Results matching “ap and reuters”

The results of the UK Association of Online Publishers' 2010 census, released today, show a surprisingly optimistic growth forecast for 10 percent growth in revenue over the next year coming from more than half of its 37 respondents.  The census results come at a time when the industry is beginning to stabilize, with losses in ad revenue slowing and many publishers working to create new revenue streams.

With members such as Channel 4, Guardian Media Group, Telegraph Media Group, and Financial Times, the AOP's annual census, now in its seventh year, offers a clear depiction of trends across the publishing industry.

Tim Faircliff, AOP's Chairman and general manager of consumer media at member organization Thomson Reuters, sees the census as a good indicator of the reality in the market today.

Mecom, the European newspaper publisher most prolific in Denmark, Norway, Poland and the Netherlands, released its online paid content strategy today along with dismal fourth quarter results.  Despite a total 28 percent fall in profits for 2009, David Montgomery, Mecom's chief executive, is optimistic about the company's future.

"This last year has been an advertising crisis, not a newspaper crisis," he was quoted as saying, going on to emphasize the need for more online advertising revenue.

Montgomery's outlook is reflected in their pay strategy, which aims to increase revenue from paid online content and online advertisements by 100 million euros over the next three years.  In addition, Mecom hopes to increase unique users on its websites by about 20 percent by the end of 2012, vastly increasing its current unique usership of 32 million.

The surge in social media has benefited journalists globally by offering them a world of information at their fingertips with powerful social networking tools and news aggregator sites. But this opportunity comes along with some risks as well. To lessen these risks, Reuters has added social media guidelines and principles to its handbook, Dean Wright, global editor for ethics, innovation and news standards at Reuters, announced yesterday in the Reuters Blog.

While Reuters embraces social media as a powerful informative tool and encourages its usage among journalists, they must ask permission from managers to use social media in conjunction with their professional lives, MediaGuardian reported.

For more on this story please see our sister publication www.sfnblog.com

The BBC will be teaming up with the non-profit blogging network of citizen journalists, Global Voices, to offer a "different range of perspectives and commentary from around the world," according to the BBC.

Content from Global Voices will be incorporated into the BBC's SuperPower season coverage, a special series on the Internet and the impact it has on our lives.

The BBC will be selecting and linking to some Global Voices stories, as well as asking GV editors to give their views on how the mainstream media handle the news. The editor of the BBC's News website, Steve Herrmann, explained that he believes Global Voices and the wide range of opinions they feature could add an "interesting dimension to some of (the BBC's) news coverage."

The Tribune Co. was granted a stay of execution, Thursday, when a bankruptcy judge gave the owner of the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune until the end of March to file its long-awaited plan of reorganisation. Although the media conglomerate had asked for an extension until June, the extra month permitted gives the company a fighting chance to resolve its bankruptcy and $8.2 billion leveraged buyout issues, which has resulted in the committee of unsecured creditors attempting to start litigating against the banks, in the hope of recuperating a small part of some of the funds lost.

The arrival of the iPad has generated much optimism in media circles that hope it will revitalize a struggling industry, but so far, there has been much talk over what the device could do, but little evidence that shows newspapers will actually benefit from the device.

In fact, newspaper and magazine publishers have not yet agreed upon the key issue of sharing subscription revenue, as they consider deals to offer digital versions of their publications on Apple's newly released tablet, the Financial Times reports.

This vital piece of the puzzle will decide whether publishers will succeed in cashing in on the iPad.

Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger told Reuters that "if we get the right functionality and design," the iPad could "produce interesting, significant revenue streams," according to PaidContent.

Because developing an application for the iPad will not require any different skills from the ones required to launch an iPhone app, news publishers that have had success with iPhone apps, are now looking to cash in on the iPad.

The Newspaper Guild of New York has accused Thompson Reuters of imposing illegal pay cuts, the New York Times reports. The news comes just two months after the agency made clear its plans to cut some 240 jobs in its legal divisions across North America.

According to a complaint filed by the union on Friday, the news service is wrongly cutting the pay of some 420 employees by an average of 10 percent through various measures, including no longer contributing to staff retirement plans, health care, out of pocket expenses, as well as increasing the number of hours staff members must work in order to receive overtime. Automatic annual pay increases will also no longer be guaranteed.

Journalism.co.uk reports that the website for not on the wires, a digital reporting social enterprise, has now gone live.

The multimedia cooperative of five journalists believe their chances of success and depth of involvement in covering event-based news stories are increased by working in collaboration - individually they are accomplished freelancers with varied areas of expertise.

Potential bidders for the newspaper properties of Canwest will have an extra week to make their offers, under a ruling by an Ontario court, Reuters reports.

Parties interested in purchasing well-known Canadian newspapers including the National Post, Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun now have until 5 March to offer their bids. These will need to top a C$925 million offer made by Canwest's lenders.

The Associated Press (AP) and Yahoo have renewed an agreement for AP stories, photos and videos to appear on the Yahoo website, it was widely reported. This is in contrast to the AP's negotiations with Google and Microsoft, which have not yet concluded. New AP content has not been hosted on Google News since December 24.

