Torstar affirms faith in print with takeover of full control of Metro newspaper chain

Torstar Corp., the parent company of the Toronto Star, has purchased virtually full control of Metro, the free weekday newspaper distributed in cities across Canada. Torstar announced the terms of the deal after markets closed Friday. It paid its partner Metro International SA of Sweden $51.5 million for 80% of its 50% share in the Free Daily News Group; Torstar now owns 90% of the business.

NYT said to be readying a charge of less than $20 a month for full online access

Though publishers continue to thrash around trying to determine what readers will put up with and pay up for content, there are some glimmers of a protocol emerging. This is illustrated by Bloomberg's report, quoting "a person familiar with the matter" that the New York Times will be charging readers less than $20 a month for access to its full web version. The price has been set at less than the

Newspapers Canada rebranding presents a united front to the world

The Canadian Newspapers Association and the Canadian Community Newspapers Association have created a single, unified brand called Newspapers Canada. While the organizations retain their own structure and governance, they have been collaborating for some years on conferences, marketing and research. Now, principally for marketing purposes, they are presenting a united front, with a new name, logo

Quebecor's 24 Heures bumps Transcontinental's Metro out of Montreal subway

Quebecor Media has hip-checked Transcontinental Media out of the way to take over exclusive distribution rights for its free daily paper 24 Heures on the Montreal subway system. La Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) said Thursday it has granted a five year exclusive contract to Quebecor's Sun Media Corp. following the considerations of tendered proposals; the new arrangement begins January 3.

Thomson Reuters woos publishers by launching Reuters America wire service

Although it denies that it is an "anti-AP" move, Thomson Reuters has launched an American wire service that promises to provide cash-strapped newspapers, radio and television with general news, business and financial coverage, sports and entertainment news.According to a Reuters story, the service called Reuters America is part of a multi-million dollar investment that aims to compete with the

The sucker rate and the New York Times

While magazine circulation directors worry all the time about price sensitivity of their subscribers (and track their data religiously to try and predict their likely response to, say, moving from $29 a year to $32)at least they think of them as sensible consumers.
There's been a flurry of comment in the U.S. about the inadvertent revelation by a New York Times executive that the paper raised

Toronto Sunday Star to carry New York Times content in two premium sections

The Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, has struck a content-sharing deal with the New York Times that will see the Star on Sundays carrying two new sections -- a 16-page news and commentary broadsheet and a 12-page tabloid version of the NYT Book Review. The news and comment section will feature a revolving roster of NYT columnists, says a story published in Marketing."This is one of the

National Post offers all newsroom the chance at a buyout; not all will get one

The National Post, in the wake of similar offers at other Postmedia papers across Canada, is offering its entire newsroom the opportunity to apply for a buyout. According to J-Source, not everyone applying will receive such a payout. The employees have until Friday to decide. The Torontoist quotes an unnamed National Post source as saying the buyout offers are "just a way of trimming the fat,"

Globe editor tells journalists that re-launched paper will be "magazine-style"

[ This post has been updated] I'm only now catching up (courtesy of J-source) with John Stackhouse of the Globe and Mail, Canada's largest circulation national paper, saying last weekto the Canadian Association of Journalists  that the daily newspaper model as it stands is doomed and that when his paper relaunches this fall it will be as a daily full-colour magazine-style publication printed on

World's oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer redesigns

The Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, is relaunching this weekend and, with it is a wholly new design and a new arts section called The New Review, designed by the paper's creative director Carolyn Roberts. A preliminary look shows that the Berliner format hybrid (newspaper/magazine) has considerable charm. 

You can look at a funny promo video for the relaunch, read the editor John

CanWest papers, including National Post, now officially up for sale

The National Post and all the CanWest newspapers in major cities across the country are now officially for sale. 

The chain was put into bankruptcy protection this morning and it was reported that the major creditors, including Canada's five largest banks, plan to put in a "stalking horse" bid for the whole package of papers -- not to own and run them, but to establish the starting price for an

La Presse settles with three unions; one to go

La Presse has reached an agreement in principle with three unions, including editorial and newsroom staff, according to a story posted by CBC News. No details will be announced until the agreement is finalized. The Montreal newspaper threatened that it would close if its 8 unions didn't accept proposed cost cutting. With this latest settlement, only the union representing distribution workers has

Prelude to a sale: National Post to join the family of CanWest dailies

If it can get permission from the courts and its senior lenders, the National Post is being moved out this Friday of its holding company, CanWest Media, to join other CanWest dailies and weeklies in CanWest Limited Partnership. This is not mere paperwork, but a means of tuning up the money-losing national daily and putting it in a place where it could be sold along with the other papers in the

U.S. biggest papers' circulation fall continues

The average weekday circulation of the top 83 largest U.S. newspapers (over 100,000 circulation)saw an 11.7% drop in the six months ending September 30, according to an analysis of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures compiled by MediaPost. The total average weekday circulation declined from 22,231,728 to 19,637,991.
The analysis looked back over several years and said the rate of decline

News-sharing deals becoming widespread

Last week, we ran an item about the CBC and the National Post swapping content -- CBC sports coverage for National Post business coverage -- an interesting and relatively inexpensive way for both to reach wider audiences. We hadn't realized what a widespread trend such sharing arrangements were.A story on MediaDailyNews reports that The Washington Post and Bloomberg News have agreed to launch a

National Post CEO Godfrey likely to lead buyout of Canwest papers

[This post has been updated.] National Post chief executive officer Paul Godfrey has apparently lined up sufficient private equity backers to make a bid for all, or some, of the CanWest papers when they are put on the market, probably by the end of the year.According to a story by Andrew Willis in the Globe and Mail Godfrey -- who led a very profitable management buyout of the Sun newspaper chain

La Presse threatens to stop publishing Dec. 1 unless it gets major concessions

Montreal's largest broadsheet newspaper, La Presse, has told its staff they have until December 1 to allow for major cost cutting or the paper will close. Among the concessions the company is demanding is the end of a four-day work week and the cutting of up to 100 jobs.La Presse is the flagship newspaper of Gesca Ltee, a wholly owned division of Power Corp. The last collective agreement at the

Scotland may give teens free newspaper subs

Earlier this year, the French government launched a program to help the French newspaper industry by giving a free newspaper subscription to every 18-year-old in the country. Now it looks like Scotland may follow suit.According to a report in the Press Gazette, the Scottish government has been asked by distribution firm Menzies Group to provide a free subscription to the newspaper of their choice

WSJ, USA Today planning...magazines

Two important U.S. daily newspapers have come up with a sure-fire marketing strategy -- both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today are preparing to launch (wait for it) magazines. According to a story in Ad Age, USA Today is farther along, with glossy launch planned for October. The Wall Street Journal is more in the concept stage, looking at a magazine to augment its Saturday "Weekend Edition",

Newspapers are starting to "get it" when it comes to retaining circ and using the web

Newspapers are getting a handle on the new world of circulation and becoming more savvy about serving and building audiences online, according to a biennial study from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). The NAA represents more than 2,000 newspapers in Canada and the U.S. The stsudy was released by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) in tandem with the spring release of FAS-FAX