Reports of Dead Newspapers - Are They Exaggerated?

Randy Siegel, the President of Parade Publications, recently wrote an article in Advertising Age regarding the decline of newspapers. Major-market-newspaper circulation has declined 15% since 1997 and TV and consumer magazines have lost circulation as well. However, he demonstrates a unique point of view in that he thinks optimistically and believes in the reinvention of newspapers.

Within his report, he suggests that newspapers learn from MySpace and Facebook and create social net-working sites. This could “engage their different audiences around consumer interests.” Additionally, newspapers could start “charging for the newsroom content that portals and online aggregators pilfer and profit from.” Lastly, Siegel feels that newspapers could benefit from hiring “more-provocative and diverse voices, including high-school and college students, who can help create compelling content for their respective communities.”

Therefore, Siegel urges newspapers to “rethink their strategies and reengineer their organizations.” Then, newspapers could have the ability to prove, once and for all, that reports of dead or dying newspapers are greatly exaggerated.

For more on Randy Siegel’s evaluation of newspapers, read the full article “Parade President: Reports of death of papers have been greatly exaggerated.”

Katie Couric and NY Times Among Media Layoffs Making News

It seems like all we’ve been hearing about lately are media layoffs. With good reason: the news has generally been negative, we’re headed into (if not already in) a recession - just look at gas prices, advertising expenditures are down across most industries and journalism is in a state of unrest.

According to today’s New York Post article, The Worst of Times by Keith J. Kelly who pens “Media Ink,” “The New York Times' news room is bracing for a bloodbath in the next 10 days.” Kelly shares lots of details as to why – be sure to read his article.

Other media layoff stories include:

WCCO.com Chicago, Good Question: Why So Many Media Layoffs? by Jason DeRusha

Los Angeles Times, CBS layoffs signal a financial squeeze on TV stations by Matea Gold and Meg James

Webpronews.com, Nielsen Business Media Makes Layoffs by Doug Caverly

And here are more articles that came up in my search:

'NY Times' Expected to Turn to Layoffs After Buyouts Fall ShortEditor & Publisher - 7 hours agoManagement and other non-unionized employees were to have accepted their buyout offers by Monday," the Post said, later quoting Anthony Napoli, a Newspaper ...

New York Times Expects Layoffs In Newsroom to Meet Job-Cut TargetWall Street Journal - Apr 15, 2008By SHIRA OVIDE NEW YORK -- New York Times Co. said it expects its flagship newspaper will resort to newsroom layoffs as buyouts offered to trim the paper's ... NYT

WNWO workers facing layoffsToledo Blade, OH - 17 hours agoWNWO-TV, Channel 24, announced layoffs yesterday of reporters, photographers, and editors as part of what vice president and general manager Jon Skorburg ...

The Look and Feel of Newspaper LayoffsPhoto District News (subscription), NY - Apr 18, 2008By David Walker San Jose Mercury News designer Martin Gee is one of thousands of inside eyewitnesses to the decline of the newspaper industry. ...

Lay off Katie Couric! CBS is to blameMSNBC - Apr 10, 2008In the morning, she was a popular personality as one of the co-hosts of NBC’s TODAY. But since she opted for the night shift as anchor of the “CBS Evening ...

Katie Couric Likely to Leave CBS Evening News After ElectionBroadcasting & Cable, NY - Apr 10, 2008The news of Couric's departure, which was first reported Wednesday night on The Wall Street Journal Web site, comes on the heels of a raft of layoffs ...

Seattle Times to cut nearly 200 jobs by next monthSeattle Post Intelligencer - Apr 7, 2008A second memo, issued later Monday, said 70 percent of the 191 positions set to be cut will be eliminated through layoffs, while the remaining jobs will go ...

Layoffs sweep TV networks and their affiliatesBroadcast Engineering, KS - Apr 7, 2008Also, last week, ABC News announced that it was eliminating about 20 jobs (though an ABC spokesperson said other positions will be added, ...

Layoffs of CBS veterans signal industry in crisisSan Jose Mercury News, USA - Apr 5, 2008They were part of 15 layoffs spread over CBS 5 and its sister station, KBCW-Channel 44. Combined, the two San Francisco-based stations employ about 250 ...

