@RickEdmonds profile picture
Rick Edmonds @RickEdmonds

media business analyst

Joined October 2009
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Bad times at Twitter may be good news for Substack. Co-founder Hamish McKenzie says, "It is a place where (writers) can do their best work, get paid for it, and retain ownership over all the things that matter." tinyurl.com/ra63cd43
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Gannett tells its news division another round of layoffs is coming -- 200 jobs starting December 1. tinyurl.com/3zznrk92

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Signal Cleveland launched this morning. It's a $7.5 million nonprofit with aspirations to become a model for reaching underserved communities. -- and the biggest yet of the American Journalism Project's 33 grantees. tinyurl.com/2pdffmxn
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Remember Fox News's decision to go its own way and call Arizona's 2020 presidential race early for Biden -- nine days ahead of its network competitors? Why a decision desk duel could happen again this cycle. tinyurl.com/9ahhh5bm
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Gannett's third quarter financial results aren't much better than the bleak second quarter was. But the nation's largest newspaper company has grown paid digital-only subscriptions beyond 2 million and is bringing down costs. tinyurl.com/3hh2wrtd
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In the hot, close and consequential Warnock-Walker Senate race, Georgia's five largest newspapers are not making an endorsement. Others, like the Philadelphia Inquirer, have stuck with the tradition that such editorials are a key part of informing voters. tinyurl.com/5a379kcv
The New York Times keeps growing its paid digital subscription base. But marketing and pricing are pushing news readers to sign on for an all-access "bundle" of Times offerings (Games, The Athletic, etc.) tinyurl.com/3raeaarx

News alone is no longer the driver of New York Times subscription growth - Poynter

The company’s quarterly financial report follows what has become a trend: an operating profit margin of around 10%

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A tight timetable and rising opposition. The local news industry push to get federal legislation this supporting compensation deals with Google and Facebook is in peril. tinyurl.com/2s44ntnm

Opposition mounts as JCPA’s sponsors target year-end approval - Poynter

Arguments against the legislation mostly center on how it could funnel money to big corporations rather than local news

poynter.org
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Inflation is proving especially painful for newspapers. Newsprint is up 25-30% in 2022, fuel for delivery drivers through the roof, as are wages, if they can even find workers for that unattractive job. tinyurl.com/49azppta
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Gannett's already battered stock falls some more. Trading this week between $1.50 and $1.60 a share. The market is down for the last month (3%) but not nearly as much as GCI (29%). tinyurl.com/5h6wyesh
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USA Today celebrates its 40th birthday today. Management pledges to double down on short and even shorter story formats. tinyurl.com/49fxkmrx

Happy 40th birthday, USA Today - Poynter

USA Today ‘was created to be unapologetically different, intentionally accessible in its mission to serve everyday Americans,’ its publisher said.

poynter.org
With page views down 20%, regional newspapers need to scramble to keep their finances in equilibrium and their push for paid digital subscriptions on track. tinyurl.com/bdh9npwe

Traffic to local news websites has plummeted. What happens now? - Poynter

With advertising down and newsprint and delivery costs rising, reduced traffic puts pressure on an already ailing industry.

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Google's Innovation Challenge: 8-years-old, 260 grants, run out of Paris and a preference for small grants and replicable programs. tinyurl.com/bpae2kvz
After years of gestation, a bill to make Google and Facebook negotiate and then pay publishers for news content is making its way to the House and Senate floor. A primer on how it would work. tinyurl.com/4t6y5jbe

Bill to force Google and Facebook to pay for news content wends its way toward center stage -...

A look at what the latest legislation, which is likely to change further, might mean for U.S. news outlets

poynter.org
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Asheville Watchdog, a volunteer collective of retired reporters and editors, has had a two-year run of big investigative stories. But the Watchdog has now lost its best outlet, Gannett's Asheville Citizen Times, which prefers a hard paywall strategy. tinyurl.com/38eprk4a

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Cox Enterprise's acquisition of Axios looks like an M & A marriage made in heaven. It should accelerate the already breakneck expansion of Axios Local newsletters -- now in 24 markets and shooting for 100. tinyurl.com/4jmff69x
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The New York Times shed all of its regional papers to concentrate on its core product while GateHouse/Gannett acquired more and more of them. That helps explain the diverging fortunes of the two companies. tinyurl.com/4yx4k7zh

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Gannett's financial results nosedive in the second quarter. Layoffs and other cuts are on the way, the company says. poynter.org/reporting-editin…

Gannett reports disastrous financial results; layoffs are coming - Poynter

Digital subscriptions are up, but, as expenses rise, other revenue streams are in a freefall

poynter.org
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In spite of softening advertising and heavy costs, New York Times Co. has reported strong financial results. Digital-only subscriptions were up 180,000 net in the second quarter. tinyurl.com/2p8rahun
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Selling news by the article has not caught on big despite many tries over the last 20 years. A 26-year-old hopes to reverse that with her early stage startup, Zette. tinyurl.com/4fuve43m

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