WSJ.com has enjoyed a 94% increase in online traffic compared to June 2007, according to the company’s internal traffic numbers. The site had 16.2 million unique users this June, with total page views up 45% to 150 million. MediaWeek (June 2, 2008)
A new a program called MagCloud, will allow users to upload pages in PDF format and then sit back and watch MagCloud “publish” it. The print-on-demand service program will do everything from printing and mailing to subscription management. MagCloud is still in its beta form and is being developed by Derek Powazek and HP [...]
According to the paper’s editor, The Los Angeles Times plans to cut 250 positions, including 150 jobs in the print and online news departments. This is a reaction to the industrywide ad sales slump that has been fueled by a weak real estate market. The LA Times plans to restructure the paper cutting pages by [...]
Shoppers normally devoted to Britain’s Marks & Spencer are reconsidering their loyalty due to pricing competition from Aldi . Consumers are realizing significant savings through Aldi’s competitive pricing strategies. Their corporate web-site includes a savings calculator used to determine how much money one can save by shopping in their outlets.
The Times of London
The Times of London
Conde Nast U.K., has announced the launch of a British version of WIRED. Publisher Jamie Jouning perceives the challenging economy as an ‘opportunity not a threat’. ‘We’ve done a lot of research into this launch and genuinely feel there’s not a better time to launch. Technology is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary civilisation [...]
Electronic information publishing house Reed Elsevier is offering a £1billion-plus loan to potential suitors of their magazine unit that publishes Farmers Weekly and Flight International. Reed hopes that the offer of the loan will ‘kick - start’ an auction for this division of Reed Business Information.
The Times of London
The New York Times’ Stephen J. Dubner raises some interesting questions about Time Inc.’s new, Netflix-like Maghound.com online magazine service. Chief among them – do readers really want to trade in and out magazines the way they do movies? (Doesn’t the industry make a lot of hay out of readers’ deep connections to particular titles?) Dubner does see Maghound’s [...]
Despite not having the best year for ad revenues, Condé Nast Publisher Bill Wackerman remains confident. He recently told the New York Post, “Although we’re losing pages, our market share is up. Market share is the new up.” NY Post (July 2, 2008)
Standard & Poors has removed Penton Media from its CreditWatch program and affirmed the company’s ‘B’ credit rating. This comes only a little more than a month after Penton called for a salary and hiring freeze, as well as launching a company-wide revenue reforecasting. Despite all this, Penton’s first quarter revenue increased 11 percent, presumably [...]
The first overseas edition of Martha Stewart Wedding launches in the Philippines in September, as a joint venture with Summit Media. Summit Media, a Manila-based media conglomerate, represents more than 23 titles, including the Philippine editions of Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Seventeen, FHM and Good Housekeeping. Women’s Wear Daily (July 2, 2008)