What does post-newspaper journalism look like?

What would happen if a major U.S. city was suddenly without a daily newspaper?

On the Media’s Bob Garfield posed that idea, which seems increasingly possible these days, to CUNY Professor Jeff Jarvis.

Jarvis, who made the rounds this weekend after his appearance at 'Of the Press: Models for Preserving American Journalism,' a three-day conference at the Aspen Institute, shares his thoughts on his BuzzMachine blog.

Among the topics discussed last week in Aspen: ways to make content profitable again, free vs. paywall models, and how the news industry is in for several years of experimentation as it develops new business models and experiments with new revenue opportunities.

On Editor & Publisher, Steve Outing shared highlights from the conference: The Future of News, Viewed From Aspen's Rarefied Atmosphere.

The Aspen event was live-streamed and can still be seen at The Aspen Institute's site.

You can follow Jarvis as he continues to discuss his ideas on Twitter:
@JeffJarvis

And it was just announced this morning that Jarvis will be taking his thoughts to a world stage at 'Is World Journalism in Crisis?' in England in October.

American City Business Journals gets new CEO

According to Editor & Publisher, Whitney Shaw will be taking the place of his late father as chief executive officer and president of American City Business Journals, with his brother Kirk Shaw acting as vice president and chief financial officer.
The announcement was made on Monday. Whitney Shaw previously presided as ABCJ's senior vice president and president of ACBJ's sports publishing division.
Ray Shaw passed away July 19 after complications from a bee sting. He purchased ABCJ in 1989 and served as its chairman for 20 years. The news organization has 40 different print business journals and has published over 1.25 million business news articles since 1996.
View the story here.

Times Union cuts workers

New York's Times Union announced the layoffs of 15 full-time employees, including editors, a Times Union story said.
Included in the cuts was business editor and weekly columnist, Marlene Kennedy, senior editor and the newspaper's reader representative, Monica Bartoszek, and sports editor Bill Callen.
According to the story, most employees were notified Monday and Tuesday and the layoffs were effective immediately.

View the story here.

Tribune Co. revenue drops

According to Editor & Publisher, Tribune Company's revenue has dropped almost a quarter in its first five months under bankruptcy protection. Its profit margins have also been cut by over half compared to its margins of last year. The Tribune filed for bankruptcy reorganization in Dec. 2008.
Tribune Co.'s operating receipts have fallen 14 percent from the start of the year to May 31, the article says. The publisher and broadcaster still remains cash-flow positive, bringing in $112 more than it spent during the five-month period.
Since going private, the Tribune Co. has expanded local programming while launching new products and revamping older ones in order to make major expense cuts.
View the article here.

What do you think of Tribune Co.'s drop in revenue? Has it affected you? Comment and let us know.

Gannett to cut 1,400 jobs

The Associated Press reported today that Gannett Co. plans to cut 1,400 jobs this month. That is about 3 percent of its total work force.
Bob Dickey, head of the company's newspaper division, informed staff of the layoffs in a letter Wednesday.
The majority of layoffs will come by July 9, he said.
The move follows a 10 percent cut at Gannett last year, which left the company with about 41,500 employees.
View the story here.

New COO for Pioneer Newspapers Inc.

Editor & Publisher reports that Mark Cohen, former vice president of advertising for Gatehouse Media in New England, has been appointed chief operating officer for Seattle-based Pioneer Newspapers Inc.

He takes over the post from Mike Gugliotto, who was named president and CEO of Pioneer newspapers in January.
Cohen has more than 25 years of experience in newspapers. Previous positions include director of sales and marketing for Morris Newspapers, and he was a vice president at Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.

AP will lower newspaper fees and increase online revenue

The Associated Press hopes to negotiate more licensing deals with Web sites while lowering fees for U.S. newspapers, Chief Executive Tom Curley said Tuesday.

The AP is trying to find new sources of revenue to offset reduced income from newspapers and broadcasters.

In addition to having an increased interest in online advertising, the AP is again lowering its cost to U.S. papers next year.

The AP had lowered U.S. newspapers by $30 million this year. The AP will now reduce fees by a total of $45 million for newspapers and broadcasters next year, Curley said.

AP's actions are a response to a shift of more ads to less-expensive alternatives on the Internet. Its four largest online deals are now with Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and AOL.

Get the full story here.

