Many newspaper publishers say the ad sales slump has stopped, but not at Wapo: Both print and Web ad declines accelerated over the last quarter. Newsweek, meanwhile, saw its ad sales drop by half.
A new series of reports argues that billionaire David Geffen doesn’t want to make money by investing in the New York Times–he wants to save it. Fair enough. But how exactly does he plan to do that?
Want to buy an e-book reader but can’t decide between Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s version, the Reader? Then you’re in the minority: Most folks are choosing Amazon’s device, even though Sony’s sells for $60 less. Sony’s newest gambit to change that: A tie-up with Google that will add half a million free titles to the Sony book catalog.
No shock that the Washington Post had a miserable fourth quarter. At least the paper’s online business didn’t fall off a cliff in Q4–which is more than you can say about the New York Times.
Just like every other set of media layoffs/cutbacks, these aren’t surprising, which doesn’t make them any less unpleasant: Newsweek will be making its second round of cuts in less than a year. It’s hard to see how the Washington Post Co., the magazine’s owner, could do anything else. Newsweek loses money, and ad revenue at the magazine has been in free-fall throughout the year.
Once upon a time, U.S. News & World Report tried positioning itself as a competitor to Newsweek and Time. But those days are long gone: Now the publication is best known as a publisher of lists. And it’s acknowledging that fact by moving to a monthly publishing schedule.
The Washington Post Company’s Q3 report card is bad. But it’s better than the last one the troubled newspaper and education company earned. And yes, you have to be in the media business to look at a seven percent yearly decline in revenue, which is what Wapo’s newspaper group recorded, as a positive. But that decrease is indeed better than Q2, when newspaper revenues were down 13 percent.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
D is unlike any other executive conference. Since its debut in 2003, D has brought to life the energy and excitement of the digital revolution in an unscripted, upfront and unparalleled way. Read more »
Don't miss a post! Sign up for our Daily Email and get AllThingsD.com delivered each day.
Get columns, blogs and video from D and All Things Digital on your iPhone. Download now »
