The unionized staff at the Village Voice won't be striking, after all. Earlier this week, we reported that staffers were poised to strike over a contract dispute, with employee health benefits being one of the largest issues. Today there's word from both sides that an agreement has almost been reached. more ›

Union staff members at The Village Voice are ready and prepared to strike as their contract nears its deadline on June 30th. Today, staffers announced an alternative site, The Real Voice, where they plan to continue writing without management from Village Voice Media. We spoke to a Voice staffer and strike organizer about the situation. more ›

For the first time in its storied history a woman will soon be running the Gray Lady. Effective September 6, Bill Keller will no longer be the Executive Editor of The New York Times, he will be replaced by Jill Abramson. The move is a major milestone for the paper, where not too long ago women were few and far between. more ›

It's day two of Osama bin Laden's death dominating newspaper front pages. Yesterday, it was the "Rot In Hell"/"He's Dead"/"Justice is Done" headlines. Today, the main focus is on the U.S. Special Forces operation to take out the Al Qaeda leader: The Daily News says, "How We Nailed Him" while the Post blares, "How We Did It!" The NY Times and Washington Post offer diagrams of Bin Laden's compound. Newsday focuses on the time for the raid, while the Star-Ledger reflects on "Pride and Pain." more ›

Lady Gaga hasn't been this close to a newspaper since she wore one; the Fame Monster is taking a stab at being the subway's own Anna Wintour next month, with a high-ranking editorial position at Metro. The superstar-turned-editrix will be producing a Gaga-edited edition which will be out on May 17th. According to The Observer, Gaga will be working out of Metro HQ in London where she'll be editing, writing a feature, commenting on stories in the issue, and contributing to sidebars. We can only hope that she'll also reprimand a staffer for her boring taste in footwear! more ›

Print isn't dead! Today, starting at 1 p.m., Radiohead released their Universal Sigh newspaper here in New York City, complete with paperboys in Newsies caps. Even those in the Radiohead Support Group For Fans Who Don't Like The King Of Limbs (see below) have to agree that handing out a free 'zine on streets all over the world is a lot better than whatever Justin Bieber did the last time he released a new record. more ›

The New York Times can't catch a break. Just before the launch of Rupert Murdoch's planned Wall Street Journal metro section, the cash-strapped publication lost its stranglehold on one of the few places where people still read print newspapers—Starbucks. For nearly a decade, the Times was the only national paper sold at 6,500 Starbucks locations nationwide, Advertising Age reports. But starting soon, the chain will begin hawking copies of USA Today beside the Gray Lady. A Times spokeswoman said the paper is "delighted" to share Starbucks' shelf-space. "Customers will have more choices, just like they do online and on every newsstand," she said. But how will the Times feel when Murdoch starts trying to get the Journal into Starbucks? more ›

A day after the New York Times Co. shocked skeptics by revealing it actually turned a profit last year, it appears there might be more layoffs at Gray Lady. The Wrap reports that despite the paper's seemingly improving economic state, when asked whether there will be staff cuts in 2010 chief financial officer James Follo responded: "I think we would expect that to be the case, yes." It's not clear whether or not the cuts will be in the newsroom, which last year lost popular writers including Jennifer 8. Lee to buyouts, and others including trend piece extraordinaire Allen Salkin to layoffs. The paper is expected to introduce a controversial paywall on its website in 2010.
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Attention journalism fans: The New York Times Co. actually made money last year. And that's even before everyone started refreshing nytimes.com every five minutes in hopes the "bombshell" Paterson story would drop. The Times reports that a slight fourth quarter uptick allowed the company to turn a "modest profit" of $19.9 million in 2009, after losing $57.8 million in 2008. more ›

In a time when most newspapers see their futures on the internet, the Daily News has put $150 million where it might make the least sense: brand new printing presses. The paper "heralded a new era for New York's favorite newspaper" with a gala yesterday to celebrate its new printing presses, which are faster than the older presses and capable of printing color on every page — potentially allowing paper to secure more lucrative color ads and push back its deadlines to gain an an edge on the Post. more ›

After looking for bids since July, the NY Times Co. has decided not to sell the Boston Globe. The NY Times reports, "The Globe did not draw high bids, and the company chairman, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., said last month that the paper’s finances had improved enough that the company no longer believed it had to sell if the offers were not attractive enough." more ›

Earlier this year, the NY Times asked its union to take 5% pay cuts, to help stanch its financial bleeding (a $74 million 1Q loss). Now the Post reports though the Times had "a surprise profit in the second quarter" (thanks to cost-cutting), it will "launch another round of employee buyouts to further trim costs." Management met with the NY Newspaper Guild, which also suggested "a four-day work week, being more flexible with comp time and reducing paper use in the building." more ›

