Newsrooms become like families, but companies in every industry reach a point where they face fundamental, sometimes harsh change in order to preserve their viability. We are at that point.
Robert Rivard • Editor of the San Antonio Express-News, in a memo to employees. The Express-News just laid off 75 people in their newsroom today. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Seventy-five. Do I need to write it again? Seventy-five. It’s not even the only news-industry layoff today. • source
The Chronicle’s screwed The San Francisco Chronicle, one of the largest papers in the country, has been bleeding money for years. It lost a modest $50 million last year. Yesterday, it told its staff that it either must cut costs significantly, including workers, or it will die. At the least, it will probably sell. source
The Chronicle’s screwed The San Francisco Chronicle, one of the largest papers in the country, has been bleeding money for years. It lost a modest $50 million last year. Yesterday, it told its staff that it either must cut costs significantly, including workers, or it will die. At the least, it will probably sell.
The industry sucks A long list of papers, including ones in major cities like Seattle and Denver, are also on death watch right now, and they may not make it through the next month, let alone the next year. Hate to say it, but Mark Andreessen is sounding more right by the day. source
Can I imagine content going behind a pay wall? Absolutely. And, yes, we are in conversations about that.
Tom Curley • The short-sighted, probably fat CEO of Associated Press who doesn’t see the big picture and wants to start charging for content. Good God, if the industry is thinking like this, maybe Marc Andreessen is onto something. • source
Stop the presses tomorrow. I’ll tell you what. The stocks would go up. Look at what’s happened to the stocks. This investors are through this. The investors are through the transition.
Marc Andreessen • The guy behind NCSA Mosaic, Netscape and Ning, talking about how newspapers should stop killing dead trees on Charlie Rose. Clearly, he’s optimistic. • source