How are readers finding the news? Well, increasingly, the answer is Facebook. The social networking site, which boasts well over 350 million registered users, is now the fourth largest referral source of traffic to online news destinations. Almost a year ago, only 0.5% of traffic to news and media sites came from Facebook. Today, that level is 3.5%, according to data from Web analytics firm Experian Hitwise.

Only Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO) and MSN (MSFT) send more traffic to news sites. Google News, a subset of the search engine giant, failed to keep pace with Facebook, despite the fact that it exists specifically to send Internet users to media outlets. Only 1.39% of referrals came from this source.

Continue reading Facebook Grows as a Source for News

Facebook Grows as a Source for News originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The recent announcement by the New York Times (NYT) that it would start to require subscriptions next year has drawn no shortage of attention and commentary. It has tried to put content behind a pay wall before (and failed), as have other newspapers.

Almost universally, newspapers have struggled with online subscriptions, with the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal, a News Corp (NWS) property, the only two that have really delivered results better than awful. Whether the New York Times can operate at that level is in doubt, particularly given the stunning realization about Long Island daily newspaper Newsday.

Continue reading Newsday Shows Future of Online Subscription Model

Newsday Shows Future of Online Subscription Model originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times

Continue reading Twitter Starting to Pop Up in Ad Deals

Twitter Starting to Pop Up in Ad Deals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This winter, a bit more of New York is headed to Florida. Layoffs for 2010 have already been announced for the New York Times Company(NYT). The New York Times News Service will lose 25 editorial positions next year and shift the service's editing to one of the parent company's Florida newspapers. At present, the news service has 30 editorial jobs. Some of the layoffs will occur in February, and the others will happen in May.

These layoffs are not included in the planned slashing of 100 jobs in the flagship newspaper's newsroom -- a workforce reduction of 8% that should take hold by the end of the year. The NY Times is also ceasing pension contributions for nonunion employees.

Continue reading NYT News Service migrates after cut

NYT News Service migrates after cut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Vibe, the urban music magazine, is clawing its way back to life. New owners and editors are trying to make the magazine a success reality again, and they are making the web a priority ... which shouldn't be news but is for an ailing print industry.

The new editor-in-chief, Jermaine Hall, told AdAge that "Vibe.com is really the hub," and that everything needs to point back to the online presence. The print publication will be just one part of the Vibe Lifestyle Network, a move we're also seeing with the likes of Rolling Stone, where the website is being brought back into the fold (and may actually get some resources).

Continue reading Vibe makes a comeback, realizes internet is important

Vibe makes a comeback, realizes internet is important originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The mayhem in the media industry continues. The Wall Street Journal, a News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS) property, is closing its Boston bureau and sending nine employees into the wind. The newswire and MarketWatch operations are going to stay open in Boston, however, with no headcount impact.

The Journal doesn't have any plans to close other offices, according to a memo by managing editor Robert Thomson: "there are no plans, nascent or otherwise, to close any other U.S. or international bureau." The WSJ will still support an "investigative function" in Boston, but the New York-based Money and Investing team will cover Boston's mutual fund industry, which boasts such heavy hitters as Fidelity.

At the same time, magazine company Time Inc., owned by Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) is looking to cut $100 million in expenses, and layoffs will undoubtedly figure into the equation. The company that owns Time, Fortune, People and Sports Illustrated - and falls under the same umbrella as AOL, which owns BloggingStocks - is feeling the squeeze of a media recession that's even worse than the regular recession we've all been battling for what feels like decades.

Continue reading Time and WSJ to lay off more

Time and WSJ to lay off more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The folks in the news business are probably growing to hate Mondays. Gannett's (NYSE: GCI) profits are off by more than 50%, and the New York Times announced that it's chopping 100 jobs from the newsroom, along with an unspecified number elsewhere in the newspaper. Like Gannett, the New York Times cites declines in ad revenue as the reason for the decision. The company is hoping that employees will take voluntary buyouts where offered, but it is prepared to conduct a round of layoffs if necessary.

The newspaper, which is the flagship property of the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), cut 100 newsroom positions last year, mostly through voluntary buyouts, before a "relatively small" round of layoffs. This year's 100-job cut is approximately 8% of the newsroom, but the paper will still have the largest in the United States. Approximately 1,150 reporters and editors will remain. Already, 100 jobs have been slashed on the business side, leaving it now staffed at 1,850.

Continue reading New York Times to cut 100 newsroom positions

New York Times to cut 100 newsroom positions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gannett (NYSE: GCI) lost more than half its third-quarter profits year-over-year, as the newspaper industry shows yet another sign of decline. A substantial drop in ad revenue was the primary reason for the plunge.

The newspaper giant was able to stay in the black because of aggressive cost cutting, a move that can work for only so long. For now, it's the most popular option available to the beleaguered industry, as evidenced by a New York Times (NYSE: NYT) announcement that it would slash another 100 positions from the newsroom, and more positions elsewhere.

Continue reading Gannett profit falls by more than half

Gannett profit falls by more than half originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After months of speculation and years of underperformance, the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) has decided not to sell the Boston Globe and related businesses. The company claims that the changes made at the Globe to slash expenses and right the ship financially have made it worth holding on to the newspaper. This comes after two parties submitted their final bids (similar financially) for the beleaguered 137-year-old property.