After the Boston Globe's largest union rejected a contract on Monday, the Globe's owner, the New York Times Co., is now seeking bids for the newspaper. According to the Globe, the Times Co. was interested in getting bids no matter how the Guild, which represents "nearly 700 editorial, advertising, and business office staff," voted, but a potential bidder said, "That doesn't mean they have said they are going to sell it. They've just said they are willing to entertain bids. But it sure indicates an interest." In the meantime, because the Guild fell short of voting for the contract with concessions, the Times Co. will save $10 million by imposing a 23% pay cut. Three other unions for the mailers, the pressmen, and the delivery truck drivers had agreed to concessions. The Times Co. has projected it will lose $85 million with the Globe without cost savings. more ›

According to Fortune, David Geffen, the record executive turned Dreamworks co-founder, made an offer to buy the 19% stake in the NY Times owned by hedge fund Harbinger Capital. The Financial Times says, "His offer was rebuffed, two people familiar with its details said. One of these said the offer was made at the prevailing market price but Harbinger wanted a premium, adding that Mr Geffen remained interested in owning the company and would be "a patient buyer'." Geffen previously made a $2 billion pitchto buy the LA Times, which was rejected by the Tribune company. Fortune, which also mentions that Google briefly considered buying the Times but then passed, details the Times' financial and "esoteric" troubles; the latter is described as how the "company suffers from a kind of genetic disorder stemming from the high-minded public goals of the Ochs-Sulzberger trust...and the demands of running a public company." Gawker thinks a Geffen-owned Times is great news for the Times' gay mafia. more ›

The NY Times' financial woes are well-known, but now the NY Post reports, "The family that controls The New York Times empire has lost more than 86 percent of its fortune and may have sell their controlling stake to get out of debt. The Ochs-Sulzberger family, which has run the venerable paper since 1896, may also face unusual pressure from about two dozen descendants to cash out and restore their comfortable lifestyles snatched away suddenly by hard times." The Post has a graphic detailing things like how the family fortune was once $425 million and how their annual income is just $4.5 million (down 50% from recent years), complete with an actual image of Times publisher Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger with a black eye (Sulzberger's dad's nickname was Punch). The tabloid also explains that Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim, who loaned $250 million to the Times, "is poised to become the biggest Times shareholder of common stock because he's allowing his loan to be repaid in six years with stock -- either from the family's main trust or a weakened corporate treasury." more ›

It looks like a shutdown has been averted at the Boston Globe: The Globe reports that its "largest union reached a tentative deal with the New York Times Co. shortly after 3 a.m. this morning, agreeing to a substantial pay cut, unpaid furloughs, and modifications to the lifetime job guarantee provisions that protect almost 200 employees in the Boston Newspaper Guild, according to sources familiar with the deal." The Newspaper Guild was the last holdout in talks with the NY Times Co. (which owns the Globe); three other unions already worked out agreements on concessions, after the NY Times Co. threatened to shut down a plant. The Globe lost $50 million last year and is on track to lose $85 million this year. more ›

Now that the MTA's fare hike may just be 25 cents, you can put your savings towards the NY Times. The AP says the paper is raising its prices: Starting June 1, weekday and Saturday editions will cost $2—up from $1.50—and the Sunday NYC edition will be $5—up from $4—and the Sunday national edition will be $6—up from $5. The paper last raised its prices in July. The NY Times' parent company, the NY Times Co., has lost $74 million during the first quarter and is looking to make cuts and even threatened to shut down the Boston Globe if union concessions weren't made. Yesterday, the NY Times' members of the Newspaper Guild agreed to a 5% pay cut in order to avert layoffs and today management sent employees a thank you memo. more ›

Horrible, unfunny rumors that The Onion is shutting down some of their regional print editions were being confirmed and denied all over the internet today. Gawker reported that a source told them the publication has "already laid off editorial and sales staff for its Los Angeles and San Francisco print editions, which will cease publication. Tomorrow's editions of The Onion are said to be the last ones for those markets." more ›

After threatening to shut down its plant if unions did not make concessions, agreements have been made between Boston Globe management (the paper is owned by the NY Times Co.) and three of four unions, thus allowing the Globe to survive a little longer. The Boston Newspaper Guild is the lone holdout and the Globe reports, "The possibility of a shutdown remains if the company can't reach agreement with the Guild over $10 million in cost reductions, as well as contract changes, particularly the elimination of lifetime job guarantees enjoyed by about 190 Guild employees." However, spokesperson is optimistic and says those savings could be achieved in other ways. Over in NYC, the NY Times' Newspaper Guild members agreed to take a 5% pay cut in order to avoid laying off dozens of people; the pay cuts will be restored if ad revenues bounce back. more ›

