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• 01.13.10
  As has been said before, events in the North-East make for compelling viewing this spring. Is the JP pay-wall about to succumb to the bigger picture in those wild and disputed border lands? Advertising, General, Journalism | (0)

  It is not exactly rocket science to figure that we might have an interest in all things North-East this spring. As has been muttered before in these parts, there is much to keep an eye on in and around the valleys of Tyne, Tees and Wear. The arrival of the impressive-looking http://www.hohound.co.uk/ over the forthcoming days merely re-inforces the impression that there is much good a-foot in them there parts... much that is worthy of comment and inspection. http://rickwaghorn.co.uk/2009/11/26/if-anyone-wants-to-know-where-the-future-of-the-uks-new-media-landscape-will-be-forged-and-decided-itll-be-in-the-north-east-of-england-starting-on-monday/ ... at which point Johnston Press were about to build a paywall around the Northumberland Gazette and test to see just how many folk thereabouts ...

  Tagged: addiply.com, Johnston Press, Newsquest, SR2blog.com, Ten Alps, TrinityMirror
  
• 11.30.09
  As I look at the new pay-wall that Johnston have erected around the Northumberland Gazette, you do begin to wonder… Advertising, General, Journalism | (4)

  As one or two of you might know, we have developed something of an interest of late in events in Northumberland. There is, after all, a chance that the initial contours of the UK's new media landscape might be drawn out in the rolling vales beneath Hadrian's Wall... http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=331 Today and Johnston Press boldly went where few weekly publishers have gone before by erecting a new wall around the 'Premium Content' contained within the Northumberland Gazette; from now on you will have to pay £5 a quarter to access the 'inside pages' of the Gazette. http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/sectionhome.aspx?sectionID=1117 And, sure enough, click on the canoeist and the ...

  Tagged: Addiply, Google, Johnston Press, TrinityMirror
  
• 11.26.09
  If anyone wants to know where the future of the UK’s new media landscape will be forged and decided, it’ll be in the North-East of England. Starting on Monday. Advertising, General, Journalism | (3)

  Whether by accident or design, the North-East of England is a very interesting place to be now media-wise. That particular penny has taken a little while to drop, but events of the last 36 hours have only strengthened my feeling that over the course of the next 6-9 months, Newcastle, Sunderland and the great English-Scottish borderlands to the north are the place to be... the area to which many an eye will turn come the spring. Why? Well, first there is the Northumberland Gazette which is to be one of six JP weekly newspapers to disappear behind a pay-wall come next Monday... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2009/nov/25/johnston-press-charging-for-content That will ...

  Tagged: Addiply, Google, Johnston Press, Ten Alps, TrinityMirror
  
• 04.08.09
  The three ‘P’ riders of Ms Bell’s forthcoming apocalypse. Press hall, paper boy and pension deficit. General, Journalism | (2)

  One of the bigger tragedies of any impending break-up of Press Gazette would be a loss of Peter Kirwan's Media Money column. For me - ever since we first hooked up at a UCLAN speaking gig and in the hotel bar thereafter - he has been something of a shining light; a regular hook upon which I could hang my 'hot air and baloney' hat. So, hopefully, whatever web phoenix emerges from the Press Gazette print ashes, Pete will find a new home to call his own. If not, then his last ever post might prove one of his more significant given that, ...

  Tagged: Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror
  
• 02.23.09
  Chapter 11 now filed in the story of Fred The Shred, Brian P Tierney and Philly Media. Kiss good-bye to more of our millions, folks.. General, Journalism | (1)

  I suspect that in the ever-lengthening rap sheet we can lay at the door of 'Fred The Shred' and his fellow clowns at the Royal Bank of Scotland, this particular piece of news will get lost - after all, it's not billions we're talking here. Just hundreds of millions. Of our money. Going down the proverbial toilet... http://recoveringjournalist.typepad.com/recovering_journalist/2009/02/the-philadelphia-storys-latest-chapter-11.html Because the story of some sweet-talking Philadelphia-Irish charmer called Brian P Tierney and the men from RBS is a subject that's been dear to our hearts for a while now... http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=142 And then again... http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=161 Because someone, somewhere needs to be 'outed' as the person who - as late ...

