Media Watch

Cape Cod Times nails the tribe

Terrific photo by Steve Heaslip this morning at the un-dawn in Mashpee

By Walter Brooks

The Cape Cod Times ace photographer Steve Heaslip did the world a great service today by getting up very early and getting to a Mashpee beach before dawn on this very cold February day.

Steve's photo is in today's Cape Cod Times. Athough no members of the press were allowed by the Wampanoag tribe to attend today's "Sunrise Greeting Ceremony", Heaslip got a great photo from the distance of the D.O.I. Secretary and tribe members looking at a land mass across the waters, not the sun.

A look at a map suggests that what they saw was part of Osterville across the water.

Globe had another angle

Cedric Cromwell and Ken Salazar at sunrise. Mashpee Wampanoag photo.

The Boston Globe waited a while, and got a drop-dead great shot of Cedric Cromwell and Ken Salazar silhouetted against a brightening sky.

In a statement released this morning, Cedric Cromwell, Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag thanked Salazar for coming, saying "For the first time, we believe that our concerns are being heard, and we look forward to continuing the process of consultation until an acceptable outcome has been achieved."

We hope the secretary will return any other morning when the beach will be empty of sun-worshipers.

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Standard-Times website becomes paid on January 12

Rupert Murdoch said his newspapers would charge and our S.E. Mass daily is first
$3.37 a week, or 50 cents a day - Can The Cape Cod Times be far behind?

The Standard-Times in Southeast Massachusetts is the sister newspaper of the Cape Cod Times, and overseen by the Cape Cod Times Publisher Peter Meyer.

The Standard-Times announced last night that in a week it will no longer offer its content free online.

On January 12, 2010, the Standard-Times will charge $3.37 a week, or about 50 cents a day, to access what has been free since this award-winning news site pioneered online content a dozen years ago.

Murdoch warned us

Last Spring as the newspaper industry's revenues were in free fall, ending the year with a 26% loss over 2008, Rupert Murdoch, who owns the parent company of both the Cape Cod Times and the Standard-Times, said that he would soon charge for the content on all of his media products which include Fox TV and Fox News.

The statement on their website reads:

We're making some changes to our online news and information options that will change how you access these products. Beginning January 12, 2010, SouthCoastToday.com will become a subscription site.

The newspaper industry future is grim

The newspaper industry is predicted to lose another 26% of its revenue in 2010, but it can never make up those losses by charging for online content. Internet gurus say that its a decade too late to stop the free flow of news and information.

Tens of thousands of newspaper men and women have been laid off in the past decade, and thousands of them are now writing blogs online with free news and opinion.

In addition the nation's television stations, which were always free, are beefing up their online content which will remain also free to consumers.

New online newssites like this one are opening up all over the country, often owned and operated by local journalists who were laid off by that area's newspapers.

Age and ire may have finally caught up with Rupert Murdoch, arguably the most successful newspaperman of his generation.

Will you pay for online content?

Make a comment below. If you are now registered to do so, sign up at the top of our front page. It's free ans anonymous.

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If the Trade Publication dies, what's left for the industry?

'Editor & Publisher' to Cease Publication After 125 Years
The entire daily newspaper industry may follow

Editor & Publisher, the bible of the newspaper industry and a journalism instutution that traces its origins back to 1884, is shutting down, following an announcement by parent company The Nielsen Co.

The publication has been the bible of the newspaper industry for over a century.

An announcement, made by parent company The Nielsen Co., was made Thursday morning as staffers were informed that E&P, in both print and online, was shutting down.

The expressions of surprise and outpouring of strong support for E&P that has followed across the Web -- Editor & Publisher has even hit No. 4 as a Twitter trending topic -- raise the notion that the publication might yet continue in some form.

Nielsen Business Media, of which E&P was a part, has forged a deal with e5 Global Media Holdings, LLC, a new company formed jointly by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners, for the sale of eight brands in the Media and Entertainment Group, including E&P sister magazines Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Backstage, Billboard, Film Journal International and The Hollywood Reporter. E&P was not included in this transaction.

