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That Federal Help For US Newspapers That We Suggested Six Months Ago Doesn’t Sound So Farcical In Today’s World --- Philip M. Stone April 22, 2009
Six months ago when the federal government started throwing huge amounts of money around for various federal bailouts – (Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, the banks etc,) we suggested that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea for newspapers to get some help, too, and, yes, we understood all the complaints from naysayers about the media beholden to a government that it is supposed to criticize.

Maybe Carlos Slim Should Buy The UKs Independent Newspapers And Show The World How To Really Make Money From Print In These Dark Economic Times --- Philip M. Stone January 28, 2009
The one notable quote in Carlos Slim’s loaning of some $250 million to the News York Times Company at 14% interest and a low warrant price to convert shares later is that the Mexican billionaire is willing to make money wherever he can and newspapers are as good a place as any. You don’t hear that very often these days!

Risk, reward and rewind --- Michael Hedges January 12, 2009
There’s little doubt 2009 will be a year of plenty, plenty of pain. Media, big and otherwise, mirrors their audience in risk aversion. For many, survival will be the reward.

They Still Are Buying Newspapers (Companies, That It Is) --- Philip Stone January 8, 2009
These are dark days to be making newspaper deals, but they are still getting done, albeit in the small to mid-size markets. A buyer has come forward for the two newspapers in Connecticut that the Journal-Register Company had threatened to close down, and in Maine the Blethen family has a deal for their three dailies, but had to extend the deadline while the buyers continued to try and come up with the financing. No one said that even at very low prices it was going to be easy.

If There Aren’t Enough Readers For News on Newspaper Web Sites Then How About Offering Other Attractions Such As Social Networking? --- Philip M. Stone August 27, 2008
The major problem for newspapers is that the additional digital pennies earned from their news web sites come nowhere close to replacing the analog dollars lost by their print products. So maybe a solution is to run additional web sites that have nothing to do with news but that can attract the real masses and hopefully new advertisers – such as social networking sites for the local community?

Are European Newspapers Doing Better Financially Than American? --- Philip M. Stone August 19, 2008
The publisher of Germany’s Bild, Europe’s largest circulation newspaper at some 4.1 million copies daily with a readership around 12 million, makes no bone that the secret to success is an editorial product that people are willing to pay for each day. His advice to American newspapers: 'It’s too late.'

Even In The Nordic Area Newspaper Titans Are Being Slammed Because of Disappointing Results -- Schibsted Shares Down 36% In One Year, SanomaWSOY Down 25%, But Great Results From Privately Held Bonnier --- Philip M. Stone February 19, 2008
If you were to think of two very well run publicly traded giant publishing houses where you just knew the profits would roll in quarter after quarter then most likely Schibsted in Norway and SanomaWSOY in Finland would spring to mind. But both this month came out with disappointing results and their shares have been hammered over the past year.

Conrad Black goes where media barons fear to tread – jail --- Michael Hedges July 16, 2007
Media moguls, tycoons and barons lead a charmed life. Being one means never having to carry your own suitcase. Former Hollinger International Chairman Conrad Black never knew excess he couldn’t exceed. For him, those days are over.

US Newspaper Web Sites Grew Their Advertising Revenues 22.3% in Q1 Over A Year Ago Which Is Great, But Their Print Editions Dipped 6.4% Which Is Terrible -- Add The Two Together and “Terrible” Wins --- Philip M. Stone May 31, 2007
Newspapers are now accounting a record 7.1% of their profits from their Internet sites which is good news and bad news. Good news because they are growing their Internet revenue at a decent, if slowing, rate, but bad news because the print revenues are down so much that they make the Internet figures look better than they would otherwise be.

When Was The Last Time You Saw A Newspaper Company Report: “Strong Advertising Markets Both on Print and Online”? Welcome To Europe Where Established Media Companies Are Doing Better And More Media Barons Are In The Making --- Philip M. Stone May 15, 2007
Norway’s Schibsted reported” strong advertising revenues and improved circulation figures for the print versions of VG, and Aftenposten.”

What Does It Take To Get A Newspaper’s Share Price Up? Well, Market Rumors That Warren Buffett Might Be Interested In Taking A Stake Is Better Than Share Buybacks, Higher Dividends, Or Just About Anything As The New York Times Just Learned --- Philip Stone February 8, 2007
There are few American investors more respected than Warren Buffett, the world’s second most wealthy man behind Bill Gates. Buffett runs the highly profitable and respected Berkshire Hathaway holding company and when he speaks each year at the company’s annual general meeting Wall Street pays close attention. His negative comments in a news conference about the long-term viability of the US newspaper industry should cast fear in newspaper executive suites.

