Dotcom blues threaten Salon

The Age.Com ^ | June 28, 2002 (Australian source) | Garry Barker

[spald]

Dotcom blues threaten Salon

By Garry Barker
June 28 2002

It began as an exciting experiment in online publishing: an intelligent, quality magazine that could be read for free on your computer screen.

Salon, founded in 1995, boasted columnists including controversial academic Camille Paglia and writers Garrison Keilor and Greil Marcus. It covered the worlds of politics, pop culture, books, the media and technology and had a long-running column called "Mothers Who Think". It was witty, smart, newsy, irreverent and adored by the cultural cognoscenti.

But this week Salon's future looked dire. In its annual report, the Salon Group announced a deficit of $US76.6 million ($A136 million) , funded so far by shareholders. "Salonlacks significant revenues, has a history of losses, and as a result, may not be able to continue as a going concern," it said.

Though Salon was a hit with readers, averaging between 3.5 and four million visitors a month, it still hasn't found a way to make Internet publishing pay.

Salon.com sold advertisements and set up "premium" subscription sections, which gave access to more information, without ads. It offers The Well and Table Talk, monthly subscription services with access to online discussion forums.

Yet, for all the hard work and cost-cutting, Salon's net revenue halved to $US3.6 million in the year ended March 31, 2002, from $US7.2 million the year before. Advertising revenue declined 68 per cent in the same period.

Salon blamed September 11 and "the rapid and unexpected sharp deterioration in the general business climate . . . "

But its plight highlights the problem for e-publishers: how to translate the World Wide Web into a profit-making medium?

The magazine Slate.com has a reach and readership similar to Salon.com's, but is funded by Bill Gates, the world's richest man, and is carried on Microsoft's msn.com website. It, too, began as a subscription magazine but soon went free, aiming to defray costs through advertising.

Adding to the difficulties of companies such as Salon Media is the popularity of web loggers, known as "bloggers". They produce highly individual and opinionated websites, that are constantly updated.

Web rating agencies say the site of "blogger" Andrew Sullivan, a former editor of the New Republic, gets 25,000 visitors each day.

[spald]

salnc is like five cents a share today, down 44%.

[Paul Atreides]

It began as an exciting experiment in online publishing: an intelligent, quality magazine that could be read for free on your computer screen.

I didn't need to read any further to know that the author doesn't realize why Salon.com is tanking.

[ctonious]

They forgot to mention Salon's entry into porn - including kiddie porn - dressed up as "art". Seems like the first and last refuge of the absolute scumbag is "Progressivism".

[Charlotte Corday]

Have to admit that I used to visit Salon for Paglia's (infrequent) columns. Anyone know if she is writing anywhere else on the web these days??

[Timesink]

adding to Salon Deathwatch bump list

[DoughtyOne]

the Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva is under scrutiny - super-sleuths are welcomed
come resolve the way to yesterday's Target Post, you're not out of the running yet
win your registration fees to the FRive Las Vegas Conference if you dare

[Timesink]

Salon blamed September 11 and "the rapid and unexpected sharp deterioration in the general business climate . . . "

The former is far more important to their death spiral than the latter. After 9/11, nobody wanted to hear their left-wing BS and empty Bush-hate rhetoric any more, not even most liberals.

[VOA]

Salon.com sold advertisements and set up "premium" subscription sections,
which gave access to more information, without ads.

Not to be over confident...
but I take heart when finding out that even in a country that includes the deluded
populations of California, Oregon, Seattle, Boston/Cambridge, NYC, West
Palm Beach and the like.....
very few people will actually pay to read liberal drivel.

Maybe there is hope for this place after all.

Keep up the good work, www.freerepublic.com.
Salon is on the ropes, it's time to finish it off!!!

[VOA]

Dotcom blues threaten Salon

Translation: "It's not Salon's fault that it's failing...it's those evil Republican
financiers that are pulling the plug on this noble enterprise!"

Liberals/Leftists/Islamic extremists...all congenital liars.

[spald]

"It began as an exciting experiment in online publishing: an intelligent, quality magazine that could be read for free on your computer screen."

This in itself was enough reason for a "Hurl Alert" but the writer somewhat redeemed himself for actually stating the obvious: this issue is about to get flushed. Perhaps a "Lie Alert" was in order. Hard to pinpoint the liberal position, one based upon deceit and lies.

[Calvin Coolidge]

It is quite disingenuous to blame 9/11 for their decline in readership. A highly newsworthy and overtly political event should cause INCREASED interest in a political web site. As an above poster noted, it is Salon's fringe politics that are the cause of the trouble. People want to read about and discuss politics even more in the aftermath of the attacks. What they dont want are Robert Scheer and Joe Conason continuing their personal crusades to defecate all over the political landscape.

[Thorondir]

If I remember rightly, SlopOn was nearing collapse long before 9/11. And they are failing because they are just leftist/atheist/anti-American propaganda drivel.

Liberalism must be crushed!
The idea is catching on.

[laredo44]

It began as an exciting experiment in online publishing: an intelligent, quality magazine that could be read for free on your computer screen.

Sadly, I think Garry believes this statement is true. I predict he will spend the rest of his life scratching his head.

[DCBurgess58]

adored by the cultural cognoscenti

Read - A$$holes

[isthisnickcool]

JUNE 28, 2002: I'm announcing my new business here on FR. It's called "Isthisnickcool Posts Inc.". I project significant revenues the first quarter and quickly being listed on NASDAQ's big board.

The business model is simple. I charge $100 bucks for each of my posts that people read. Pay up!

JULY 1, 2002: Unfortunately, due to market conditions, I'm shutting down "Isthisnickcool Posts Inc." We had a very long run of nearly 3 days. We did our best! We thank all the private placement shareholders who contributed over $10 million to our efforts. We think we had a great product but the timing was just not right.

The shell of the corporation will be used for our next exciting venture, "Isthisnickcool Posts Again, Inc." We have a brand new business model and are currently taking investors money! We expect to open July 5th, 2002.

We say thanks to our shareholders and past investors!

isthisnickcool, Navini Island Resort, Fiji Islands

[johnboy]

lol

[Reagan is King]

Salon blamed September 11 and "the rapid and unexpected sharp deterioration in the general business climate . . . "

Oh okay, it was all 9/11's fault. Does this chart look like it started then or maybe a little sooner?

Good riddance to that waste of server space.

[Criminal Number 18F]

S A L O N

rearrange the letters and you have

LOANS.


Coming begging to a VC near you.... and soon after that, hand-wringing euolgies explaining that American readers, far from being tired of one propaganda screed after another, simply are too dumb to appreciate the brilliance of LOANS's editorial crew.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F (just reveling in "dumb" over here, friends...)

[TC Rider]

It began as an exciting experiment in online publishing: an intelligent, quality magazine that could be read for free on your computer screen.

Interesting lie. It began to give an authoratative outlet for spin from Bill, Hill and Sid on the internet.