A.H. Belo to cut 500 jobs

Amongt he newspapers affected are the Dallas (TX) Morning News, The Providence (RI) Journal , The (Riverside, CA) Press-Enterprise and the Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle.

http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/01/journal-owner-p.html#444625

Tahoe Daily Tribune cuts back to 3 days

The Tahoe Daily tribune is going from five days to three.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_11591239?nclick_check=1

The (New London, CT) Day announces furloughs

Details at www.theday.com

Disclaimer: My paper.

Baltimore Examiner to close

CEO announces it here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-examinerletter0129,0,6415763.story

Bad blood in Denver

Looks like the JOA will go away, no matter what the fate of the Rocky Mountain News.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003935868

Good news, sort of

Online newspaper readership increased 16 percent last year. That's good news.

What isn't such good news is that no one has figured out how to make much money at it.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10150884-93.html

It's possible that the corporate media model may no longer be salvageable and the future of journalism is in small, independent news gathering entities.

Unpaid furloughs at Virginian-Pilot

The parent of the Virginian-Pilot is imposing a pay freeze and forcing employees to take five unpaid days off. The story notes that employees will not be able to use vacation days to make up for the unpiad day off as the intent of the move is to reduce payroll. The paper will be published on the days it is "closed" so those necessary employees will take their unpaid days off on other days.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003934461

Doing it French

Sarkozy has announced plans to provide government support for print journalism in France.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/business/media/24ads.html?_r=1&ref=business

Sounds like a typically European approach, but one unlikely to succeed in my view as it doesn't address the underlying problems with the business model. It's hard to see how government support will not taint the public's perception of newspaper independence and without public confidence in the independence of the press they will disregard the print paper and turn even more to the Internet.

The French experiment will bear watching but seems to have little relevance over her.

Bristol, New Britain papers get reprieve

Central Connecticut Communications has completed its purchase of the Bristol Press and the New Britain Herald according to the Press: http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2009/01/23/news/doc497a8789ba07a202023144.txt

Whether this is a temporary reprieve or a long-term fix is impossible to say right now, but until there's hard data to support a turnaround I'd still consider them "endangered."

Globe sells front-page ad on Obama day

Premium space on a premium day: http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=9711436

Here's an odd one

An ex-KGB agent who is now a Russian tycoon is going to buy the Evening Standard of London.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/business/media/22london.html?ref=media

It's an odd story, more than anything else. European newspapers have not found themselves in as dire straights as U.S. papers as of yet, so the deal may make some economic sense but one wonders if foreign buyers will be tempted to snap up some of the U.S. papers that are available.

Google ends ad experiment with newspapers

Google has dropped its program that worked with newspapers on ad revenue.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012003052.html

Probably not a big deal, but not great news either.

Another one on the block

The Tucson Citizen has until March 21 to find a buyer or it is gone.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/breakingnews/107869.php

D-Day in Denver?

Final bids for the Rocky Mounatin News were reportedly due today.

Minneapolis Star Tribune goes bankrupt

Details: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aWeifv3njDqo&refer=us

Gannett Company to furlough most workers for a week to avoid layoffs

Details here;
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/business/media/15paper.html?_r=3&hp

Editor & Publisher reports Kansas City Kansan is going online only

E&P is reporting that the 88-year old Kansas City Kansan is going online only

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/departments/online/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003929743

Seattle P-I unlikely to find a buyer

Seattle is one of those two-newspaper towns where the second paper survived for another generation on the strength of a Joint Operating Agreement that let the weaker paper (the P-I) move all its business ops over to the Seattle Times while retaining a separate newsroom.

These JOAs have always been controversial, but they managed to work well enough where they were tried to keep two newspaper voices in some cities where there would have only been one otherwise.

However, that was then, and this is now and with the survival of newspapers at stake even in one-paper cities, there's little justification for keeping the JOAs going and I would expect that all the current JOAs will come to an end fairly soon.

For the Seattle Post-Intelligencer the chances of finding a buyer seem grim. Owner Hearst is giving just 60 days to close the deal, which isn't a lot of time under the best of circumstances.

Buying a daily newspaper in the current market is "like buying an anchor that's already been thrown overboard," Wayne State University journalism director Ben Burns told The Denver Post last month. Quoted from a story in the Seattle Times.

A buyer did step up for the two Connecticut papers that went on the block this month (The Bristol Press and New Britain Herald) but those were smaller papers that did not have competition. The P-I is a bigger paper so more money would be needed and any buyer would be faced with trying to turn a profit in the face of competing with the Seattle Times AND in a market that's tough for newspapers in general.

