Times Says Times Will Survive

(NEWSER) - Executives at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. have been meeting with rival newspaper publishers about a consortium that would charge for web content. The publishers of the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times are all believed to have met with Jonathan Miller, the News Corp. officer overseeing digital strategy. But analysts remain skeptical that any payment scheme will make a significant dent in papers' balance sheets. More»

Globe staffers analyze parent company's treatment of once great paper

(NEWSER) - The Boston Globe is delving into the stunning fall of a once-great institution: itself. Keith O'Brien and Robert Weisman trace the decline back to 1993—when the New York Times Co. bought the "jewel of an asset" for a staggering $1.1 billion—to the unimaginable present, as the Times Co. threatens to shutter New England's premier daily. More»

Collusion could avert disaster—but it won't happen

(NEWSER) - The newspaper industry is in dire straits, and to fix it, its bosses must “hold hands and jump off the following cliffs together,” writes David Carr in the New York Times. First, end free web access; it will drive away some readers, but they're not paying for quality reporting anyway. Second, aggregators like Google and Newser shouldn’t get a “free ride”—though that could mean angering the search king. More»

Debt-laden paper enters sale-leaseback with investment firm

(NEWSER) - The New York Times Company has raised $225 million through a sale-leaseback of its Eighth Avenue skyscraper, it announced this morning. The deal gives investment firm WP Carey ownership of the Times' share of the Renzo Piano-designed headquarters, which the newspaper moved into in 2007. The company will then lease the real estate back at $32 a square foot, about half the going price of similar office space. More»

As dividends dwindle, Mexican billionaire may move in on paper

(NEWSER) - Last week Carlos Slim, the world's second-richest man, lent $250 million to the New York Times Company—but why does he want 18% of a tanking media outfit? Advertising Age speculates that the Mexican tycoon is playing a long game: The loan is peanuts to Slim, but it puts him in position to buy the paper if the Sulzberger family decides to sell. "As far as future control, it's unpredictable," said one analyst. More»