Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Blog - Financials http://www.sfnblog.com/ en Copyright 2010 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification MediaNews Group to put up paywalls Meter.jpgMediaNews Group will begin charging for online content in May, adopting a metered paywall system similar to the one The New York Times announced it will put up, Bloomberg reported Friday. The U.S. newspaper publisher will use Journalism Online LLC to handle processing of payments for its Web sites.

The test will begin at the company's Enterprise-Record in Chico, California, and Daily Record in York, Pennsylvania. If it's successful, the paywall may be instituted at more than 50 dailies owned by MediaNews, including The Denver Post and San Jose Mercurcy News, the Denver Business Journal reported Saturday.

Image: Superchou's Flickr photostream
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/medianews_group_to_put_up_paywalls.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/medianews_group_to_put_up_paywalls.php Financials Launches and Closures Journalism Online MediaNews Group meters paywall Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:16:34 -0600 Metro Intl announces profits for Q4 7418.metro_logo.jpgMetro International, the largest free newspaper group in the world, reported a profit in the fourth quarter of last year following minimised operations and a growing share in "most of its markets," said Reuters today. 

Total operating profit amounted to €5.9 (US$8.1) million for the period, compared to a loss of €9.8 (US$13.5) million the same time in 2008, wrote the Sydney Morning Herald. However, for the duration of 2009, Metro saw a loss of €21.7 (US$ 29.8) million after a €4.1 (US$ 5.6) million profit in 2008.
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/metro_intl_announces_profits_for_q4.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/metro_intl_announces_profits_for_q4.php Financials free papers Metro Metro International profit Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:05:22 -0600 Pearson buys macroeconomic intelligence firm Medley Global Advisors Pearson.jpgUK publisher Pearson PLC announced Wednesday it has bought Medley Global Advisors, which advises hedge funds, investment banks and asset managers, as it aims to focus on subscriptions over advertising, Reuters reported.

Pearson, which publishes the Financial Times, is looking to diversify its business model. In 2008, it bought an online news and discussion service aimed at fund managers called Money-Media, for example. It has also bought several data providers, such as MergerMarket, to cut down on reliance on print and advertising for revenues, according to the Daily Mail. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/pearson_buys_macroeconomic_intelligence.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/pearson_buys_macroeconomic_intelligence.php Financials Ownership and Regulations Business model buyout diversify Financial Times Pearson Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:59:00 -0600 Telegraph.co.uk tightens focus: Content, commerce, clubs TelegraphGardenShop.pngLike most content creators, the Telegraph Media Group has always focused on increasing Web traffic by directing a maximum number of users to its Web site, Telegraph.co.uk, thereby increasing digital revenues through advertising. But times are changing, online ad revenue isn't enough, and TMG has come up with a new plan.

TMG's digital editor, Edward Roussel, told MediaGuardian today that the publisher will stop chasing everyone and instead focus on the "three Cs": content, commerce and clubs, with the hope of building a more sustainable business model. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/telegraphcouk_tighens_focus_content_comm.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/telegraphcouk_tighens_focus_content_comm.php Financials Launches and Closures Business model Online trends Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:26:23 -0600 News Corp. announces big profits and plans for pay walls Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for MurdochWEF.jpgAs News Corp. announced profits of US$254 million over the three months up to December, Rupert Murdoch said his company is close to implementing online subscription models for all of its newspapers like the Times, the News of the World, and the Sun.

The company is also in "advanced negotiations" with handheld-device manufacturers about possible paywalls that would allow customers access to News Corp. content "whenever and wherever they want it," said Murdoch.

According to Murdoch, "ingenious and fabulous devices" like the iPad and the Kindle "would be unloved and unsold" without the creative content supplied by newspapers. "Content is not just king, it is the emperor of all things digital. We're on the cusp of a digital revolution from which our shareholders will profit handsomely," said Murdoch.

For more on this story, visit our sister publication, editorsweblog.org.
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/news_corp_announces_big_profits_and_plan.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/news_corp_announces_big_profits_and_plan.php Financials business model iPad Kindle News Corp. paywalls Rupert Murdoch Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:20:23 -0600 Chicago Tribune, LA Times cut print size LATEXTRA.jpgTo save on print production costs and to streamline operations, Tribune Co. papers the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune are rolling out changes this week and next. The LA Times today launched LATExtra, a new section that includes local and California coverage, as well as late-breaking news. It has also trimmed an inch off its print version, and is now 11 inches wide, LA Times Blogs reported today.

The Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, will also trim an inch from the width of its newspaper beginning Monday, according to MediaPost. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/chicago_tribune_la_times_cut_print_size.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/chicago_tribune_la_times_cut_print_size.php Financials Print Data Printing and Production print newspaper Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:55:12 -0600 Gannett sees profits and circulation increase in 4Q
According to The Wall Street Journal, Gannett swung to a profit in the fourth quarter following US$5.6 billion in prior-year write-downs. Lower declines in advertising sales combined with much lower expenses helped the newspaper publisher show improvement. Lower expenses seem to stem from Gannett's aggressive job cuts. In the summer of 2009, Gannett slashed over 1,000 jobs, adding to the 4,600 jobs cut in 2008. USA Today's newsroom was reduced by about 20% in only two years. Last December, Gannett executives remained pessimistic about the state of the company, citing a drop in travel and a decrease in circulation as the two biggest problems.

