twotowers

The Top 12 Brands Likely to Survive

New York Times?
34 million in the bank....
1,300 million in current debt........
30% drop in advertising this quarter and the same expected next quarter.
The Globe burning through more than 1 million a week?

How did you come to that conclusion -given f all the companies to write about you say the NYT would is one of the top 10 to survive? What am I missing?

NY Times Outlook: 'Most Job Cuts Are Behind Us'

Really?
Drudge Report states that the New York Times is down to $ 34 million in the bank (after debt payment this year), has current debt of 1,300 million and is expecting second quarter advertising to fall an additional 30%

Add that to the report that the Boston Globe will loose 80 million in 2009.

So how does the New York Times not shed jobs in 2009? Perhaps you could explain this a bit further.

Big Media's Big Dilemma: Charging for Online Content

I have thought about a new model for newspapers in which a new format would trump television news, the Internet and the old newspaper format.
Here is the idea.
None of the news sources provide news that is focused for the individual. For example my interests, like yours, are diverse.
My politics are conservative, my hobby is wood working, I live in Columbia Connecticut, my favorite reading subject is theoretical Quantum Physics and anything by J.R.R. Tolkien. I don’t watch football, but enjoy watching Manchester United play international Soccer, My favorite music is from the 60’s; certainly there is more information, and as a newspaper setting up a subscription in the 21 Century with me, they should have a personal matrix on all that I want to read about.
Given the above you now know in general items what interests me.
Given the technology that currently exists today, it is now possible to develop a matrix of news for each individual subscriber and print a unique daily publication for the individual. Newspapers have web sites that are perfect interfaces to plugging in the personal information of the subscriber, zip codes easily identify relevancy of local news. State statistics by town identify demographic incomes, political voting records a towns political history. The list of free information to round out an individual’s personal news matrix is unlimited.
This format eliminates the need to surf the web. I also don’t want to read, or see anything from Maureen Dowd. So if that is my preference, the obvious question is why would she be in my paper? If your preference is that you like her column, why should she not appear in your newspaper?
This format excludes material I am not interested in or find offensive, in so doing, the format replaces any negative associations with the paper with a positive one of this new newspaper brand. (You would no longer be the drive by media; you would be what ever the positive side to that phrase is)
The other beauty of this format is it brings into play “high interest” news that has a very long shelf life and mixes it with the traditional breaking news which has a shelf life of about ten minuets.
My interest in the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, Contemporary Furniture building, the Conservative movement, is just as keen as breaking news out of the White House. All but the last item has a longer news cycle than the time it takes to produce a daily paper. Under this format, Newspapers could immediately go from printing old news to printing new news.
If papers could execute the above I would pay a subscription fee for the print version, in fact I already do by subscribing to many magazines, the local paper and Rush’s web site.
Think about it. You can buy a blue car with tan interior, power locks, GPS, with a V six engine, (and the options go on) now tell me why my newspaper cant be customized as well… would the unions support it? I think so.
If you like the idea become proactive. Comment on this post at - angryjournalists.com and get others with the needed technical skills to join the conversation, again on this specific web site. Get the owners and the guilds involved in this discussion and again on this web site exclusively.
By focusing your comments in one location you add to a “paper trail” where new readers, and people with a need to know the discussion can scroll back through the history of the conversation.
To help coordinate comments do the following:
Headline your comments with the word “Newspaper Manifesto” and while you cant use your real name use a nick name - mine is Two Towers
Finally identify the nature of your association with the industry such as Guild, Reporter, Publisher, IT, Investor, etc.
It is time to redirect your anger and fear to action.
It is time to change from being part of the problem to being the solution.
Start communicating and networking the idea.
Two Towers