Martim Avillez Figuereido, the editor-in-chief of the innovative Portuguese newspaper, i, has left the direction of the daily following a number of disagreements with the management, according to Jornal de Negócios.

The Lena Group, owner of Sojormedia Capital that operates the daily, confirmed in a press release last month, that Figuereido had been let go and that the newspaper was "looking for a new direction" to guarantee the viability of the publication.
In the press release, the group affirmed it had a "new plan of action that aims to reformulate its strategy in the sector of social communication...a second measure is to search for a new direction for the newspaper that guarantees its viability. This new path will be forced to pass by cost control and revenue increase, and the deepening of synergies with other Lena Group brands."

As part of its ongoing restructuring, the company confirmed the departure of Martin Avillez Figuereido and the appointment executive director André Macedo as the new interim editor-in-chief.

Although the company commits the management to "presenting a solution for the direction of the newspaper that will assure the quality of the project and the desired restructuring simultaneously," the circumstances that surround Figuereido's departure may reveal a different future for this unique daily.

There is no denying the fact that 2010 was a dicey year for many industries, not least for traditional print media. But if the latest media news from New Zealand is anything to go by, there is good reason for newspapers to keep hope, amidst cries from various directions that print is dead.

Michael Muir, publisher and president of New Zealand's Newspaper Publishers' Association stated that: "Our circulations and readerships are largely stable, advertising is picking up again and we are on the verge of exciting new media developments", leading various media commentators to make the conclusion that print is potentially on the rebound.

Muir did not deny however, that the face of traditional media is changing, and indeed will have to, if it is to safeguard its medium's survival: "Newspaper companies are effectively reinventing themselves in the digital age and are now providing a compelling, integrated experience for readers and advertisers alike."

The newly reinvented French daily, France-Soir, is encountering difficulties in its attempt to reestablish itself amongst the French public, according to the New York Times. Using a "mass-market reach" the paper is attempting to "change how the French think about newspapers" with flashy headlines which the NYT's Eric Pfanner has likened to those found in tabloids.

Popular during the post-war decades, the media crisis left the daily paper suffering until just recently. The daily received its second wind after Alexander Pugachev, the 25-year-old sun of Russian billionaire Sergei Pugachev, purchased it earlier this month. The acquisition of France-Soir has lead commentators to draw comparisons between Alexander Lebedev, who recently acquired The Independent in England and already own's London's Evening Standard. During a time of economic turmoil for the media, these purchases have lead some onlookers to question the motives behind the sudden interest Russian billionaires have taken in the foreign press.

The Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Times and Independent all reported year-on-year circulation percentage declines in the double digits for January, Media Guardian reported today. The declines come as most have ended bulk distribution.

Last month, the Daily Telegraph's year-on-year circulation fell 11.76 percent (to 691,128), the first time it has dipped below 700,000 since the Audit Bureau of Circulations began its record in 1962. The Times saw a year-on-year circulation drop of 17.69 percent (to 508,250), the Guardian saw a year-on-year decline of 15.76 percent (to 302,285), and the Independent's year-on-year sales were down 13.78 percent (to 185,815).

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