Boston Herald files for bankruptcy (then sold)

[rochrist]

I doubt they boot many writers if any... unique content is their only hope. Definitely not Howie... his following is large and not limited to Boston; it spans his radio network throughout New England.

Gatehouse Media is not exactly a hotbed of journalism.

 

[rochrist]

Old media's business model is dead. Old media needs to slash operating costs and come up with new ways to get their virtual product in front of viewers to generate online ad rev (pay walls/OL subscriptions isn't going to generate anything anywhere close to funding the old model).
Internet, tablets, smartphones, megacorp Internet based companies as Internet/software choke points, cheap website hosting, bandwidth availability -- the game has changed forever. Delivery of content through the Internet is also going to squeeze legacy media delivery systems (cable, satellite) which will squeeze orgs like ESPN.

The Internet and convenient user friendly net access devices killed the proverbial radio star -- and killed it forever.

Slashing operating costs generally means slashing talent. And now, with net neutrality all but dead, you'll have to pony up the big bucks to stay out of the slow lane.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Slashing operating costs generally means slashing talent. And now, with net neutrality all but dead, you'll have to pony up the big bucks to stay out of the slow lane.

The talent you lament may or may not be worth lamenting. Talent only sometimes equals higher priced. Regardless, that is an irrelevant conversation to the point at hand. Whether you idealize Old Media or don't care for Old Media, the unbiased reality is they are not making the GP they used to make from their previously long existing business model, not even close. Technology has changed and this talent you speak of will find a different method/venue/way to create their product or they'll make less/become obsolete/do something else. For anyone who works in the tech side of high tech (like I do) this is an already well known and well played story. The very best Windows Server 2003 Admins, the very best token ring techs or circuit switched techs, the best Blackberry phone engineers or techs, the list is numerous (and won't stop). The skill, the talent you have is now out of date for the business climate due to the changing technology/changing business. (the good news is some of those with "talent" will find a way to segue to the new business)

As far as net neutrality? That's an unknown and something, for better or worse, we'll see.

 

[maineman209]

I definitely agree as an industry-wide thing, frankly media consolidation in general is IMO terrible for society and I think we're already seeing its ill effects. Free flow of information has far more benefits than drawbacks, but I wish there was just a little more value attached to it. I do subscribe to exactly one newspaper pretty much out of principle, but even that almost feels like an act of charity.

But I also make specific exceptions for the few media outlets that I have particular contempt for: it's a very short list and the Herald is definitely on it. First media source I ever consciously boycotted. I still maintain they likely cost us 19-0, and their smear campaign was so effective that its false, retracted claims are still treated as fact a decade later by basically every news outlet in the country.

Industry consolidations in general are bad for society, bad for the economy, bad for capitalism. Oligopolies (aka, "cartels") are inherently anti-competition and tend to destroy free markets through artificial control of supply and prices (both production and labor).

It's not just media. Right now, there are two multinational conglomerates that control nearly 2/3rds of all beer brands, a half-dozen multi-national conglomerates that control about 75% of all clothing manufacture and distribution, about ten multinationals that control the vast majority of brands folks see in the grocery store (including the products sold under store labels). There are five corporations that control 90% of health insurance - and they're beginning to take control of health care itself through their financial ties to rapidly-consolidating "health care corporations" that are absorbing independent hospitals and local clinics.

Pretty much every industry has become like OPEC now.

 

[maineman209]

I thought it was four idiots: Andy Hart, Paul Perillo, Eric Scalavino and Fred Kirsch.

I really don't care what these guys do on PFW, since I don't have to read it. What I hate is their useless and intrusive on-camera segments during pre-season game broadcasts (which were more than crappy enough before they started doing those).

 

[maineman209]

Since Ken got to tell his "back in my day" story, back in the mid 90's I was at DEC and I read a paper ( The Millicent Protocol for Inexpensive Electronic Commerce ) that made perfect sense to me. In today's world, the example would be instead of having media sites with paywalls, you could click on a button and give the web site a penny or so to read an article. It would solve a lot of problems with funding the Internet, wouldn't it? You could pay for content as you consumed it, and in tiny increments so you didn't mind paying. In fact you might feel better about helping to support outlets that provided good information.

Well, from what I was told, the problem was the banks hated it. They owned the credit card companies, and they thought the small transaction model would devalue the credit card business. I never quite got the rationale, but I was told that's why the model never took off.

And keep in mind this proposal was floated around 1995 or so, when the current model had not formed. It still makes me wonder how different the Internet and the media market would be if something like this was enacted.

The only "product" of the finance industry (in all of its forms) is debt. Interest is their profit. The cost to process a credit card transaction is the same whether the amount involved is one penny or $100. So, the bank's costs are literally 10,000 times higher to create the same amount of debt and interest from penny transactions than for one $100 transaction.

