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Reflections of a Newsosaur

Musings (and occasional urgent warnings) of a veteran media executive, who fears our news-gathering companies are stumbling to extinction

Presidential picks, American Idol-styleYesterday

For all the care newspapers put into their presidential endorsements, a mere three out of 10 people are likely to pay them any heed, according to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press. If editors and publishers can overlook this seeming repudiation of their wisdom, they can build valuable new engagement with their readers – and non-readers – by taking a cue from American Idol. Rather

Youth-inized ChiTrib jolts core readersOctober 5

The new Chicago Tribune is a dumbed-down dud in the opinion of a passionate and dedicated group of core newspaper readers back in my hometown. There is an admitted bias to the critics, as each of the eight members of this impromptu focus group happens to be a journalist old enough to be a fellow alumnus of the Chicago Daily News, which ceased publication in 1978. But these friends and former

Beware false hope on newspaper salesOctober 3

Do you think the economy will be better in 2009 than it was in 2007? Me neither. So, how could the Newspaper Association of America predict that total advertising sales for the industry will drop by “only” 5.5% next year when they fell by 7.9% in 2007? Assuming newspaper sales follow historic trends, revenues this year are on track to slide to $39.9 billion, an unprecedented 11.5% plunge that

Strib default: What’s nextOctober 2

The sheriff is unlikely to show up soon to padlock the doors of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which reported today that bankruptcy is one of its options now that it failed for the second quarter in a row to pay the interest on its debt. As long as the newspaper generates enough sales to cover its operating expenses, it is safe to bet its lenders will forbear for one simple reason: They don’t

It's not the stupid economy, newspapersOctober 1

“The biggest thing we need right now is an improved economy, because at least 60% of the revenue problem we’re facing today is a good, old-fashioned economic recession,” says William Dean Singleton. We should be so lucky. But we’re not. The chief executive of the MediaNews Group was on the money when he told PaidContent.Org that an economic revival would be mighty welcome. But even the most