Results tagged “publishing”

Under the impression that online internet world wide webloggers are swiping their golden nuggets of wisdom without linkage, SFGate recently infused their site with inane cross-scripting nonsense that automatically adds a url link when you copy/paste any of the Gate's content. Basically, it's like a teddy bear cam for writers who use their site. It is, for lack of a better word, retarded.

A "polarizing" figure in the SF food community, Meredith Brody was a memorable one during her tenure at SF Weekly. Yesterday, Eater tell us, Brody parted ways with SF Weekly.

Pompous Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson is, for lack of a better word, dim. And old. Case in point, he was, for some inexplicable reason, asked to speak at Web Summit 2.0 in San Francisco this week. During a panel discussion with Google executive Marissa Mayer, he accused her of "unintentionally encourag[ing] promiscuity." (Odds are he never would have said the same thing to Sergey Brin.)

After 70 years in print, Gourmet magazine will call its November issue its final one. While rags like Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country (oh, come on, the latter is nothing short of genius; in fact, the bizarre cakes featured on the inside back covers are getting framed and tastefully displayed in our kitchen this week!) have turned our attention away from the Conde Naste magazine devoted to gastronomical delights and travel writing, it is/was an institution. Alas. Eater has more on the publication's depressing demise.

Here's some days-old news for you to chew on, folks. In a move that has some editors at The Chronicle defecating in their hermetically-sealed bubble, both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times plan on printing special San Francisco editions. (Brittle wit and over-labored angles, anyone?) In a strategy to win over fresh readers and advertisers, both publications are looking "to capitalize on the contraction of regional papers." And where better to start than in San Francisco, home to alleged progressiveness and people who don't own televisions. “'It's a highly educated, internationally minded audience, and our research out there shows there’s a market need for a quality news product,'” said Paul Bascobert, chief marketing officer of Dow Jones Consumer Media Group, the unit of the News Corporation that includes The Wall Street Journal, who plan on released SF editions in November or December of this year. Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, said, “I think the San Francisco area is the most obvious market to try this in, because it’s big, it’s sophisticated and it’s getting progressively more poorly served by its papers.” Oh snap. NYT, however, would not comment on plans for a scheduled SF release.

While news of another batch of layoffs at the Chronicle isn't particularly newsworthy in this economy, the California Media Workers Guild posted the following missive yesterday.

Sad news, handful of you. The Printed Blog, the newspaper (leaflet?) that plucked items from the world wide web and printed said posts on paper, is now dead. Founded by Josh Karp six months ago, the idea of this interesting yet bizarre publication, as TechCrunch's John Biggs put it, was "akin to pressing MP3 podcasts onto vinyl for those who still used a Technics turntable." But, due to lack of investor and reader interest, the blog that you could find at a newsstand is no more. If you'd like to check out the Printed Blog on your personal computer device, you can "download" issues of it here.

      

For those of you who still read print editions of newspapers, did you happen to see 's latest makeover? To be blunt, it looks downright lovely. The font, the sharper images, the cozier size -- all of it works. Much better than the previous format, we think. You know, if print issues are your thing.

We're almost certain that more esteemed colleagues like Steven T. Jones and Joe Eskenazi didn't come across a request from a Chronicle reporter to unpublish their items on yesterday's involuntary layoffs

While editorial staff gets pruned today, we're hearing from Chronicle guild members that "No one thinks they're gonna go through with any manager layoffs." (Update: Lesley Guth, Chron manager, was laid off this afternoon.) If there's no one to edit, however, what will the many, many layers of management do all day?

It's rumored that 20 newsroom-based Media Workers Guild employees at the San Francisco Chronicle will be involuntarily laid off today. We're told that a union steward sent a message to its members recommending that, if they are indeed called to HR, to bring a guild representative with them to help protect their interests. Yikes.

