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Frustrations Mount at Washington Post as Its Business Struggles

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Mr. X, Aug 30, 2022.

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  1. Mr. X

    Mr. X Active Member

    Mr. X, Aug 30, 2022
    #1
  2. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    Memo to the NYT: Physician, heal thyself.
     
    jr/shotglass, Aug 30, 2022
    #2
    wicked likes this.
  3. Mr. X

    Mr. X Active Member

    What do you mean by that? What problems are The New York Times having?
     
    Mr. X, Aug 30, 2022
    #3
  4. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    jr/shotglass, Aug 30, 2022
    #4
  5. Mr. X

    Mr. X Active Member

    Mr. X, Aug 30, 2022
    #5
  6. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    Than ever? I'd be interested to find out they're doing better than they've ever done while every other news org dies, either slowly or quickly.
     
    Regan MacNeil, Aug 30, 2022
    #6
  7. Mr. X

    Mr. X Active Member

    Mr. X, Aug 30, 2022
    #7
  8. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    The Times has a hard-on for the Post, and it dates back to Watergate. The Post is the better inside-the-Beltway insider paper. All Maggie Haberman did when Trump was in office was rewrite his press releases/tweets with a few "oh my god" quotes thrown in. Is this a legitimate story? Perhaps. Would I feel a little better if it were in the Chicago Tribune or L.A. Times or CJR (if that still exists) and not the NYT? Yes. I haven't read the Times story, but I'll assume Felicia Sonmez was the main source for much of it.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2022
    wicked, Aug 30, 2022
    #8
    Liut likes this.
  9. Regan MacNeil

    Regan MacNeil Well-Known Member

    Regan MacNeil, Aug 30, 2022
    #9
    maumann, SFIND, TigerVols and 6 others like this.
  10. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    It's doing much better than the WaPo, but when they reported earnings they were guiding the analysts lower. They expect their revenues to be under heavy pressure.

    The WaPo, NY Times and WSJ really thrived when Trump was president. They were growing digital subscriptions and revenues like mad because they found a niche of people who hated Trump, were looking for someone to speak truth to power, and were lapping up the investigative work and Mueller stories those news outlets were doing with regard to Trump.

    That growth peaked, though, and they have been losing a lot of those readers. With the economy slower recently and people's budgets under pressure because of inflation, there is some evidence that people are cutting discretionary spending and online newspaper subscriptions look to be a casualty.

    Most of that subscription growth you are pointing to with the Times isn't because of the newspaper itself, but because the Times Company bought the Athletic and pushed a bundled product really hard that gives you the crossword puzzles, the cooking / recipe stuff, Wirecutter and the Athletic, along with the newspaper. They are heavily discounting that bundle to try to build it up, and it's probably eating into profits right now. But that is their strategy moving forward, and if it's successful, it will give them a bundle of more diversified offerings that the WaPo doesn't have.
     
    The Big Ragu, Aug 30, 2022
    #10
  11. Editude

    Editude Active Member

    Yes, the bundle is a big part of the 2022-and-beyond strategy. The stickiness of those who turn to The Times multiple times a week, even apart from the Games/Crossword/Cooking/Wirecutter partisans, seems to be bigger than the Trump bump (especially overseas). Integrating The Athletic and its subscriber base is a work in progress.
     
    Editude, Aug 31, 2022
    #11
  12. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    I wonder if a bunch of people just said fuck it when their $1/week subscriptions expired.

    Then again, how much revenue can you make at those prices?

    Screen Shot 2022-08-31 at 11.12.32 AM.png
     
    BTExpress, Aug 31, 2022
    #12
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