 Sun-Times Media Group Files for Chapter 11 The Sun-Times Media Group -- burning through cash at more than $5 million per month -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The parent of the Chicago Sun-Times and 59 Chicago-area newspapers said it would continue to operate its papers as usual while it focuses on further improving its operations. Mark Fitzgerald, Editor and Publisher Hartford Courant Replaces Publisher -- Combines Newsgathering with TV Stations The Tribune Company will relocate the operations of its two Hartford, Conn., television stations into the building occupied by the Hartford Courant to form a new combined newsgathering entity, the company announced. In addition, it will replace the Courant publisher with the general manager of WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV. Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher The New York Times Plans to Eliminate City Section The New York Times plans to eliminate several weekly sections, including its City section. There are also discussions to eliminate regional weeklies in New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester and Connecticut, and the Friday Escapes section as well. John Koblin, New York Observer Detroit's Daily Papers Are Now Not So Daily Maybe once a year, a city has a news day as heavy as the one that just hit Detroit. All of this news would have landed on hundreds of thousands of doorsteps and driveways in the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. But that Monday was the first day of ending home delivery on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Richard Perez-Pena and Mary Chapman, New York Times Media General Fires 53 in Tampa Media General has laid off 53 more employees and eliminated 12 open positions at the Tampa Tribune. The company also has closed two local lifestyle publications and added three more unpaid furlough days to the 10 days employees must take before the end of September. Associated Press Decline of Newspapers Harming Civic Engagement, Study Finds Political involvement among citizens is adversely affected by the decline of newspapers, according to a new study. The study compared voter turnout; the number of candidates running for office; and incumbency advantage in 48 municipalities before and after the closing of the Cincinnati Post. Omar Carrillo, Daily Princetonian The End of Journalism? As more newspapers close, the American people will have to rely on television and the Internet for their news. The idea that the majority of the populace will be forced to rely on television, or any other entity whose main goal is to add to their bottom-line profits for news, is both scary and dangerous. Andre W. Stephens, Black Star News The Demise of the Metropolitan and Local Newspaper The decline of the print news medium has many wondering who will fill the void of the print media, reporting on what is happening in local communities, providing in-depth articles, investigative reports, and serving as a watchdog. Ronny Dory, Epoch Times  New America Foundation Makes Recommendations to FCC's Rural Broadband Strategy Wireless deployment by local and smaller broadband providers is limited by often overly expensive access to public spectrum. Rural providers are increasingly burdened with escalating costs for middle-mile access and backbone transport. The FCC must develop policy that lowers buildout costs and reduces operational costs for rural networks. New America Foundation Verizon, AT&T May Tell Government to Keep $7.2 Billion in Stimulus Money Verizon and AT&T may have this response to the government's offer of $7.2 billion for high-speed Internet projects: Keep it. They're urging the government not to help other companies compete with them through broadband grants or to set new conditions on how Internet access should be provided. Molly Peterson, Bloomberg News Cable Operators, Networks Brace for an Online World When cable operators and networks gather at their biggest annual industry event, both sides will seek to preserve and enhance a long-term partnership now under threat as more and more consumers choose to watch their favorite shows online. Reuters Strickling to NTIA, Completes Obama's Big Broadband Jobs The nomination of Lawrence Strickling to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which advises the White House on technology issues, moves the administration closer to kick-starting its plan to bring broadband to the masses. Cecilia Kang, Washington Post  Municipal Networks Offer Reachable Challenge of Serving the Unserved It can be easier and cheaper to deploy fiber networks for new technology much in the same way as it was to deploy copper lines for electricity countrywide. But incumbent telcos have too much invested in the status quo to embrace needed changes. Jesse Masai, Broadband Census Smart Start for Power Grid in Chattanooga The Chattanooga Electric Power Board is installing fiber-optic lines to create a smart grid that also offers residential high-speed Internet, cable and telephone service. Once the system is fully deployed, it will be the largest municipal utility in the United States offering a smart grid and fiber-to-the-home. Chattanooga Times Free Press |   Emerging Technologies Need Regulatory Reform, Experts Say If the United States wants to lead the next technological revolutions, the right leaders are needed to establish the proper incentives, along with smart regulations, said New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and others at the Freedom to Connect conference. CNet Web-Privacy Bill Coming Top House and Senate Democrats are working on legislation that would prevent online marketers from sharing Web-surfing information unless Internet users allowed them to. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said he was working on a bill that would apply "across the board" to behavioral advertising and data collection by Web sites. Multichannel News EU Threatens Action to Defend Web Users' Privacy Some Internet companies are abusing consumers' personal data and this cannot be allowed to continue, a top European Union official warned. "Basic consumer rights in terms of transparency, control and risk are being violated and this cannot continue," said Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva. Reuters British Goverment Wants to Know Who Your Facebook Friends Are Law enforcement and security bodies around the world are on a massive push to expand data-retention laws, trying to force ISPs and lots of other companies to track and store data on their customers' behavior in the name of public safety, crime prevention and investigation. Tech Dirt The Man Who Ate the GOP In an ailing radio industry, with a graying audience and a pro-government landscape, Rush Limbaugh should be shuffling off into irrelevancy. Instead, his ever more outrageous attacks have everyone debating whether he's the GOP's de facto leader, while the party shapes its ideology to fit his needs. Vanity Fair Serious Threats to Sirius Radio Since its inception, satellite radio bragged that unique content represented a key competitive weapon in the crowded digital media market. But as Web radio and mobile radio applications flourish, they are beginning to erode the value of Sirius's pricey content deals. MSNBC Cablevision Urged to Scale Back Claims An industry regulatory body recommended that Cablevision Systems stop claiming its Internet service is the "fastest around," handing a victory to Verizon, the competitor that complained about the ads. Journal News Landmark Moments in Citizen Journalism Depending on whom you ask, citizen journalism is either pushing journalism forward or is unaccountable vigilantism. Either way, it is shaping the way we consume our news. The following is a timeline of events in which ordinary citizens shaped the news, followed by an analog description of each landmark moment. 10,000 Words Bring Back Yellow Journalism Can yellow journalism be reinvented—tamed and respiced, perhaps, in a way that preserves its best elements, subtracts the worst, and still glows? Is there a place in the newspaper world for saffron journalism? Slate As Journalism Remakes Itself, Students Follow As the journalism industry sheds jobs by the thousands and papers close or go digital-only, there is a rethinking of journalism education. Still, a crush of students want to join in. Journalism schools are more popular than ever. Baltimore Sun Detained American Reporters to be Tried in North Korea North Korea's state-run news agency says two American reporters detained earlier this month will be tried for illegal entry and hostile acts. The Korean Central News Agency said in a report that an initial investigation confirms the two entered the country illegally. Editor and Publisher   |
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