News on News - Print

Bloomberg Businessweek Launches iPhone, iPod Apps

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:36:55 +0000

Bloomberg Businessweek announced Wednesday that its magazine is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Bloomberg Businessweek also announced that its iPad application, launched in April 2011, has now surpassed 100,000 subscribers. The app has helped Bloomberg broaden its reach globally with 35 percent of subscribers residing outside of the United States.

“Many of our readers own an iPhone so delivering an optimal experience and lightning fast downloads of magazine issues is critical. With the app, it takes 3 minutes or less on a 3G connection to download an entire issue to the iPhone or iPad.” said Oke Okaro, general manager and global head of Bloomberg mobile, in a statement.

Unique features of the Bloomberg Businessweek app include exclusive video featuring editor Josh Tyrangiel and his creative team as they share the story behind each week’s cover; audio from Tom Keene, Charlie Rose, and various Bloomberg editors and live market info and news on companies mentioned in articles.

Readers can subscribe for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Print magazine subscribers receive free access to Bloomberg Businessweek. iPad-only subscribers also get free access to Bloomberg Businessweeek on their iPhone and iPod touch.

Copyright (c) 2012 Talking Biz News.
Any content specified as Talking Biz News content is the intellectual property of Talking Biz News. Any copying, republication or redistribution of such content, including by cacheing, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Talking Biz News.

FT Walkout Canceled after Journalists Receive Better Offer

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:22:10 +0000

Andrew Pugh of the Press Gazette in London reports that Financial Times journalists have canceled a scheduled walkout after receiving a better contract offer from management.

Pugh writes, “But last night the NUJ’s FT branch tweeted: ‘A large meeting of the FT chapel votes to accept an improved and more equitable pay offer and call off Thursday’s industrial action.’

“The minimum pay increase on offer was originally two per cent for all staff, with many getting 2.5 per cent, but the total editorial pay pot was 3.5 per cent – with management proposing to use the remainder to reward particular staff.

“Under the new offer, in July a further 0.5 per cent will be paid to all FT editorial staff from the balance of the overall 3.5 per cent payroll increase.

“In an email to staff yesterday the paper’s managing editor Lisa MacLeod said the 0.5 per cent would be consolidated into salaries from 1 July to year-end and is in addition to the award of between 2 and 2.5 per cent made to all FT editorial staff in January.”

Read more here.

Amazon, Unilever and Samsung Amongst the FT Arcelormittal Business Leaders 2012 Winners

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:08:02 +0000

Financial Times editor Lionel Barber and Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, hosted the fourth annual FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards last night.

Paul Deighton, CEO of LOCOG, gave the keynote address at the awards dinner held at the British Museum in London.

The awards recognise companies and individuals who have stood out for their dedication to innovation and change in the interests of commerce.

The 2012 Boldness in Business Awards winners are:

Driver of Change: Amazon
Newcomer: Muddy Waters Research
Environment: Helveta
Emerging Markets: Samsung Electronics
Corporate responsibility: Unilever
Entrepreneurship: Hyflux
Person of the Year: Michael Woodford, former chief executive, Olympus

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “The companies commended in this year’s FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards have shown great courage in their business decisions, making choices that will safeguard and sustain their enterprises in the face of adverse economic conditions. With very high quality entries across the board we are delighted to see significant global representation and variety of industries among the winners."

Speaking at the award ceremony, Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO, ArcelorMittal, said: “Taking decisive measures to transform a business or an entire market for the better takes boldness. These awards recognise those businesses and individuals who have succeeded in driving through such admirable change. Amazon developed a whole new concept for information consumption while Unilever has demonstrated sheer vision and commitment in embracing corporate responsibility throughout its business. Each winner in every category is an example to learn from.”

The judges for this year’s awards were:

Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times
Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and Chief Executive, ArcelorMittal
John Authers, Senior Investment Columnist, Financial Times
Dipak Jain, Dean, INSEAD
Leo Johnson, Partner, PwC
Luke Johnson, Chairman, Risk Capital Partners
Anne Méaux, President & Founder, Image Sept
Terry Smith, Chief Executive, Tullett Prebon

WSJ Sunday Won't Add Digital Version

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:37:55 +0000

Jeff Roberts of PaidContent.org talked with David Crook, the editor of The Wall Street Journal Sunday, and discussed why the insert in daily newspapers across the country isn’t offering digital versions for its partners.

Roberts writes, “Many local papers also partner with the Journal in a program to share money from national advertisers. Crook says revenue from Wall Street Journal Sunday is growing even though circulation has peaked, and that the program is a way to introduce the brand to millions of new readers.

“The weekend pairing of Wall Street and Main Street appears to be a perfect marriage save for one hitch — the Journal has cold feet when it comes to digital. For now, the Journal will not provide its partners with digital copy for their websites. ‘We need to grow our digital base as much as they need it,’ explained Crook.

