Newspaper Revenue Falls at Its Slowest Pace in 6 Years
The newspaper industry's revenue declined at its slowest pace in six years, as publishers turned to new businesses and raised more money from online subscriptions.
NEW York Times
In Defense of Online Shopping (Delia Ephron, Listen Up)
Screenwriter Delia Ephron did not have a merry online Christmas shopping experience at J. Crew. But rather than complain about the company's customer service, she turned an op-ed column in the New York Times into a wide-ranging indictment of online shopping itself. Here's why she's wrong.
What to Watch This Week: Malls, Tech, Homes and Papers
With 2012's first earnings season well under way, let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead: Here's why you should be watching one major mall owner, two tech giants, three homebuilders and a couple of old media behemoths.
Newspapers: Going...Going...Gone!
For anybody who has followed the news over the past few years (probably on a computer), the long-awaited demise of newspapers shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But on Wednesday, the bell tolled once again for the printed word when the University of Southern California's Annenberg Center for the Digital Future offered a prophecy: Within five years, only four major daily papers will continue in print form.
Why Taxing the Rich Is Good for America
Last week, Warren Buffett wrote an incredible opinion piece in The New York Times asking the government to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, himself included. "My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress," he argued, and he's not alone in that view.
ATM Plus KGB? New Russian Cash Machines Detect Lies
A new Russian ATM will make customers pay for lying: A voice-measured polygraph to be installed in the electronic tellers of Russia's state-run Sberbank can tell if patrons are talking truth or hogwash in applying for a credit card or loan -- an anti-fraud weapon with roots in the old Soviet Union.
Buzzword of the Week: Tent Pole
In the testosterone-laden enclaves of America's business class, buzzwords tend to be a bit manly. Perhaps the best example is "tent pole," a term that refers to a company's most promising, prominent or profitable product -- except when it refers to its biggest problem.
New York Times's Web Subscriptions Won't Break the Bank
Wondering how much it will cost to read stories on The New York Times's website once the newspaper sets up its long-anticipated pay wall? While a final price hasn't been set yet, unidentified sources told Bloomberg News that it'll come to less than $20 per month.
Top Media Stories of 2010: Apple iPad, Howard Stern and WikiLeaks
With the launch of the Apple iPad, the retirement of Larry King and the ascension of WikiLeaks, 2010 was a year for the media history books. Here's columnist Jonathan Berr's list of the top media stories of the year.
Seven Classic Bad Calls in Business Journalism
Over and over, magazines and newspapers miss the truth about business by a mile. They're so consistently bad, in fact, that the media has been a leading contrary indicator of stock prices and business trends. Here are seven classic examples.
Tribune CEO Randy Michaels Expected to Resign This Week
Tribune CEO Randy Michaels is expected to resign after The New York Times reported he has fostered a sexist "frat house" culture at the news company. Employees said he encouraged sexual innuendo, profanity, poker parties and other bawdy behavior, according to the story.
Harvard Club Rejects Eliot Spitzer for Membership
CNN host Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor who resigned amid a prostitution scandal, was rejected for membership at the Harvard Club in New York City. The club rarely turns down qualified candidates, and Spitzer is a Harvard Law School graduate.
Beyond Free Wi-Fi: Starbucks Adds Free Internet News and Entertainment
Starbucks is launching a new digital network Wednesday that it says will give customers access to free e-books, movies and access to some paid news sites. The move is meant to attract customers and customer loyalty, and also to provide Starbucks with a new revenue stream.
Newspaper Earnings: Ad Sales Continue Three-Year Decline
Two newspaper companies, The New York Times Co. and McClatchy, both saw advertising revenues decline in the third quarter, compared to a year ago. And that's after last year's ad sales plunged from 2008.
Breakingviews Scandal Leaves Reuters's Ambitions in Tatters
In a scandal that raises troubling questions about journalistic ethics in the Web era, writers for Breakingviews, a media property owned by Thompson Reuters, failed to disclose that they owned shares in companies they wrote about.
Hearst CEO: Print Newspapers Will Survive
The rest of the industry may be envisioning an all-digital future, by Frank Bennack Jr., vice chairman and CEO of Hearst Corp. is sanguine about the prospects for dead-tree newspapers. "They'll be around as ink and paper for as long as the eye can see," Bennack said Monday.
How The Wall Street Journal Sounds Like Fox News
If you have any doubt that The Wall Street Journal is fast becoming steeped in the corporate culture of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., check these quotations. Like Fox News, it declares victory (prematurely) and expresses contempt for rivals.
Future Dweller Nick Bilton: Newspapers Can Learn From Porn
Nick Bilton's compulsive urge to multitask and unusual career path give him a unique perspective on the future of the media business. In a video Q&A, The New York Times writer talks about his new book, I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works.
Daily Blogwatch: The Best Loved S&P 500 Stock
Some of the best reads for investors from around the Web, including the stock with the best analyst rating on the Standard & Poor's 500, Bill Gates's 10 life rules and what the next Warren Buffett is buying.
NYT Earnings Rise: Does a Pay Wall Make Sense?
The New York Times Co. had mostly good news to report in its quarterly earnings on Thursday, but that good news casts doubt on the flagship newspaper's commitment to adopting a pay regime for its website at the start of next year.
Shhh: 10 Make-or-Break Trade Secrets
Every company promises a better product -- a better burger, a better search engine, a better hotel room. For these companies, their secret for a superior product is worth millions -- or even billions.
Do New York Times Writers Live in a Bubble?
At a panel discussion on the danger of the "digital mob," Lee Siegel and Deborah Solomon, two prominent journalists, almost started a melee of their own over how "protected" Times writers are from ugly comments on the Web.
Unemployment, Oil Spill Hurting Obama's Popularity
The Gulf oil spill and the unemployment picture have caught up to President Obama's poll ratings. According to a New York Times/CBS News survey, 54% of the public believes the president has no clear plan for job creation; only 34% of respondents say that he does.
The New Public Editor at The New York Times: Another White Dude
The public editor of The New York Times is meant to be the voice of its readers. But while the paper has had four public editors, it has yet to give the job to a woman or a minority.
Afghanistan Harbors $1 Trillion in Minerals
The New York Times reports that "The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself."
Hot Tweet: Don't Use 'Tweet,' New York Times Editor Tells Staff
New York Times standards editor Phil Corbett advises the paper's staff not to use the word "tweet" as a verb or noun, says The Awl.