Fair 48.0°F Fair [Forecast] :: Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Vacation Info Wedding Info Kids/Parents NEW! Pets

Media Watch

This is a journal of media matters for Cape Cod. It is dedicated to the memory of Justice William Brennan who said, "It is from the First Amendment that all our other Liberties flow."
Please visit these local CapeCodToday sponsors:
Pelham House Resort
Cape Cod’s finest fractional or whole ownership resort. 400 ft of private beach, overlooking Nantucket Sound. Spectacular views, salt water pool, private balconies, tennis court, and more! Shares starting under $50K; ownership starting under 200K. (Dennis)
Newbury Street South Salon & Spa
An ideal place to escape! Our commitment is that our team of professionals will provide the highest level of service for hair, nails, facials, massage, waxing and more. Specials available. (Harwich)

Newspaper quotes of the year

2008 was the worst year for newspapers since Gutenberg invented movable type.

Bad times are a breeding ground for memorable quotes, and the past year had a bumper crop. Below are a few of my favorite, but I'd love to hear any favorites you have heard.

"It is critical that we not panic and lose confidence in our assets. Rather, we need to weather the economic storm and make sure we have dominant, local franchises in our markets positioned to grow when the cycle does turn."
  - GateHouse Media CEO Mike Reed on second-quarter conference call with analysts.

"GateHouse Media stock could be worthless."
  - Morningstar analyst Tom Corbett, writing when GateHouse (OTC: GHSE.PK) shares were trading for a little more than $1. GHSE.PK opened Monday at 4 cents a share.

"Fitch believes more newspapers and newspaper groups will default, be shut down and be liquidated in 2009 and several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010."
  - Fitch Ratings credit analyst Mike Simonton in report on prospects for the media and entertainment sectors.

"The McClatchy Co. stock could be worthless."
  - Morningstar analyst Tom Corbett, writing when McClatchy (30 major daily newspapers like the Miami HeraldI) shares were trading at about $2. MNI opened Monday at 82 cents a share.

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

"There is so much media now with the Internet and people, and so easy and so cheap to start a newspaper or start a magazine, there’s just millions of voices and people want to be heard."
  - Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of NewsCorp.

"F--- you."
   -Tribune Co. CEO and Chairman Sam Zell to Orlando Sentinel photographer Sara Fajardo on his getting-acquainted tour of Tribune properties.

2 comments
Blog posts and comments are entirely the thoughts and ideas of the people who write them and in no way represent the views of CapeCodToday.com, eCape, Inc., or its employees or owners.

01/05/09 @ 11:58 am
Solon [Member] writes:
I love the way Murdoch says it's "so cheap to start a newspaper or start a magazine." That's easy for a zillionaire to say. Everything's in the point of reference.

Anybody know what prompted Sam Zell to react so? Or didn't he need a reason? Or was it a question about the Tribune going down the tubes? Maybe Murdoch is interested.
01/13/09 @ 3:51 pm
bamboo1964 [Member] writes:
When digging the grave for print media, it is worth noting that it can be avoided if they would do a couple of things.

First - STOP giving everything away for FREE online. It makes no sense to cannibalize your print editions for the sake of online.

Second - Learn how to effectively use the Web, with podcasts, video and stuff to augment print.

Third - Advertise. That's right, advertise. When times get tight, that's when it is time to advertise, not pull back. The industry as a whole needs to remind Americans that much of what is available online is unfiltered opinion and blogs and not legitimate news developed by credentialed journalists.

Print media can survive in some form, if only it will evolve and correct poor decisions made in haste.
Please visit these local CapeCodToday sponsors:
Campari's Community Works
A foundation helping kids through community events. Visit our site for events, monthly photos and see how you can help our local kids and their community. (Chatham)
Rebecca Brown, Photographer
A full-service studio with the creative talent and training to create for you stunning, candid images of your family and children here on the Cape. The choice for Naturally Elegant Photography on Cape Cod. (Yarmouth)
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR COMMENTORS & BLOGGERS: CapeCodToday now requires a one-time validation of your account email. When logging in or registering for the first time, you will be emailed a link to click that will validate your email and complete your login. The link in the email must be clicked in the same session when you are logged into the site for security purposes (i.e. retrieve the email right away and do not close your web browser).

This is a one-time-only process (or if you change the email on your account), and will help CCToday keep out the spammers. If you cannot validate your email because it is invalid, and you are a legitimate user, feel free to contact us and we will update your account to your current email.

Please Login or Register to leave a comment. There are 3,190 registered commenters!

CapeCodToday requires readers register an account with us in order to post comments. Become a trusted commenter and receive the benefits of posting instantly throughout the site. It's quick and easy!

Please note: If you are a CapeCodToday registered blogger, you can use your blogger login. Your login for the blogs is separate from your CapeCodToday main site login (if you have one).

Previous/Next posts in this blog

About This Blog

hat135Up-starts, up-smarts, other cranks & dilettantes adorn a media scene once renown for excellence, so this journal will attempt to point out the more obvious foibles and triumphs of the local press to our gentle readers and fellow Cape Codders.

- site sponsors -


CCT Blog Tools

Login to comment or manage your blog:

Username: 

Password:     

Become a CapeCodToday Blogger!

Are you passionate about your community? Do you blog or at least harbor thoughts of doing so?

If so, CapeCodToday.com would like to host your blog on our CapeCodToday weblog publishing platform.

Blog Newsfeed

CapeCodToday uses standard web "newsfeeds" (RSS) to automatically update the latest blog entries in your browser or newsreader.

Use any of the links below in your newsreader or web browser to get "Media Watch" postings delivered to you, or use the RSS icon in your browser's address bar.

RSS 2.0 Atom 0.3