Unbankrupt

MediaNews Group emerged Friday from bankruptcy and cleansed of about $765 million in debt, Bloomberg reports.

The Chapter 11 filing included a reorganization of the company's board. Dean Singleton and Jody Lodovic will continue to run MediaNews, while the banks and lenders took a bigger chunk of the ownership. As Editor & Publisher reports:

Secured lenders exchanged their debt for an 89% stake in the company, but Chairman William Dean Singleton remains in control of the chain with the power to appoint four of the seven directors.

Whether the reorganization plan affects newspaper operations over the long term remains to be seen. Bank of America and the other major creditors probably won't be very patient about seeing returns on their investment after forgiving so much debt.

MediaNews is the second largest newspaper publisher in the country. Holdings include the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which publishes the Daily News, Daily Breeze, Pasadena Star-News and six other dailies.

The new business of Editor & Publisher is business

The return of Editor & Publisher without its two most recognizable writers and editors, Greg Mitchell and Joe Strupp, raised a few red flags that the trade publication would be more about trade and less about news. That and the fact that its was bought by a company that publishes magazines about boats.

In an interview with the New York Times, the new owners confirms that he'll indeed shift the focus away from the news side:

Mr. McIntosh said in an interview that he wanted to shift Editor & Publisher’s focus toward the business and technology of the industry, with less emphasis on what happens in newsrooms.

(h/t E&P in Exile)

Editor & Publisher revived*

It's not often that a publication gets to break the news of its demise and its resurrection all in the space of two weeks.

Turns out Editor & Publisher, which shuttered two weeks ago after parent company Nielsen Business Media sold it off, is back in business after its sale today to Irvine-based Duncan McIntosh Co.

From E&P:

E&P's new owners announced plans to publish a February print issue and continue the magazine's monthly print publication schedule. Online reporting on its Web site, editorandpublisher.com, began immediately upon the close of the transaction Thursday. ...

Mark Fitzgerald, a 26-year veteran, was named as E&P's new editor. He had most recently served as E&P's editor-at-large.

The story also included a little plug for the new owners:

Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc. is the publisher of several well-respected boating magazines and newspapers, including Boating World magazine; Sea Magazine, America's Western Boating Magazine; The Log Newspaper; and FishRap. The company also produces the Newport Boat Show in the spring and the Lido Yacht Expo in the fall.

Are there boating magazines out there aren't well respected? Anyway, good to have E&P back and out of exile.

*Update: The news isn't all good. Two of the most recognizable names at E&P were dumped as part of the deal. Greg Mitchell, the former editor, and senior editor Joe Strupp did not make the cut for some reason. (Strupp said in a Twitter post that it wasn't a good fit... you have to wonder if E&P is going to be more "publisher" than "editor".)

E&P lives in exile

Former reporters and editors of the shuttered Editor & Publisher have taken up residence at the E&P In Exile blog, which launched on New Year's Eve.

Not much cheer here

In what might be his final chance to do so, Joe Strupp of the soon-to-be shuttered Editor & Publisher put out his Top Ten Newspaper Industry Stories for the year. Here's number one:

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS - More than 40,000 newspaper jobs were lost in 2009, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is nearly twice the 21,000 cut in 2008 and more than any single year in the past 10 years. Even with furloughs, salary cuts and numerous retirement fund freezes, publishers lopped off a tragic number of positions, even as they sought to expand online and, of course, increase workloads for those who remain. The count at the end of 2009 is 284,220 jobs. In 1999, that number was at 424,500. If things don't slow down, any attempt to properly cover news, and write and edit it, will be lost if it hasn't been already.

Adding to the tally this week are the Los Angeles Times and New York Times, which are laying off as many as 66 newsroom staffers between them.

Of course, 2009 has been cruel to workers across the spectrum. But even if the economy turns around, it's unlikely newspaper companies plan to add 40,000 to the payrolls next. So, will we finally see a robust and sustainable online newsroom take shape in 2010? Is "hyperlocal" still the mantra of the managers? Are we going to have to suffer through another year of "walled gardens" vs. "link economy" debates? Stay tuned.

Editor & Publisher to shut down

Perhaps marking the reality that there are fewer and fewer editors and publishers, Nielsen Business Media announced today that it will shutter the newspaper trade magazine Editor & Publisher. E&P has been around since 1884.

The company also plans to sell a number of its brands, including The Hollywood Reporter, to Global Media Holdings.

From E&P:

Greg Mitchell, editor since 2002, has hailed the staff and accomplishments, including a dozen major awards and strong showing on the Web for many years. Some staff writers/editors have been at E&P for a quarter of a century. "I'm shocked that a way was not found for the magazine to continue it some form -- and remain hopeful that this may still occur," he said.

