Huffington Post More Valuable Than Some Newspaper Cos.
News Blog's Infusion of Cash Sets It Apart From Rivals Like Drudge

Posted by Michael Learmonth on 12.01.08 @ 05:47 PM

As long-rumored, The Huffington Post took $25 million in new funding at a $100 million valuation. It's a healthy sum given the company has aggregated a huge audience -- 8.8 million people a month, accordng to Quantcast -- primarily on links to content it does not produce (newspaper stories) or pay for (columns).

The funding means Arianna Huffington's news blog is now considered more valuable by its backers than quite a few publicly traded newspaper companies, such as Lee Enterprises, owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 52 other papers (market cap: $36 million), A.H. Belo, owner of the Dallas Morning News and the Providence Journal (market cap: $35 million), and Media General, owner of the Tampa Tribune and Richmond Times-Dispatch (market cap: $34.6 million).

It puts Huffington Post in the same league as McClatchy Corp., owner of the Sacramento Bee, Miami Herald and 28 other dailies (market cap: $150 million). In a press release, Huffington Post said it will use the funds from Oak Investment Partners for acquisitions, an "investigative journalism initiative" and localized versions, which will no doubt be even more dependent on the resident struggling local dailies such as in Chicago, where it already has a local site.

Granted, Huffington Post has few of the costs of running a daily newspaper and none of the debt carried by many of these companies. Like The Drudge Report, The Huffington Post built a business linking to content; unlike Drudge, Huffington Post has now raised a considerable amount of money ($37 million, all told), and has quite a few employees (46).

Despite the downturn crippling media, and especially newspaper stocks, Huffington Post still has a ways to go to catch up with New York Times Co. (market cap: $1 billion) and The Washington Post Co. (market cap: $3.3 billion).

http://adage.com/digitalnext/article?article_id=132924

I like the site, though taking the full feed of it is a bit like drinking from a fire hose.

Tribune Co. bankruptcy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_bi_ge/tribune

SWAT THIS FUCKER!

"Seattle could become the first major U.S. city without a daily newspaper."

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1871829,00.html?xid=rss-fullnation-yahoo

I'm actually glad to see that liberal rag go under.

I'm actually glad to see that liberal rag go under.

Didn't we used to have a poster from Seattle?

I do remember PNF was from Portland or something.

I'm actually glad to see that liberal rag go under.
I believe there's some sort of cascade effect owing to a joint operating agreement, so both the liberal and conservative papers would go down.

2 floors of WSJ headquarters in NYC evacuated

17 mins ago

NEW YORK – Police have evacuated The Wall Street Journal's mailroom and another floor of the newspaper's building after several envelopes were opened that contained a suspicious white powder.

Police say at least four envelopes were opened and others were left unopened in the mailroom Wednesday. The Journal said it had received more than a dozen envelopes containing the substance.

The newspaper says on its Web site that the mail was addressed to several executives. The return address was Knoxville, Tenn.

One of the evacuated floors is used by newspaper executives and editorial page employees.

The powder is being tested, and those who came into contact with it have been isolated.

The Journal is published by Dow Jones & Co., a division of the media and entertainment company News Corp.

Times Publishing Co. Announces Plans To Sell Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, Jan. 28, 2009 – The Times Publishing Co. of
St. Petersburg, Fla., announced today it is exploring the sale of Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

Based in Washington, D.C., Congressional Quarterly is the nation’s leading publisher of news and information on politics, public policy and legislative activity at the federal, state and local levels.

With nearly 170 reporters, editors and researchers covering governmental activity, CQ is recognized as a leader in the development of Web-based information products.

Layoffs Come to the Journal-- Though Not As Many As Expected (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102445686212&e=001Xn_syzlpU-3Wusc5AwOpblUJ4kMJbaFq9bQUHAwueNBrCcQ31qBLTTrOhPK8 FR8N9Tt2p_gmfWKOI4_XRHx5VmZYbQgy4rHGKDrzNIgApO0GTG 3pUeM0Ne8kj-N_dC0nr0iRvsxyZxMW9LAkwzo644sc5cLU3DBy0rA4V3ELs65K 7rECKhanHpZV6nigv2ElSZy9kSElmjM=)

Long expected, and some said overdue: layoffs at the Wall Street Journal were announced Thursday. Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corps' most venerable publishing arm is cutting staff, but thankfully, far less than the 50 jobs predicted. WSJ's publisher Robert Thomson explained in an in-house memo, 14 editorial positions at the the paper will be slashed, while the paper had lost another 11 staffers to recent "attrition."

The layoffs arrive amidst a dismal earnings call for parent News Corp. Although the WSJ is losing staff, Thomson's memo noted a ray of sunshine through the gloomy news: no jobs will be cut from Dow Jones Newswires, which is actually expanding internationally by way of new efforts in India and a Spanish-language edition.

Still, the news of the Wall Street Journal's layoffs comes as another punch to traditional publishing, which is struggling to reinvent itself in the midst of a challenging economic and advertising climate. And eyeballs aren't the WSJ's problem. As Thomson pointed out, "We are also in the midst of an unprecedented increase in our readership, in print and online, but a precipitous decline in print advertising revenue has forced a close examination of our structures and of our costs." Source: All Things D more (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102445686212&e=001Xn_syzlpU-3Wusc5AwOpblUJ4kMJbaFq9bQUHAwueNBrCcQ31qBLTTrOhPK8 FR8N9Tt2p_gmfWKOI4_XRHx5VmZYbQgy4rHGKDrzNIgApO0GTG 3pUeM0Ne8kj-N_dC0nr0iRvsxyZxMW9LAkwzo644sc5cLU3DBy0rA4V3ELs65K 7rECKhanHpZV6nigv2ElSZy9kSElmjM=)

Old news...
5WCTn4FljUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCTn4FljUQ

That shit'll never catch on.