Maureen Dowd is kind of an idiot. And we mean that in the nicest way possible, because she seems so smart. But then she goes off and writes this. In her most recent op-ed piece for the New York Times, she attempts to show the world of online writing what's what. How so? Well, she attacks Twitter and other types of newfangled online internet world wide web sites, claims that journalists are "hot" in Hollywood right now ("Russell Crowe, playing a messy and morally ambiguous Washington investigative journalist, teaches the self-regarding blogger, Rachel McAdams, a thing or three, including why a pen is necessary" is just one example of print publishing's tenacity), and compares cumbersome newspapers to the ageless Norma Desmond.

Prepared to take l'internet by storm, SF Chronicle just unveiled their new "e-edition" (which is sophisticated, high-tech talk for "electronic edition"). What is the "e-edition," you ask? Well, according to the advertisement, it's a "new way to enjoy the San Francisco Chronicle." The "e-edition," the press material goes on to say, "includes the same page layout, headlines and photographs as the San Francisco Chronicle, with the advantage of interactive features that can be viewed from any Internet connection, anytime." Still confused? Let us explains: See, it offers the readers an "exact digital replica of the San Francisco Chronicle," "easy navigation," "keyword search for stories, topics and people" (genius!), and "access to a 30-day archive" (whoa!).

Conceived in San Francisco 42 years ago, the publisher of Rolling Stone has decided to close its cozy SF office at 1700 Montgomery due to cutbacks. Founded by Jann Wenner way back when, this most recent snip to the ailing music mag (Rolling Stone is down 21.6 percent in ad pages for 2009) is slight but significant. According to Portfolio, "a Wenner spokesman confirms the shutdown but says only two employees were laid off as a result; a third staffer who worked in the office, an ad sales rep for Rolling Stone, is relocating to Los Angeles. Said spokesman goes on to say, "the business just is not in San Francisco now." Well then.

Slamming SF Weekly/VVM as a "deadbeat dad," SFBG Executive Editor Tim Redmond responded to Mike Lacey's rant about questions regarding today's story about how VVM has avoided payment in last year's alt-weekly lawsuit showdown. (Whew.) Redmond, in between attacking Lacey as an "asshole" and poking fun at his use of Dire Straits, claims that "VVM owes us $20 million and doesn't want to pay." He also calls out SF Weekly as "the greatest deadbeat in the history of the alternative press" and questions Lacey's accusation of SFBG suffering from "class bitterness." (Oh, neither one of you know the searing pain of class bitterness until you've lived in a dilapidated Victorian on Third Street next to an overpass while the Ritz-Carlton sits a few blocks down the street, riddled with vacancies. Just look at this gorgeous shit. It is stunning. Can you imagine being holed up in a sun-drenched 1 BR at the Ritz, complete with a few tasteful accents from Limn, a medicine cabinet full of Valium, and a giant HD TV? Because we sure can.) In the end, though, it makes for an interesting read into what's become of the SF alt-weekly scene. If you're looking SFBG's side of the story, go here and here.

Been waiting forever for some choice SFBG v. SF Weekly drama? Well, wait no more. A golden-brown batch of it just came out over at SF Weekly, complete with libel accusations, Sabine women, and a Dire Straits quote. See, it seems SFBG Editor Tim Redmond sent VVM Executive Editor Mike Lacey a series of questions in order to update the status of their lawsuit. Which is to say, an article is in the works, and SFBG simply asked a series of questions. And Lacey? He published said series questions, followed by his official response.

Yesterday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke at the Newspaper Association of America's annual death procession. During the Q&A session, according to Valleywag, Schmidt answered every blogger's favorite question of rumination: what did newspapers do wrong? Schmidt answers:

Alas, it has arrived. Today is the deadline for the Chronicle buyout. If the ailing publication can't get rid of 150 jobs by 5 p.m., the paper will start layoffs next month. A slew of noted journalists (surprisingly?) opted for the buyout. SFist's favorite book sniffer and City Bright, Frances Dinkelspiel, has the official word on just who on the editorial staff took management's buyout offer of up to one year's pay, plus health insurance.