Four in the morning

1. Caught on tape: A spokesman for Attorney General Jerry Brown's office admits to surreptitiously taping conversation with reporters when questioned by the San Francisco Chronicle. Taping a phone conversation without informing the other party is illegal in California. Now the secret recordings the AG's office made could become evidence of a crime. Chronicle

2. Pep talk: After subjecting its papers to severe layoffs, Gannett company comes back with mission statement aimed at getting that old newsroom swagger back. The statement itself is pretty straightforward stuff for shrinking papers - emphasize local watchdog reporting, use online to break stories, try to get young people to read, be helpful to readers, etc. Editor and Publisher

3. Citizen shield law: The Senate version of the reporters' shield law would protect both professional and citizen journalists; the House version would cover only for the pros. AP

4. Layoff Time: Time Inc. plans to layoff or buyout about 540 employees and the news department - Time, Fortune, Money and Sports Ilustrated magazines - is expected to take the hardest hit. NY Post

Falling, falling

If you pay attention to such things, no doubt you've seen the ugly numbers for national newspaper circulation. Editor and Publisher calculated an average drop of 10.6 percent for the six-month period ending in September.

From E&P:

The New York Times is down 7.2% to 927,851. Sunday fell 2.6% to 1,400,302.

The Los Angeles Times reported its daily circ is off 11% to 657,467 and 6.7% on Sunday to 983,702.

Daily circ at The Washington Post fell 6.4% to 582,844 while Sunday was down 5% to 822,208.

Daily circ at the Chicago Tribune decreased 9.7% to 465,892. Sunday was down 7.1% to 803,220.

The San Francisco Chronicle lost more than a quarter of its daily circ, down 25.8% to 251,782. Sunday was off more than 22% to 306,705.

Daily at The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., dropped 22.2% to 246,006 and 18.5% on Sunday to 371,060.

The Boston Globe's daily circ decreased 18.4% to 264,105. Sunday lost 16.9% to 418,529.

American's newspaper, USA Today, fell 17 percent, putting it below the Wall Street Journal, which saw a light uptick of .6 percent.

Alan Mutter at Reflections of a Newsosaur provides some context:

Following an average drop of 10.6% in the last six months, daily newspaper circulation has fallen to a pre-World War II low of an estimated 39.1 million, according to an analysis of industry data released today.

The first double-digit circulation decline in history means only 12.9% of the U.S. population buys a daily newspaper.

Dean still lean

Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group has ordered a 5-percent pay cut for all guild employees working in the company's Bay Area News Group, which includes the Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times.

As expected, guild reps protested the decision. From Editor & Publisher:

"It is a mistake to cut pay right now when glimpses of recovery are starting to appear," said Carl Hall, local representative for the California Media Workers Guild, which oversees the East Bay guild unit. "They should be rewarding and encouraging us to work harder than ever. People are feeling devalued."

But Jim Janiga, senior vice president/human resources for the Media News Group California division, said the cuts are needed. "The newspaper industry as a whole is still having to deal with this transition," he stated. "We've still got to be reasonable and prudent."

In June, employees at the Singleton-owned San Jose Mercury News saw their wages cut by 7 percent. Singleton used furloughs and vacation freezes to trim newsroom costs at his Southern California newspaper.

Four in the evening

1. Fear the shield: An attorney and former judge says a federal shield law for reporters is more trouble than it's worth. Boston Globe

2. Legislation by ballot: Californians pass legislation and even amend the state Constitution through the ballot box. So why aren't more of the campaign documents related to those ballot measures made public? Joe Mathews says they should be. Fox & Hounds

3. Good for what Ailes you: Fox News CEO Roger Ailes met with White House political boss David Axelrod to look for common ground. Politico

4. Executive-suite privilege: Freedom Communications, owner of the Orange County Register, isn't interested in sharing its business records publicly. Ironic, no? Editor and Publisher

Four today

1. Journalism critics don't always know what they're talking about. Etaoin Shrdlu

2. Journalism critics don't always know what they're talking about. Dan Gilmor

3. More Congressional hearings on the state of the newspaper industry. Editor and Publisher

4. Cock block: To curb cockfighting and noise problems, the Los Angeles City Council limits residents to one rooster per property. LADN

Picture of war

An Associated Press photograph of a mortally wounded Marine in Afghanistan has raised old questions about the appropriateness of publishing photos of American soldiers who are dead or dying.

The picture, taken by AP photographer Julie Jacobson, shows two Marines tending to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard after he was hit in the legs by a rocket-propelled grenade. Bernard later died during surgery.

Jacobson said this to Editor and Publisher:

To ignore a moment like that simply ... would have been wrong. I was recording his impending death, just as I had recorded his life moments before walking the point in the bazaar ... Death is a part of life and most certainly a part of war. Isn't that why we're here? To document for now and for history the events of this war?

Editor and Publisher did a quick survey of the papers that did, and did not, publish the photo.

InDenver Times, the successor to the Rocky Mountain News, did not run the photo and explains why here.

The New York Times ran the photo on its Lens blog and explains why here.

The photo can be seen here.

Denver partnership dissolved

MediaNews Group has formally dissolved its Denver partnership with E.W. Scripps and, as a result, has taken full ownership of several Colorado dailies.

More important for workers in the Singleton empire, MediaNews has refinanced the partnership's debt, buying the cash-strapped company a little more breathing room.

