Free Republic

Complete Title:CHART OF THE DAY: And Now Let Us Gasp In Astonishment At What Just Happened To The Newspaper Business Over the past decade, lots of big newspaper companies have gone bust. But when you take a look at what's happened to newspaper advertising over that period, it's a wonder they all haven't. Below, via Mark J. Perry and Bill Gross, is a chart we've run before. It shows inflation-adjusted newspaper advertising revenue over the past 60 years. Thanks to the precipitous decline in the last ~7 years, the industry is now back to where we it was in 1950....

Gene Lyons' column Wednesday in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will be his last. He was notified of the end of some 18 years of weekly column writing on Monday by editorial page editor Paul Greenberg. Greenberg cited budget concerns, Lyon said. The savings from ending Lyons' once-a-week column will be offset, however, by expenses for the daily newspaper's new arrangement with John Brummett, who goes on the payroll as an independent contractor after his current employment with Stephens Media ends Oct. 20. The D-G earlier had dropped Pat Lynch as a weekly column contributor. Brummett is to write three columns a...

What happens when you mix the ambition of Arianna Huffington with the desperation of Tim Armstrong? AOL shareholders will soon find out. AOL Chairman Tim Armstrong seemed to find his ideal mate in Arianna Huffington. He needed someone to galvanize his drifting editorial division and give it a distinctive voice to woo readers and advertisers. She provided all that with The Huffington Post, one of the most successful publishing ventures of the last decade. Snip-- If Armstrong is AOL's last best hope, then Huffington is Armstrong's snip- Indeed, Huffington has been on an extravagant hiring binge for months, sweeping up...

The New York Times just can’t seem to get much of anything right lately. No wonder they’re facing economic and reputation woes. Their article today falsely reporting on my record as governor is full of spin, and I shall call them out on it. Regardless of the recent political posturing, ACES (Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share) is a success for all stakeholders who want more domestic energy supplies for our great country. The Alaskan people (who collectively own the natural resources, via our state constitution), the resource producers who bid on the right to develop our oil and gas, and...

THE trade association for the consumer magazine industry is joining other organizations in media and marketing in rebranding itself to better reflect the realities of competing for consumer eyeballs and advertising dollars in the 21st century. The Magazine Publishers of America is being renamed MPA — the Association of Magazine Media (dash and all). The dispatching of “publishers” from the name is meant to signal how readers can engage with magazines beyond the printed page through nontraditional means like Web sites, mobile devices, tablets, events, social media, books, retail presences and even branded merchandise. The change is to be described...

We had already seen the early indications that Rupert Murdoch's paywalls from The Times and The Sunday Times in the UK were a dismal failure, but as more information gets leaked about how the paywalls are working out, it's looking worse and worse. Beyond the fact that not too many people are signing up to pay, the move has upset advertisers who don't want to advertise to such a small audience: Faced with a collapse in traffic to thetimes.co.uk, some advertisers have simply abandoned the site. Rob Lynam, head of press trading at the media agency MEC, whose clients include...

MINNEAPOLIS – Less than two years after it was bought by a private equity group, the Star Tribune has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "We determined that the filing was necessary to reduce our operating costs, restructure our debt and create a financially viable business for the future," Publisher and Chairman Chris Harte restructures. The filing came a week after the Star Tribune and the Newspaper Guild ended talks, saying they were unable to agree on management's request for concessions. "Obviously, I think it's unfortunate. It's not our decision, it's the company's, and we take very seriously the...

Tribune Co. is preparing for a possible bankruptcy-protection filing as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter, opening a new front of trouble for the newspaper industry. As Tribune continues discussions with its lenders to rework its debt load, the newspaper-and-television concern in recent days ...

Today, in New York Supreme Court, in response to Dan Rather's civil lawsuit, CBS filed a lengthy 30-page motion to dismiss the case.CBS executives also released a statement today, noting that they are "mystified" by Rather's "bizarre allegations" but will "vigorously" defend themselves in court if need be. "Dan Rather is one of the most important figures in the history of broadcast journalism, and for more than 40 years was one of our most valued colleagues," CBS said in the statement. "That is why we at CBS are mystified and saddened by the baseless and self-serving allegations and distortions...

U.S. newspaper circulation falls 2.8 pct - study Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:49 AM ET By Robert MacMillan NEW YORK, Oct 30 (Reuters) - U.S. newspaper circulation fell 2.8 percent as of the end of September, according to industry data released on Monday, highlighting the further migration of readers to the Internet and other media outlets. Far sharper declines were posted at newspapers seen as potential acquisition targets, including the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, as the industry attempts to reshape itself and counter rival news providers online and elsewhere. A Newspaper Association of America (NAA) analysis of...