“The decision is a disappointment to people like Todd Benoit, Director of News and New Media at the Bangor Daily News. He says that the Journal’s weekend pages offer hard-to-get content at a ‘very fair price’ to the newspaper’s aging readers, but that there is digital demand too.

“‘Tell them we would love to get the online version,’ said Benoit.”

Read more here.

Copyright (c) 2012 Talking Biz News.
Any content specified as Talking Biz News content is the intellectual property of Talking Biz News. Any copying, republication or redistribution of such content, including by cacheing, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Talking Biz News.

FT Mobile App Wins Award

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:47:46 +0000

The Financial Times has been awarded the prestigious Best Mobile Innovation for Publishing prize for its Web App at today’s Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona.

The prize recognizes excellence in developing innovative mobile material, highlighting the rapid evolution of the printed word to digital media on mobile handsets and tablet devices.

Since its launch in June 2011 the FT Web App has had more than 1.7 million users with 40 percent having bookmarked it to their home screen. The FT was the first major news publisher to launch an app of this type, which uses HTML5 technology and allows users to download directly from the browser.

“We are delighted with the success of the FT Web App, which has been embraced equally enthusiastically by both our readers and the global mobile community,” said FT.com managing director Rob Grimshaw in a statement. “This award recognizes the FT’s mobile leadership and groundbreaking strategy and will be a catalyst for more exciting FT mobile innovation. Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving 15% of subscriptions and 20% of traffic to FT.com.”

Key features of the FT Web App include continual and automatic content downloads and improvements and the ability to read offline. It can be downloaded directly from app.ft.com and ensures that FT customers can access FT content anytime, anywhere, on a PC and multiple devices, with one login and one subscription payment.

Read more here.

Bloomberg Markets Launches Spin-off Title - Bloomberg Pursuits

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:43:48 +0000

Bloomberg Markets has the second highest business magazine circulation in Europe with 180,000 subscribers. The average EMEA reader income is €97,772, the highest of all business and financial publications.

One unique editorial aspect of the spin-off -- Bloomberg Pursuits writes about and profiles the expensive lifestyles of its own readers. Clothes, boats, cars, and homes will be a major part of the editorial.

Bloomberg Markets' senior editor Vince Bielski oversees the editorial and says: “The stories are there to be told. Bloomberg Markets stories contain fascinating bits and pieces of our readers’ lifestyles. We saw a great editorial opportunity to capture these daring, risk-taking individuals who we found bring the same intensity to their personal lives that they bring to financial markets.”

The biannual title launches with a circulation of 375,000 worldwide -- that's the new 2012 rate base for the magazine. It is sent to every reader, 97% of whom are Bloomberg Professional Service users (aka "the terminal").

According to EMS 2010, 96% of Markets' EMEA readers don't read The Wall Street Journal Europe, 95% don't read Fortune or Forbes, 98% don't read the Financial Times, and 87% don't read The Economist. So they have this audience completely to themselves.

The launch issue contains 46 editorial pages and 30 advertising pages with advertisers including Hermes, Chanel, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Cartier, Vertu, Porche.

"Bloomberg Pursuits" is released this week along with the March 2012 issue of Bloomberg Markets.

Shortlist Announced for 2012 FT Arcelormittal Boldness in Business Awards

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:35 +0000

The Financial Times and ArcelorMittal have announced the shortlist for the 2012 FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards.

The global awards, now in their fourth year, recognise businesses that, through bold decisions, drive change and inspire innovation in their sectors.

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, said: “I am delighted with the high calibre of entries we have received for this year’s awards. Each of the shortlisted companies has displayed commitment to innovation and change in their field during what has been a particularly volatile year for global businesses.”

The judges for this year’s awards are:

Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times
Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman & Chief Executive, ArcelorMittal
John Authers, Senior Investment Columnist, Financial Times
Dipak Jain, Dean, Insead
Leo Johnson, Partner, PwC
Luke Johnson, Chairman, Risk Capital Partners
Anne Méaux, President & Founder, Image Sept
Terry Smith, Chief Executive, Tullett Prebon

Winners of the FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards 2012 will be announced on 20^th March, at a ceremony hosted by Lionel Barber, Editor, Financial Times, and Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and Chief Executive, ArcelorMittal, at a central London location.

The shortlisted nominees are:

Drivers of change

Bold drivers of change see opportunity where others only see danger and are not afraid to change their company or even their industry.

Al Jazeera
Amazon
GlaxoSmithKline
Google
MasterCard
Tata Group

Corporate Responsibility

Boldness on this front means taking responsibility for the impact of your organisation and trying to improve society as a whole – be it through innovation, education or philanthropy.

Marks and Spencer
One Water
Puma
Toms
Unilever

Environment

The winner of this category will have gone beyond offsetting its carbon footprint to considering sustainability on a much broader front.

