Wednesday 7 May 2008

Followthemedia may close in 2 weeks

Global media reporting site Followthemedia will close May 16 unless €35,000 is raised, the group announced on its Web site.

Followthemedia has been reporting on media issues for four years, and counts 1.5 million visitors.

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Le Monde journalists suspend strike

Industrial action by journalists at French daily Le Monde has been suspended, after the newspaper's management announced job cuts could be fewer than previously suggested, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

The announcement by management was made Wednesday, following an editorial staff meeting at which employees were to vote on whether they would begin a longer strike next Tuesday.

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Osnos: News generates money, but little goes to providers

The idea that “free” news on the Internet is the cause for current financial woes in journalism is incorrect; on the contrary, a lot of money is generated by the news, very little of which makes it back to news providers, wrote Peter Osnos, senior fellow for media at The Century Foundation on Tuesday.

The fact that content creators are not receiving a fair amount is “no longer tolerable,” Osnos stated. “News is no more free these days than the 'complementary' bag of pretzels you get on a plane, after you’ve paid for the ticket.”

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Newsroom Barometer: Integrated newsrooms to be the norm

Most newspaper editors around the world no longer think of their product as “print-only,” and are optimistic about the future of newspapers and their place in the multi-media revolution, according to the Newsroom Barometer, an annual survey of editors around the world, released Tuesday.

The second annual survey of 704 editors and senior news executives from 120 countries was conducted by Zogby International in March, and commissioned by Reuters and the World Editors Forum, a partner of the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project and also part of the World Association of Newspapers.

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Online ad growth slows in Australia

Online advertising in Australia continued to march ahead in the first quarter this year, albeit at a slower pace than over the previous four years, The Australian reported.

The total Internet ad market grew 30.8 percent to AU$385 million in the first three months. Compared with the same period last year, it dropped from a 51-percent increase in 2007.

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Digital radio listening rises in UK

As of Q1 2008, 31 percent of Britons ages 15 and older listened to the radio via a digital platform every week, including a digital audio broadcast on the radio, cable television or personal computer, according to the Radio Joint Audience Research estimates.

The growing audience also spent more time on digital radio. Weekly listening hours increased nine percent to reach 184 million in the first quarter, and digital radio now makes up 17.8 percent of all radio listening in the UK.

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GateHouse sells Arizona paper to News Media

News Media Corp. has bought the Arizona Silver Belt from GateHouse Media for an undisclosed amount, Editor & Publisher reported Tuesday.

“We did not see the Arizona operation as a good strategic or geographic fit and felt we could redeploy the capital more effectively elsewhere,” Michael Reed, GateHouse CEO said in a statement.

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Lexington Herald-Leader offers employee buyouts

The Lexington Herald-Leader Co. will offer buyout packages to employees in order to decrease its work force by an estimated four percent to deal with the decreasing advertising and circulation revenue, the Herald-Leader reported Wednesday.

Owned by the McClatchy Co., the Herald-Leader currently has 385 full-time employees and managers.

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