I just don't see it.

Edmonds predicts what's in store for newspapers this year

Here's the whole thing: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=123&aid=156515

His most interesting prediction:

We will see a paper or two passed on to a civic-minded ownership group, such as the Maine citizens who are currently trying to get financing to buy the Portland Press Herald and its associated publications.

His most problematic prediction:

... expect more papers -- but only a few -- to try omitting home delivery or any paper publication certain days of the week while retaining a print product on Sunday and perhaps a few other days. Though such moves would save a lot of money, I don't think that justifies the loss of some advertising and circulation revenue for the great majority of papers that are still profitable. And there is a strategic risk of making the newspaper less available and less essential.

I disagree. I think the huge cost savings will more than make up for the loss in revenue. By definition the days cut will be the ones that bring in the least readership and advertising.

Hearst conforms P-I is for sale -- within 60 days!

Hearst confirms on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer site that the paper is for sale -- and that a buyer has to be found within 60 days or the paper will close!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/395463_newspapersale10.html

Web-based international news site launches Monday

Interesting experiment in replacing newspaper content with online-based reporting:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4lM3kO4F3u__cKfnhcAIOavHoOw

Seattle paper joins the endangered list

Heart Corp. is reportedly considering putting the Seattle Post-Intelligencer up for sale:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/report_seattle_newspaper_may_b.html

While a sale doesn't necessarily imply a newspaper is in trouble, I think it's safe to assume that in today's environment it probably is a sign of distress.

Most chain newspapers are burdened with excessive levels of debt from the speculative buying spree of the past decade or so. When the historians look back on that era they may very well conclude that the best chance the industry had to survive was squandered back then when still-profitable newspapers spent money on acquisitions instead of investing in technologies and marketing strategies that would enable them to survive the Internet age.

Whether of not the Seattle paper can find a buyer that can make it work will depend on the financial details and how much debt any new owner has to service. Unless the current owners are willing to take a short-term loss in order to staunch long-term losses from continued ownership it may be hard to make a deal that keeps the paper alive over the long term.

Obama and newspapers

Can Obama make reading newspapers cool again?

If he loses his fight to keep his Blackberry he may become even more reliant on the the dead-tree press.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2009/01/obama-reads-newspapers.html

Our future?

Interesting article in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/05/clay-shirky-future-newspapers-digital-media

Bristol Press gets a reprieve

A last-minute buyer has stepped forward to buy the Bristol Press and New Britain Herald, saving those two dailies and three weekly papers for the time being.

http://www.bristolpress.com/articles/2009/01/07/news/doc49640070c03a2946065834.txt

The long-term viability of the papers will depend a lot on the details of the deal, especially how much debt is involved.

Meriden Record Journal outsources printing and distribution

The Meriden (CT) Record Journal is outsourcing its printing and distribution operations.

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=20235419&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6

Bucking the trend

A new free daily newspaper is planning to publish in Portland, Me.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/037965.html

From the Portland Press Herald:

A new free daily newspaper is coming to Portland, possibly as soon as this month, according to one of its business partners.
Mark Guerringue, publisher of the Conway (N.H.) Daily Sun, said the Portland Daily Sun could start circulating late this month or next.
It will begin operations with an editor and two reporters, and will focus on publishing hard news stories based on Portland people and events.

It may be that the Conway paper wants to position itself if the Portland Press Herald ceases publication as rumored.

With the end of the fourth calendar quarter blood will flow

There's every indication that the fourth-quarter woes among automakers and retailers has meant grim numbers for newspaper advertisements. I'd expect some bad news over the next few days as companies start making their reports.

Sign of the future

The "Grey Lady" herself, the New York Times, will start selling ad space on its front page.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/business/media/05times.html?_r=1&ref=media

Back in the day this was a common practice. Front page ad space was always premium space, but starting in the early 20th Century newspapers began moving ads off the front page for aesthetics and professionalism.

Given the NY Times decision I would expect nearly every other newspaper in the country to quickly follow suit.

Statement of purpose

I've long felt that the end for daily newspapers would come quickly, when it arrived. While readership has been in a steady decline, the key factor for newspapers was the attitude of advertisers.

The current economic crisis may be a recession, or a depression, but for newspapers it's a distinction without a difference. The real estate, auto and department store ads are not coming back and American daily newspapers are facing their moment of truth.

Some may survive, many will not.

This blog aims to document the final days of American daily newspaper journalism in 2009.