Miami Herald appoints new biz editor

In the midst of a economic downturn, reporters on The Miami Herald's business desk are working to tell the story about how the economy effects its readers.
And now they'll have a new editor leading the charge - Jane Wooldridge, a 26-year newsroom veteran who was appointed to the lead biz role this week.
Wooldridge is currently the paper's travel editor. A story in the Herald says that she was chosen for "her combination of long service to the newspaper, experience with entrepreneurial projects, knowledge of the business community and strength of new ideas for the section."
From the story:

"Wooldridge said she foresees no dramatic change in the section's direction. "The core stories that we have told we will continue to tell rigorously. We want stories that are useful and relevant to readers."

Philly papers to charge for online content

By the end of this year, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News will charge for online content.
In a Reuters story, Brian Tierney, chief executive of the company that owns the papers, also said he has plans to take on Google over possibly getting money for Philadelphia Media Holdings from its content that resides on the search engine’s site.
From the story:

"In the case of the Philly papers, Tierney’s company is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization proceedings. With the company’s life on the line and a $53 million newsroom to run, what’s the harm in trying?"

Hopkins to halt Gannett Blog

Jim Hopkins, founder of Gannett Blog, announced that he will cease the publication on Oct. 1.
The blog, which was founded in 2007 and chronicles stories about Gannett Co. and its employees, gained immerse popularity quickly after it was launched. Currently, its readers are projected to post more than 50,000 comments in a 12-month period.
But Hopkins says the tone of the blog has changed as employees fear for their jobs and worry over troubles in the newspaper industry.
And he added that Gannett Blog was intended only as a short-term project.
Hopkins plans to freeze the blog in October and leave all content up. He predicts and hopes another blogger will pick up where he left off.
From the blog:

"I intend to lock the blog in place, with all content and comments visible. No more comments will be allowed, nor removed. Basically, Gannett Blog will become a point-in-time snapshot of a Fortune 500 company in transition. I hope to find a permanent custodian for the content, in lieu of Google's Blogger division."

Making lemonade out of newspaper dispensers

The New York Times recently ran a story on artists and entrepreneurs capitalizing on the newest casualties of the struggling news industry-newspaper and flyer dispensers.
The dispensers have been transformed into everything from flower planters to digital displays that show the front page morning news.
Perhaps media organizations should take the cue and think of ways to make their products and distribution more environmentally and socially beneficial.
View the story here.

What do you think about the dispenser makeovers? Comment and tell us!

Top newspaper execs meet to discuss charging for online content

According to The Atlantic, the nation's top newspaper executives will be coming together to discuss charging for online content at a hotel near Chicago today.
The Models to Monetize Content meeting, said to be organized by Newspaper Association of America and led by Barbara Cohen, will reportedly include executives from Advance Publications, The Associated Press, E.W. Scripps, Freedom Communications Inc., Gannett, Hearst Newspapers, Lee Enterprises, McClatchy, MediaNews Group,The New York Times Co. and Philadelphia Media Holdings.

The decisions made at this meeting could indelibly change the face of the media landscape to come. While some journalists are cheering the prospect of being paid for online content, many readers are still uncertain of online content's value and the ability of newspapers to offer more worth beyond their print editions.
James Warren's perspective on the meeting and the industry as a whole is similar to that of many journalists' today-simultaneously cynical and optimistic. From the story:

Now, more than ever, is a time for creativity and nerve, not just hunkering down and crossing fingers that safe harbor will appear on the horizon. It's a wonderful and important product, vital to American communities. Unlike a lot of jobs, you can look yourself in the mirror and know you're doing some good. Many newsrooms remain filled with a sense of mission even amid the looming dread.

View the story here.

How do you feel about the meeting and charging for online content? Comment and let us know.

Still hope for newspapers

In a recent Forbes.com article, Lauren Rich Fine, director of research at ContentNext Media, urges newspapers employees to expand their boundaries and challenge current media norms with creative alternatives in order to prolong their longevity.
"The world is changing. Newspapers need to change with it," said Fine who also is a practitioner in residence at Ohio’s Kent State University College of Communication & Information.
Fine suggests media companies re-vamp their community relationships by having reporters interact more with residents. Also, newspapers can add value to their content for the communities they serve by embracing new media options for better engagement.

