Newspaper News

First the Bad News from Mediapost:

The Albuquerque Tribune publishes its final edition on Saturday, Feb. 23. Its owner, E.W. Scripps Co., tried to sell the newspaper without success. The closing will affect 38 editorial employees. Scripps bought the paper in 1923. Since 1933, the Tribune has been published as part of a joint operating agreement with The Albuquerque Journal, which enjoys a much higher circulation. (Mediapost)

And:

SUN-TIMES MEDIA GROUP INC. WILL outsource its advertising production as it moves to cut newspaper expenses at its Chicago paper by $50 million in the first half of '08. Affinity Express Inc. will handle most of the company's print and online ad production, which will result in staff cuts.

And more:

Farther west, a dozen newspapers in the Bay Area will see across-the-board cuts, hopefully through buyouts versus layoffs. Sixteen newspapers are involved, including the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. The 1,100 Bay Area News Group employees get two weeks to decide if they wish to apply for a buyout. If not enough employees respond, layoffs would probably begin in March. (Mediapost)

Here's some good news/bad news:

The Baltimore Sun is planning to launch a new free tabloid targeting younger readers called "b." The first daily issue is set to appear on April 14. With a mix of typical tabloid fare and lifestyle content, the newspaper plans to freshen its pages by inviting readers to submit their own stories, photos and video to the newspaper and its Web site.

This strategy could help achieve substantial savings, provided the publication reaches its goal of roughly one-third user-generated content. Cost is a key consideration, as the Baltimore Sun and other papers owned by the Tribune Co. have been instructed to trim a total 400-500 staff. (READ MORE)

And this may be good news:

NEWSPAPER WEB SITES ARE REACHING elusive younger readers, a new analysis by Scarborough Research indicates--giving a much-needed boost to the ailing newspaper business. The growth in online audiences is offsetting losses in print readership, at least somewhat. (READ MORE)

So, the reality is that the internet is changing habits and unless mass media figures out how to adapt, they face elimination.

I find it also interesting that when a manufacturing company has lay offs or shuts down due to out sourcing or changes in the marketplace, the politicians are all talking about saving jobs. Yet this is also going on under our noses.

Government involvement is NOT the answer. Smart, bright, forward thinkers are the answer.

For more on the connection between advertising, marketing and the media, read this.

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