Joe

News Corp. Beats Estimates in First Quarter, Also Up from 2009

With all due respect, but one can't help the feeling that most
media and ad related reports are written by sleepwalkers.
If one looks for instance at the narrow margins most of them
already operate and takes just as one factor the presently
beginning price war of retailers - well before Xmas - into
consideration, the possible "shock" following in January / February when ad budgets are "adjusted" and "reset" is not so difficult to anticipate. It takes very little and operating income turns into a operating loss. Not just for News Corps, but in many other
cases as well.

More Heads on the CNBC Chopping Block as Financial Media Landscape Shifts

The article mentions the changing financial media landscape,
media consumer habits.
There could be a lot to that. The time lag could also have to do
with that people only much later figure out what benefits and
what not.
For a general look back at the worst financial pundits, the famous
Peter Schiff video is still the best, there is a bunch of them:
www.youtube.com/watch?...

As the New York Times Shrinks, Internet Ad Revenues Becomes More Significant

The NYT has been pretty successful to divert attention from its
failure in the subprime, like many others. This does not prevent
the sins of the past catching up with them in terms of facts and
date, particularly the now apparent failure / waste of lots of
ad spending.
rinf.com/alt-news/medi.../

Media Usage Study: Online and Radio Up, TV Still Most Credible

The other question is how people would have responded if for
instance the famous Peter Schiff video would have been
shown to them, how they would have responded then:
www.youtube.com/watch?...

One-Third of Web Users Visit Newspaper Sites

Sorry, I forgot to post the INMA article mentioned.
www.inma.org/modules/b...

One-Third of Web Users Visit Newspaper Sites

I agree with Relayer10 that skepticism is appropriate.
Quite recently the INMA published a quite remarkable article.
Among others, one could learn form it that the newspaper industry
tells it clients they should spend 5% of their revenue on
advertising.
Not bad if the advertisers are willing to spend like that, forego all
other consideration. For a long time it worked indeed.

From that article one also learns how the ad industry, very
much interested in growing ad revenue managed to get
ever more revenue in the past indeed. Just like the arms race.
Whereas now it might be prudent to take other factors into
account. For instance, where consumers are concerned,
that advertising can be pretty counterproductive meantime.
Advertising Christmas 08 turned into a disaster, retailers had
to begin with discount sales early December, including the
luxury segments. It's possible that this experience is somehow
repeated again this year, the newspaper blues following
in January and February when the financial data is getting
published.
And then of course the side of businesses has to be
considered, like in that article from 2004, pointed out because
one of the papers mentioned folded this year.
denver.bizjournals.com...

Top 10 Print Media Websites - August 2009

Not in order to ridicule or "offset" the article, but for whatever
(ie. general interest) reasons, a site exists dealing with the deaths of newspapers, the "newspaperdeathwatch":
www.newspaperdeathwatc.../

and since it is weekend here an old advertisement from newspapers for students to become reporters. It was made about 1940 and has the same quality as many old movies. It's entertaining by coincidence:
www.youtube.com/watch?...

Losing Its Religion: The New York Times Compromises

Just in case some bias exists towards the NYT, or just a general
need for something to read is there:
John Darnton: Black and white and dead all over (2008)

Briefly: Darnton, a NYT veteran reporter, wrote a satirical crime story,
thinly diguised, about the NYT. It's a worthwhile read in my opinion.

What News Crisis? Changing the Context

And to add an additional perspective: media firms / newspaper
publishers are dangerous business partners when they fail and
go bust.
It is really amazing to look at the list of those owed money in the
bankruptcy filings. Creditors and the like apart, the list includes
ink and paper suppliers as well as print stuff supplies (everything
needed for the print floor) down to various outsourced assignments.
Ironically speaking, even taxi drivers and pizza delivery guys who
are not getting paid up front are screwd.
Also noteworthy are the statements failing newspapers make
about themselves before the bankruptcy filings (and folding).
They are worse than the banks were before their recent crash, before the bailout. They are pretty delusional and deceiptive on their way to maximize debt and liabilities.
They just do not know when to stop, are really irresponsible -
a trait that matters because of the self - presentation, the role
played in public as the good, caring and absolutely honest guys
while in fact leaving a scorched earth, burning everyone around
them.