 

[Off The Grid]

According to this at the meeting they were told they have to reapply and re-interview.

That sucks!!

 

[Off The Grid]

I ain't worried about the likes'f Jeff Howe ~ FootBall ~ or Steve Bulpett ~ BasketBall.

Those guys are too damned good not to land on their feet.

They may even end up getting better gigs or more money.

 

[maineman209]

As far as net neutrality? That's an unknown and something, for better or worse, we'll see.

Most of the concerns I've seen expressed on social media regarding the loss of net neutrality involve potential new limitations to access of alternative viewpoints provided by small sites, and the possibility of having to higher prices for things like Netflix, and even having to pay to access social media like Facebook.

Besides the loss of revenue for hard-copy sales to people who are now getting their news (spots and weather) information online, the feature of the Internet that's killing the print media financial model is the loss of advertising revenue, especially that which was once generated by small businesses.

I manage the social media presence for a couple of local organizations. Print media advertising can cost them several hundreds of dollars a year to potentially "reach" several thousand readers. I say "potentially" because, with print media, these organizations have no way of knowing if any readers are actually paying attention to their ads (unless they're offering some sort of discount coupon deal, which, of course, increases their costs). There are no metrics or feedback available.

Then, too, print media readership skews way older than social media - really toward the fixed-income end of the spectrum.

OTOH, using a website and FB, these organizations can "reach" roughly the same number of "readers" essentially for free - and have a pretty solid idea of how many people are actually engaging with an ad because of the native metric reports.

A significant percentage of small, local businesses and entrepreneurs have become utterly reliant on the Internet and social media to drive new traffic to their door. The loss of net neutrality will almost certainly provide their large, corporate competition with yet another huge competitive advantage over them.

Again, anti-competitive and anti-capitalist, but it's barely being discussed.

 

[RobertWeathers]

As much of a distraction as it was for a players, far worse was with the NFL.

For the league offices to call Belichick into a meeting at that point in time, right before the super bowl, that was egregious.

Besides the fact that it took away from BB making final preparations, how much of a distraction was it for all the other coaches and players who lost varying degrees of focus, knowing that their head coach was meeting with NFL officials about a headline scandalous story?

Every single player said it had no effect on the game after it was played. Credit to every one of them for taking that public stance. In my opinion Tomase's story had a huge impact on the game (along with the injury to Stephen Neal).

Yep and every fan on this board to their credit will say that injuries and Eli's pact with Satan were the real reasons but there is no doubt in my mind that **** storm did as well.

Think about it....you had a very powerful United States Senator calling for a congressional investigation on YOUR team the morning of the biggest game of your life.

Tomase, his editor and publisher very well cost that team the Super Bowl and a 19-0 season.

I feel sorry for the 250 employees but that chubby oaf, his boss and the publisher can go play on 128 during rush hour for all I care..

 

[DarrylS]

According to this at the meeting they were told they have to reapply and re-interview.

The American Worker has become chattel in these high stakes game, imagine contributing to a pension system for years only to have it taken away..

Will this be the opportunity for them to finally discard that bottom feeder, Ron Borges???

 

[Jackson 2]

Yep and every fan on this board to their credit will say that injuries and Eli's pact with Satan were the real reasons but there is no doubt in my mind that **** storm did as well.

Think about it....you had a very powerful United States Senator calling for a congressional investigation on YOUR team the morning of the biggest game of your life.

Tomase, his editor and publisher very well cost that team the Super Bowl and a 19-0 season.

I feel sorry for the 250 employees but that chubby oaf, his boss and the publisher can go play on 128 during rush hour for all I care..

No doubt in my mind, either, that the story was a contributing factor in the loss. My principal recollection of that day, other than the game itself, was the entire afternoon of pre-game shows being devoted to that story with virtually nothing devoted to the game itself. Speaking personally, it really ruined the SB experience before the game even started. Of course, the game was just the rotten cherry on top of tbe **** "Sunday."

 

[RobertWeathers]

No doubt in my mind, either, that the story was a contributing factor in the loss. My principal recollection of that day, other than the game itself, was the entire afternoon of pre-game shows being devoted to that story with virtually nothing devoted to the game itself. Speaking personally, it really ruined the SB experience before the game even started. Of course, the game was just the rotten cherry on top of tbe **** "Sunday."

YES. It was AWFUL. Every goddamn show was Spygate this. Matt Walsh that. Arlen Spector going nuclear because hes still pissed because his Iggles lost to the NEP.

I avoided the TV until game time.

That day sucked of epic proportions

 

[Kontradiction]

@Tunescribe