In today's installment of "No One Cares About This Story, So Shut Up and Do Your Job, Journalists," artisan newspaper publication The New York Times -- which is having its own economic problems -- talks about SF Chronicle's demise. Among other things, it informs the public that the Hearst publication is not a serious newspaper, one that "more closely mirrored the city’s irreverent, politically liberal outlook."

Further proof that gingers are crafty devils, former Valleywag editor Nick Douglas is (allegedly) being paid $50,000 by HarperCollins for a book on his Twittering capabilities. Specifically, his book, Twitter Wit, will be a "collection of other people's microblogging posts."

It was announced today that Hearst Corporation's other troubled publication, Seattle P-I, will roll out its final print publication tomorrow. Publisher Roger Oglesby just made the announcement on behalf of Hearst. The online version, seattlepi.com, will remain up and running.

Sigh. The Sacramento Bee tells AP that they plan on "cutting 128 jobs, or 11 percent of its workforce, as revenue continues to fall in the beleaguered newspaper industry." The death toll by the numbers: 29 jobs in the newsroom, 8 in advertising, 62 in circulation, and 23 in production. Remaining employees face wage cuts and forced vacations too. The Sacramento Bee is owned by Sacramento-based McClatchy Co.

One of two things happened over at BAR.com: 1) Somebody hacked the interwebs, and posted this casual faux-resignation letter Sunday morning, or 2) news editor Cynthia Laird is peeved. Since Laird is a respected journalist in these parts, very much civic minded about her community, and too overqualified to spritz homosexuals with bronzer, we're going to assume the former.

Have you seen page 9 of today's Examiner yet? Well, you should. Chron staff writer Delfin Vigil took out an ad criticizing Hearst in its threat to close down the SF Chronicle. And the ad involves bolding AND underlining. And it's in print. Not online. Yes, we're serious. (We'll have it scanned and posted shortly.) He was also on KNBR this morning talking about it too. You can hear the podcast of Vigil's chat here. While the scribe is understandably upset over the paper's demise, sources tell us Vigil was also peeved at being passed over as editor for 96 Hours, SF Chronicle's Thursday arts & events-ish section. His anger, it seems, has reached a breaking point.

According to a CBS 5/KCBS/AP report, "Union leaders at the San Francisco Chronicle said they were drafting a compromise to a management proposal that offers severe job cuts that officials indicated were imperative to keeping the newspaper open for business." This adds weight to the argument that the Hearst Corporation is strongarming the union via a threat of a shutdown. The cuts, the press release-ish news report, goes on to say that job cuts could "include more than 50 employees." If it takes a mere 50+ job cuts to save a paper, it seems like the choice is clear.

Before we get to what esteemed journalists have to say about SF Chronicle's impending closure -- when discussing "micropayments" and other snake oils with a SFSU journo professor this morning, KTVU's Ross McGowan looked even more crestfallen than usual -- SFGate commenters have much to say about why, exactly, the Chron might have to shut its doors. Their reason? Commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns on the editorial staff.

This just in: the SF Chronicle is (practically) up for sale. Word is that "if they don't sell it, they'll shut it down." No deadline communicated yet.

Seeing as how the entire American Apparel-on-Valencia brouhaha was traffic gold -- and the Gate/Chron is on no financial position to turn down traffic -- it seemed like writing about the AA store meeting at City Hall was a given for most local pubs. Today, after reading a Tweet asking if the Chronicle planned on covering yesterday's American Apparel planning commission meeting, we asked political scribe Carla Marinucci and editor Audrey Cooper the following.

Scott Beale over at Laughing Squid came across this gem. It's a 1981 KRON report on the Internet and newspapers.

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee at The Stranger investigates the craftiness between Village Voice Media, which owns SF Weekly, and the Yelp.com-like site Likeme.net, in which VVM owns a majority stake. It seems most of the positive reviews on the site are written by VVM ad representatives. And said positive reviews are about businesses that advertise in VVM publications.