Neither party has offered details of the agreement, so it is unclear whether they have achieved their financial objectives. The deal had previously been expected to set a higher price for AP's stories and impose tighter restrictions on them.

The AP has previously argued that agreements providing relatively inexpensive access to a broad range of its content only devalue its news offerings. The New York Times reported that the AP was asking news websites for more money, but that aggregators have been arguing that news content is less valuable than it used to be because advertising is down.

The Kindle may face stiff competition from the newly released Apple iPad, but the king of the e-reader market will not go down without a fight. New positive figures released by Amazon prove that the battle of the e-readers is far from over.

As world leaders plan the future of the global economy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, journalists are using social media and other innovative ways to bring the discussion closer to the people.

Time's James Poniewozik has suggested that the significance of the New York Times's paywall is symbolic, rather than a sign that paid online content is the future for news. "Any pricing scheme that can raise actual money risks chasing away actual readers," and this why the NYT's charging method "probably won't make much difference to the Times's coffers or its readers at first."

As Poniewozik  says, there are many people who won't end up paying for an online subscription to the New York Times. Print subscribers will get free access, casual readers won't have to pay, and those directed via other websites won't pay. 

Hundreds of managers and executives at the bankrupt Tribune Company will get bonuses as part of a $45.6 million incentive program, under plans approved by a Delaware bankruptcy judge.

This is the largest such payment in at least 12 years and will be awarded to 720 managers. Judge Kevin Carey overruled objections by the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild and the US bankruptcy trustee that the payment was too high and unwarranted, particularly considering that the company had frozen salaries for most staff. Carey found that many of the targets had already been met when he held hearings on the issue in September.

Yesterday, following months of deliberation, the New York Times announced that it was to go forward with charging online, with a plan to implement a metre system in 2011. It is the biggest publisher yet to lay out paywall plans, and the move is undoubtedly highly significant for the newspaper industry as it struggles with a failing business model. Will this save the New York Times? Could it signal the end for free online content?

Similar to that used by the Financial Times, a metered payment system would allow readers to access a certain number of articles free per month, and then request payment for more: a flat fee for unlimited access. Print subscribers will continue to have free access, even those who subscribe to just the Sunday paper. An online subscription will also cover access via smartphones. The first click free from search engines, which is used by the Wall Street Journal, will also apply. More details such as pricing have been released yet, and the publisher's statement said that the next year will be used to build "a new online infrastructure designed to provide consumers with a frictionless experience across multiple platforms."

A metered system rather than a more fixed paywall has the advantage of not alienating the casual reader who can still visit the site free on occasion, and not angering journalists by blocking off specific articles (an issue with the Times' previous attempt at charging online, TimesSelect). "It allows NYTimes.com to remain a vibrant part of the search-driven Web," reads the Times memo sent to staff by executives Arthur Sulzberger and Janet Robinson, published by Poynter.

It does have potential flaws, however. Before the NYT's announcement, Reuters writer Felix Salmon criticized the way that the FT's flat fee system does not actually work like a metre: suggesting that instead the New York Times should implement a payment process under which readers are charged depending on how much content they consume. And presumably those who are determined not to pay will find ways around the paywall, using multiple accounts, for example.

The Financial Times welcomed the New York Times' decision, according to the Guardian, with CEO John Ridding saying "We welcome the New York Times' new online business model, which is similar to the FT's. We believe in the value of quality journalism and we are pleased that others feel the same way." The FT recently announced that for the first time, its content revenue was greater than its advertising revenue in 2009, after raised cover prices and more online subscribers signing on.

The FT now has 121,000 subscribers. Going by the pricing on the FT's website, it seems that they pay between €186 and €363 per year (depending on whether they choose a standard or premium subscription). Working on the assumption that about half of subscribers pay for each (and that the FT is not counting joint print-online subscribers in this figure), that would mean that the paper could be bringing in something in the region of €33 million from its paywall in direct revenue from readers. And the Wall Street Journal, which offers a different kind of paywall, has an estimated one million paying online subscribers.

This figure is encouragingly high, but how much encouragement can the NYT take from this? As a general interest paper with the most popular website out of all US papers, the Times has a far bigger pool of potential subscribers. But the FT's specialist financial content is something that more people might see as worth paying for. Indeed for some, it is news that is necessary for their business. And with the FT's main international rival the WSJ also charging, there is not an ubiquity of similar news free on the web.

The New York Times does seem to have a better shot at making charging for online content work than other US general interest newspapers. Its status as the number one national paper is largely unquestioned. It has always made a greater proportion of its revenue from content than most newspapers do, receiving 55-60% of its income from advertising compared to a typical figure of 80-85%. The current price for a print subscription is high, at between $550 and $770 a year, depending on location and offers, but many people are still prepared to pay this: more than 800,000 continue to renew their subscriptions, according to the NYT's David Carr.

Given the paper's financial situation, it is unsurprisingly that the paper is looking at changing its business model. Despite its reputation and high number of website visitors, financial constraints have pushed the New York Times into carrying out lay-offs and pay cuts. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim came to the publisher's aid last year with a $250 million loan, but if the paper is to continue to produce top-quality journalism, it needs a steady revenue stream.

