Murdoch Sets Crosshairs on Times

Expansion of coverage under Murdoch has lured high-end retailers to WSJ

(NEWSER) - The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are in an advertising war, and it appears the Journal is winning, Bloomberg reports. Notable accounts, particularly in the luxury market, are fleeing to the Times’ rival. “They’re definitely stealing advertising dollars,” one analyst said of the Journal, which has broadened the scope of its coverage since Rupert Murdoch’s takeover last year. More»

Clash of titans recalls Hearst v. Pulitzer

(NEWSER) - A newly Rupert Murdoch-ified Wall Street Journal throws down the gauntlet at the New York Times tomorrow, reports Newsweek, in the biggest battle of newspaper titans since Hearst v. Pulitzer. Murdoch is looking for (more) power and respect from the journalistic elite at a time when the Gray Lady is weakened by a huge loss of advertising and revenue. More»

Journalism faces a challenge, but hardly a disaster

(NEWSER) - We know it’s coming, that day when print newspapers cease to exist, but it won’t be this year, right? Maybe, maybe not, Michael Hirschorn writes in the Atlantic, and it wouldn’t necessarily be a disaster. The New York Times is in trouble—it could default on $400 million in debt come May. “Sooner than most of us think,” the Times will be digital-only, Hirschorn predicts. More»

7.2% downturn emphasizes need for bigger push to internet

(NEWSER) - Ad volume in the print edition of the Wall Street Journal dropped nearly 21% and revenue fell 7.2% compared with last July, Reuters reports. The dip underscores the immediate need for Dow Jones to generate more revenue from online properties, analysts said. Ad revenue from Dow Jones' online news operations, including the Journal's web site, rose 24%. More»

(NEWSER) - The looming Murdochization of the Wall Street Journal highlights what people should have realized long ago, writes Gary Weiss: just how disastrous public ownership is to the newspaper business. Every time that investors' bottom lines are matched against journalistic integrity, journalism gets tramped. "The only solution," he says, "is to get rid of the shareholders." More»