Last month, the financially battered NY Times Co. had suggested it would close the Boston Globe, Massachusetts' biggest paper, because the paper lost $50 million last year and was on track to lose $85 million this year. Late last night, the Globe reports the Times made this threat: "Agree to major financial and contract concessions, including the abolition of lifetime job guarantees for some workers, or the Times Co. would begin the shutdown process." Currently two unions have made deals but negotiations are still continuing with the pressmen's union and the Boston Newspaper Guild. The Times bought the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion; it is also looking to sell its stake in the Boston Red Sox. more ›

The NY Times Company, which has been trying to slash costs and taking loans on its building and from a Mexican billionaire, announced a first-quarter loss of $74.5 million today. The Times reports this "compare[s] with a loss of $335,000 in the period a year ago, as it joined the roster of newspaper companies recording the steepest advertising declines in generations." Advertising revenue dropped 28% (including online advertising drop of 8%), but the "worst drop, 31.4%, hit the New England Media Group, which consists primarily of The Boston Globe and its site, Boston.com. The company has told unions at The Globe that the paper is on track to lose $85 million this year, and that unless deep cuts are made, the paper will be sold or closed." The fate of the Boston Globe has prompted Senate John Kerry (D-Mass) to hold Senate hearings about the newspaper industry next month. Update: Henry Blodget thinks the Times will run out of cash in 12 months. more ›

The Observer reports that local independent Brooklyn newspaper The Brooklyn Paper has been purchased by News Corporation. The paper's editor Gersh Kuntzman said he hadn't met or spoken with News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch yet, but assured the Observer, "They don’t want the product to change. And they love the product. And the product is fantastic." Kuntzman, a former NY Post writer, had dismissed concerns that the Brooklyn Paper was in financial trouble last year, "Brooklyn needs us too much right now, what with local papers being snapped up by billionaire moguls who have no interest in local news except maximizing classified ad sales," a statement that he now amends to, "Brooklyn still needs The Brooklyn Paper, which is why one of the only people in the world who still believes in newspapers — Rupert Murdoch — is putting his money and genius behind us." Recently, a NY Times article looked at how Murdoch's fondness for printing was hurting News Corp.'s bottom line. more ›

The NY Times announced it raised $225 million in cash from the "sale-leaseback of part of its headquarters building, one in a series of moves to pay down its debts and increase its cash cushion during a drastic slump for the newspaper industry." more ›

Here's the proposition: Print a newspaper of and then distribute it for free! That's what Chicago startup The Printed Blog is doing, starting next Tuesday in Chicago and San Francisco. Founder and publisher Joshua Karp tells the NY Times, "We are trying to be the first daily newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other user-generated content. There were so many techniques that I’ve seen working online that maybe I could apply to the print industry.” The Times adds that the Printed Blog has received permission from 300 blogs "to publish their work for a share of the ad revenue, including small-audience bloggers in Chicago and nationally known blogs like Daily Kos," which helps cut down that hefty cost of the newspaper business—reporters! The Printed Blog also says it "reads and functions like a web feed—yet can still be enjoyed on the train or spread across the breakfast table, for an uninterrupted, pleasurably tactile experience." AND readers' comments will be included! Next: Time to learn hot type! more ›

The 44th President's Inauguration is, naturally, front and center for newspapers. Many opted for shots of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walking during the parade, with their enthusiasm palpable, while the images of Obama taking the oath of office were also options for the historic day. Yesterday was exciting but official, lacking the spontaneous amazement that November 4 brought (see November 5's newspaper front pages). more ›

After rumors that Newsday's top editors were fired after a dispute with management—Cablevision bought the Long Island newspaper from the Tribune Company last year—uh, Newsday reports that its top editor John Mancini has returned. Marcini and editors Deborah Henley and Debby Krenek were not in the office last Thursday and Friday, fueling the speculation that Cablevision was unhappy over coverage of the sexual harassment lawsuit against Knicks player Eddy Curry. Cablevision is, infamously, the owner of the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Mancini told his newsroom that there was a "difference of opinion with ownership over the editorial policy of Newsday. That has been settled" and added, "No one outside the newsroom influences... our news coverage in any way... Our only concern is that we get it right. Let's do our jobs and tell the story straight." more ›

President-elect Barack Obama's victory in November was a boon to newspapers, and, for today's historic moment, many are going all out. Newsday has a wrapped cover, with Obama's image over sepia images of past Presidents, while the Post print the Oath of Office. The NY Times is a little restrained—probably saving its art direction for tomorrow's issue—while the Wall Street Journal goes with a banner headline. more ›

Today we spent some time on Sesame Street (yes, that one), and guess what: there's good news there. The headlines at the newstand included one about a man smiling for 30 days straight (sure, the smile was contagious, but that's a good thing), and a diaper plant being redeveloped into a tv production school (at least it's not a luxury condo). And take a look at that price, just 25 cents—that's half of the cost of the NY Post! more ›