Monday, December 04, 2006

Newspaper Shorts

Tribune Co. (TRB): Charles de Vaulx Reduces His Holdings in TRB
Charles de Vaulx reduced to his holdings in Publishing company Tribune Co. (TRB) during the 3-months ended 2006-09-30 by 75.15%. His sale prices were between $ 29.22 and $ 33.99, with an estimated average price of $ 31.1. ...

LA Times Newsroom in a Fight for Its Life UPDATE: Depressing Turmoil
That's sure how it seems, as the LA Times gives prominent coverage to a story about local leaders urging Tribune Co., owner of the Times, not to cut more staff from the newsroom. Maybe it's just Tribune trying not to be like the owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press, who's apparently whacko, but it seems to me that they're really scared.

Online will drive '07 newspaper ad growth
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Advertising spending at U.S. newspapers will rise 1.2 percent in 2007, driven by gains in internet advertising that won't overcome flat sales in print editions, an industry group said on Friday.

Will New York Times Co. go private?
Discussions about a leveraged buyout of the New York Times Co. have recently reemerged, as insurance giant Maurice R. Greenberg began acquiring shares. Business Week had already reported informal talks over the subject between Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and close friend and financial adviser Steven Rattner.

Advertisers hope for price decline in LA Times’ print edition
Advertisers in the Los Angeles Times are hoping to take the paper’s 8% circulation drop into account while discussing 2007 ad rates. Macy’s and other large local auto dealerships are planning on using the declining readership figures for lower prices but are expecting tough talks because newspapers don’t always see declining readership as a valid reason to cut prices.

Is the media too narcissistic for its own therapy?
What if all this fuss about traditional media’s decline was just media’s homemade therapy? William Powers, columnist for the National Journal, raved against the media’s widespread tendency to self-pity in his Dec. 1st article. “These days, almost everything in the media seems to be about the media,” wrote Powers.

Moguls drawn to papers as soapboxes, cash cows
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- At a time when Wall Street can't find any reason to be optimistic about the long-term prospects of the newspaper industry, billionaires like Jack Welch and David Geffen seem more than willing to bet on the medium, and not just for reasons of vanity.

The Gray Lady in Wonderland
I fully expect the Mad Hatter to be mentioned as a possible bidder for a major media property soon. The sector clearly is beginning to resemble Alice in Wonderland.

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