Goldwind
Husk Power Systems
Helveta
Luyuan
Novozymes
Siemens

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs not only have good ideas – they also work harder, faster and smarter to see them realised. The winner in this category, large or small, will have taken risks – and been proved right.

Arm Holdings
Fast Retailing
Flipkart
Hyflux
IndiGo
Spotify

Emerging Markets

With emerging markets fast becoming the engine of global growth, companies from these countries are increasingly taking on those from developed markets – and winning. The next challenge is to develop a globally recognised business.

AirAsia
BTG Pactual
BM&FBovespa
Samsung Electronics
Sany Heavy Industry
Quanta

Newcomer

Which company has really broken through in the last year?

Ecotricity
Opower
Moda Operandi
Muddy Waters Research
Square

Person of the Year

The shortlist for this category will be unveiled during the awards ceremony. Previous winners include Alan Mulally of Ford; Sergio Marchionne of Fiat and Chrysler; the innovators at Apple, Twitter, Google and Groupon; Vale, the Brazilian mining giant; and Huawei the telecoms group.

WSJ.com Head Leaving for New Job

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:59:32 +0000

Kevin Delaney, managing editor of The Journal Online — or WSJ.com, as it is better known — is taking a job at the Atlantic Media Company, reports Kara Swisher of All Things D.

Swisher reports, “The move is a blow to the Journal’s online efforts, as Delaney, who got the top job in late 2009, is a well-regarded journalist and editor.

“(He is certainly an AllThingsD.com fave of those at the Dow Jones mother ship, but he still did not call me back to comment! Thanks a lot, Kevin!)

“It has not yet been determined who will succeed him at WSJ.com, sources said. Delaney is not leaving immediately.

“Delaney joined the media giant in 1992, was a prominent tech reporter in Silicon Valley and was also deputy managing editor at WSJ.com.”

Read more here.

WSJ.com's Biggest Day in 2011 was Jobs' Death

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:40:49 +0000

WSJ.com’s highest-traffic day this year, by visits, was Oct. 5, when Steve Jobs died, edging out Aug. 8, when U.S. stocks fell 7 percent.

That’s according to a tweet from Zach Seward, editor of outreach and social media at the Journal.

Seward also tweeted on Thursday that WSJ.com’s busiest month, by unique visitors, was August, which saw the fall of Tripoli, London riots, a market crisis, and Hurricane Irene.

Specific data on the busiest days and months for the business newspaper’s website were not available, said a spokeswoman when contacted by Talking Biz News.

The Journal has been aggressive in the past few years in expanding its online content, which now includes a series of online-only video shows, including “The Hub” every morning at 8:30 a.m. EST.

The site was redesigned and relaunched in 2008, and the paper has more than 1 million subscribers to its online content. About two-thirds of its online content is behind the pay wall.

FT Launches Android Application

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:39:31 +0000

The Financial Times has launched the beta version of its Android App, available for large screen tablets, including the Samsung 10.1 inch tablet and small screen Android phones.

The app is available to download for free from the Android market and is integrated into the FT.com access model whereby, upon registration, users are able to sample the content before subscribing. This ensures that customers can access FT content on a desktop computer and across multiple devices, with one login and one subscription payment.

Mobile is now the FT’s biggest channel for digital subscriptions, driving 15 percent of new subscriptions and 20 percent of traffic to FT.com.

“FT mobile apps offer our customers flexibility and freedom of choice with access to our global journalism anytime, anywhere, with a single login and subscription,” said Rob Grimshaw, FT.com managing director, in a statement. “”ur new Android app will allow FT content to be easily consumed across a rapidly growing range of new mobile devices and builds on the success of the recently launched FT Web App.”

The app automatically refreshes content, which is stored to read offline, and it has access to a wide-range of FT content, including blogs and graphics.

Copyright (c) 2011 Talking Biz News.
Any content specified as Talking Biz News content is the intellectual property of Talking Biz News. Any copying, republication or redistribution of such content, including by cacheing, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Talking Biz News.

Bloomberg Businessweek Strikes Deal with Hachette for E-books

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:46:14 +0000

Hachette Book Group is partnering with Bloomberg Businessweek on e-singles that will illuminate key moments in the world of business, drawing on content from the magazine, reports Laura Hazard Owen of PaidContent.org. The first one is about Steve Jobs.

Owen writes, “The Steve Jobs e-book is $3.99 and available now at a variety of etailers, including Kindle, Nook and Apple’s iBookstore. Its content is from Bloomberg Businessweek’s October 10 Steve Jobs tribute issue.

“The alliance between Hachette and Businessweek is notable because many media outlets — including the Los Angeles Times, Guardian and Hearst — have chosen to publish e-books that consist of repurposed content directly, rather than partnering with book publishers. Random House has partnered with RealClearPolitics and Politico to publish e-books about the 2012 election, but those will consist of new content.

