The Newsonomics of Trust, News Trusts and Murdoch Trustworthiness

One reason News Corp. may move forward with the trust idea rather than a sale of the properties is that it may meet a market without buyers. With the Times’ losses, it’s tough to come up with logical buyers for the papers. Why mess with the market, though, if you can both perform an act of ...

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The Newsonomics of the Death & Life of California News

All we can say with certainty: we’re witnessing the death and life of California news. Who will own the biggest news media? Who will manage the biggest news media? How much of a life in print will be left for newspapers as they go digital? And, of course, how many journalists will be paid to ...

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Philly Report: Thinking About the Roll-Ups to Come

The magic word here from a business perspective: Roll-up. Whoever figures out how to roll up major audiences and monetize them wins. J-Lab's report holds out hope that may come about somewhat organically. History, though, teaches us that it's more likely to come by dint of more singular zeal.

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Jonathan Weber: On Finding the New Bay Area Voice

The [New York] Times has tremendous talent and editorial resources, obviously, and it will be great fun to work with such top-notch writers, editors, photographers. The association will also help a lot with brand-building and reach. The trickiest part will probably be marrying the NYT voice and ...

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Nine Questions: Murdoch’s Lion in Winter, Alicia Calling, Junk Traffic and Negotiating Like It’s 1999

It’s quite a cat-and-mouse game. The cat is Rupert Murdoch, a lion in the winter of his career. Astoundingly, he’s become the leading spokesman for American journalism. The mouse is the crafty Google, adjusting its algorithms and its tactics, faster than publishers can bemoan, “who moved my ...

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N.Y. Times’ SF Edition Plays Inside-Out Game

Tired of playing defense and readying itself for offense, the New York Times’ formal announcement of its San Francisco “edition” this week shows us how a world is moving and how the Times and Wall Street Journal (which also will offer an SF edition soon) is taking their battle to a city near you.

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New San Francisco Independent News Site Unsettles Status Quo

Important Details:  San Francisco financier Warren Hellman has announced one of the most ambitious independent online news start-ups. He’s putting up seed money of $5 million with plans to hire “dozens of journalists” to cover the news in and around San Francisco. Hellman has ...

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Bay Area Online News Renaissance: 7 Pointers Forward

For daily newspapers, the growth of alternative journalisms is both a promise and a threat. It's a promise of getting high-quality, low-cost (California Watch charged even large metros just a few hundred dollars, though it is reviewing its business models going forward), without having to pay ...

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