It’s hard to imagine an industry more poorly prepared for the arrival of a global pandemic than the media business. Even before “coronavirus” became a household word, the industry was already reeling from a series of body blows, most of them delivered by Google and Facebook and their dominance of the advertising market. Since 2008, nearly half of US newspaper journalism jobs have disappeared, according to the LA Times, leaving fewer than 38,000 reporters, photographers, and editors. Waves of layoffs have become the norm, not just for large chains like Gannett and McClatchy but for smaller papers, and even for digital giants like BuzzFeed and Vox, who at one time were seen as the future of online media. Then along came COVID-19, and with it the unprecedented shutdown of entire cities, and the erasure of huge swaths of the advertising business. For many outlets, it will likely become what media analyst Ken Doctor calls “an extinction event.” For some it already is. The LA Times profiled one example of this sad trend. Jeff VonKaenel, 69, owner of the Sacramento News & Review and sister publications in Chico and Reno, has been running weekly newspapers for almost 50 years, and has survived wildfires, recessions, and being sued by a mayor. But the extinguishing of almost all his advertising in the wake of COVID-19 left him no other choice: four days after the virus was defined as a pandemic, VonKaenel shut down his presses for the last time and laid off all 40 members of... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-20 11:45:00 UTC ]
The federal education law ESSA, set to take effect this year, would provide critical support for school libraries if allowed to stand by the Trump administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sponsored and branded content have evolved into a crucial source of revenue for publishers of every stripe. Along the way, they've had to sweet-talk advertisers and get into compliance with FTC regulations, but their readers still present the highest hurdles. Large chunks of American readers... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new US administration under Donald Trump could make things "very, very much worse" for authors, according to campaign group Authors United. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has bought Gawker Media in an auction for $135 million. That's according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the deal had not been formally announced. The online gossip and news publisher was put on the block in the... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Facebook has taken on the mantle of content distributor, news publisher and story curator, the world's biggest social media company has ventured into the territory of traditional media companies. Such moves have helped Facebook attract users and advertising dollars -- but they have also... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Facebook has taken on the mantle of content distributor, news publisher and story curator, the world's biggest social media company has ventured into the territory of traditional media companies. Such moves have helped Facebook attract users and advertising dollars -- but they have also... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat is adding another publisher to its Discover feature with Vox.com set to come aboard Nov. 23. It’s not the first news publisher to get a channel on the messaging app, but like BuzzFeed and Mashable, it’s arguably more mill ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook launched its Instant Articles product with a select group of prestige publishers last week. Now, others, if they had any reservations before, are determined not to be left behind. Other big-name publishers including Time Inc., Hearst Magazines and CNN are expected to start publishing... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Today on the official Google blog, VP of display advertising Neal Mohan announced the launch of two new tools aimed at helping publishers manage ads and maximize revenue. Before now, its been difficult for publishers to manage all their video and mobile ad space from a single ad serverthe... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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