“Book publishers themselves are also releasing e-singles directly — see recent offerings from Penguin, Rodale, Scholastic, Open Road and Princeton University Press.

“It remains unclear how these books are selling, with most publishers saying it’s too early to tell or that they’re still experimenting with selling content in the form.”

Read more here.

FT Expects Subscriptions, Newsstand Revenue to Surpass Ad Revenue

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:42:40 +0000

The Financial Times expects its print advertising revenues to be overtaken by subscription and content sales for the first time this year, reports Georgina Prodhan of Reuters.

Prodhan writes, “The FT, the only unit of British publishing group Pearson with significant exposure to advertising, has been at the forefront of making consumers pay for news on the Web, and now makes almost 30 percent of its revenues online.

“‘It’s obviously a rather challenging time for print advertising so these engines of digital subscriptions and content are essential and valuable,’ Chief Executive John Ridding said on Monday.

“‘We think this year our content revenues should be pretty much the equivalent, maybe even exceed, print advertising revenues for the first time ever,’ he told the London leg of the Reuters Global Media Summit.

“The Financial Times, with its specialist business news and elite readership, is one of the few news providers to have succeeded in developing a successful online business behind a paywall. Digital subscriptions are now its main growth driver.”

Read more here.

FT Reaches 250,000 Digital Subscribers

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:21:38 +0000

The number of paying digital subscribers to the Financial Times has broken the quarter of a million mark, an increase of more than 30 percent in the past year.

Of these, 100,000 are corporate subscriptions coming from more than 2,000 different licenses.

A growing number of businesses, including professional services and communications firms, as well as media owners, buy an FT corporate licence to provide their staff with instant access to Financial Times content and services. Clients include the Hay Group, the London Stock Exchange and Clifford Chance.

“In these uncertain economic times, both individuals and companies are turning to the Financial Times to bring world business to one place,” said Caspar de Bono, Financial Times’ managing director, B2B, in a statement. “Our digital licences enable companies to access FT journalism across 40 different technology solutions, each designed to increase productivity.”

Gary Spokes, knowledge & information manager, Hay Group, said in a statement: “The Financial Times is an invaluable partner for Hay Group. It aligns unrivalled insights into all business and market sectors with our expertise. All of which help us and our clients make better business decisions.”

Read more here.

Bloomberg Businessweek Launches New Ad Campaign

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:07:31 +0000

Nat Ives of Adverting Age reports that Bloomberg Businessweek is starting a consumer ad campaign that’s meant to build on its recent progress by pitching readers on its personality, using ads arguing that the magazine is “Disruptive,” “Charged,” “Viral” and “Worldly.”

Ives reports, “The ad buy will total $1.5 million in the near term and grow as the campaign continues, Bloomberg Businessweek said.

“‘To date we’ve been largely focused on describing the functional benefits of the magazine,’ said Paul Bascobert, president of Bloomberg Businessweek and head of business operations for Bloomberg Media Group, citing its 20% increase in editorial pages, for example, since Bloomberg bought the ailing magazine from McGraw-Hill in December 2009. ‘What we want to do more now is talk about who we are and to some extent create a more emotional connection with readers — which is something all media companies should do.’

“‘Businessweek under McGraw-Hill actually had a specific intention to not have a personality, as a strategic choice that I think one makes to keep the personality out of it,’ Mr. Bascobert added. ‘We believe we should approach the market with a sense of who we are.’

“The U.S. component of the campaign, which was created internally, will run starting this month in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Wired, New York and San Francisco magazines; in Acela trains and lounges, Metro North trains on Long Island, BART trains and shelters in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York and San Francisco ferries; and on golf courses in the New York and San Francisco areas. Initial international buys will focus on Hong Kong and London.”

Read more here.

WSJ Circulation Continues to Grow

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:05:07 +0000

The Wall Street Journal remains the No. 1 newspaper in the U.S., according to the latest figures released Tuesday from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

The Journal again leads all daily newspapers in total average circulation, which includes both print and digital, rising 1.7 percent to 2,096,170 (September 2011) from 2,061,141 (September 2010).

As filed with ABC, the Journal’s digital subscriptions have increased 19.7 percent to 537,469 (September 2011) from 449,138 (September 2010).

In addition, single copy sales for weekend print circulation increased 3 percent year-over-year. Total weekend print circulation increased 7.1 percent to 1,488,162 (September 2011) from 1,389,069 (September 2010), based on the growth in numerous channels and programs, including a lift in individually paid subscriptions, single copy sales and strong demand for a new Weekend-only subscription offer.

“These figures reflect the continued momentum of and engagement with The Wall Street Journal franchise,” said Todd Larsen, president of Dow Jones & Co., in a statement. “The investments we’ve made over the past two years in the New York region, WSJ. magazine and the Weekend edition have all been returning substantial benefits to our readers, advertisers and our bottom line.”

