UPDATE: New York Magazine Goes Biweekly Next March

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As reported here last month (see "TUOL" post 10/17/13), New York magazine will publish every other week beginning in March 2014, according to articles in The New York Times and The Wrap.

The 45-year-old magazine founded by Clay Felker, once the hub of "New Journalism" where writers such as Nora Ephon, Jimmy Breslin and Tom Wolfe flourished, hopes to realize $3.5 million in savings by cutting back 13 issues. The magazine will continue to publish its special issues devoted to the best doctors, food & drink and gift guide, according to The Wrap.

The magazine also will be rolling out a new style makeover. Although New York nabbed a 2013 best magazine award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, it has not escaped the dwindling ad pages and circulation drop-off that have plagued periodicals. Alliance for Audited Media figures place the magazine's subscriber base at 400,000, but ad pages this year declined 9.2 percent compared to year-ago figures.

At the same time, digital traffic is up 19 percent to nine million unique visitors monthly, according to comScore. The Times reported that the magazine plans to hire 15 staffers to bolster online content and ad sales.

New York is owned by the heirs of Bruce Wasserstein, who purchased the magazine in 2004 before his death in 2009.

From CNN to AJA: Soledad O'Brien Joins Al Jazeera America

 Al Jazeera America ("AJA") has added some star power to its August Prime-Time launch (see "TUOL" post 6/12/13) with the hiring of CNN and NBC veteran Soledad O'Brien, The Wrap reported yesterday.

O'Brien will be special correspondent for the America Tonight current affairs magazine program and also will produce documentaries through her Starfish Media Group production company for the Qatari government-funded news network.  O'Brien formerly anchored Weekend Today for NBC News before moving over to CNN where she co-anchored American Morning and later, Starting Point (see "TUOL" post 2/20/13).

                                                                                 

Newspaper Trend: More Paywalls, Fewer Freebies

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Internet viewers are finding it harder to freeload as online newspapers have accelerated erecting metered paywalls and paring the number of  "free" articles before subscription rates kick in.

In an online article by The Wrap about Press +,  an e-commerce platform boasting more than 400 publishers whom it assists in creating online subscription options,  it was reported that 35 percent of Press + affiliates now offer five or fewer articles per month to newspaper Web site visitors before demanding payment, while 77 percent allow 10 or fewer free articles before a subscription is called for.

The Wrap article quoted Press + figures indicating since July 2011, a 40 percent jump in the average price of a monthly digital subscription, though over the past six months, the increase was only 5 percent.

Metered paywalls, which are a frequent subject of this blog, are still a Brave New World for the staid newspaper industry whose paper editions have been bleeding ad revenues and circulation losses for years. The Wall St. Journal and The New York Times are among only a handful of  digital edition success stories.

Thin paper, thin skin?

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After 43 years, the Washington Post has eliminated the position of ombudsman, but getting to the bottom of why the struggling daily dropped the readers' champion slot requires the services of, er, an ombudsman.

According to an item by The Wrap.com, WaPo Publisher Katherine Weymouth said the paper will replace the position with that of a reader's representative. Unlike the ombudsman, however, the reader's rep will be a WaPo employee and will not write a weekly column about issues of interest to the readership.

Patrick Pexton, whose WaPo ombudsman contract just expired, described the change as a cost-savings measure, which the paper's management has not done.  The Wrap quotes a spokesperson for the Organization of News Ombudsmen (O No?!) who noted that nationwide, 20 members of his group are working as ombudsmen, reader's editors or reader's representatives.

Subscribers can share their concerns at readers@washpost.com beginning this week.

Conservative Activist Claims 'Countdown' Defamed Him

Image via WikipediaProvocateur/self-professed journalist James O'Keefe III, whose "gotcha" video attacks on ACORN, NPR and Planned Parenthood have endeared him to conservative tv viewers, has sued Al Gore-owned Current Media for defamation.

In James O'Keefe III v. Current Media LLC, Keith Olbermann & David Shuster, filed this week in Bergen County (N.J.) Superior Court, O'Keefe alleges he was defamed by David Shuster, who was guest-hosting the February 24, 2012, episode of Keith Olbermann's Countdown. The six-page Complaint claims Shuster falsely stated that O'Keefe was facing a rape charge, according to a post by the The Wrap.com Web site.

Additionally, O'Keefe alleges Olbermann falsely stated during the December 22, 2011, edition of Countdown that O'Keefe was a "convicted felon" on "federal parole after he was charged with [a] felony for attempting to maliciously interfere with Senator [Mary] Landrieu's office telephone system in New Orleans."

According to O'Keefe's lawsuit, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the Landrieu imbroglio, not a felony. Further, O'Keefe claims he was never accused of rape, but rather, was the target of a civil sexual harassment suit brought by an associate that purportedly was dismissed last December.

Besides the present defamation action against the San Francisco-based Current Media, O'Keefe also has an ongoing libel suit against the New Jersey Star-Ledger daily newspaper based on a story alleging O'Keefe committed a felony by allegedly obtaining a ballot using another individual's name.

LA Times Editor Bolts Before Job Ax Wielded in Newsroom Again

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaTheWrap.com Website this week reported that Los Angeles Times Editor Russ Stanton has resigned as the beleaguered daily awaits January layoffs that could further shrink the newsroom by 12 to 20 staffers.

Stanton is the fourth consecutive editor at the Times to depart in the face of a pink slip-laden newsroom. While at the helm, Stanton saw his editorial staff shrink to 550 from 900, The Wrap reports. Meanwhile, circulation at the metro daily has plunged 21 percent since March 2009. The Times is owned by the Tribune Co., which has been immersed in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since December 2008. A paywall for the Los Angeles Times is expected to debut during the First Quarter of 2012.

Dems Defeat Defund NPR Bill Advanced by GOP

Image by wstera2 via FlickrAging '60s rockers and folkies eager to perform at fundraiser retrospectives and those in the market for a new tote bag are breathing easier today as House Democrats beat back a measure to eliminate government funding of NPR by a vote of 239-171, according to the Web site The Wrap (www.thewrap.com).

Fueled by NPR's recent dismissal of conservative commentator Juan Williams, GOP Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R.-Va.) introduced the bill to halt federal funding of NPR, which drew unanimous GOP support and three Democrats.  NPR, a nonprofit news organization, reacted to the vote, praising the House's "good judgment" for quashing the effort "to assert government control over the content of news."

But, All Things Considered, NPR may not be out of the woods yet.  The bipartisan National Commission for Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, charged with recommending ways to slash the federal budget, has suggested shutting off the federal spigot to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting--NPR and PBS, that is.

With Bristol Palin still hoofing her away into the hearts of Americans, the NPR vote has not been the Talk of the Nation.