Local TV is no longer a cash cowBaltimore Sun, United States - Apr 3, 2008This week, CBS announced a series of layoffs at its stations in cities across the country, including Baltimore. And last month, the local ABC affiliate, ...

Harold Greene, Ann Martin leaving anchor posts amid CBS budget cutsLos Angeles Times, CA - Apr 2, 2008Reporters Jennifer Davis and Jennifer Sabih also are among those affected by layoffs at sister TV stations KCBS and KCAL. Los Angeles television news ...

TV media finally feeling print media's painSan Francisco Chronicle, USA - Apr 1, 2008The cuts follow 20 layoffs last week at ABC News. Over the past two years, NBC News has lost about 30 jobs as a result of a companywide effort to reduce 700 ...

Layoffs, Restructurings Hit CBS O&Os, CBS NewsTelevision Week, MI - Apr 1, 2008By Michele Greppi The first quarter of 2008 ended with separately directed layoffs and restructurings at CBS News and in the news operations at several ...

TV Layoffs in Miami, Denver, and SacramentoU.S. News & World Report, DC - Mar 28, 2008Three different metro newspapers are reporting layoffs at local CBS stations. The Sacramento Bee reported today that the CBS affiliate in Sacramento would ...

More Layoffs at ABC NewsBroadcast Newsroom, CA - Mar 27, 2008It will also make that support more directly responsible to those at ABC News who depend on it the most. And it should move us forward faster and more ...

ABC workers face layoffsHollywood Reporter, United States - Mar 27, 2008While Scott didn't specify the number of staff that would be made redundant or the cost savings involved, he said the creation of a new ABC Resources ...

Gina Rubel Featured In The Bucks County Women's Journal

The Bucks County Women's Journal, an educational and editorial newspaper providing categorized and objective information targeted to women, has featured Gina Rubel in the February/March 2008 issue - Bucks County Women In Profile section.

Published six times a year, the Journal serves its readers with valued information in a wide variety of special columns and features. It also offers local businesses the unique opportunity to reach an important, targeted consumer group through a focused educational and informational approach.

The Bucks County Women’s Journal is an essential resource for business women in Bucks County. For more information on Gina's profile, click here.

Dick Polman Remembers Judge Lisa Richette - A Perfect Tribute

Dick Polman, a national political colomnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the most brilliant story of the life of Judge Lisa Richette in Obit Magazine. He tells the story of Judge Richette who was a trailblazer for women, attorneys, jurists, Italian-Americans, Philadelphia Justinians, children and the homeless! She was truly one of the most brilliant and yet extremely flamboyant women I've had the pleasure to know. She embraced life and law.

I remember a particular homicide case more that a decade ago when I worked for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Jude Conroy was the Philadelphia prosecutor. The case was against a couple who left their disabled young child in a crib inside their house - only heated by kerosene - to go out and sell crack and induldge themselves. The house caught on fire and by the time the child was rescued, he was burned over a large percentage of his body. The child lived for months (perhaps seven if my memory is right) in severe pain and then died. It was a bench trial (no jury) and the judge found the couple guilty of homicide. I remember crying in the back of the room for the child and knowing that the judge did the right thing. She came down so hard on those parents - her words stung deep - but she was right - she was brilliant - she was passionate - and she followed the letter of the law.

Judge Richette was the first woman judge in Philadelphia and an active member of The Justinian Society. As stated so nicely by Rudolph Garcia, Chancellor of The Justinian Society:

"Judge Richette epitomized the ideals of The Justinian Society and was an inspiration to all of us. In 1994, we selected her as the first recipient of the Beccaria Award. Since then, the award has been presented annually by the Justinian Society and the Criminal Justice Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association to a legal jurist, scholar or practitioner for outstanding contributions to the cause of justice and the advancement of legal education. Judge Richette also was the first recipient of The Justinian Society’s Outstanding Women in the Law Award, in June 2000."

Thank you to Dick Polman for remembering Judge Richette. She truly deserves the accolades.

Be Aware of Toy Recalls this Holiday Season - It May Save a Loved Ones Life

With the holidays literally upon us, finding that perfect gift for loved ones is an absolute must. But make sure you are getting your family and friends safe holiday gifts this season.

Stephanie Farr of the Philadelphia Daily News paints a perfect picture of why all holiday shoppers need to be aware of recalls of all sorts. The article titled Near-Fatal Attraction tells the story of young, Drexel Hill boy Benjamin Palmer (represented by attorneys at the Feldman Shepherd firm) who swallowed a piece of a Magnetix set and how the recalled toy almost cost the 2-year-old his life. The two swallowed magnets ripped through the boy’s colon and caused a massive septic infection in little Benjamin’s body.

This toy was at one time one of the top selling children’s toys and not all are aware of its harmful effects or its recall last year. According to Philadelphia Daily News article, “In March 2006, unbeknown to Palmer’s mother, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled the toy. Tiny magnets inside the plastic pieces were falling out and being swallowed by young children, which led to horrific consequences. ‘To date, there has been one death, one incident of a child inhaling the magnets through the nose and 27 intestinal injuries reported in connection with the toy,’ said Scott Wolfson, CPSC spokesman.”

With nieces, nephews, cousins and family to buy for this holiday season, I will most definitely be referencing The Consumer Product Safety Commission site before making any quick purchases.

See Philadelphia Daily News reporter Stephanie Farr’s, “Feds urge signing up for e-mail toy alerts” article for more details on toy recalls, The Consumer Product Safety Commission and safe practices handling recalls.

Flat Rate vs. Billable Hours – Lawyers and Public Relations Practitioners

Sacha Pfeiffer of the Boston Globe reported in Beat the clock – that the Boston law firm of the Shepherd Law Group says no to billing by the hour, and its clients say they are pleased.

According to the article, The Shepherd Law Group has abandoned the billable hour all together. Pfeiffer reports that,

Shepherd, a five-lawyer firm that specializes in employment law, charges its
clients a flat annual fee or flat price per task. Clients can call the firm as
often as they want to discuss legal issues, although some services, such as
training and litigation, cost extra. The new approach helps clients determine
legal costs in advance and often prevents legal problems from escalating because
clients are no longer reluctant to seek advice out of fear of incurring a hefty
bill, said Jay Shepherd, the firm's founder.

The abandonment of billable hours has a small following in the U.S. with law firms and public relations agencies alike. It’s a refreshing shift but is it “the answer?”

I don’t believe the answer lies in determining “which form of billing is better” as a standard of practice – rather, “which form of billing is better in the individual situation and which will help deliver the best services to the client.” Clients do need options and as a recovering attorney, I agree with Pfeiffer that most people don’t like the billable hour but the key in that term is “most.” “Most” does not equal “all.”

I do find it both amusing and refreshing that Shepherd’s PR agent is quoted in the article since many firms are making the shift as part of their public relations and marketing strategy.

The bottom line: law firms and public relations agencies should offer options to their clients. When you entertain, it’s customary to offer coffee and tea.

Quality Not Quantity of Media Placement is Key

I am reminded that quality not quantity is what we really need in today’s media after reading an article in the New York Times written by Richard Pérez-Peña, “Why Big Newspapers Applaud Some Declines in Circulation.”

Pérez-Peña notes, “As the newspaper industry bemoans falling circulation, major papers around the country have a surprising attitude toward a lot of potential readers: Don’t bother.” He later goes on to report that this decline is due to a variety of reasons: the migration of readers to the Web, pressures from advertisers, marketing and delivery costs and the expense of finding, serving and keeping readers.”

Although in the end everyone is happy…

Advertisers are moving toward the Web as a way to reach a more narrowly targeted audience. And newspapers are content with the quality of readers that continue to read their traditional papers, ridding themselves of subscribers who cost more and generate less revenue.

Quality over quantity. In public relations, it is key to always do the research. By targeting the right beat reporter or trade publication, networking group, or client you will ultimately increase the quality of your results. It’s not how many media hits you get – it’s how many good media hits you get that reinforce your goals and objectives.

Staying on Top of Your Game: WSJ, Drudge Report, Law.com

There is so much information out there that we’re constantly on overload. I tell all my clients to stay on top of the news and the reporters that cover their topic. Get a news aggregator and pull the RSS feed from your favorite blogs, and so on. Here are three more great places to start your morning: The Wall Street Journal’s The Morning Brief by Joseph Schuman which you can subscribe to online by going to “My Online Journal,” Law.com and of course The Drudge Report, known as one of the leading places for breaking news.

There’s a great piece today by Tony Mauro on Law.com titled, Supreme Court Heads into New Term. Among the issues to watch this year is that of Internet Free Speech.

Using Editorial Guidelines When Submitting Articles for Publication

A great way to get ink is to submit article for publication to industry trade magazines, e-zines and other sources of information. It’s important however to research and stick to the editorial guidelines. Some of the common matters addressed by editorial guidelines include:

• Length of article: The minimum and maximum word count. An optimum number of words per article might also be listed.
• Editorial calendars which include topics, themes, article types and required submission dates broken down by publication date
• Preferred format of articles for submission
• Topics accepted by the publication
• Copyright rules
• Use of illustrations and photographs
• Editorial style such as compliance with the Associated Press Stylebook for abbreviations, capitalization, grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Inclusion of an authors’ biography and headshot
• Compensation
• Query and submission requirements
  

It is important to comply with the editorial guidelines of your target publication in order to maximize your chances of publication. And if you’re not sure about something, contact the editor and ask. It’s a great way to open the door to conversation and to offer yourself as available for commentary on similar issues while getting the editorial information you need to submit your article. You should also remember not to boast or overtly promote your firm or your services. Such behavior is extremely frowned upon.

Newspaper Ad Sales Continue Decline

Newspaper Ad Sales Continue Decline

According to Emily Steel of the Wall Street Journal,

“Last fall, newspaper executives and analysts were caught by surprise by the severity of a slump that took hold last summer. Since the beginning of this year, the rate of decline in advertising revenue has accelerated. Total print and online ad revenue was down 4.8% to $10.6 billion in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to the Newspaper Association of America, compared with its full-year decline in 2006 of 0.3%.”

. . .

“Gannett, which publishes 85 daily newspapers, including USA Today, said its newspaper ad revenue dropped 6.8% in May. Ad revenue at New York Times Co.'s News Media unit -- which includes advertising generated at its media properties, but not About.com -- dropped 9.9% in May. At McClatchy, which publishes 31 dailies, ad revenue in May dropped 11.5% to $153 million. Ad spending at The Wall Street Journal was down 3.4% in May."

Steel focuses on the stock tailspin that the decline has caused in the newspaper industry, leading to restructuring and consolidations. The decline in ads sales also affects the public relations industry and in particular, our clients. Fewer ads mean less printed pages which equates to fewer and fewer editorial opportunities. I believe this is a big reason for the public relations industry’s push to harness the opportunities afforded by the Internet, especially social media. I’ll be interested to see how this plays out over the next decade or so as the Baby Booming print readers make way for Gen X and Gen Y, both of which are migrating more and more to digital media for their news delivery.

The Power of the Associated Press

I don't beleive there is any media outlet more powerful than the Associated Press. Their stories get picked up from coast to coast and on national talk shows on a regular basis. For example, I was quoted this week by Tara Burghart, an Associated Press reporter, regarding childhood immunizations and anxiety. Today, when I searched my name in Google, I found 64 hits on the article which include the likes of CBS News, MSNBC, Fox News, The Chigago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Forbes, Newsday New York, and the Miami Herald. The story even hit the our local market and was covered by 6ABC and The Intelligencer which is our local daily.

So what's my point? Why does this matter to you? Because if you want good pick up on your news and it has national or international appeal, you should spend most of your time pitching the Associated Press!

Newspaper Circulations Drop while Internet Traffic Sours

In the last two days, I've been inundated with information about online media, "social media," and the drop in newspaper readership and circulation. This is a great article by Seth Sutel from the Associated Press. Sutel details the 2.1 percent drop in U.S. daily newspaper circulation.

