Media News - Friday, July 03, 2009

Washington Post says publishers’ conference won’t be held

The Washington Post asked lobbyists and business leaders to pay USD 25,000 to attend a dinner discussion with government officials and journalists at the home of its publisher, and then canceled the event after the invitations became public. The newspaper's executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, said Thursday that no one in the newsroom had vetted the invitation and its journalists would not participate. Existence of the flier shows the pitfalls faced by news organizations trying to find ways to make money in tough business times. The Washington Post Co.'s newspaper division reported an operating loss of USD 54m during the first three months of the year. The flier advertised a 'Washington Post salon' on health care reform at the home of Publisher Katharine Weymouth on July 21, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press. The Web site Politico first reported its existence. The dinner party was to have 20 or fewer guests, including Obama administration officials, members of Congress, business leaders and lobbyists, according to the flier. Brauchli and other Post journalists, including those who cover health care, were promised as hosts and discussion leaders. Participants were offered a chance to 'build crucial relationships with Washington Post news executives in a neutral and informal setting,' the flier said. Each salon would have one or two sponsors who would pay USD 25,000 to underwrite the event and invite guests. The Post envisioned a series of 11 salons that could be sponsored for a total of USD 250,000. Weymouth on Thursday canceled the whole series. (AP)

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Daily Mail owner launches websites aimed at ‘hyperlocal’ communities

Daily Mail & General Trust is this week launching the first of 50 hyperlocal community websites in the south west of England as part of a pilot scheme to increase its grassroots online presence across the country. Associated Northcliffe Digital, the digital consumer division of DMGT, is rolling out the first 23 sites in its Local People network this week, with a further 20 expected to launch in the next four weeks. The sites, which include falmouthpeople.co.uk and bidefordpeople.co.uk, cover areas with between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants and are aimed at encouraging interaction by allowing users to create profiles, write and publish stories, upload images, form groups and rate and review other content and message each other. Each site will have a paid community publisher to oversee the site, contribute content and encourage engagement. The sites will be open to local businesses to market themselves to customers through display advertising and business directory listings, via Google Maps. Business owners will also able to enhance their listings for a fee. Associated Northcliffe Digital's pilot project, which has been four months in development, will also see the launch of 10 sites for communities across Bristol, including cliftonpeople.co.uk. The launch follows similar ventures by other regional publishing groups, including Trinity Mirror. However, most have a focus on news, rather than community interaction. (The Guardian)

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Newspapers in Washington get key 40 percent tax break

As newspapers across the country struggle through a brutal economic climate, papers in Washington state are getting a tax break. A new law that gives newspaper printers and publishers a 40 percent cut in Washington's main business tax took effect this week, providing some much-needed relief to the business after a year in which The Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed its final edition and other papers suffered drastic cutbacks. 'It's not a bailout, because it's not enough money,' said House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, the Democrat who sponsored the measure. 'But it is our way of saying to the newspapers that we do believe you're incredibly important to our state and our democracy.' The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Conference of State Legislatures was not aware of any other state that has granted a similar tax break to the newspaper industry. In Michigan, a bill that was introduced in May would exempt newspapers from paying that state's main business tax, but the bill has not yet had a hearing. And several states, including Mississippi, Idaho and Colorado, have existing sales-tax exemptions for newspapers. The Washington tax cut, which will cost the state about USD 1.3m a year, was approved despite uneasiness in the industry about newspapers relying on the government they cover for help. (Editor and Publisher)

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S Africa MPs propose media chiefs

A parliamentary committee has proposed a five-strong board to head the South African Broadcasting Corporation, a day after the previous board was sacked. Parliament voted to dissolve the board after months of infighting and alleged mismanagement - the public broadcaster is 740m rand ($94m; £58m) in debt. The communications committee has now chosen five people for an interim board which MPs will vote on next week. Critics have long said the broadcaster was a mouthpiece for the government. They accused former President Thabo Mbeki of filling the previous board with his own followers. Opposition parties said the new board would have to be politically impartial if the beleaguered broadcaster's reputation is to be restored. The BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says four of the members of the proposed interim board are seen as relatively neutral. But the committee could not agree on the fifth nominee - Phil Mtimkulu, a political science lecturer who was nominated by the governing Africa National Congress (ANC). They were eventually forced into a vote, and approved his nomination by eight votes to four. The SABC has been saddled with debt since the mid-1990s, with some board members and senior managers accused of abusing their position to enrich themselves. The board and managers have also openly rowed over major decisions and blamed each other for the corporation's difficulties. By the time the National Assembly decided to dissolve the board, most of them had already quit. (BBC News)

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Twitter followers ‘can be bought’

Twitter users who lack an audience for their messages can now buy followers. Australian social media marketing company uSocial is offering a paid service that finds followers for users of the micro-blogging service. Followers are available in blocks starting at AUD 87 (EUR 50) for 1,000. The biggest block uSocial is selling is 100,000 people. USocial said businesses and individuals were queuing up to use its follower finding service. Leon Hill, chief executive of uSocial, said the company finds potential followers by searching Twitter and working out what individual users are interested in. It also profiles where people are so it can more closely match users with those they might want to follow. USocial then sends messages to potential followers telling them about the new Twitter user they might want to follow. 'It's up to the user to follow them or not,' said Mr Hill. He added that uSocial continues to look for followers until the specified number had signed up. USocial has about 150 customers that had bought followers and had another 80-90 campaigns about to roll out. A broad range of clients had signed up to buy followers, said Mr Hill including educational organisations, companies and marketing firms. (BBC News)

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Video prison visits bring inmates home

Families can visit incarcerated relatives from the comfort of their living rooms through a first-of-its-kind program in Indiana, the AP reports. Visitors on the approved list are allowed to schedule video conferences with inmates from anywhere they choose. Prisoners use ATM-like machines set up and paid for by a private company; a 30-minute chat costs the prisoner $12.50. More facilities will install the system this year. Prison officials say that besides allowing visits with relatives who live far away or are too ill to travel, the program makes life easier for guards. 'They actually behave better here at the facility,' one official says of prisoners permitted virtual family contact. And there's no chance of contraband slipping through. The system isn't without its kinks, however-several visitors and inmates have been banned from using it after officials monitoring the videos caught them exposing themselves. (AP via Newser)

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