BoSacks Readers Speak Out; Newsstand, Halo, and Investigative Journalism

BoSacks Readers Speak Out; Newsstand, Halo, and Investigative Journalism

Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out:
Why is there nobody out there that recognizes the fact , the magazine industry suffers from too much duplication. "Look at the newsstands stupid" especially in chain bookstores and you will see what I mean. (Submitted by a Paper Person)

Look at the newsstand, Stupid, but don't look at the newsstand stupidly. This is not analysis but a limited value judgment offered by someone whose industry characterizes all consolidation as desirable.

What looks like duplication to someone who is not interested in the topic can be wide range of choices to someone who cares. This Paper Person (I wonder, is he very flexible or is he made from a stiffer, cover grade?) probably looks at a newsstand, sees DOWNBEAT, JAZZ TIMES, and JAZZIZ and says, "Who needs three magazines about something no one listens to anyway?" Well, I listen. And I read. And I look forward to JAZZ TIMES, will read DOWNBEAT in a pinch, and rarely consider JAZZIZ. But JAZZIZ still makes a buck, so there must be another guy who listens but whose estimation of editorial quality is the mirror image of mine.

There are even people out there who see a difference between Time and Newsweek. Go figure. De gustibus non est disputando.
(Submitted by a Printer)



RE: Thanks
Bob: I have been at print for over 45 years. I believe the power of print has never been better. The introduction of the Internet has made it better. However our industry has been spending most of their time and money trying to get rid of print. The fact of business is print editorial and advertising pages drives more buyers to advertiser web sites, trade shows, magazine web sites than any other medium. The measuring and the reporting of the print to web connections is the key to once again proving the true power of print.
(Submitted by a Consultant)


Re: Bad Box Office? Blame 'Halo'
Bo, I have no doubt that Halo had an effect on the box office, but to what degree is hard to determine. On magazines, I would be confident in saying the effect of Halo is much less than it may have impacted the box office. I believe this because of the demographics lead us to know that 18-34 (especially male) are not core magazine readers. They may be checking out mag websites though. It would be interesting to know if mag website hits for this demographic correlated to the box office numbers.

I think the bigger issue in the box office decline is viral marketing and the related negative buzz. Movie industry execs are facing a harsh reality that text messaging greatly effects box office results, for better or worse. Maybe heartbreak Kid is just a really crappy movie that picked the wrong weekend to release. The remedy is to create an appealing movie and let the buzz to some good work. The digital generation communicates very quickly.
(Submitted by a Publisher)


Re: Bad Box Office? Blame 'Halo'
or, perhaps, the movie just sucked.
it's not like the 9-17 year old kids who are Halo's main core were going to go see the flick anyway.
(Submitted by a Senior Production Director)


RE: File-Sharing Students Fight Copyright ConstraintsI don't get it, do you? Buncha friggin' thieves. Whenever I am around college kids who mention downloading, I ask if they are paying. Then I ask why they feel it is okay for the person who worked to make the music to not get paid. The answer is always, "they make so much money. . ." - well, as you know, "they" don't, usually.

I ask about when broadband gets faster, will it be okay to steal movies. Usually they want to immediately say 'yes,' then pause for a moment. They understand that slightly better, but are eager and ready to steal that, too. The only thing protecting the printed word is quasi-illiteracy. Or, ore to the point, less time spent reading anything that is not a txt.

About 25 years ago I had an outlaw cable box and then realized the error of my ways, and regret having had it. No, I don't like paying way too much for cable. Live by the copyright, die by the copyright. If nobody on campus used bike locks, would that make taking bicycles at will okay?
(Submitted by a Publisher)



Re: Group Plans to Provide Investigative JournalismHaven't we had enough of this crusading journalism stuff? The greatest thing about the Internet is that I can go to the actual sites of the people and organizations doing the reports and those affected by the reports and decide for myself. It's no accident that this is being set up before an election. What are they concerned about? That some unprofessional, uncontrollable blogger (like the Daily Kos) or news site (like Drudge) will have a bigger effect on the exchange of ideas than "professional journalists" do? This wasn't a new idea, this is the old guard making a new last gasp.
(Submitted By an Industry Consultant)


Re: Critic: Media Content 'Losing Its Value'
Andrew Keen is right on! So many blogs are written like crap. I feel like creeping up on some of these bloggers as they sip their Starbucks lattes pontificating on too much and smacking them on the head with an AP Style book! Only an editor or reporter who mastered style would appreciate why the Wall Street Journal uses Messnr. while the New York Times uses Mr. and how Senators or Representatives are listed, what district, political party, senior, junior etc. Most bloggers have no idea how the government works and can't report on it accurately so " instead of op-eds in The New York Times, we get tens of millions of ill-informed opinions from the blogosphere." Print media is audited, issues corrections when errors are spotted, has an op-ed versus primarily objective news areas- it is the rare blog that offers every or even any of these features. The lazy get deceived easiest and to paraphrase someone you should believe little of what you see and less of what you read- Any good editor does not print a hoax about not flashing hi-beams at a driver who does not have their car lights on (this stupid story always comes up again around this time of year) since they are likely in a gang member and as part of an intitiation right they will turn their car around and track you down to your home if you flash the hi-beems at them. Even if bloggers went to snopes.com they could dispel some of this though rarely do they.
(Submitted by a Publisher)


Re: Revenues Climb, But Pages Dip for Consumer Magazines
More PIB fantasy. A unicorn told me revenues rose while pages dipped, and the cow jumped over the moon.
(Submitted by an Industry Supplier)


Re: Paper Industry Acquisitions Continue Amid Rate Hikes and Supply Shortages
Bo: The beat goes on. What we said several years ago was the paper business would end up with 2 to 4 players in the long run out of necessity.

It is here and the players are all financial investors and they do not give a damn about the "good olde boy network", heads will roll by the hundreds and it will be better for the industry. Too many jerks making big bucks and on huge expense accounts need to be cleaned out and given their walking papers. The financial folks will make it happen.
(Submitted by a Paper Person)

Re: Paper Industry Acquisitions Continue Amid Rate Hikes and Supply Shortages
Bob: Is this the "perfect storm" for the paper mills? Consolidation with shrinking supply and a dollar which is very weak against the Euro and Canadian Dollar.

Somehow this tight market seems very different from the tight markets of the past. Mills are willing to listen to new opportunities for 2008. In past markets they would even listen after 3 martinis.

Just an observation from an old soldier of the paper wars.

(Submitted by a Paper Person)