In September 2010, the Journal expanded its Saturday paper – WSJ Weekend – and debuted two new sections, Off Duty and Review. Additionally, the frequency of WSJ., the Journal’s luxury lifestyle magazine, was increased to 10 issues per year. Together, the expanded WSJ Weekend and WSJ. magazine have brought in more than 150 new advertisers to the Journal franchise.

WSJ Live Now Available Through more Distribution Channels

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:03:00 +0000

The WSJ Live, the business newspaper’s online video channel, is now available in via Apple TV, Google TV and Roku, adding significant reach across a variety of platforms for live and on-demand programming from The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. On-demand video from WSJ Live is also now available on Daily Motion.

Previously, the company announced distribution agreements with Boxee, Etisalat, Panasonic’s VIERA Connect-enabled HDTVs, Samsung 2011 Smart TVs, Sony Internet TV, VIZIO Internet Apps HDTVs, and the Yahoo! Connected TV platform.

The WSJ Live app for iPad has been downloaded more than 125,000 times since its launch.

“We’re continuing to rapidly expand the distribution of WSJ Live and users are responding with high downloads and streams,” said Alisa Bowen, general manager of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, in a statement. “Adoption rates have far surpassed our original goal, and the demand for additional programming – as well as interest from advertisers – continues unabated. This is really just the beginning.”

In addition, The Wall Street Journal will be among the partners creating exclusive content for YouTube’s new original channels, as announced last week. The Journal’s lifestyle channel will feature a daily show based on Off Duty, covering design, fashion, travel, wine, food, and tech.

WSJ Live currently offers up to four hours of live programming each business day – including the “News Hub,” “Lunch Break,” “Digits,” “Opinion Journal” and more – and more than 2,000 on-demand videos from across the company’s network of sites.

Bloomberg Story on Koch Draws Scrutiny when Republished in WaPost

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:32:25 +0000

Patrick Pexton, the ombudsman of the Washington Post, writes that the paper could have handled better the republication of a story about Koch Industries that originally ran in Bloomberg Markets.

Pexton writes, “Post Business Editor Greg Schneider said he ‘was aware’ before republication that ‘the piece had stirred up some reaction, but we look to highlight work that is provocative.’

“I think newspapers should always be provocative. But they should also be fair and provide context.

“The Post could have included a sidebar summarizing and linking to the rebuttals that ran between Oct. 3 and 9. It could have called Koch directly — it didn’t — and put its comments in the sidebar.

“After publication, the Kochs requested that The Post put online a one-paragraph statement from its general counsel, along with a link to KochFacts.com. I thought the statement was too strong; I might have negotiated over the wording of that statement, but the request does not seem unreasonable after a 3,000-word critical story is published. The Post did not publish the statement.

“The Kochs are wealthy people with outsize influence; they are fair game for journalists. But journalists should also play the game fairly.”

Read more here.

Forbes Hires Former Fortune Publisher as COO

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:17:24 +0000

Forbes Media has picked up a new chief operating officer, Mike Federle, a former publisher and president of rival Fortune, reports Keith Kelly of the New York Post.

Kelly writes, “The internal announcement said that Federle was going to be working on business development partnerships, new business models and operating departments, including circulation and manufacturing.

“Federle is trying to amp up the high-level executive conference business, which Fortune has been extremely successful in exploiting.

“At the time of his appointment, Federle had been the chief operating officer of Technomy, a tech conference business started by former Fortune tech writer David Kirkpatrick. Forbes said it was going to be a sponsor of the Technomy 2011 conference, and in July said it had taken a small equity position in the company.”

Read more here.

Bloomberg Businessweek Starts Annual Sports Issue

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:13:46 +0000

Bloomberg Businessweek released Thursday its first sports issue with 37 pages of the Oct. 24-30 issue devoted to an in-depth look at the business of sports.

Stories on the Green Bay Packers’ operation, the anatomy of a baseball trade and the first index detailing how much 122 professional teams spend on average for a win, continue the magazine’s mission of covering the world of business while expanding readers’ notion of what “business” can mean.

“Most people see sports through the lens of a game, but we wanted to show how the decisions and transactions made off the field shape what happens on it – and how they can be just as compelling as the game itself,” said editor Josh Tyrangiel in a statement.

The cover of the Bloomberg Businessweek sports issue features the NFL’s Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy with 100 Packers fans at Lambeau Stadium.

The cover story ‘Meet the Best Owners in Football’ examines how, with Murphy’s guidance and the fervent passion of its fans, the Packers, ‘a publicly traded corporation in a league that doesn’t allow them, an immensely profitable company whose shareholders are forbidden by the corporate bylaws to receive a penny of that profit,’ have become ‘the NFL’s dominant team and a paragon of the modern sports organization…despite the fact that it plays in by far the smallest of the league’s 32 cities.’