News Corp. posts results; newspaper division hit hard

News Corporation released its first quarter results Thursday, showing an operating profit of $755 million, down 47 percent from the previous quarter.
The newspaper division, however, was hit particularly hard, according to The New York Times:

The company’s newspapers in particular had a dismal performance. Newspaper operating income fell to just $7 million for the quarter that ended March 31, from $216 million a year earlier. Advertising revenue at The Journal fell 33 percent. News Corporation took a large write-down for the quarter that ended Dec. 31 to reflect the decline in the value of The Journal.

Chairman Rupert Murdoch remained optimistic, saying, "It is increasingly clear that the worst is over... The days of precipitous declines are gone."
Murdoch also stated that at least some News Corp. outlets will begin to charge for content online soon, according to Editor & Publisher.

In a conference call with analysts and journalists after the release of the media and entertainment giant's quarterly results, Murdoch said The Wall Street Journal has proven newspapers can charge for online content.
Asked specifically if he envisioned charging readers for that content from his general interest newspapers such as The Times of London or The Sun, Murdoch replied, "We are absolutely looking at that. Very much so."

As for a general time frame, Murdoch said that some newspapers should begin charging within the next year.

Click here for the Times article, and here for the Editor & Publisher article.

WSJ interactive map: "Pressure on the Presses"

The Wall Street Journal has an interactive map that details some of the hits the top 50 U.S. newspapers have taken between 2006 and 2009. A detailed chart also lists the same information for the top 100 newspapers. From job cuts to revenue losses to shutdowns, the multimedia piece illuminates the trouble the industry has faced in recent years.

For the piece click here.

Wired editor on free media

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired, talks about his new book and his notion that media companies can succeed in today's marketplace by charging consumers little or nothing, in the December issue of Media magazine.

He compares online tools and software to the media market and says music and video games will become free. He states that nobody wants to read an entire book online...we have to agree with that.
Anderson also comments on the newspaper and magazine model, saying "Most media has always been free to air. They say that if you understand why they sell newspapers in boxes that don't limit the number of copies you can take, you understand the newspaper business. They aren't selling newspapers. They're selling audiences to advertisers. [Magazines] charge a nominal price that is as close to zero as possible to incentivize the largest number of people to subscribe, but not so close to zero that it makes the product look de-valued. But it has no relation to the underlying costs."
Read the entire article here.

FCC to vote on media ownership

The Federal Communications Commission could approve a proposal today that would overturn a 32-year-old ban and allow broadcasters in the nation's largest media markets to also own a newspaper, according to the Associated Press.
The plan is from Republican Chairman Kevin Martin who says the change is a "relatively minor loosening" of the rule.
Cross-ownership was banned by the FCC more than 30 years ago to promote diversity and economic competition.
The Associated Press reports that under Martin's proposal, "one entity would be permitted to own a newspaper and one broadcast station in the same market. But it must be among the 20 largest in the nation and following the transaction, at least eight independently owned-and-operated media voices must remain. In addition, the television station may not be among the top four in the market."
To read the full report click here.

Can Murdoch save newspapers?

Diane Mermigas, Editor-at-large at MediaPost, contemplates today about Rupert Murdoch's ability to save newspapers now that he has The Wall Street Journal in his hands. Mermigas says Murdoch's advantage is that he understands and embraces the notion of a global media landscape. He is able to envision possible digital applications of many currently undervalued, and often overlooked, assets.
While many publishers are expected to post a decline in revenues for the year, "News Corp.’s newspaper holdings are growing profits better than 25% annually to more than $650 million on $4.5 billion in revenues (and a 15% margin). It must be doing something right."
Read more from Mermigas here.

Snippets: Murdoch interviewed on Fox News

Shareholders approved News Corp's purchase of Dow Jones today. Rupert Murdoch then appeared on Fox News.

Snippets from the interview...

• He plans to develop international editions of The Wall Street Journal.

• In regard to competition with The New York Times: "We are a long way in front now."

• Despite the success of the WSJ.com paid subscriber model, Murdoch talks of making the site free saying they'll cover the subscription revenue by increasing total online circulation (viewers) resulting in greater online advertising revenue. More eyes, more ad dollars.
  

• On how to get young people reading newspapers again: "Make newspapers better and more exciting."

• On making articles shorter: Murdoch wants to "keep the paper busy." Perhaps break stories in parts, "guts on the front page" and the rest inside.

• On Fox Business Network: "It's going well." Dow Jones and Fox Business Network will help each other.

Murdoch also talked politics and shared views on the writers' strike and its impacts on the industry.