Senate Bill Seeks to Rescue Newspapers

(NEWSER) - It's only a matter of time before major American newspapers become nonprofits, writes Simon Dumenco in Advertising Age. The idea—he himself wrote about it in 2006, borrowing from the model of the Guardian—is "an inevitability," he writes. And now that a few "suddenly panicky" senators are on board, it will only "gain momentum." But will be newspapers be bailed out along the lines of Detroit or Wall Street? Forget it. More»

Papers would enjoy the benefits of tithing and tax-exemption: Bates

(NEWSER) - As profits continue to fall, some have suggested turning newspapers into non-profit, endowed institutions similar to colleges. A better way to go non-profit would be for the press to declare itself a religion, writes Stephen Bates for Slate. The tax benefits would be substantial, as would legal protections for reporters-turned-priests, and Bates notes that the earliest American journalists were men of the cloth, who would review the week’s events in sermons. More»

Times begs for its life

(NEWSER) - Newspapers are dying, and there’s only one way to save them, write Yale's David Swensen and Michael Schmidt in today’s New York Times: Make them nonprofit, endowed institutions, like colleges. The Internet has made the for-profit model systematically unsustainable, and constant attempts to refinance and cut costs are just “Band-Aids for a gaping wound.” Endowing them would fix all that, making them “unshakable fixtures of American life.” More»

Real estate a major factor in sale of 71 papers last year

(NEWSER) - Despite plunging revenue and circulation figures, plenty of people in America are still buying daily newspapers—lock, stock, and valuable headquarters. Some 71 daily papers were sold last year, and while some investors see buying a paper as a civic duty, others view it as a way to turn a quick profit, especially since newspapers tend to own large buildings in prime downtown locations, the New York Times finds. More»

At $200M, purchase not about investing

(NEWSER) - Warren Buffett makes news for his multi-billion-dollar investments, not a piddly $200 million—but Buffett surprised many people when he announced yesterday he was spending that to buy his hometown newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald, reports Bloomberg . The billionaire slammed the newspaper industry two years ago, saying it had the "potential for unending losses," and that he would never buy one "at any price." But now Buffett seems to have changed his tune: “I wouldn't do this if I thought this was doomed to some sort of extinction,” he said, according to the Omaha World-Herald . More»