The issue’s centerfold is ‘The Efficiency Index’ which rates how well the four major U.S. professional sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB — have turned payroll dollars into wins over the last five seasons.

Pairing all 122 teams’ regular season wins and losses with their player payroll data, Bloomberg Businessweek determined an average cost per win in each league. Then they measured — by standard deviation — how far each team varied from the league norm. The Index reveals how every U.S. franchise compares to its cross-sport peers in squeezing wins from money.

Executives Ignored Questions about WSJ Europe Circulation

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:59:37 +0000

Edmund Lee of Bloomberg News writes that News Corp. executives were given information about questionable tactics raising the Wall Street Journal Europe’s circulation a year before the publisher resigned, but ignored it.

Lee writes, “Les Hinton, the former chief executive officer at the News Corp. unit that publishes the Wall Street Journal Europe, was contacted with details of the payment practice in November 2010, according to former circulation manager Gert Van Mol and e-mails he provided to Bloomberg News. Todd Larsen, president of the Dow Jones & Co. unit, was also notified.

“Van Mol said in the correspondence that a Dow Jones business partner was being compensated at the same time that partner was buying thousands of copies of the Wall Street Journal Europe, effectively boosting the publication’s circulation. Andrew Langhoff, the newspaper’s publisher who stepped down last week, had approved the payments, the circulation manager said in the e-mails.

“‘It was a non-ethical practice,’ Van Mol said in an interview. ‘I didn’t want to be part of it, so I contacted Hinton and Larsen.’

“Bethany Sherman, a Dow Jones spokeswoman, declined to comment on whether Hinton and Larsen had been alerted to the payments last year. She said Langhoff, 49, resigned because of the perception the newspaper’s agreement with the Executive Learning Partnership could have compromised editorial integrity.”

Fortune Plans to Expand its Editorial Franchises

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:54:14 +0000

Lucia Moses of Adweek writes that Fortune magazine wants to double down on editorial franchises in 2012 as it tries to build on the popularity of its Fortune 500 list to appeal to readers and advertisers.

Moses writes, “Starting in 2012, Fortunewill have editorial features for all 18 of its issues. The new ones will include ‘The Shape of the Future’ that will name the people, companies, and ideas that will most influence the world in the years ahead. ‘How it Works’ will explore the secret sauce of products and concepts. There also will be ‘Best Advice I Ever Got’ and ‘Venture Special,’ a look at small businesses.

“‘The big franchise issues score the highest when it comes to reader opinion,’ said Jed Hartman, publisher of Fortune. ‘They also perform great for advertisers, and they also have that third ingredient: They’re picked up by the press or they’re influential in the community.’

“Publishers also like franchises because they can easily be extended to other platforms, widening their advertiser appeal. This year, for example, Fortune launched Executive Dream Team editorial feature and got BMW to sponsor a complementary event.

“Andy Serwer, the managing editor of Fortune, said the franchise calendar carried another bonus. Because advertisers like franchise issues so much, Fortune can devote more editorial space to long-form journalism. ‘That means they’re fat issues, and then we can do all this other stuff,’ he said.”

Read more here.

A Look at WSJ Europe's Circulation Trends

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:51:43 +0000

Robert Andrews of PaidContent.org examines how the Wall Street Journal Europe’s total circulation had fallen by a third in the eight years before it implemented the circulation program that came to light last week and caused the resignation of its publisher.

Andrews writes, “The ABC originally validated the programme. Sales through this method continued to grow steadily until late 2010, but have returned to original levels after a whistleblower allegedly complained about the scheme last year. In their place, WSJ Europe has upped both its controlled free circulation and its multi-copy bulk sales.

“The background to all this is that WSJ Europe single-copy sales have more than halved in the last 10 years. The paper has used several techniques to add new circulation – all of them commonly used by other publishers and approved by the ABC, except until the day it retrospectively says otherwise following its inquiry.

“But it has not all been about print circulation. The Journal has also been rapidly building its web operations in Europe and Asia.”

Read more here.

Wall Street Journal to Launch German Language Digital Offering

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:22:42 +0000

The Wall Street Journal today announced plans to launch a German-language news site (wallstreetjournal.de) and suite of digital products designed to build its presence in Germany, Europe's largest economy.

The new offering will deliver trusted reporting and analysis to a local audience of individuals and companies seeking a global business view combined with a strong regional market sensibility. The move is part of the Journal's worldwide digital expansion which combines global news with locally focused coverage. The company's portfolio of local language sites currently includes WSJ China and WSJ Japan.

"Germany is an economic powerhouse and its relative importance in our increasingly complex world is growing. But that means German businesses, professionals and leaders must have instant access to the highest quality news from around the globe," said Robert Thomson, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Company and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. "There is no doubt German readers are distinct and discerning and we will do our utmost to satisfy their demands."

