Comag Marketing Group, LLC » Newspaper

Music, Cupcakes, Beer – Let’s Celebrate!

Julia — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:19:08 +0000

Hearst-owned Seattlepi.com, the on-line successor to the print version of Seattle Post-Intelligencer, celebrates its one-year anniversary March 18, 2010.

The site is doing well with almost 4 million people visiting each month, which speaks loudly of their success as they are the first major metropolitan daily newspaper in the country to go Web-only.

The staff and public will celebrate Thursday at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle’s Belltown district. iwantmedia March 18, 2010

Rupert Murdoch’s Plan to Save Newspapers

Kim — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:05:14 +0000

In an effort to get back revenue that his print outlets have been losing, Rupert Murdoch is planning to charge for subscriptions to all of NewsCorp’s online content. This would probably include news websites like Dow Jones, Marketwatch, Financial News, and The New York Post to name a few. NewsCorp-owned Wall Street Journal was one of the first websites to implement a pay wall and has seen increased circulation over the last year.

The subscription-based access will also affect e-book devices like Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s new iPad, which Murdoch recently said would go “unloved and unsold” without content from companies like NewsCorp, which owns HarperCollins books. Murdoch disagrees with Amazon’s famous $9.99 Kindle book price, saying the low price devalues books and hurts hard-cover retailers. As of now, Murdoch has put a hold on HarperCollins e-books sold through Amazon and is in the process of negotiating new pricing. Business Journal (2/3/2010) PC Magazine (2/2/2010).

Consumer Reports Caution for Holiday Shopping

Kim — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:06:44 +0000

Consumer Reports took out an ad in USA Today for the fourth straight year warning consumers of retailers’ holiday shopping practices. The ad cites survey results showing most Americans are unhappy with their pushy methods, like being asked to sign up for store credit cards and extended warranties. Consumer Reports paid $143,000 for the ad and says it’s especially important this year when people are trying to buy less and shop smarter. The New York Times Nov. 23, 2009

Gannett to Furlough Most of its 31,000 Employees

Jennifer — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:01:23 +0000

In an effort to avoid layoffs, newspaper giant Gannett is requiring one-week, unpaid leaves of absence for most of its employees. The New York Times Jan. 14, 2009

Fitch Ratings Predicts Daily Papers to Close in Several Cities

Jennifer — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:38:22 +0000

“Newspaper and newspaper groups are likely to default on their debt and go out of business next year — leaving ’several cities’ with no daily newspaper at all, Fitch Ratings says in a report on media released Wednesday.” Editor & Publisher (Dec. 4, 2008)

The Problem with Publishing: Only Print Pays the Bills

Jennifer — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:49:54 +0000

New York Times media columnist David Carr recounts some of the bad publishing headlines from recent days and laments the fact that more than 90% of newspapers’ revenues still come from their legacy printed products — despite their growing and vital websites. Readers still value the information publishers produce, but the industry still hasn’t devised a successful way to charge for it. At a time when the three big print advertising categories — auto, financial services and retail — are under assault, that is very worrisome news. The New York Times (Oct. 28, 2008)

Washington Post to Buy Foreign Policy Magazine

Jennifer — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:29:47 +0000

Bloomberg News reported on Friday that The Washington Post Co. plans to buy Foreign Policy magazine. The company already publishes Newsweek magazine. Bloomberg (Sept. 26, 2008)

Ad Week Panelists Take Bearish Views on Traditional Media

Jennifer — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:06:26 +0000

One speaker at the fifth annual Advertising Week in New York, HDNet Chairman Mark Cuban, also predicts a shake-out among some hot online properties as their lack of money-making potential becomes apparent. While he may look at opportunities in mobile, he suggests this is a time to keep money on the sidelines. Colorful Vanity Fair columnist Michael Wolfe thinks that Time magazine may soon be for sale and that “…people who only read the New York Times these days are simply ‘old people.’” Hollywood Reporter (Sept. 22, 2008)

Gannet Cuts More Jobs

Kim — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:55:20 +0000

Gannet Co., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, is cutting 100 more jobs this week. The announcement comes after last month’s elimination of 1,000 positions. This time around, the cuts were all in management jobs in Gannet’s newspapers nation-wide. No cuts were made at the company’s flagship paper, USA Today. As with the rest of the newspaper industry, revenue for the company has declined faster than expected in the face of the weakening economy. Gannet hopes the cuts will improve communication, streamline processes, accelerate program deployment and, improve marketing efforts. Asbury Park Press (Sept. 10, 2008)

New WSJ Magazine Boasts 51 Advertisers — 19 New to the Journal

Jennifer — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:17:59 +0000

The new luxury lifestyle magazine will be sent to a subgroup of The Wall Street Journal’s subscribers with an average household income of $265,000, beginning this Saturday. Total circ for the launch issue will be 960,000 copies: 800,000 sold by subscription and at newsstands in 17 large markets, plus 160,000 copies distributed on Fridays overseas. WSJ launches as a quarterly, with plans to go monthly next year. The New York Times (Sept. 3, 2008)