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August 2003
- The San Diego Union-Tribune is laying off 102 employees
as it reorganizes its circulation department.
Source: SignonSanDiego.com 8-31-03
- People Still Don't Want to Pay for Content
Despite all the fervor over charging for online content
from publishers nothing has changed the fact that
people simply aren't interested in paying for it. Newspapers
are more than ready to charge, but their readers
are not interested in paying.
Source: OJR 8-28-03
- 98% Would Never Pay for a Blog
There appears to be even more resistance to paying
to read blogs than paying for other online content, according
to a Forrester Research survey. The study found that 98%
of people have never read a blog and 98% would
never want to write one. So far, the so-called blogging
phenomenon is more of a self-interest phenomenon --
the new medium is only interesting to the people who
actually blog themselves. In other words, only those
who write blogs will read blogs and care about blogs.
Source: Business2.0 8-28-03
- Laughed Out of Court
Fox News Channel's trademark lawsuit against
Al Franken's book Lies and the Lying Liars Who
Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right has been
dismissed by the judge who said the claim was
"wholly without merit - both factually and legally".
Sources: Guardian, AmericanDaily.com, Salon.com 8-27-03
- Bookpeople, a wholesaler of independent presses
and trade presses, has
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Source: PublishersWeekly 8-26-03
- Bloated Magazine Industry Headed for Collapse?
Magazine titles have increase from 2,000 to 6,000 since
1980 and the industry may due for a big correction.
Look for large numbers of magazine's ceasing publication
in the future. Magazine expert Samir Husni told Leanne Potts
of the Albuquerque Journal to expect "a lot of magazine
failures in coming years."
Source: ABQJournal 8-24-03
- Black Days for US Media
During the blackout, media companies in the Midwest and Northeast
struggled to get out publications, newspapers and newscasts.
Websites saw traffic levels drop as 50 million people had no
power to access them. And local media companies affected by the
blackout were unable to reach their powerless viewers.
Source: The Guardian 8-20-03
- Print Magazine Readership Dwindling
The number of print magazine subscribers has been declining the past
few years and print magazines have become even less appealing to
readers over the past few months. The circulation drop is widespread
among all categories of print magazines. Many publications have
seen a 15-30% circulation drop over the past 12 months.
Source: Newsday.com 8-19-03
- Blackout Drops U.S. Traffic
As one would expect, the number of web surfers
dropped by 20-30% during the large blackout
in the Midwest and Northeast portions of the
U.S. and part of Canada.
Source: AdWeek.com 8-18-03
- Penthouse magazine's publisher, General Media, has filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. However, the men's magazine will continue
to be published monthly.
Source: Mercury News, Media Life Magazine 8-14-03
- Singapore Press Holdings is ceasing publication of the
Straits Times Weekly Edition. SPH laid off 111 employees
in July.
Source: Channel NewsAsia 8-12-03
- Only 4% Read Weblogs
Jupiter Research reports that only about 4% of web
users actually bother to read weblogs. And most blog
readers (about 75%) have been online for 5 years or longer.
Source: CyberAtlas 8-9-03
- Future Comics is ceasing publication of their monthly titles.
Instead, the company will focus on its mass market trades.
Source: Silver Bullet Comic Books 8-7-03
- Cablevision Dumps Mag Rack Production Staff
Cablevision has fired the entire Mag Rack production
staff -- about 12 employees. Mag Rack develops and
retails consumer video magazines.
Source: New York Post 8-7-03
- Newspapers Crushed by Help Wanted Ad Losses
Newspapers have lost tons of revenues from diminished
help wanted ad revenues. The weak economy and competition
from job websites like Monster.com have contributed to the
huge losses. The Newspaper Association of America estimates
that newspaper help wanted ads have plummeted nearly 50% from
the $8.7 billion high in 2000.
Source: Associated Press 8-7-03
- Village Voice Media has laid off six editorial employees
from its New York office -- about 3% of the workforce.
Source: VillageVoice.com 8-5-03
- Inappropriate Ads from Google
Google is working to fix bugs in the text ad program
it outsources to publishers. Recently Google
served online New York Post readers a text ad for a
luggage dealer along with a story about a murderer who
packed the victim's body parts inside a suitcase.
Google plans to provide options to allow publishers to
remove inappropriate ads.
Source: New York Times 8-4-03
- Comcast Corp. is laying off 7,000 employees following
its 2002 acquisition of AT&T Broadband.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal 8-1-03
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