The January 2012 launch will expand Dow Jones' current German language news offering, which includes a German language newswire service.

The Web site, together with mobile and tablet applications, and mobile internet site, will feature a mix of free and subscriber-only content from The Wall Street Journal and across the Dow Jones global network, as well as news and analysis written by reporters based in Frankfurt, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.

The Wall Street Journal has appointed Knut Engelmann as managing editor, Germany, newswires and wallstreetjournal.de, charged with overseeing a new combined news operation serving both Dow Jones Newswires and the German language Web site. Prior to joining Dow Jones, Mr. Engelmann spent 16 years at Thomson Reuters, most recently as Wall Street editor and global company news editor based in New York. He has also run Reuters' news operations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Balkans from Frankfurt.

"We're proud to bring more of the world's best business news coverage to Europe's largest economy," said Mr. Engelmann. "German readers know the Journal for its trusted analysis and content and we'll deliver compelling, exclusive coverage to them every day."

Dr. Matthias Paul, managing director of Dow Jones in Germany, takes on an additional role as publisher of the German-language Web site and will be responsible for developing and expanding The Wall Street Journal's digital business in Germany. Dr. Paul, who has been with Dow Jones since 2004, was previously responsible for Dow Jones' Energy & Commodity business, as well as its custom publishing business serving industry and financial clients in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

"Our global strategy is to develop in regions where we see opportunities to grow our business and support local market growth," said Dr. Paul. "We're developing an already successful local-language media platform to provide a new service for our German-speaking readers and the advertisers who seek this valuable audience."

Advertisers will be able to reach The Wall Street Journal's uniquely attractive audience through digital advertising formats adapted for the German market, and will benefit from the proven effectiveness of the Journal's multi-platform delivery. According to syndicated research, The Wall Street Journal consistently delivers to advertisers one of the most affluent and influential business audiences in its markets.

The Wall Street Journal Europe Statement Of Response To The Guardian

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:53:58 +0000

The Wall Street Journal Europe has responded to an article in the UK's Guardian newspaper regarding a reported circulation scandal.

News Corporation said;

"The Guardian's inflammatory characterization of WSJE's former ELP circulation program is replete with untruths and malign interpretations. Andrew Langhoff resigned because of a perceived breach of editorial integrity, not because of circulation programs, whose copies were certified by the ABC UK. The Guardian mischaracterizes a former employee as a "whistleblower." In fact, that employee was first investigated by the company because of concerns around his business dealings.

"WSJE circulation programs were fully disclosed and certified. The practice of sponsored distribution to business schools and universities is common in the industry and clearly identified in all WSJE publisher statements. ELP was paid for legitimate services rendered; however, the manner in which they were paid was admittedly complex but nevertheless legitimate.

"As we've stated, while the copies associated with ELP were legitimate and appropriate, we were not comfortable with the appearance of the programs and no longer have relationships with any of the third parties directly involved in these agreements."

WSJ Europe Issues with Editorial Didn't Surface until Recently

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:49:39 +0000

The connection between a circulation scandal at the Wall Street Journal Europe and some editorial content in the paper didn’t surface until recent weeks, report Paul Sonne and Bruce Orwell of The Journal.

Sonne and Orwell write, “The Dow Jones investigation didn’t identify the problems with the editorial component of the ELP deal that led to Mr. Langhoff’s resignation.

“According to a person familiar with the matter, those problems only came to light last week, months after Mr. Van Mol began emailing complaints to Dow Jones executives. That’s when the paper re-examined the situation.

“At the time, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian was investigating the ex-employee’s claims. The Guardian published an article on the matter Wednesday.

“Newspapers and magazines have long relied on the distribution of free or heavily discounted copies to boost reported circulation numbers, which dictate how much they can charge for advertisements. The Audit Bureau of Circulations in the U.S. broadly divides circulation into two categories: paid and verified. Verified circulation includes the copies publishers distribute free to targeted homes, universities and public places such as doctor offices, according to ABC president Michael Lavery.”

Read more here.

WSJ Europe Scandal Involved Boosting Circulation, Whistleblower Eliminated

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:45:36 +0000

Nick Davies of The Guardian in London reports Wednesday that the scandal at The Wall Street Journal‘s European edition involving boosting its circulation numbers, and that a whistleblower alerted company executives last year before losing their job.

Davis reports, “The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal’s true circulation.

“The bizarre scheme included a formal, written contract in which the Journal persuaded one company to co-operate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper’s management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardising its treasured reputation for editorial quality.

“Internal emails and documents suggest the scam was promoted by Andrew Langhoff, the European managing director of the Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones and Co, which was bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in July 2007. Langhoff resigned on Tuesday.

“The highly controversial activities were organised in London and focused on the Journal’s European edition, which circulates in the EU, Russia, and Africa. Senior executives in New York, including Murdoch’s right-hand man, Les Hinton, were alerted to the problems last year by an internal whistleblower and apparently chose to take no action. The whistleblower was then made redundant.