As news spread of E&P's fate, the staffers have been inundated with calls from members of the industry it covers, and many others, expressing shock and hopes for a revival. Staff members will stay on for the remainder of 2009.

Greg Mitchell, editor since 2002, has hailed the staff and their accomplishments. Some staff writers/editors have been at E&P for a quarter of a century. "I'm shocked that a way was not found for the magazine to continue it some form -- and remain hopeful that this may still occur," he said.

Editor & Publisher was launched in 1901 but traces its history to 1884 -- it merged with the magazine The Journalist, which had started on that earlier date.

Staff members can be contacted at:

gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com
cmckeown@editorandpublisher.com
smoynihan@editorandpublisher.com
jsaba@editorandpublisher.com
mfitzgerald@editorandpublisher.com
jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com
jrosenberg@editorandpublisher.com
rmatsuo@editorandpublisher.com

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Cape magazine for sale, but Worcester Telegram isn't

    NY Times takes Worcester  
    Telegram off the market
      Paid $296 million in 2000
      Offered $35 million for it today

Having given up on selling The Boston Globe, The New York Times Company said Monday that it had also decided not to sell another Massachusetts newspaper, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
   Two potential buyers had emerged for the Worcester paper, though it was not clear how much they were offering. A group led by Harry T. Whitin, a former Telegram & Gazette editor, and Ralph D. Crowley Jr., an executive of a bottling company (Polar Beverages), had been seen as the top contender for months. And recently, Jeff Greene, a billionaire real estate investor based in Florida, expressed interest in the paper, which has weekday circulation of 73,000... New York Times.

Cape Cod magazine for sale
Seeks partner in maritime guide

The magazine's web site states, "The Cape Cod Maritime Guide was created in 2005. The guide is a full color print product distributed Cape wide. The Maritime Guide is designed to feature businesses focusing on water related activities such as; kayaking, sailing, fishing, eco tours, or sight seeing."

The publisher, editor, sales manager and webmaster is Michael Mullaney who is looking to acquire an investor while retaining 51% control himself. The advertisement on Craigslist reads;

Magazine Partnership - $25,000 (Cape Cod)
Date: 2009-12-07, 1:17PM EST
Reply to: sale-8pczh-1499096121@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Cape Cod Magazine is seeking investing partner. This is a perfect match for an investor that may be seeking additional exposure in; print, web, and vertical marketing for their existing business. Or the investor is just interested in owning a magazine. The magazine has been on Cape for 5 years. To view our website go to www.capecodmaritimeguide.com or email Michael@capecodmaritimeguide.com. The other interesting feature of this magazine in that it can be replicated to other markets such as; Rhode Island, Maine Coast, North Shore Bean town, South Shore Bean town, and more. This magazine's model has growth potential . The publisher is willing to concede 49% of the company to the investing partner. The magazine is currently in good standing with virtually zero debt.
* Location: Cape Cod
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1499096121

See the ad on CapeCod.Craigslist here.

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Arianna smacks down Murdoch

Media guru Dan Kennedy tells us about Rupert Murdoch being much in the news of late for threatening to make his properties (Fox News, NY Post, Cape Cod Times, etc.) invisible to Google and to cut a deal with Google's leading competitor, Microsoft's Bing - the better to stop aggregators like Huffing Post from "stealing" his content.

Particularly entertaining is a video (above) of Arianna Huffington explaining to Murdoch how to insert a line of code that would stop Google from searching his sites.

Huffington and Murdoch spoke at a Federal Trade Commission workshop on the future of journalism.

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Cops raids newspaper offices; New GlobeReader adds puzzle and is puzzling

NYPD Raids Newspaper-Delivery Offices including Times & Post

A law enforcement official said the New York Police Department raided circulation offices at some of the nation's largest newspapers as part of a union corruption probe.
   The official says the offices of The New York Times, the New York Post, El Diario and the Daily News of New York were raided Tuesday.
   The law enforcement official said the newspaper delivery system around the city is under investigation and the news organizations are not involved.
   The 1,600-member union that delivers papers was previously accused by the Manhattan district attorney's office of being run by the mob... WSJ.

NYC's largest newspapers raided

The police raided the offices of New York City's three largest daily newspapers on Tuesday as part of an investigation into possible corruption within the union that delivers newspapers in the metropolitan area...
Another law enforcement official said the investigation would explore possible organized crime connections within the union... NY Times.

More on the cost of GlobeReader

What is the Boston Globe now charging if you want to get home delivery of the Sunday paper plus GlobeReader? When I called the subscription department yesterday, I got an answer that was so confusing I chose not to report it. But now it looks like rozzie02131 has figured it out.

The answer: $5 a week after an introductory offer. That's an increase of nearly 43 percent over the old price of $3.50. But the new GlobeReader is a lot better. And it still works out to half the cost of seven-day home delivery.

Interestingly, the Globe appears to have turned its pricing model upside-down. Previously, you got GlobeReader for free if you were a Sunday subscriber. Now - given that GlobeReader by itself costs $5 a week - you get the Sunday paper for free if you sign up for GlobeReader... MediaNation.
_____

New GlobeReader adds puzzle and is puzzling

The Boston Globe is taking its GlobeReader product in a different direction, and I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense.First, the good news: it's gotten better. GlobeReader now includes a feature that lets you copy or e-mail a link, just like the parent company's Times Reader. It's also added the crossword puzzle, comics, a weather map and TV listings.

Now for the not-so-good. Previously GlobeReader was free to all print subscribers, including those who took home delivery only on Sundays. Moreover, you couldn't have it for any price unless you were at least a Sunday subscriber. Given that the Globe reportedly earns some two-thirds of its revenues from the Sunday edition, the strategy seemed like a reasonably smart way of preserving the Sunday paper... MeddiaNation.

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Newspaper circulation is now in free fall

Here's the slippery slope scene for the past twenty years

You already read last week that the Boston Globe's circulation has dropped 18% in the last year, but the chart below from The Awl illustrates a longer free fall for the nations top circulation dailies. You have to scroll down a bit to see them all in the chart below.

A according to The Awl, some surprising trends were: the New York Post has the same circulation it had two decades ago, and the once-captivating battle of the New York City tabloids has become completely moot.

What AWL called unsurprising trends were: the Los Angeles Times is an absolute horrorshow. Not shown: the Boston Globe disappearing off the bottom of this chart, in a two decade decline from 521,000 in 1990 to 264,105 this year. Also now shown is our own daily newspaper who's circulation has dropped 20,000 in the same period which the area's population has growth 30%.

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Newsday columnist quits when newspaper charges for his column

Columnist Quits After Newsday Starts Charging for Its Web Site

There aren't many journalists walking away from paying jobs these days. With news organizations struggling and newsroom jobs disappearing, each week brings new calls from writers and editors who believe their flagging employers should save themselves by charging for Internet access.

So count Saul Friedman a contrarian twice over.

Mr. Friedman, who had written a column for Newsday since 1996, quit last week over the paper's decision to require some readers to pay for access to its Web site.... NY Times.

In his note to Romenesko's  journalism colum, at the Poynter Institute, the columnist wrote:

From SAUL FRIEDMAN: Your readers may wish to know this: After 13 years of writing "Gray Matters" for Newsday and the McClatchy Trib service, and more than 50 years in newspaper journalism, (for Knight-Ridder and Newsday), I have severed relations with Newsday and will write for Ronni Bennett's Time Goes By.

I will write the weekly Gray Matters as well as a twice monthly essay, "Reflections."

The main reason: The new owners of Newsday, Cablevision, have shut
off access to its web site, even to me. It is available only to Newsday subscribers or to subscribers to Cablevision's ISP. Thus I cannot send my columns to people who don't subscribe to Newsday. And if it is picked up by Google or Yahoo, it would not be accessible.

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A newsroom subsidized? Minds reel, NY Times cuts 100 in newsroom

"Those of us who work in traditional media have spent a fair amount of time wondering what part of the implosion in advertising revenue is cyclical (ad buying is suffering because of the recession) and what part is secular (we're making horse buggies)."

By Walter Brooks

The number of newspaper editorial employees grew to 60,000 in 1992, from 40,000 in 1971, and is now driving back to 40,000 in 2009, with no real bottom in sight.

That's the way David Carr's column in today's New York Times begins, and it goes downhill from there.  The only good news was that although the McClatchy Company's advertising revenue fell 28.1 percent in the third quarter, it had a net income of $23.6 million in the quarter, it was a huge improvement over the $4.2 million a year earlier, but the reason the balance sheet cleaned up so nicely was because the company eliminated more than 30 percent of its work force in the 18 months.

Carr went on to write, "The beginnings of an answer came on Thursday, when Google announced that search advertising had come roaring back and said that stronger-than-expected third-quarter results suggested the global economy might be coming back. Net income rose 27 percent in the third quarter as strong advertising sales, most all of it from search, increased revenue 7 percent."

First layoff in NY Times history
8% of newsroom staff is cut

The New York Times plans to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs - about 8 percent of the total - by year's end, offering buyouts to union and nonunion employees, and resorting to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily, the paper announced on Monday... Business Insider.

Printing presses and buggy whips

Mr. Carr and other foresighted media critics whose heads are not buried in the sand have long seen the steady march towards new media from the old as newspaper subscribers die off and are not replaced by generations now comfortable with getting their information free and fast online.

The news business model is no different from that which established radio, television and cable in the recent past.

Advertising, eagerly paid by businesses wishing to reach the active consumers who get their news online.

Readers like you.

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Ban Pink

Local weeklies discover way to make reading difficult
Dark pink newsprint annoys subscribers, defeats purpose

By Walter Brooks.

Many years ago when I worked for The Cape Codder, I wrote what I hoped was a humorous, tongue-in-cheek column proposing to set up a local non-profit to work toward the outlawing of the use of the color pink on Cape Cod houses.

The organization's proposed name was "Ban Pink, Inc."

That was decades ago when the best and the brightest were eager to become newspaper men and women.  Today those left in the business don't know how to use a very pale shade of pink ink to make a statement without obscuring the entire publication when they want to call attention to an event by using that color.

Those of you who still subscribe to one of the GateHouse newspapers printed in Massachusetts discovered the truth of that statement this week when a benighted executive at GateHouse had all his newspapers printed on a fairly dark shade of pink newsprint which of course cut down greatly the contrast between the type and its background making reading the newspaper a chore rather than a pleasure.

The publisher's face should be red, not his reader's faces in the photos

No one suggests that GateHouse not help promote breast cancer awareness. The issue is the incompetence of those who do not know how to do that without making the very stories they wish to promote more difficult to read.

And why GateHouse feels it can drastically alter the appearance of all its paid ads this way and still expect to be paid for them simply boggles the mind.

In the past the executive making these decisions would have known how much easier and less expensive it would have been to use a pale shade of pink ink on the front page and features dealing with breast cancer awareness without covering the photos and ads and everything else in the process.

No one suggests that GateHouse not help promote breast cancer awareness. The issue is the incompetence of those who do not know how to do that without making the very stories they wish to promote more difficult to read.

And the old media wonders why the are losing readers.

This stupidity is coupled by a reduction in  the type size of the newspaper's body text.

I recall a time in the 1970s when newspapers were experimenting with various type sizes as well.

Then it wasn't a case of cramming more words into the ever diminishing pages of newspapers as is the case today, but a effort to discover what type size readers found most comfortable to read.

When the industry came to a conclusion, the then-publisher of The Cape Codder Malcolm Hobbs, increased his newspaper type size a little larger still because he knew a significant portion of his readers were retired and probably needed a larger type size to read his newspaper with ease.

The Cape Codder's paid circulation rose in double digits annually back then as well and topped at over 16,000 before the newspaper was sold to what is GateHouse media today.

Malcolm's Rhode's 19 sloop had a quarterboard on the stern which read "Sic transom," a play on the Latin phrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" or "so passes the glory of this world".

Today he would have changed it to "Sic transit gloria media."

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