U.S. vs. Canada: Banking Edition

Maybe an explanation can be gathered, at least to some extent,
from the famous Peter Schiff video. It is put together of three
news shows in 06 / 07 and shows some pundits making some
incredibly wrong forecasts and recommendations. The "financials"
for instance were hailed as bargain of the century - before the
crash. It's a must see:
www.youtube.com/watch?...

Could News Corp Become a Victim of New Media?

The article is indeed a bit flip flopping in the conclusion. However,
the data coming with it is nicely presented and useful.
Whether the media industry is in a state of shock or, as is often
critically mentioned, in a state of mental rigor mortis due to self-
chosen and well practiced cognitive dissonance and ignorance is
another question.
What has changed dramatically are the personal economic
circumstances of a larger part of the populations all over the place. For instance foreclosures and cancelled credit cards
(because maxed out) were practically unknown in 2004 or 2005.
Not to mention jobs lost and businesses / firms closed.
In single cases this means a newspaper subscribers' address
is unknown, he was "moved" out. And this means at the same
a TV viewer is now somewhere else, in changed circumstances.
And so on.
Not to forget, ironically speaking, the habit of the media, the
ad sales strategy, to sell a specific region, which actually has a
median income of $ 24 000,- for $ 100 000,- to the advertising
clients. Now that's a bit exaggerated but so far from "reality".
Eventually the various - and notorious - gangs of facts have
their say, turn out to be the "force majeur", having the last word.
That's just some critical aspects, of course.

America's Doomed Small Newspapers

A good article in any case. To some extent the whole concept of
newspapers seems to fall apart. They are just not making sense
anymore in a number of ways, neither to consumers - who want
news -, nor to many advertisers. One aspect surprising me at
present is that many advertisers cut down on their ad spending
but seldom would one read comments or whatever from businesses explaining those cuts, or menitoning their
experiences. They just cut down, throw out whatever without discussing anything with the cut-off media. That silence is
fascinating.
And the media are making matters worse for themselves. They
are short of dictating businesses how and how much they
must advertise without any consideration at all whether that
makes sense, pays off. In everyday conversations in which the
media are getting mentioned it is getting ever more obvious
that they are simply not taken serious at all but rather have to
face a growing contempt from all sides, consumers and
businesses.
The song parody "Mad Avenue Blues" might be right on target.
www.youtube.com/watch?...

How the Link Economy Benefits Reuters

And maybe something is appealing to visitors of Reuters:
they are not into punditry and commenting, but into news.
That's probably something for the financial prudent, those who
take matters seriously if necessary.
An article in the UK Guardian compared the current papers to
what the papers were like in 1984:
practically no commentariat, no angry finger jabber, much calmer,
it was news mostly. As many are sorting out their media
consumption now, Reuters could be what they are looking for.
www.guardian.co.uk/med...

Murdoch Plans to Charge for News Corp. Content, But Who's Going to Pay?

There is possibly a bigger difference between WSJ readers
and the tabloid market. That's really two pair of shoes.
The tabloid part of News Corp is btw. facing problems arising
from the hacking scandal and substantial libel payments.
(UK adjudication is different from that in the US: crucial in such
cases - no malicious intent has to be proven by those becoming
victims of libel.)
edition.cnn.com/2009/W...
And anyhow: UK tabloids (news corps included) are paying
out damages every so often, almost every other week. That
makes claims of quality journalism a joke and preposterous.
Not to mention that News Corp is in the mass market business,
lots of its news business is designed for those lower down the
ladder. They might react different to those plans than Murdoch
likes ever since these people have by necessity to mind the
pennies and cents.

Six in 10 Consumers Still Rely on Newspaper Ads

That the NAA would produce such "surveys" is understandable.
However, looking forward to Xmas advertising this year it is easy
to see some problems ahead. Xmas 2008 was a matter of
"management by surprises and experiences" by many in the
retail sector. Many had to start with discount sales weeks before
Xmas. And hence the "shocking" stories in January and February
about declining ad revenue.
As the same economic situation exists, if it's got no worse for
consumers since then, retailers will have to mind their pricing
strategies - and hence be careful with ad expenses. (On top
of that: consumers have changed behaviour, many have the
patience to wait for discount by now, for instance.)
In other words: the experience with ad campaigns and ad
expenses is likely to be repeated (for those not careful in that
sector). And one could continue with many more caveats and
arguments.