The precarious state of local news giants

Even compared to this year’s other brutal weeks for American journalism, the past seven days have been particularly turbulent. Last Wednesday, the publishing giant McClatchy reported severe liquidity problems along with its third-quarter results; its share price has since collapsed from $2.28 to $0.40. Last Thursday, shareholders voted to approve the merger of two more media giants—GateHouse and Gannett—despite stock in GateHouse’s parent, New Media Investment Group, also having cratered since the merger was announced. The deal closed yesterday; the new company is just called Gannett. Also yesterday, Alden Global Capital—a hedge fund, notorious for cost-slashing at its media properties, that itself tried to buy Gannett earlier this year—acquired a 25-percent stake in Tribune Publishing Company, becoming its biggest shareholder. To simplify, the Wall Street types who increasingly control local news are playing with all their biggest chips at once. As Nieman Lab’s Ken Doctor told CNN last night, this week marks a “major turning point” for the industry. “At a time when local news is needed more than ever, it is the bankers who are deciding what will be defined as news, and who will be employed to report it.” From archives: Politico embarrasses WSJ by publishing transcript The closure of the Gannett–GateHouse deal was the least surprising of these new developments, and is probably the most significant. Prior to their merger, the companies were, respectively, America’s first... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-11-20 13:10:34 UTC ]
News tagged with: #senior editor #publishing giant

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The precarious state of local news giants'


Food News Media Launches Mobile Magazine, Restaurant Management

Durham, North Carolina-based Food News Media, a b-to-b publisher serving the food and restaurant industry, has introduced Restaurant Management, a mobile magazine targeting full-service restaurateurs and executives. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


News Corp. Reports Disappointing Quarterly Numbers

News Corp. released its earnings report for the quarter that ended in March, and the results are a little disappointing. The company reported a decline in its operating income, which was down to about $1 billion, compared to $1.25 billion over the same period last year. The drop-off appears to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #earnings report #operating income #litigation expenses


E-Commerce News: New York Magazine To Launch Curated Deals Newsletter in May

Joining the line of publishers who are entering the e-commerce space is New York magazine and NY.com; they’ve announced a New York City-specific online deals program that is set to launch in May. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #york magazine


Penguin to publish slow news title

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 28/04/2011 - 08:00 Viking has been scanning the local papers and choosing the most eyebrow-raising headlines—often for all the wrong reasons—in a tribute to the quirky world of slow news days. Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage . . And... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local papers #local newspapers


ABC News High On Enhanced E-books

In deciding to launch the ABC Video Bookstore, Andrew Morse said the giant media company was looking for a product that could reach viewers who are attached to a digital reading device, be it an iPad, Kindle, or cellphone, and decided that an enhanced ebook was the right one. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #enhanced e-books #andrew morse #enhanced ebook


The New York State of Bookselling

Independent booksellers may have dreaded Borders's arrival in New York City in 1996, but it was Barnes & Noble that tried to keep its longtime rival out by leasing every available 40,000-sq.-ft. space on its home turf. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #york state #independent booksellers #barnes noble #longtime rival #home turf


News.me, the iPad News Aggregator Blessed By Big Publishers, Gets Ready To Launch [MediaMemo]

The 99-cents a week-service looks like the kind of thing that could drive the New York Times and the Associated Press batty. Instead, they've signed on for a piece of the action. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big publishers #ve signed


Yahoo follows News Corp, announces Livestand 'magazine' for tablets

By Tim Conneally, Betanews Yahoo on Thursday announced that it will soon debut a new magazine-style method of digital content delivery especially aimed at touchscreen mobile devices like tablets and smartphones called Livestand."Publishers and advertisers must expand their content to [phones and... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile app #mobile presence #copyright betanews


The Daily Is A Top News App But Download Complaints Soar

While it’s probably not surprising given the buzz around the launch of News Corp.’s tablet-only publication, but The Daily is currently #1 in “Top Apps” and #1 in “News Apps,” according to topappcharts.com. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |