883.html

Weekly Herald succumbs to industry trends

The Weekly Herald publishes its final issue on Aug. 29.

For more than 50 years, the free weekly newspaper delivered to the doorsteps and coffee shops of south Snohomish County has provided a way to find out what's going on in town, learn about interesting locals, exchange opinions on politics and get the scoop on neighborhood businesses.

The Weekly Herald's voice wasn't the only one in the community, but it rang loud and clear.

And now that voice is lost.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120828/SCBJ02/708309995/1005/BIZ

Commercial Appeal Cuts at Least 17 Employees

The Commercial Appeal is planning another round of layoffs, according to reports on Mediaverse, a media-centric blog by Richard Thompson.

In an email to members Monday, Aug. 27, Memphis Newspaper Guild president Wayne Risher announced that The Commercial Appeal is eliminating 17 guild-covered jobs as part of a “planned reduction in force.”

http://blog.memphisdailynews.com/?p=5845

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Newspaper Executives: ‘We’re Still Relevant’

While the imminent demise of the newspaper industry seems obvious to media prognosticators and Internet users the world over, many newspaper executives still don't see the writing on the walls.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/374438/20120816/newspaper-association-managers-associated-press-industry-newspapers.htm

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

Times-Picayune Vets Reinvent Themselves After Layoffs

Two journalists fired by the New Orleans Times-Picayune have a plan to escape a struggling industry and the unemployment into which it is dumping them.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/times-picayune-layoffs_n_1760515.html

Monday, August 6, 2012

Buildings' fate tells the tale of newspaper industry decline

I worked at seven newspapers in my journalism career, from Alaska to Florida. And six of them were located in large, grand buildings that were recognizable downtown landmarks.

Everyone knew where the newspaper was; you had only to refer to “the Times” or “the Gazette” — no address necessary.

In the early days of my career, most newspapers had no security desk. Anyone who wanted to talk to a reporter about a story could walk right in the door and find their way to the newsroom. The newspapers had a vital physical presence that placed them at the heart of the city’s life.
Lately, though, a lot of newspapers have been leaving their landmark downtown buildings for smaller, cheaper quarters.

http://www.minnpost.com/business/2012/08/buildings-fate-tells-tale-newspaper-industry-decline

Will Higher Ed Fall Into Same Fate as Newspaper Industry?

What will happen to higher education as universities make courses more readily available online? Harvard and M.I.T. announced edX this past spring, which will offer free online courses with a certificate of completion and other edtech startups, like Coursera and Udacity, are also providing more access to educational material for students worldwide.

http://www.technapex.com/2012/08/will-higher-ed-fall-into-same-fate-as-newspaper-industry/

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Analysis: The Daily Cuts a Third of Its Staff

The Daily, News Corp.'s NWSA +1.43% experiment with a tablet-only daily newspaper, laid off 50 people, or nearly a third of its staff, about 18 months after its launch.

When it launched in February 2011, the Daily was one of the industry's boldest attempts to not just make money from news in a digital world but focus solely on readers using mobile devices. The newspaper never had a print edition and readers must pay for a digital subscription.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444130304577561510286595378.html

50 Layoffs and the Beginning of The End at The Daily

The Daily, News Corp's big fancy well-funded "iPad newspaper" project, was never really a good idea from day one. A once-daily, hugely expensive, geographically nonspecific newspaper that is not available on the internet: just not a great business plan. Now, a year and a half after the launch, the reality appears to be crashing down.

http://gawker.com/5930598/50-layoffs-and-the-beginning-of-the-end-at-the-daily

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Daily Lays Off a Third of Its Staff

The Daily, News Corp.’s attempt to create a digital newspaper for the iPad age, is laying off nearly a third of its staff.

The publisher plans to tell its workers today that it will fire 50 of its 170 employees, according to people familiar with The Daily’s plans.

http://allthingsd.com/20120731/the-daily-lays-off-a-third-of-its-staff/

Report: Stephens Media lays off 4 at LR-area weeklies

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Half the reporters at a string of central Arkansas weekly newspapers have been laid off, according to a published report.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/article/220389/2/Report-Stephens-lays-off-4-at-LR-area-weeklies-

Media General newspaper sale leads to 75 layoffs

Media General, owner of The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and WFLA, News Channel 8, announced layoffs Tuesday to about 75 employees of its corporate staff in Richmond and its digital media section.