Poynter writer Rick Edmonds maintains that the NYT's decision to charge "makes business sense." He believes that the Times will not "lose any meaningful number of unique visitors," and agrees with Ken Doctor that paying users represent a significant targeting advertising opportunity. The Times' memo sent to employees said that executives expect that "digital advertising will continue to be the major contributor to our success on the Web."

Slate editor Jack Shafter is critical of the NYT's strategy, judging it "too easy for freeloaders to game their way around it" and "a waste of the gargantuan audience they've attracted." He suggests that looking into improving web advertising would be a better way to go forward. Jeff Jarvis argues on his blog BuzzMachine that the NYT's plan will end up charging "the readers who are worth the most while serving free those who are worth least," which he believes does not make sense. 

With the New York Times on board, efforts to charge online are likely to speed up. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp publications are expected to introduce paid online content in coming months, and there is an increasing sentiment that it just doesn't make sense to give away content that should be seen as valuable. Not everybody agrees, however, and over at the UK paper with the most popular website, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger has said that his publication will remain free online. Others will undoubtedly stick to a similar course and provide free alternatives, making it harder for those who do charge. Which business model will eventually prove more successful? 

The New York Times Magazine reported on Sunday that the New York Times was poised to start charging online, citing un-named sources close to the decision-makers. The NY Magazine claims that the paper is looking at a metered system, similar to that adopted by the Financial Times. Reactions from media commentators suggest that the paper should step carefully, however.

Reuters writer Felix Salmon is a big fan of the New York Times' site, and believes that "any kind of paywall implementation is going to result in a deterioration of the experience of using it."

"Making people pay for access will almost certainly scotch the NYTimes.com's position," believes Jennifer Saba of Editor & Publisher. She believes that "AOL, NPR, CNN smell blood and will most certainly angle for those readers to come and read news for free." She adds that it is "baffling" that the NYT is trying to charge online but is giving away its mobile app for free: "why not charge for an app and seed people's behavior now?"

Mecom, a 'content and consumer business' under David Montgomery, publishes 25 million newspapers per week across Europe; thrice as many as the UK's Johnston Press. In 2007 the company's share price plunged a disastrous 97 percent due to weak advertising and debt, an unfortunate turn of events the news publisher been struggling to recover from ever since.

Trading up yesterday however, revealed an altogether brighter outlook for the publisher of some 300 titles, its share price jumping 14.8 percent, topping the FTSE Small Cap .FTSC leaders board.

One of the largest media companies in Canada and owner of several daily newspapers has sought bankruptcy protection, The New York Times reported. The Times wryly noted that the move would make Canada's five largest banks the country's largest newspaper publisher.

CanWest Global Communications owns the main daily newspapers in the cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal, as well as one of the national newspapers, the National Post. Its newspaper group is about 1.5 billion Canadian dollars in debt, and the company placed many of its broadcasting assets under court protection in October.

A Norwegian newspaper has republished the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, after an axe attack on a Danish cartoonist in his own home, The Telegraph reported.

The newspaper Aftenposten, in an article about cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, last week printed six out of the 12 controversial images that ignited global debate and protest after their initial publication by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005. Westergaard's drawing depicted the prophet wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb.

Editor of Aftenposten Hilde Haugsgjerd said that it seemed "natural and justified to republish the artistic and journalistic body of work that is likely the cause of this violence".

Amidst all the threats to press freedom, here's some good news: the Breaking Borders Award, jointly organized by Google and international citizen journalism website Global Voices and supported by Thomson Reuters. The award is presented to outstanding online projects that show courage, energy and resourcefulness in using the internet to promote freedom of expression and stand up to those who censor information.

Three categories of the prize are awarded: tools that promote freedom of expression, outstanding work on policy, and activism or journalism that contributed an important voice or argument. The winner of each category receives $10,000.

In the biggest reorganisation since News Corp bought Dow Jones in 2007, the company has merged its consumer and enterprise operations, uniting The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Barron's, MarketWatch and Factiva for the first time.

Of the move, Dow Jones Chief Executive Les Hinton said: "This structure will provide the focus to make us faster and better than our rivals at identifying and meeting customer needs."

The Guardian's new iPhone app sold 9000 units in its first two days, in a development that may point to a key future source of revenue for newspapers.

The app was launched on Monday, and it was uncertain whether or not consumers could be prepared to pay the £2.39 asking price. Many news apps are free, including those offered by The Telegraph, The Financial Times, Thomson Reuters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled in the favour of five media companies yesterday, recognising a journalistic right to protect anonymous sources, reports AFP.

The Financial Times, the Independent, the Guardian, the Times and Reuters news agency won an appeal against British courts who had ordered them to hand over documents relating to a Belgian brewing firm, Interbrew.

Rumours of an Apple tablet have gathered steam this week with an Oppenheimer analyst suggesting the tablet could be released in late March or April next year. Anticipating a boom, Apple's manufacturer is reportedly ready to produce one million units a month for an average price of $1000 each. 

"Our checks into Apple's supply chain indicate that the manufacturing cogs for the tablet are creaking into action and should begin to hit a mass market stride in February," wrote Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner.