AAN News
Copyright Holders Challenge Sites That Excerpt Contentnew
Some media executives are growing concerned that web curators like the Huffington Post are taking away potential readers and profiting from content paid for by others. The New York Times reports that lawsuits in this area are on the rise, and interested parties say the government hasn't clearly delineated how copyright law applies. "New modes of creation, reuse, mixing and mash-ups made possible by digital technologies and the internet have made it even more clear that Congress's attempt to define fair use is woefully inadequate," the director of the Citizen Media Law Project tells the Times.
The New York Times |
03-02-2009 10:26 am |
Industry News
Despite Downturn, Local News Sites Are Doing OKnew
David Westphal checks in with eight local news websites across the country to see how they're doing financially. "So far they're hanging tough. Business hasn't fallen much, if at all, and most are instituting expansion plans," he writes. "If they're a barometer, community news sites have some resiliency to them."
Online Journalism Review |
03-02-2009 10:00 am |
Industry News
Analysts Predict First Contraction of Online Ad Market Since 2001new
The research group IDC has reversed its online advertising growth estimates from 10 percent growth in 2009 to a 5 percent drop in revenues in the first quarter that could get worse in the second. It would be the first contraction in online ad spending since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001. TechCrunch's Sarah Lacy says that the online ad industry needs to come up with innovative products to thrive. "There's too much outsourcing to the ad networks and too much of an assumption by the portals and other large properties that gaudy eyeballs will be enough," she writes. "That's old media thinking. It's enough to get ads when times are good, but not necessarily to keep them when times get bad."
TechCrunch |
02-27-2009 1:48 pm |
Industry News
Salt Lake City Weekly Editor Departsnew
Holly Mullen left on Wednesday after nearly two years at the alt-weekly, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Neither Mullen nor publisher Jim Rizzi would disclose the reason for Mullen's departure, which she described as a "mutual decision to part ways." Rizzi says Mullen has been replaced by Jerre Wroble, who joined the paper as a copy editor in 2002 and has been managing editor since April 2005.
The Salt Lake Tribune |
02-27-2009 9:23 am |
Industry News
Isthmus Editor's 'Jeopardy!' Run Ends on Second Daynew
Kenneth Burns, the arts and entertainment editor of the Madison, Wisc., alt-weekly, finished second on yesterday's episode of the syndicated quiz show and will not return today. On Monday, Burns took home $21,600 by coming in first place.
Isthmus |
02-25-2009 4:32 pm |
Honors & Achievements
Prediction: Mobile Ad Revenues To Hit $3.1 Billion By 2013new
According to the Kelsey Group, revenues from mobile advertising will jump to $3.1 billion in five years. Currently, mobile advertising sits at $160 million in 2008. The group also says expected revenues from local search will increase more than 130 percent per year to $1.3 billion by 2013.
Media Daily News |
02-25-2009 10:59 am |
Industry News
Isthmus Editor Wins on First Day of 'Jeopardy!'new
On Monday's episode of Jeopardy!, Isthmus arts and entertainment editor Kenneth Burns finished in first place with $21,600. He will take on two new challengers on the syndicated game show tonight. Burns tells 77 Square that his episodes were taped in California in January -- in fact, he happened to have a taping on the day Barack Obama was inaugurated. "I remember at about noon, (a Jeopardy! staffer) looked at her watch and said, 'Oh, we have a new president,'" Burns says. "It was a tense group of people, as you can imagine, but that was a tension breaker."
Isthmus |
02-24-2009 3:56 pm |
Honors & Achievements
City Pages Will Run Daily Webcast from Local Radio Legendnew
Last week, City Pages announced that it was bringing longtime local radio host TD Mischke on to host a webcast streaming live on its website for two hours every weekday. Along with the daily web broadcast, Mischke -- who brought his own advertisers into the deal -- will screen original videos on citypages.com and publish a weekly column in the paper. MinnPost's David Brauer says the deal "show[s] how old and new media can be woven together."
City Pages |
02-24-2009 1:16 pm |
Industry News
Willamette Week Critic Wins New York Times Oscar Ballotingnew
Aaron Mesh guessed correctly the winners in 22 of the 24 Academy Award categories, missing only on best foreign-language film and original score. That put him ahead of "tens of thousands" of other people and made him the winner of the Times' interactive Oscar prediction ballot.
Willamette Week | The New York Times |
02-24-2009 9:44 am |
Honors & Achievements
Former Washington City Paper Music Critic Diesnew
Rickey Wright passed away on Feb. 19 in Seattle after suffering from a series of small strokes. "He was a save-your-ass kind of writer," recalls former City Paper arts editor Glenn Dixon. "If someone didn't come through, and there were constantly people who didn't come through, Rickey would do the job. He'd write it well. He'd get it in on time -- always. He was never without ideas and he could cover any kind of music. I can't tell you how rare that is."
Washington City Paper |
02-24-2009 9:34 am |
Industry News
Consultant: For Local Media to Succeed, It Must Embrace Local Economynew
"In the new economic paradigm local economies will thrive and prosper based upon the vitality and engagement of local citizens, local businesses and local media," writes Terry Garrett in response to a Business Week story that claims "'local' doesn't mean much online." While Garrett concedes that local ad buying is down (along with just about all ad buying), he argues that in the future, media companies will do more than just sell ads. "If local media are to advance the prospects of a local economy, the definition of service has to include being the instigator, coordinator and (one of the) resource providers for local first initiatives," he writes. "It's a collaborative model that extends beyond ownership and control, and that I believe, is the biggest challenge for local media companies who are accustomed to owning media to extract ad value."
Don't Panic |
02-23-2009 2:23 pm |
Industry News
AAN's Executive Director Defends Ad-Only Revenue Modelnew
In a recent TIME cover story on the crisis facing journalism, former CNN CEO Walter Isaacson argued that newspapers that relied only on advertising for revenue were somehow more beholden to advertisers than readers. "It is telling that on the subject of the advertising-only revenue model, which Isaacson says is 'completely beholden' to advertisers, he turns to the opinions of Henry Luce, who has been dead for more than 40 years," Richard Karpel writes in a letter to the editor. He goes on to say that AAN's members "have generally written more critically of business -- and sometimes their own clients -- than most paid publications."
TIME |
02-23-2009 1:50 pm |
Industry News
Chicago Reader Reprints 1972 'Manifesto'new
Someone at the Reader office recently found an old manifesto written by the alt-weekly's founders in 1972, and the paper published it last week on its blog. Responding to the question "Why do we continue with this crazy project?," the manifesto reads: "1) We are convinced it will be successful eventually. 2) We really enjoy our work. 3) The paper seems to be fulfilling a definite need for 'alternative' publications which are nonetheless not 'radical.' 4) We are bringing exposure to some (potentially) great writers." MORE: "[The document is] a brash artifact of an era where, all across the country, small groups of news innovators took a flyer on an untested business model and editorial format," CJR's Clint Hendler writes. "And what they birthed, the alt-weekly, became the home to some of the country's best writers and best journalism."
Chicago Reader |
02-23-2009 8:50 am |
Industry News
Isthmus Presents The Big Eat -- A Feast to Benefit Families in Need
Isthmus Press Release |
02-23-2009 9:20 am |
Press Releases
Survey: Fewer Than Half Of Marketers Use Online Metricsnew
Marketing Daily |
02-23-2009 8:57 am |
Industry News