Bicoastal cutbacks

The New York Times Co. confirms what everybody knew, which is that the Boston Globe has been put up for sale. Additionally, the company wants to trim the payroll by 10 percent at two of its smaller papers, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and Petaluma Argus Courier, both in California.

From Editor & Publisher:

The papers are seeking savings in salary reductions, buyout offers and possibly layoffs, the Press Democrat reported.

The Press Democrat employs 325 people and the move will affect all union and non-union staffers across all departments. The Argus Courier has 16 employees.

A 5% pay cut will go into effect Jan. 1 for managers while non-union employees will experience a 3% reduction in salary. This is in addition to the 2.5% cut instituted in March.

(via FishbowlLA and Romenesko)

Dear messenger, I blame you.

The players union for Major League Baseball has accused New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt of breaking the law for uncovering the names of another two steroid users in a story published yesterday. (via Romenesko)

AP content tracker

The Associated Press has announced plans to tag and track online content to protect it from digital pirates. From AP:

The beacon is meant to be a policing device aimed at deterring Web sites from posting AP content without paying licensing fees. The AP and its member newspapers contend unlicensed use of their material is costing them tens of millions of dollars in potential ad revenue. ...

The AP board of directors argues something has to be done to protect its content because the cooperative's revenue is falling for the first time in years. Revenue is expected to be around $700 million this year, down from $748 million in 2008, in part because of reductions in the fees it charges newspapers and broadcasters, whose advertising revenue has been shriveling as more marketers shift to less expensive options online.

Dean Singleton, chairman of the AP board and CEO of MediaNews Group, said this is a way to ensure journalism will "survive and thrive."

The New York Times has an explainer on what the contract tracker will do here.

Cox sells N.C. papers

Cox Enterprises sold its 13 North Carolina newspapers to Cooke Communications, Editor and Publisher reports. Cox announced last December that it would sell off its holdings in N.C. and Colorado and put the Austin American Statesman on the auction block.

Furlough fever

In a "special report," Joe Strupp at Editor & Publisher looks at the furlough trend that swept through many newspaper chains earlier this year, as already decimated newsrooms looked for ways to save money without more layoffs:

In nearly every case, at least where furloughs are concerned, guild members have to approve the unpaid time off in order for it to take effect. Most guilds are going along with the idea, at least for the moment, with many members saying their newsrooms have been cut enough and don't want to have to work in a further depleted office — or worse, lose their jobs.

"It is the best of a terrible range of options," says Tom Spalding, president of the Indianapolis Newspaper Guild and a business reporter at the Gannett-owned Indianapolis Star. "You keep your job, your insurance, and the pay cut is not permanent."

-snip-

But while many of those affected are willing to give up a little here and there to keep their jobs, the impact of cut salaries, frozen retirement funds and unpaid time off takes a psychological toll. "People come out of this very conflicted," says Jane Halpert, a psychologist who specializes in work-related issues at De Paul University. "They see all of the people who are losing their jobs and they still have a job, but at the same time they are being nickeled and dimed. And the paper tries to present this as a good thing — more days off. But it is not a vacation; it is temporary short-term unemployment."

Strupp goes on to report that unions increasingly demand newspaper owners open the books before they'll agree to absorb more benefit cuts. After the guild at the Denver Post combed through Dean Singleton's financials, they agreed to wage cuts of 6% to 9% and seven-day furloughs in each of the next three years.

Good-ish news for smaller papers

All but one of the largest 25 newspapers in America lost circulation, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations survey. But Editor and Publisher combed through the data and found some papers have made significant circulation gains. Here's the list as compiled by E&P:

MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL -- 192,631 -- 30.96%
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL -- 96,927 -- 10.32%
YORK (PA.) DAILY RECORD -- 52,330 -- 9.05%
FARGO (N.D.) FORUM -- 52,593 -- 8.90%
WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY -- 50,805 -- 8.72%
MOBILE (ALA.) PRESS-REGISTER -- 106,793 -- 7.40%
SPRINGFIELD (ILL.) STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER -- 51,453 -- 3.23%
RECORD (N.J.) -- 168,508 -- 3.17%
ERIE (PA.) TIMES-NEWS -- 57,096 -- 3.07%
CHATTANOOGA (TENN.) TIMES FREE PRESS -- 73,067 -- 1.88%

The news isn't all good, unfortunately. The spike in circulation at the Commercial Appeal, for example, is almost completely a result of Newspaper in Education programs, E&P reports. Individual paid subscriptions actually dropped 14 percent at the paper.

Four in the morning

Condé Nast announced today that it will shutter the business magazine Portfolio, a mere two years after the magazine was launched. WaPo (h/t LA Observed)

The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (aka CREW) has called for an investigation into the favorable terms of an FDIC contract awarded to real-estate giant CB Richard Ellis. The company is chaired by Richard Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. CREW

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Pasadena Star-News focuses in on state Sen. Gil Cedillo's penchant for lavish spending on staff gifts, using campaign funds. The story follows a Los Angeles Times examination of Cedillo's use of campaign funds for gifts, travel and meals. PSN

ABC reports big drops in circulation for many big newspapers. Editor & Publisher