What do you think?
"Woman Who Called for Help Assaulted By Police;
Police Suing TV Station that Exposed Them"
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/9049
tRM4145ATq8

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10190584-2.html

The 10 Major Newspapers That Will Either Fold or Go Digital Next (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTTkvmarZJVA4BIinQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHZkMjZ yBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcg--/SIG=12gpstbh5/EXP=1236778086/**http%3a//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090309/us_time/08599188378500)



4. The Detroit News (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/08599188378500/31236450/SIG=121u3hcp9/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908337,00.html) is one of two daily papers in the big American city badly hit by the economic downturn. It is unlikely that it can merge with the larger Detroit Free Press which is owned by Gannett. It is hard to see what would be in it for Gannett. With the fortunes of Detroit getting worse each day, cutting back the number of days that the paper is delivered will not save enough money to keep the paper open.

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=135123
"Cable, Satellite Providers to Push Pay-per-View Porn
Huge Profit Potential in Down Economy Prompts Promotional Efforts"

Stewart vs. Cramer -- is this the media taking down the media?

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=221516
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=221517
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=221518

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/10/japan-manga-anime-recession

While other countries bail out banks, slash interest rates and prop up struggling industries, Japan is pinning its hopes for economic recovery on a less likely source: manga comic books.

As part of 15 trillion yen of fresh stimulus measures unveiled today, Japan hopes to raise the percentage of its exports of "soft power" - manga, animated films, video games and pop music - from 2% of the total to 18% over the next decade, creating half a million jobs.

We already have too much anime.

BTW, that Daily Show interview with Cramer is an annihilation.


Roll 212

I wonder when the record industry will come to the guv'mint asking for a bailout.

How to write a cyberwarfare article:

http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/11/writing_the_scariest_article_about_cyberwarfare_in _10_easy_steps

Sex 'em the truth...

D_OVn5OGvig

ooooh, baby baby, it's a Wiki world...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0506/1224245992919.html

Vibe Magazine DONE.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/vibe-magazine-to-close-down-immediately/?hp

Sorry, MoTwon.

As long as the Source is around, all is well. Not that Source is in good shape at the moment, it's just one of those things you rely on to be around for you even when it sucks.

Media doing its typical sterling job on healthcare...

http://mediamatters.org/research/200907220012

Being a douchebag has consequences. (http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908170011) Good.

So he's off CNN now and on Fox News?

That's certainly a better place for him.

Also, Reader's Digest filed for Ch. 11 today.

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet, about 30 sec. in.


http://vodpod.com/watch/2053228-jon-stewart-on-glenn-becks-run-in-with-the-american-health-care-system

Gold I tell ya, comedy GOLD!!!!

Looks like some bigger players are focusing on highly regionalized news...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10311149-2.html?tag=mncol

And here's some Amish Paradise for you from a media perspective:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AMISH_NEWSPAPER?SITE=WWJAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

LOL, Jenna (Bush) Hager got hired by the Today show. If you've been wondering lately why the media sucks so bad, it's because they only represent the views of wealthy people. Here's what Glenn Greenwald has to say about it - it's fucking hilarious:

They should convene a panel for the next Meet the Press with Jenna Bush Hager, Luke Russert, Liz Cheney, Megan McCain and Jonah Goldberg, and they should have Chris Wallace moderate it. They can all bash affirmative action and talk about how vitally important it is that the U.S. remain a Great Meritocracy because it's really unfair for anything other than merit to determine position and employment. They can interview Lisa Murkowski, Evan Bayh, Jeb Bush, Bob Casey, Mark Pryor, Jay Rockefeller, Dan Lipinksi, and Harold Ford, Jr. about personal responsibility and the virtues of self-sufficiency. Bill Kristol, Tucker Carlson and John Podhoretz can provide moving commentary on how America is so special because all that matters is merit, not who you know or where you come from. There's a virtually endless list of politically well-placed guests equally qualified to talk on such matters.

Oh, and this one too, LOLOLOLOL:

Just to underscore a very important, related point: all of the above-listed people are examples of America's Great Meritocracy, having achieved what they have solely on the basis of their talent, skill and hard work -- The American Way. By contrast, Sonia Sotomayor -- who grew up in a Puerto Rican family in Bronx housing projects; whose father had a third-grade education, did not speak English and died when she was 9; whose mother worked as a telephone operator and a nurse; and who then became valedictorian of her high school, summa cum laude at Princeton, a graduate of Yale Law School, and ultimately a Supreme Court Justice -- is someone who had a whole litany of unfair advantages handed to her and is the poster child for un-American, merit-less advancement.

I just want to make sure that's clear.

Charlie Gibson is retiring. Diane Sawyer is taking his place.

Only about a year too late for Sarah Palin.

Penthouse magazine owns bigchurch.com, a Christian dating website:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136306

Paula Abdul is retiring. Ellen DeGeneres is taking her place.

Only about a year too late for Sanjaya.

FYP

Thomas Friedman's house:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/thomas-friedman.bmp

I bet he's glad his wife paid off the house before her rich daddy went bankrupt.

I bet he's glad his wife paid off the house before her rich daddy went bankrupt.

Now it makes sense. I saw that picture and was like WTF how does a dude afford that kind of spread as a columnist.