Friday 15 February 2008

UK media workers' unpaid overtime reaches £288 million a year

Those working in journalism, public relations, photography and broadcasting are 50 percent more likely to work overtime for free than the rest of the workforce, according to the Trades Union Congress, the national trade union centre in the United Kingdom.

Four in 10 media industry professionals work an average of six hours and 42 minutes for free each week, adding up to unpaid overtime worth about £288 million total each year, the TUC announced Friday.

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Sun-Times hires Lazard for help with sale

The Sun-Times Media Group Inc. announced Friday it has retained investment banking firm Lazard to help evaluate strategic financial alternatives, including selling its flagship newspaper the Chicago Sun-Times.

Earlier this month, Sun-Times Media announced it had formed a strategic alternatives committee to investigate future actions, including selling some or all of its properties, and partnerships with third parties, The Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

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New LA Times editor the fourth in 3 years

The Los Angeles Times named Russ Stanton its new editor-in-chief Thursday, the fourth person to fill the role in the past three years.

James O'Shea, the paper's previous top editor, was forced out three weeks ago by resisting another round of staff cuts. Many newsroom staffers resent how O'Shea and his predecessors were treated, and for years editors and reporters haven't seen eye-to-eye with David Hiller, the paper's publisher, or the Tribune Company, its owner, The New York Times reported Friday.

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Plans axed for first daily Welsh newspaper

Due to insufficient funding, plans to publish the first daily Welsh-language newspaper have been abandoned, as a £200,000 annual grant for the next three years just isn't enough, the company behind Y Byd (The World) announced.

Dyddiol Cyf criticised the assembly government for not supporting Welsh-language press by not expanding its funding, BBC News reported Friday.

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Closure ordered for Kazakh independent paper

An Astana court has ordered one of Kazakhstan's only independent newspapers to be closed, saying that errors were made when the newspaper was registered, RadioFreeEurope reported Friday.

The owner of the newspaper, Law and Justice, have said the order is an attempt at shutting down an independent media outlet that reports on Kazakh judiciary corruption, and has nothing to do with their registration.

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Global daily circulation reached 550 million in 2006

Global daily newspaper circulation reached 551.2 million in 2006, with a five-year growth rate of 14.2 percent, up from 482.7 million at the beginning of 2002, according to ZenithOptimedia and the World Association of Newspapers.

Paid-for daily newspaper circulation reached 510.4 million in 2006, up 8.7 percent from 2002, when circulation was at about 469.5 million.

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Russian online ad market to double this year

According to research firm Mindshare Interaction, the Russian online advertising market is projected to achieve US$685 million in 2008, after doubling to $369 million last year.

The figures surpass previous predictions, a Russian daily reported.

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U.S. publishing companies form online ad network

Four U.S. publishing companies today announced a one-stop shop, offering advertisers space on local newspaper and TV station Web sites, called quadrantOne.

Participating firms are Hearst, Tribune, Gannett and The New York Times, according to Editor & Publisher.

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