“In what appears to have been a damage limitation exercise following the Guardian’s inquiries, Langhoff resigned on Tuesday, citing only the complaints of unethical interference in editorial coverage. Neither he nor an article published last night in the Wall Street Journal made any reference to the circulation scam nor to the fact that the senior management of Dow Jones in New York failed to act when they were alerted last year.”

Read more here.

Shorter Stories in WSJ Means Nothing to Readers

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:39:13 +0000

Felix Salmon of Reuters argues Tuesday that the research from Ryan Chittum of the Columbia Journalism Review showing that the Wall Street Journal is producing fewer longer stories doesn’t mean much in today’s journalism world.

Salmon writes, “If you look at the chart of stories over 1,500 words, it peaked at 800 per year in 2006. That’s more than 2.5 such stories per day, every day including Saturdays. And that’s just on the front page! If you look at the paper as a whole, the 1,500-word stories were appearing at a pace of six per day before Murdoch came along and brought some sense to proceedings.

“I read long business and finance stories for a living — that’s my job — and I don’t read six per day, let alone six per day from a single publication. The job of the WSJ is not to overload its readers with many hours’ worth of reading every day. And the current pace, of roughly one long-form front-page story per day, seems much more reasonable to me. (Most readers, of course, won’t even read that — but at least they won’t be completely overwhelmed.)

“At the same time, it’s great that the WSJ is putting lots of important information on its front page in sub-1,500-word form — on top of the ‘What’s News’ briefs. As a news consumer, I don’t even want anything nearly that long — I’m looking to get what I need within a few hundred words at most. US newspaper stories have a lot of water weight, and nearly all of them could stand to lose a few pounds.

“And what of the dramatic fall-off in the really long-form stuff, over 2,500 words? Up until 2007, those managed to make the front page roughly every other day. Then they all but disappeared, and you’ll find maybe one a month at this point.”

Read more here.

WSJ Europe Publisher Resigns due to Perceived Conflict

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:33:38 +0000

The Wall Street Journal Europe publisher resigned Tuesday over what he called a possible perception of impropriety, reports Edmund Lee at Bloomberg News.

Lee writes, “Andrew Langhoff, who ran the newspaper’s business since January 2009, said an agreement between its circulation department and a company called Executive Learning Partnership could be viewed as undermining the editorial independence of the news operation, he said in an e-mail to employees, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News.

“‘Because the agreement could leave the impression that news coverage can be influenced by commercial relationships, as publisher with executive oversight, I believe that my resignation is now the most honorable course,’ he said in his e- mail.

“The e-mail’s authenticity was confirmed by Kate Dobbin, a spokeswoman for News Corp.’s Dow Jones & Co. unit.

“The business agreement Langhoff cited was handled by another employee who is no longer with the company, according to his e-mail.”

Read more here.

FT to Close Tilt Site

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:14:35 +0000

The Financial Times is closing its Tilt site, which covered business news from emerging markets, 10 months after its launch, reports Robert Andrews of PaidContent.org.

Andrews writes, “The FT launched Tilt in January with 12 staff, led by managing director Tom Brammar and editor-in-chief Paul Murphy. Their future is not clear.

“The idea was to translate some of Murphy’s experience running FT.com’s successful Alphaville blog and live finance chat service to a new product – a high-end, online-only subscription news and analysis service that deep dives for an audience of fund managers and such like in emerging markets.

“Tilt had been billed as a ‘startup’, a much more flexible and conversational operation than the core Financial Times news operation, and had been run at arm’s length from the FT’s London HQ, in New York. It had invited members to contribute their own analysis after proving their own elite status and relevance to the community.

“Tilt editor and former Alphaville reporter Stacy-Marie Ishmael, writing on her blog, hails her team for ‘building a site, a service, a brand, a reputation and an audience from scratch, from nothing, from zero.”

Read more here.

NYT's Dealbook Hires Writer from Huffington Post

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:13:03 +0000

Kat Stoeffel of the New York Observer reports that the Dealbook section of the New York Times has hired William Alden from the Huffington Post.

Stoeffel writes, “Mr. Alden (Yale ’10, NYO intern ’10) has been working at the Huffington Post for a little over a year, writing about mortgage and banking crises, as well as municipal debt.

“He was overseen by a former Timesman, Mr. Goodman, a member of the Times‘ financial crisis Pulitzer team who was recently accused of “scoffing” at the Times from his HuffPo perch. (Mr. Keller was then accused of twisting Mr. Goodman’s words.)

“That Mr. Alden was spotted at The Huffington Post suggests it’s a more formidable news competitor than The Times likes to admit. But then, as Times public editor Arthur Brisbane pointed out, it’s just DealBook–that’s not really the Times.”

Read more here.