The layoffs are a result of the sale this year of most of Media General's newspapers as the company focuses on broadcast news.

http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2012/jul/31/media-general-newspaper-sale-leads-to-75-layoffs-ar-448303/

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Post-Dispatch hit with more layoffs

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch laid off 23 employees Thursday and Friday from the newsroom, advertising and production, the newspaper announced.

Sports content editor David Sheets, deputy managing editor Stephen Parker, assistant metro editor Tim Bross and food editor Judy Evans were among those given the pink slip.

“Along with far too many colleagues, I've been laid off from the Post-Dispatch,” Evans wrote in a Twitter message to her followers today. “I'm still in shock, and pondering my future.”

The cuts include four news managers.

The Post-Dispatch is owned by Davenport, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises, which recently came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy after reorganizing its debt.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2012/07/27/post-disptach-newsroom-hit-with-more.html

Post-Dispatch lays off 23 workers

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has laid off 23 staffers from the newsroom, advertising and production, the company announced today.

The cuts continue the trend of downsizing at the newspaper, the largest in the Lee Enterprises chain, as the industry struggles to contend with declining print advertising revenue.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/post-dispatch-lays-off-workers/article_ffd254b2-d81a-11e1-80f9-0019bb30f31a.html

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Layoffs hit Sacramento Bee newsroom

A small but surprising round of layoffs hit The Sacramento Bee again last week. Sources say nine jobs were cut, including two newsroom positions—a photo technician and a librarian.

The Bee’s community-affairs director, Pam Dinsmore, couldn’t confirm a total number of layoffs, but said, “Most of these changes are due to restructuring within divisions, aligning them with changing business trends. Some are due to system and equipment upgrades that have led to additional efficiencies with various departments.”

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/unexpected-layoffs-hit-sacramento-bee/content?oid=6860178

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Globe slashing up to 53 jobs with layoffs, buyout offers

The Boston Globe has offered buyouts to 20 newsroom staffers and 23 advertising employees, at the same time it laid off 10 people from across the publication, according to the paper’s publisher.

http://news.bostonherald.com/jobfind/news/media/view.bg?articleid=1061148025&format=comments#CommentsArea

Herald-Leader Announces Layoffs

Lexington, KY - The Lexington Herald-Leader has announced another in a four-year series of reductions in its workforce, leaving the city’s daily newspaper without 42 percent of its employees since layoffs and buyouts began in 2008.

http://bizlex.com/2012/07/herald-leader-announces-layoffs/

NEW: Worcester Telegram, Boston Globe Facing Layoffs

The Boston Globe and Worcester T&G are facing layoffs and buyouts, affecting a total of about fifty employees between the two markets. Both newspapers are owned by the same media group which is a subsidiary of the New York Times Company.

With newsrooms across the nation are shrinking their staff as advertising revenue and circulation continue to fall, Assistant Professor of Journalism at Northeastern University, Dan Kennedy, says that it’s hard to tell when the layoffs will stop. On June 6 2012, the newspaper industry made 600 layoffs in one day - not an industry record.

http://www.golocalworcester.com/business/new-worecster-telegram-boston-globe-facing-layoffs/

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Gannett Revenue, Ad Sales Drop In Second Quarter

The newspaper industry saw continued declines in the second quarter of the year, judging by the results announced by the nation’s largest newspaper publisher. On Monday, Gannett Co. revealed that total revenues declined 2.1% to $1.3 billion in the second quarter of 2012. This was due entirely to declines in its newspaper publishing division, which more than offset a healthy increase in broadcast revenues.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/178812/gannett-newspaper-revs-tumble-8-broadcast-up-11.html#ixzz20vDnZkIt

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Anniston Star dropping Monday paper in October, putting more emphasis on digital presence

By Associated Press
ANNISTON, Ala. — The Anniston Star plans to discontinue its Monday print edition in October and make other cost-cutting moves while refocusing on digital content.

The newspaper, owned by Consolidated Publishing Co., in announcing the changes said the Monday paper is the smallest in advertising and circulation. Editor Bob Davis said readers can access new content on Mondays on the newspaper’s website (http://www.annistonstar.com).

Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/anniston-star-dropping-monday-paper-in-october-putting-more-emphasis-on-digital-presence/2012/07/10/gJQAI2nmaW_story.html

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Monday, May 28, 2012

Coming Soon

Alex Burk's first manuscript is in the hands of publishers! Stay tuned.