Hearst Corp. had record revenue and profits in 2013, when it marked the fourth year in a row of growth on both fronts since the 2008 recession, Steven Swartz said in a New Year’s letter to employees recapping the year he took over as chief executive. Swartz, formerly the head of Hearst’s newspaper division and the company’s chief operating officer, succeeded Frank Bennack Jr. last June, and his letter (full text here) going out today makes clear he plans to continue on the path set by his predecessor. Bennack led a dramatic diversification effort during his 30-year tenure, expanding the company beyond its newspaper roots into broadcasting and syndication and the less-glamorous but highly profitable business media. He didn’t ignore print, either; Hearst’s $900 million acquisition of Lagardère’s non-French titles in 2011 broadened its magazine footprint in the U.S. and abroad. Nevertheless, Hearst has made a deliberate effort to diversify away from ad-based traditional media, with its recessionary swings, a shift that is likely to continue under Swartz. Today, about 60 percent of Hearst's revenue comes from non-advertising sources, including carriage fees for cable and TV stations; subscription revenues; and marketing services fees. The company is diversifying geographically, too; fully one-fifth of its revenue now comes from outside the U.S. "A hallmark of Frank’s tenure has been the continued allocation of capital to the sectors of the media and information landscape... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'
[ AdWeek | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
This may not be a first - but HoldTheFrontPage is reporting that the Manchester Evening News has ditched its picture desk.It says that both the picture editor and his deputy have not been replaced after leaving the Trinity Mirror title. Photographers are now assigned to jobs by the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Right-sized and re-made, the Frankfurt Book Fair retains its pre-eminent position in the global publishing industry, digital revolution and all. Click here to listen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The biggest difference between before the digital revolution and now is that customers control the content flow rather than publishers. As customers we want what we want when we want it and how we want it. A new song? A new book? One click away (so frictionless!). A question about our health? Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If an advertiser wants to jump on this whole "brands as publishers" trend, they would seem to have two choices. They can hire editors and writers and start producing lots of their own content, like GE. Or they can have junior staffers or interns spend half the day trolling the Web to find... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing business mirrors the natural world in many ways: it’s a fertile, creative process influenced by myriad conditions, some as unpredictable and unforgiving as weather. The coming of the ebook and digital publishing to the Canadian book industry can be compared to the approach of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eli Horowitz does not think of himself as someone who “fetishizes the book.” But he’s also seen what books become, in digital form, and has not always been impressed. A former managing editor and publisher at McSweeney’s, Horowitz describes much of what he has seen in the digital revolution in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the early days of the digital revolution, most independent publishers were moving slower than the larger houses in getting on the ebook bandwagon. That period has clearly passed. With only a couple of exceptions, the publishers that made it onto this year’s edition of PW’s fast-growing small... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 11/10/2011 - 09:00 Literary agents speaking at Publishers Launch Frankfurt have challenged publishers to approach ebook royalty discussions in a more "knowledgeable" way or face a "reckoning" from the digital revolution. But there are signs of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 05/10/2011 - 08:51 Former French culture minister Jacques Toubon has said he has high hopes that France will be able to cut VAT on ebooks from 19.6% to 5.5% next January as planned without triggering the wrath of the European Commission.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magazine publishers are making plans to be part of, rather than run over by, the digital revolution. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The value of personal interaction still trumps all" is a firm belief of Steve Rosato, BEA show manager, who is all fired up for BEA 2011, the second under his command. And while the event's main focus is books and authors, technology and the digital revolution is also at the epicenter of this... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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