The Danish Free Newspaper Civil War Has Started With Four New Free Daily Household-Delivered Newspapers Launched Within A Week In Preparation For The One They All Fear Coming in September. --- Philip M. Stone August 21, 2006
Denmark has become a messy, bloody, free newspaper battleground as four new free newspapers launch within a week in preparation for the arrival of the one they all fear next month that the Danish Post Office has agreed to deliver to households throughout the country before 7 am

There’s A New European Media Baron – the UK’s David Montgomery -- and Like Media Barons Before Him He Is Judged On His Past Which Is Why Journalists In Germany, The Netherlands, and Now Norway and Denmark Are Not Happy --- Philip M. Stone July 3, 2006

Lines On the Sandy Brussels Beach --- Michael Hedges - July 3, 2006
Immediate response was rather muted to EC Media Commissioner Vivaine Reding proposed revisions to the TV Without Frontiers Directive. That was six months ago. EURO-MEI and British government, regulator and media business are firmly opposed.

Tale of Three Berlin FM Frequencies --- Michael Hedges - December 5, 2005
Berlin radio listeners will soon hear a very different “American” channel as the MABB again rocks the boat.

Why Would Aerial Capital Double Up On Gannett Stock? --- Philip Stone April 15, 2009 Follow on Twitter
What is it the financial experts know that the rest of us don’t as they make their multi-million dollar investments in the newspaper industry, this time with the news that Aerial Capital of Chicago now owns 28.8 million Gannett shares, giving it about a 12.5% ownership compared to a 4.9% ownership before?

That Natural Attraction Of Money To Media --- Michael Hedges October 1, 2014 Follow on Twitter
The media world attracts the most interesting people, often quite colorful, sometimes rather dark. Where that dark-side takes hold, cleansing is a long process accomplished by repeated hand-washing, hampered by hand-wringing. There is merit in feeling clean, more, perhaps than being clean.

Riding The Tiger – A Year After The Lehman Collapse --- Michael Hedges September 14, 2009 (follow on Twitter)
The collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers a year ago this week spawned panic across much of the media world. The jolt that rattled global finance tore into broadcasters and publishers, advertisers and consumers. Everything changed, or so it seemed.

One Thing To Watch In 2009 – Toxic Debt --- Michael Hedges January 5, 2009 Follow on Twitter
Multi-national publisher Mecom Group has become the most recent poster child for debt rattled publicly traded media companies. Once – and not long ago – the darling of rapturous financial projections it now can’t meet debt covenants exceeding €600 million, a figure that has increased more than ten-fold since the rapture. Media companies are becoming sub-prime, er, toxic.

Working With What Works: A Strategic Development --- Michael Hedges March 28, 2013 Follow on Twitter
Broadcasters in search of all the nice things that come from increased market share often stare down competitors at every opportunity. Earning market share is costly and time consuming, developing the digital dividend even more so. Acquisitions are either hard to come by or very expensive. Then there's cooperation.

With The US. Prime Rate At 0.25% and Newspapers Getting Loans at 14-16% You Figure Lenders Are Pricing In Big Risk? --- Philip M. Stone May 26, 2009 Follow on Twitter
Eyebrows were raised a few months back when the New York Times did a deal with Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim that basically loaned $250 million at around 14%, and now McClatchy, that owes some $2 billion, has put forward a deal to stay out of the claws of bankruptcy by exchanging around half of that debt which falls due in the next couple of years at some 5 – 7% interest for much reduced debt at about 15.75% but also with the advantage of buying a few extra years to pay it off.

Publisher Defies Gravity, Launches New Daily --- Michael Hedges August 18, 2011 Follow on Twitter
Business decisions for publishers are based on the bottom line. It can be cruel. Sometimes, at least for the more entraprenurial, it’s instinct. And it’s always about timing.

It's Always Something Else, Right? --- Michael Hedges October 8, 2012 Follow on Twitter
Markets can be cruel. Consolidation can be necessary. For the media sector there is no perfect formula. Dynamics, market and otherwise, often point in different directions and change quickly. It's like riding a shark.

Oh, Pew! --- Michael Hedges March 16, 2009 Follow on Twitter
American journalism experts continue to believe American journalism is in crisis because American newspapers are going bust. The Pew Research Center’s 6th annual Project for Excellence in Journalism State of the News Media report takes the whining to new heights. It’s been coming for a generation. It’s time to let it go.