Newspapers

The rise of cheap imports, technological advancements and the financial crisis have collectively delivered harsh blows to many U.S. industries. IBISWorld is out with a list of 10 American industries that have been hardest hit.

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.

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.

News Corp. has launched The Daily, a newspaper specifically designed for the Apple iPad and other tablet computers. The e-paper's premier edition has attracted kudos for visuals, but mixed reviews on content. The burning question: Will it attract paying readers?

News Corp. more than doubled its earnings for the fiscal second quarter, the company announced Wednesday. Part of the gain comes from a settlement charge a year earlier, which dampened year-ago earnings on a one-time basis. The company also is considering selling MySpace.

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.

Warren Buffett says he will step down as a longtime boardmember of The Washington Post when his term ends in May. But he has no plans to sell Berkshire Hathaway's shares of the company.

Google is considering a plan to expand its Android newsstand -- and heat rivalry with Apple's iTunes -- by charging publishers a lower price to sell news to Android users than the 30% fee that Apple typically charges to sell apps on iTunes. Will that be enough to attract more news?

This year, for the first time, advertisers have spent more online than they have on print newspaper ads. Digital-marketing research firm eMarketer said U.S. spending on online ads will reach $25.8 billion in 2010, compared with $22.8 billion on print ads, The Wall Street Journal said....

Although many media pundits have declared that newspapers are in a death spiral, group buying may -- just may -- have an antidote. This business is a perfect fit for the existing newspaper sales force, which has a deep Rolodex of local customers.