For more on this story, visit our sister publication, editorsweblog.org.
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/circulation_and_readership/2010/02/gannett_sees_profits_and_circulation_inc.php http://www.sfnblog.com/circulation_and_readership/2010/02/gannett_sees_profits_and_circulation_inc.php Circulation and Readership Financials Gannett Co. quarterly gains Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:22:08 -0600 AP, Yahoo! make a deal Editor& Publisher reported today. Terms of the deal or its duration were not disclosed.

Yahoo! has been using AP content since 1998; the search engine has the largest online U.S. audience for news, finance and sports, according to comScore. AP articles, videos an photos will continue to appear on the Yahoo! News site. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/ap_yahoo_make_a_deal.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/ap_yahoo_make_a_deal.php Financials Associated Press Yahoo! Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:26:54 -0600 Chicago Tribune to digitise photo archive, market originals Chicago Tribune reported.

The newspaper struck a deal with Image Fortress, a digital archiving service that works with organisations like NASA and the World Bank, to digitise the photos and to also market them through a collectible dealer, Jay Parrino's The Mint. Tribune expects the sales to more than cover the cost incurred to digitise the images, a process expected to take more than five years. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/chicago_tribune_to_digitise_photo_archiv.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/02/chicago_tribune_to_digitise_photo_archiv.php Financials digitisation new revenue stream Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:03:32 -0600 Study: Current e-readers won't help news publishers Thumbnail image for kindle.jpgE-readers, like the Amazon Kindle, likely won't help newspapers hold on to audiences, as younger users think the Kindle is "old" compared to smart phones, while older users prefer the experience a print version offers, a new study from the University of Georgia has found.

The Kindle doesn't have a touch screen and it can't surf the Internet, young adults pointed out. Older adults, meanwhile, pointed out that features like comics and crossword puzzles aren't available on e-reader devices, according to the six-month study by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For the study, participants read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Kindle and gave feedback. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/study_current_e-readers_wont_help_news_p.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/study_current_e-readers_wont_help_news_p.php Financials e-readers Kindle study Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:41:42 -0600 Media General posts 4Q profit on cost cuts Reuters reported. Net income for the quarter was US$27.4 million, compared to a net loss of $85.5 million the same quarter last year.

These earnings also "suggest that the chill in online ad spending at newspapers is starting to thaw," as the company also posted a 15 percent increase in online ad revenue, paidContent reported. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/media_general_posts_4q_profit_on_cost_cu.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/media_general_posts_4q_profit_on_cost_cu.php Financials cost cutting quarterly data Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:20:58 -0600 DLT Media gives South African publishers another marketing arm BizCommunity reported Tuesday.

DLT Media gives publishers another way to offer premium media placement to get more visibility, thereby boosting circulation and readership.

]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/dlt_media_gives_south_african_publishers.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/dlt_media_gives_south_african_publishers.php Financials magazine Marketing Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:03:33 -0600 US: Study shows government subsidies to media have declined
According to Poynter, a new study of historic subsidies and emerging trends tracks various tax breaks, reductions in postal subsidies first enacted in 1792, and upcoming cutbacks in public notices that government regulations have traditionally forced into American newspapers. The study provides valuable insight, if not clear-cut recommendations for print media to follow, about the thorny issue of government funding for media.

For more on this topic, visit our sister publication, editorsweblog.org.
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/us_study_shows_government_subsidies_to_m.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/us_study_shows_government_subsidies_to_m.php Financials government subsidies Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:14:47 -0600 Tribune execs to receive $45.6 million in bonuses Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported.

The amount represents about 11 percent of the company's operating cash last year, according to Bloomberg. The bonuses will go to the company's top 720 executives, including its top 10 leaders. ]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/tribune_execs_to_receive_456_million_in.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/tribune_execs_to_receive_456_million_in.php Financials Bankruptcy bonuses Tribune Co. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:13:09 -0600 McClatchy to trial paywalls Editor and Publisher reports.

Chief Executive Gary Pruitt said that McClatchy will trial a pay model on one of its newspaper websites, suggesting that a number of articles could be available for free before the reader hits a paywall. He added that the publisher will continue to focus on free online content supported by advertising, and that he believes that this will remain widespread. "We feel the model isn't broken," he said. "But we'll learn from everything - we wish them all the luck. If someone cracks the code, we'll copy it."

For more on this story, visit our sister publication, editorsweblog.org.
]]> http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/mcclatchy_to_trial_paywalls.php http://www.sfnblog.com/financials/2010/01/mcclatchy_to_trial_paywalls.php Financials McClatchy paywall Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:32:45 -0600