Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Media News Today

Tribune Close to Accepting Zell's $8 Billion Offer - Bloomberg.com
Tribune Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Cubs, will probably accept real estate billionaire Sam Zell's $8 billion takeover offer by the end of the week, according to people familiar with the matter. An agreement is likely by Tribune's self-imposed deadline of March 31, said the people, who declined to be named because no decision has been made. Zell's offer of $33 a share is 6.8 percent above yesterday's close.

Why Print Journalism Will Never Really Die - SeekingAlpha
Judging by the blogosphere's reaction, I'm really happy that Web content is free; at the moment, I feel that it is worth every penny I am paying for it. My reason: people are confusing the business of publishing newspapers with the discipline and art of journalism. It's kind of like saying that because symphony orchestras struggle for subscriptions, we need to stop sending musicians to conservatories and start hiring groups of street musicians. While it may appeal to fans of street musicians (of which I am one), I doubt it will do much for the advancement of classical music.

Will Buyout Save Tribune? - Sramana Mitra
But the question remains. Will this buyout save Tribune? Can Tribune turnaround? Are the company’s online initiatives enough? Do they need to push more aggressively online?
Yes, Tribune has made a number of strategic moves in the online media space and TheEnvelope is a step in the right direction, but the company needs to roll-up many more relevant online verticals to save the day.


Newspapers Are Alive And Kicking - Guardian
Last year's cover story in The Economist headlined "Who killed the newspaper?" spurred the World Editors' Forum and Reuters to discover the state of the press across the globe. The result is the first Newsroom Barometer, claiming to be the first international survey focused on newsroom strategies and morale. So, according to 435 of the world's editors-in-chief, deputy editors and senior news executives, nobody has killed the newspaper.

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