This is important to understand because more and more attorneys are coming to us saying that they want to be quoted in The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal but as circulation drops, so too does the number of stories, writers and editors that we're able to reach. As a result, it's important for law firms and others alike to embrace bloggers like Peter Lattman who writes The Wall Street Journal Law Blog (http://blogs.wsj.com/law/). It's also important to understand what bloggers are writing about and why it matters before contacting them.

There will be more to come on the field of "Social Media" so keep a look out.

Opinion Editorials

I had an article published in the Inquirer’s online newsletter on 3/28/07 that my blog readers would enjoy. It provides the details about Opinion Editorials and using them to gain publicity for your business. You can find the article at http://www.philly.com/philly/phillywomen/Make_Your_Opinion_Count__.html.

I have also included the full text below:

Make Your Opinion Count:
Write an Op-Ed for Public Relations Visibility
By Gina F. Rubel

An op-ed (opinion-editorial) is a form of writing that is used to express a personal opinion. It is an under-utilized and extremely powerful way to publish your opinion and to demonstrate your depth of knowledge on a particular topic. In this way, you are positioned as a thought leader in your area of expertise. An op-ed is located in the opinion pages of a newspaper which is one of the sections most widely read.

The op-ed submissions that get published deal with a topic of current interest, often controversial in the local, regional or national media, and take a stand. It is your opinion, so make it stick. Since newspapers get countless submissions of op-ed letters, getting an op-ed published can sometimes be difficult. When writing an op-end column you should follow some basic guidelines to ensure that it gets published. Be opinionated. The more unique or controversial your opinion, the more likely the op-ed is to be published.

Write about one thing. If you cannot sum up your ideas in the headline then it’s probably not the best topic to choose for an op-ed column. Write in the active voice – it is easier to read.

Make a point that is unique. Prior to submitting your column research what the publication has recently published on your topic. You do not want to repeat what others previously said about the same topic.

Keep it around 700 words. Typically an op-ed column should consist of about 700 words although they can run longer depending on the outlet. Keep in mind that newspapers have limited space to offer, and most of the time, editors will not take the time to cut an article down to size. You can determine the exact parameters by obtaining the submission guidelines which are available in each publication and often on their Web sites.

Stay focused. Your op-ed needs to stay focused. Don’t derail the train by trying to provide too much back up or deal as if during opening statements. It’s the short, concise closing arguments that are the most memorable.

Be timely. If you are writing about an event in today’s news then you must submit your column in a timely fashion – either the same day or a couple days later. Op-ed’s deal with what’s happening today, so don’t get stuck commenting on yesterday’s news.

Connect locally. Use the local approach when writing for a newspaper within your circulation area. Tie your commentary to what’s happening locally and make sure you include your place of residence and why the issue matters to you. Many lobbyist and special interest groups write op-eds as part of their regular outreach strategy. Local papers are more likely to publish a column by a local author than a lobbyist.

There are also some tips to follow when submitting your op-ed.

Know your audience. It is important to choose the right publication for submission of your op-ed. Only submit your piece to one outlet. Ask yourself who’s reading the publication and why you want them to read what you have to say.

Define who cares. Explain why the publication’s readers will care. As with all form of public writings, it is important to make sure the audience is engaged and has a stake in your message. The “who cares” factor needs to be included in your op-ed to provide the answer to the question “why.”

Submit electronically. If possible submit your op-ed via e-mail. This will ensure that is it is received in a timely fashion. It is also helpful to use the online commentary submission forms after you’ve drafted your op-ed in using a word-processing tool, edited it and spell checked it. Offering your opinion through print outlets is a great way to get your name out there in your area of expertise.

Don’t be afraid to comment on what you believe in. You’ll be surprised at how many people tell you that they have read you commentary. Once published, don’t forget to order reprints from the publication to use in your business portfolio. The op-ed will then become a sales and business development tool. Make it last.

Gina F. Rubel, Esquire is President/CEO of Furia Rubel Communications. The company slogan is: Connecting clients to the publics that matter most. For more information, go to www.furiarubel.com.