  Tagged: Johnston Press, Royal Bank of Scotland
  
• 02.11.09
  Something for our next ‘VIP Club’ agenda; that maybe we need to spin the Newspaper Society’s thoughts back towards the green shoots… Advertising, General, Journalism | (1)

  Apologies. Blame AOL. Where were we? Given tragic events in Australia of late, perhaps the words 'forest' and 'fire' ought to be dropped from OWAB's book of over-used catch-phrases. But, given this weekend has brought news of Johnston Press busily hawking round the family silver newspaper-wise - or not, depending on who the source of the story is... - I still maintain, along with our Sly, that there is an urgency and desparation to our times that has yet to be fully grasped in certain quarters. Pete Kirwan nailed it with his recent post... http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/mediamoney/2009/02/09/the-financial-reporting-season-a-moment-of-truth-at-recession-central/ That if the genie is not already out of the ...

  Tagged: Johnston Press, Newspaper Society, Northcliffe/DMGT, VIP Club
  
• 02.01.09
  What if this forest fire is raging with such a ferocity that the next time Lord Carter blinks, the Sheffield Star is gone? General, Journalism | (3)

  There were a couple of pieces that rolled into one, bigger thought over the weekend; that and a big, warm, over-due welcome for the first honorary bird on our blogroll, Jemima Kiss... ... who banged a couple of large nails on the head on the back of Lord Carter's first draft of his 'Digital Britain' thing last week with this... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/jan/29/digitalmedia-bbc In particular... 'the report seemed fixed on pushing traditional media companies to transform for this demand. 'The future for the BBC, for Channel 4, for local newspapers and for radio - the report is focused on helping these behemoths plan for the future, ...

  Tagged: Archant, Digital Britain, Johnston Press, Lord Carter, TrinityMirror
  
• 01.24.09
  So, what does the top of a cliff look like? Let’s ask the man from the FT… General, Journalism | (0)

  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3fc133bc-c0b1-11dc-b0b7-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 175? Close.

  Tagged: Johnston Press
  
• 01.04.09
  A bit belated, but here’s a few thoughts as to what awaits us all in 2009. For me, it has to be the Year of the Link General, Journalism | (0)

  Apologies. The winter vomit thing wound its merry way up Loddon High Street this Yule and left me more in the sh*te than usual. So, we've been amiss in keeping OWAB ticking over. Fortunately, however, this popped up recently from Alan Mutter; who along with the illustrious Mark Potts is one of our top boys across the Pond. Always worth a read. http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2008/12/newspaper-share-value-fell-64b-in-08.html#comments For, of course, all you do then is slip in a British newspaper stock of your choice and see how they compare to their pals Stateside. About the same in some notable cases. [Subsequent: For those of a less-than-charitable disposition, you could ...

  Tagged: Alan Mutter, Alan Rushbridger, Guardian, Johnston Press, TrinityMirror
  
• 12.11.08
  A 9pm update from across the Water; on the far side of the Pond. Again, thoughts on consolidation as a survival tactic.. General, Journalism | (1)

  [9pm follow up... http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=192 ] Where next... From Mr Potts... "Sharing, clustering and consolidation. We've already seen competing newspapers starting to share resources, like the announcement that the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram will share arts critics, or the story-sharing among South Florida or North Carolina papers, or papers even printing and distributing their competitors. "Good start. Think bigger. Much bigger. We're likely to see outright combinations of newspapers covering contiguous regions, based on central shared editing, sales, marketing and printing resources. "MediaNews already is mostly down this track in the Bay Area; throw the San Francisco Chronicle into the ...

  Tagged: Johnston Press, Mark Potts, Newsquest
  

• « Previous Entries

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