Media Industry Archive

Decades of writing about companies and industries have taught me that, in general, it is wiser to ignore what is going on in the stock markets than to comment on it. Stock prices rise and fall much like the tides; even worse, they are mainly about the future, not the present, reflecting the speculations of those who prefer to gamble about tomorrow, as opposed to those of us trying to analyze...

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Among the (literally) thousands of connversations I have had with media colleagues about how to induce people to pay for online content, one in particular stands out. It was with John Markoff, then and now one of the most talented reporters at The New York Times, way back in the fall of 1995. I was a newbie to the web at that time, looking for tips.  John said he was excited at the prospect of...

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New York Times considering charging for content — In a question and answer session with readers, New York Times Editor Bill Keller revealed the company is considering charging for online content. Before September 2007, the paper’s TimesSelect service charged readers for access to columnists and archives. Keller hinted that while TimesSelect won’t be returning, the paper is...

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In the can’t-tell-the-players-without-a-scorecard department, the game of musical chairs among online ad sales execs continues at the major portals with word yesterday that former Yahoo executive vp/global sales Greg Coleman would be the new head of Platform A, the AOL division which houses its ad business. What Coleman’s appointment at AOL means remains to be seen, of course, but,...

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Regarding today’s news that Amazon sold an estimated 500,000 Kindles last year, I asked Mark Coker, founder/CEO of Smashwords, the digital self-publishing company, for his reaction: “If the number is accurate, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said. ” Amazon has aggressively promoted the Kindle from day one, and despite its quirks, most customers seem pleased with it....

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For reasons that have never been entirely clear, Amazon.com has not been at all forthcoming about its Kindle e-book reader. One aspect no doubt has to do with the company’s choice to employ a proprietary technology in an age when open-source products are proliferating. But Amazon’s brass must not have been able to reach a consensus about the Kindle, and whether it helps or hurts the...

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Super Bowl draws 95 million — According to Nielsen Media Research, 95 million viewers tuned in to this year’s Super Bowl between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was the second most watched Super Bowl in history, behind the 97.5 million that watched last year’s championship. Despite the slight drop in viewership, NBC tallied $206 million charging $3...

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This headline should jump out at anyone who still thinks Facebook is for people decades away from having  crow’s feet: “Women Over Age 55 Fastest-Growing Group On Facebook.” That Mediapost story went up early this morning, and though the 717,000 55-plus women that make up this growing group still represent a teeny fraction of the social network’s 150 million users,...

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The largest newspaper chain in the U.S. is Gannett Co., which also owns 23 TV stations and a bunch of digital properties, including PointRoll, Ripple6 and ShopLocal. So this week’s news that two big credit ratings firms are thinking about downgrading Gannett’s stock into junk territory, where it would join The New York Times, is affecting investors big-time. More than 11.3 million...

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(News reports today indicate that 30 jobs were cut by NCPB, which is around ten percent of the company’s workforce — 2/3/09. KQED executives blame the weakening economy and falling revenue, but did not address the analysis contained in this post.) Jeff Clarke, President & CEO of NCPB(*)/KQED sent this internal email today to all staff: Dear Colleagues: The past few months have...

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