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25 Feb 2009 10:54

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Biz, U.S.: More newspaper death and destruction – in San Francisco

  • 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

03 Feb 2009 10:23

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U.S.: Obama’s planning a media blitz. Wait, he wasn’t in the midst of one?

  • He’s granting interviews to everyone. Barack Obama, who’s pretty popular right now, wants to get his face on TV as much as possible in the next couple of days to push forward his economic stimulus plan. He’s facing some resistance from in Congress due to Republicans complaining about added pork. He wants the stimulus to pass, dudes. source

27 Jan 2009 18:16

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Biz: Journos to world: Forget corporations. Let’s buy a newspaper!

  • OK, it’s not fancy, but it’s there. Some enterprising anonymous person has put up a kinda-clever jab at the newspaper industry’s impeding self-destruction. “Let’s Buy a Newspaper” is looking for a pool of donations to buy some of the many newspapers currently on the market. Tops on the list? The Miami Herald, which is in a pretty cruddy part of the country economy-wise, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which faces a 60-day death march if it isn’t sold. Pssh, forget newspapers, guys! Starting your own blog is where it’s at. source

12 Jan 2009 22:14

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Biz, U.S.: The Seattle P-I tries being frank with its audience

  • Right now, I’m determinedly positive, but I’m not completely unrealistic. The chances of the arrival of a savior are not great.
  • David McCumber • Managing editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which will likely close if it doesn’t find a buyer in the next 60 days. McCumber is starting a dialogue with the community online in an attempt to shed light on the possible shuttering of a big-city newspaper • source

08 Jan 2009 09:35

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Tech: This was my favorite magazine when I was a kid

  • EGM is shutting down Electronic Gaming Monthly was a long-running magazine about video games. They’ve published since 1989, in the days of Megaman and Sonic the Hedgehog. Their last issue will be the January 2009 one. source
  • EGM is shutting down Electronic Gaming Monthly was a long-running magazine about video games. They’ve published since 1989, in the days of Megaman and Sonic the Hedgehog. Their last issue will be the January 2009 one.
  • The Web site remains EGM’s web destination, 1UP.com, is pretty popular itself and will stick around. Ziff-Davis, the magazine’s publisher, will sell the site to competitor UGO. 30 jobs will be lost from the EGM divestment. Game over. source

07 Jan 2009 15:57

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Tech: We want you to help newspapers, Google. Thanks for the thought.

  • We’d like to help them better monetize their customer base. We have tools that make that easier. I wish I had a brilliant idea, but I don’t.
  • Eric Schmidt • Google CEO, on the company’s desire to help newspapers get out of their funk. He means well, grizzled old journos. • source

01 Jan 2009 12:04

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About: on the state of journalism in 2008

  • I have never seen so many senior newspaper executives so depressed and frightened for their future.
  • Drew Davis • American Press Institute President and Executive Director • source
 

01 Jan 2009 12:03

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About: 2008: journalism’s year of bloodshed

  • 15,558 total job cuts (at least) source

01 Jan 2009 12:02

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About: media companies felt the loss along with journos

  • 60-90% loss in value at publicly-traded newspapers this year source