Spin magazine, founded 26 years ago by Bob Guccione Jr., is the latest casualty in the world of print... sort of. The magazine will become a bimonthly, according to AdWeek, publishing just six issues a year, and shifting the focus more onto their web presence. They note, "The magazine also plans to cut its rate base to 350,000 to 450,000, an acknowledgment that the Web is replacing print for its mainly young, male readership." more ›

Tomorrow morning, it's expected that Newsweek and The Daily Beast will announce they are merging their operations. The Observer reports, "It will be a 50-50 merger of the two companies. The editorial staffs will combine under the editorship of [The Daily Beast founder] Tina Brown, who will again run a high-profile glossy. Newsweek owner Sidney Harman, 92, and IAC chairman Barry Diller had for weeks disagreed over an operating structure for the hybrid publication. The deal reached today establishes a daily role for Mr. Harman and strong editorial independence for Ms. Brown." more ›

Feeling depressed about NY Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger's pronouncement that the Times will stop printing a physical edition sometime in the future? Down in the dumps because of another news story predicting the ever-imminent death of print and magazines? Well, take some comfort: you can still get your news printed the old fashioned way, on T-shirts! more ›

From Newsweek itself: "The Washington Post Co. announced today that it has retained Allen & Company to explore the possible sale of NEWSWEEK magazine. The newsweekly was launched in 1933 and purchased by The Washington Post Co. in 1961." Washington Post chairman Donald Graham said, "The losses at NEWSWEEK in 2007-2009 are a matter of record. Despite heroic efforts on the part of NEWSWEEK's management and staff, we expect it to still lose money in 2010. We are exploring all options to fix that problem. NEWSWEEK is a lively, important magazine and website, and in the current climate, it might be a better fit elsewhere." more ›

This week in openings, we have a meatball revolution at The Meatball Shop, some gluten-free confections from Tully's, farm-fresh dishes at Print, classic French cuisine at Bistro Vendome, wood-oven pizza at Ovest Pizzoteca, sushi as you have never seen it before in Williamsburg at 1 or 8, and a talented new chef at Anella in Greenpoint. more ›

On Wednesday, Lazard Freres chief Bruce Wasserstein died, leaving questions about the fate of New York magazine. Wasserstein bought the magazine in 2003 for $55 million and an expert suspects he "invested much more money along the way. [If his heirs were to sell, they] would probably want a minimum of $75 million to $100 million." Even though "money-losing media vanity ownership is usually the exclusive preserve of the mature rich, not their progeny," Gawker wonders if his family will be less inclined to sell since they'll get an automatic $188 million payout from Lazard. more ›

The Daily News is so pumped about the first game of the ALCS that it put CC Sabathia on the front page—however, there's an unfortunately placed PC Richards sticker on the front page as well. 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 ›

Since Mayor Bloomberg was busy preparing for a mayoral debate and a standing agreement with the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board separates his private and political dealings, he wasn't involved when Bloomberg LP purchased BusinessWeek yesterday. But he thought it was a solid move on his media company's part, "I think it’s a great magazine." more ›

Print can't be dying if Jennifer Aniston is playing a Daily News reporter in her movie, right? The News excitedly reports, "Jennifer Aniston stepped off an elevator Saturday and became one of the hottest reporters at the Daily News.... Well, kinda ...The former 'Friends' star plays a hard-nosed New York reporter who gets arrested while investigating a story. Instead of making a scheduled court appearance she doggedly pursues her lead, and her ex-hubby - played by Scotsman Gerard Butler - is the bail bondsman charged with hunting her down" for The Bounty, which staged an elaborate 4th of July parade in Greenpoint last monht. There's also an Aniston clothing check—"White sleeveless blouse, gray miniskirt and high heels" (perfect for any hard-nosed reporter!)—and snack check—"thinly peeled string cheese." The News also has a gallery of Aniston at the News offices and Just Jared has photos of Aniston in Midtown. 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 ›

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 ›

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 ›

Your print edition of the NY Times may be getting slimmer and slimmer. According to the Observer's sources, "The New York Times plans to eliminate several weekly sections, including its stand-alone City Section," plus "There are also discussions to eliminate the regional weeklies in New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester and Connecticut, and the Friday Escapes section as well." This is the latest in a series of moves that the newspaper is taking to cut costs (last week, layoffs and salary cuts were announced) and it seems the City section, which arrived on Sundays with lengthy features about blog commenters and the subway, may only have four more issues left. Here are Times executive editor Bill Keller's remarks to the newsroom—one question left unanswered: What will the Weekender do?!? Also, last October is when the Metro section was rolled into Section A. 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 ›

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 ›

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 ›

News of the troubled newspaper industry was the second story on The Daily Show last night (following Blago, natch). There's the Tribune declaring bankruptcy, the fate of papers all over the country in peril, and, of course, the "sodomy-loving" NY Times' worsening fiscal situation. Noting how the Times is taking out a $225 million mortgage on their new headquarters in Midtown, Jon Stewart said, "This after an earlier plan to lease the building as a jungle gym for French douchebags proved unprofitable. So, the NY Times response to a fiscal crisis brought on by irresponsible mortgages is...to take out another mortgage." more ›

The Tribune Company, which owns the Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and Baltimore Sun, as well as the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, has filed for bankruptcy, which Dealbook calls, "the latest — and biggest — sign of duress for the newspaper industry yet." A year ago, real estate developer Sam Zell bought the Tribune Co., but the Wall Street Journal says the Tribune "stayed ahead of its $12 billion in borrowings with the help of asset sales... The company's cash flow may not be enough to cover nearly $1 billion in interest payments due this year, and Tribune owes a $512 million debt payment in June." Tribune sold off Newsday to Cablevision earlier this year, but still owns WPIX/Channel 11. more ›

The elaborate fake New York Times stunt may have cost up to $250,000. Though the group claiming responsibility for printing and distributing over one million copies of a July 4, 2009 edition says their costs were $100,000, the NY Post's experts believe that printing a 14-page, 4-color paper are closer to a quarter million for that many copies. more ›

The NY Times may have seen huge demand for its post-Election 2008 edition and it might be a worthy target to spoof, but there's a dark side to all of this: Its stock is at a 52-week-low. The Observer notes that it hit "another 52-week low today, falling to $7.70 today" (another because yesterday was its 52-week-low) which "puts the Company's market cap at $1.1 billion. By comparison, last year at this time the Company's market cap was at $2.7 billion. In an even rougher comparison, George Steinbrenner is worth about $1.3 billion." more ›

Update III: Here's a second video of the Fake NY Times (aka "New York Times Special Edition") being handed out: more ›

According to its Twitter, the NY Times is going back to the presses once again to print another 150,000 copies of the November 5 "OBAMA" edition. This comes after the Times already printed 35% more issues (150,000) on Wednesday and reprinted another 75,000 after the demand. It's unclear where the extra copies will be sold--we guess at the Times headquarters plus maybe some more commuter hubs, like Penn Station, Grand Central, and the Port Authority. And you can get the commemorative version from the NY Times Store for $15--the store website is currently "loading slowly due to high activity. Please return later to order if the wait is too long. Don't worry: We have an abundance of Nov. 5 newspapers!" more ›

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This is the cover of a later editon of Daily News' "Election Extra" with Barack and Michelle Obama. The paper printed an additional 100,000 copies! However, it's unclear if that will feed the fever for post-election newspapers. more ›