The NY Times Co. picked up the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion. Since then, it's watched the paper's revenue and circulation plummet, a situation worsened by the advent of the internet and the newspaper industry's generally slow response to it. Now, it's apparently worth just under 10% of NYT's original purchase price, with the offers pushed higher by both parties' willingness to assume $59 million in pension liabilities.

Continue reading NYT pulls Boston Globe off the block

NYT pulls Boston Globe off the block originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next step remains uncertain for what will go down in history as among the worst newspaper acquisitions.

On Friday, the deadline for submitting bids for the Boston Globe, which is owned by The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), passed. Two major contenders were expected to write figures on slips of paper and slide them across the proverbial desk: Platinum Equity, a Beverly Hills-based private equity firm and owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and Stephen E. Taylor, whose family sold the Globe in 1993.

Continue reading Boston Globe's future remains uncertain

Boston Globe's future remains uncertain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The battered Boston Globe isn't worth 90% of what the NY Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) paid for it, but it seems to have bounced a bit from the bottom of the barrel. In a meeting with a few hundred of the newspaper's employees, company chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson revealed that the Globe's finances have improved significantly. Because of this development, they continued, there is a chance the newspaper will not be sold.

This was the first meeting between company executives and the Globe's unions since the latter accepted pay cuts back in July. The newspaper, which has a 137-year history, lost $50 million in 2008 and looked like it was going to drop another $85 million this year. Though this no longer appears likely, the Globe is still in rough shape.

Continue reading Boston Globe may be off the block

Boston Globe may be off the block originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Drop in newspaper circulation continues: But not fast enough!

Drop in newspaper circulation continues: But not fast enough! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Craig's List is another nail in the news coffin

Doomsday Scenario: Craig's List is another nail in the news coffin originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

	Bank of America plans big pay hike for investment bankers
	South Park explains the economic meltdown
	Greenspan still won't accept blame for the global financial meltdown
	Media Biz: Layoffs at NY Times, Washington Post are not a surprise

DailyFinance today: NY Times WaPo layoffs no surprise, Greenspan won't accept blame for meltdown, South Park on the economic meltdown, and BofA plans big pay hike for bankers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The daily biscuits. With the June deadline for Steve Job's reappearance as Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO coming on fast, speculation in the media has begun to build that Jobs will choose to retire. That would be a horrifically bad thing for Apple shareholders, who have done very well of late. Sentiment on Apple is holding strong, so at least some people don't think Steve is bowing out.

Continue reading Doomsday Scenario: Steve Jobs retiring, NYT pay cuts, looming water fights

Doomsday Scenario: Steve Jobs retiring, NYT pay cuts, looming water fights originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This website is in the business and financial news business. So are a number of other online financial sites like SeekingAlpha, TheBigMoney, ClusterStock, and Minyanville. Just a few years ago, none of these operations existed.

Last year, advertising pages in tradition business magazine like BusinessWeek and Forbes were down by double digits. With the recession deepening and marketers pulling back, 2009 may not be any better.

On TV, there are now two business channels, CNBC and Fox, which is barely a year old and has horrible audience numbers. So far. But CNBC is owned by GE (NYSE:GE) and Fox is owned by News Corp (NYSE:NWS). That means both are likely to be around for a long time. They both compete against Bloomberg TV.

In the news service business, Bloomberg, Reuters, and the AP all have large financial reporting operations. In the newspaper business, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times compete for readers.

Lest you say that this post is just a bunch of names typed onto a page, consider that the economic downturn will not support all of these media. Advertising will disappear. Perhaps more frightening, as people pull money out of the stock market, the interest in investing will drop. As investment professionals are fired, they may drop out of the business news consumption population as well.

Who may not make it? The traditional business magazines publish on weekly or fortnightly cycles. That is too long a time between articles in a world where the web delivers information in real time. They may not get enough readers on the internet to offset sales lost in print.

One thing for certain. A number of the operations with their names in this piece won't be here in 2010.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 237wallst.com.

How much of the business press will disappear? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The ridiculous story published by the New York times yesterday regarding John McCain's encounters with a Washington lobbyist offered little to it's readers or the voting American public. It was a waste of time on talk shows and the broader media coverage it received shows how petty election politics can be.

Every official in Washington is constantly being bombarded by thousands of lobbyist's all the time and someone in McCains position (and Obama's and Clinton's) get no relief. If his wife is not griping when he gets closer to some then others and they happen to be attractive too, we have nothing to say about it, unless it crosses some legal or ethical boundary.

McCain was unhappy. I was unhappy and most pundits I listened to thought as much of the story as I did. However, I might have handled it with some good humor. McCain should have issued a press release with pictures of the top 100 best looking lobbyists (male and female) that he has met with over the past five years. Let them run that in the New Yorks Times. Now that would spark huge readership.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money.

If McCain had a sense of humor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Media World: New York Times may have done John McCain a favor

Media World: New York Times may have done John McCain a favor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eli Lilly lawyer sent important memo to The New York Times by mistake originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

New York Times, CNBC partner to thwart Fox Business Network originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.