January 24, 2009
France Expands Its Financial Support for Newspapers
By ERIC PFANNER
PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced new financial aid for the country’s newspapers on Friday, but stopped short of the overhaul that analysts say is needed to revitalize the sector.
Mr. Sarkozy promised a variety of aid, including tax breaks for delivery services. In an effort to help newspapers through the recession, Mr. Sarkozy said the government would double the amount of advertising it did in print and online newspapers.
“It is the state’s primary responsibility to respond to an emergency,” he said, “and there is an emergency caused by the impact of the collapse of advertising revenue.”
The French government’s support, which totals about 280 million euros, or $362 million, a year, would be increased by about 200 million euros a year for three years under Mr. Sarkozy’s plan.
The proposal included one unusual measure aimed at attracting young people to newspapers: giving 18-year-olds free subscriptions to the printed publication of their choice. The program would to be financed jointly by the government and publishers.
In the United States, media specialists are divided on whether the government could or should help the efforts.
Support from the government could “impugn the perception of the public about the coverage of that newspaper,” said Scott Bosley, the executive director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. “Trust is all we have, and it’s hard-earned and hard to keep now. It would add another degree of difficulty to that.”
Alex S. Jones, director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard, said the government had always lent support to newspapers, offering them discounted postal rates, for instance.
“A friendly postal rate is something that people don’t pay much attention to, but a direct subsidy of newspapers, by buying every college student a newspaper, would raise hackles,” Mr. Jones said, adding that he thought it was unlikely the federal government would create a program similar to France’s.
While newspapers everywhere are facing difficulties, the state of the French press is particularly dire. According to the World Association of Newspapers, the per-capita circulation of paid-for dailies in France is about half that of papers in Germany or Britain.
The help may buy newspapers some time, but will not solve their problems, analysts said.
“This is not the great reform we were waiting for,” said Emmanuel Schwartzenberg, a former media editor at Le Figaro and the author of a book on problems facing the French media.
Stephanie Clifford contributed reporting from New York.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/business/media/24ads.html?_r=1&ref=business&pagewanted=print
Sunday, January 25, 2009
France's Media bailout
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jMYtLJV_oGyGm7De9_uOKj0W2IKgD95SVKVO1
Sarkozy offers new help for French print media
By LAURENT PIROT – 2 days ago
PARIS (AP) — The French state will help provide free newspaper subscriptions to teenagers for their 18th birthdays, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Friday. But the bigger gift is for France's ailing print media.
Sarkozy also announced a ninefold rise in the state's support for newspaper deliveries and a doubling of its annual print advertising outlay amid a swelling industry crisis.
Sarkozy argued in a speech to publishers that the measures are needed because the global financial crisis has compounded woes for a sector already suffering from falling ad revenues and subscriptions.
In a speech to industry leaders, Sarkozy said it was legitimate for the state to consider the print media's economic situation.
"It is indeed its responsibility ... to make sure an independent, free and pluralistic press exists," he said.
This is sensitive territory for Sarkozy, who has been accused of cozying up to media moguls and exerting influence over them. He is also no stranger to heavy criticism in the country's often opinionated newspapers.
In measures to take effect next month, the state will increase its annual support for newspaper and magazine deliveries to euro70 million ($90 million) from euro8 million last year, and spend euro20 million more a year for its advertisements in print publications. The state will also defer some fees the publications face.
One of Sarkozy's solutions to help the industry is a pilot program that will give teenagers celebrating their 18th birthday a free, yearlong subscription to any general news daily of their choice. The publisher is to give the newspapers away, while the state pays for the deliveries.
That initiative appeared designed to assuage industry fears that young readers don't share the same appetite for print media that their parents and grandparents have, denting current and future revenues.
"The habit of reading the press is learned very young," Sarkozy said, while insisting that the aid would only buy time for publishers to adapt to the new media landscape.
The initiative is designed to help the sector over three years "to modernize and invest in the print media sector in exchange for important structural reforms," he said. The measures he announced Friday largely came from recommendations in a three-month study into the industry's health that was released on Jan. 8. The study also recommends that newspapers restructure their finances and that journalists be better trained for multiple forms of media, including online.
"None of the proposed measures ... will be useful in the end if the profession doesn't meet its challenges," he said. "The industry has a future to reinvent. ... Time is running out."
Sarkozy offers new help for French print media
By LAURENT PIROT – 2 days ago
PARIS (AP) — The French state will help provide free newspaper subscriptions to teenagers for their 18th birthdays, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Friday. But the bigger gift is for France's ailing print media.
Sarkozy also announced a ninefold rise in the state's support for newspaper deliveries and a doubling of its annual print advertising outlay amid a swelling industry crisis.
Sarkozy argued in a speech to publishers that the measures are needed because the global financial crisis has compounded woes for a sector already suffering from falling ad revenues and subscriptions.
In a speech to industry leaders, Sarkozy said it was legitimate for the state to consider the print media's economic situation.
"It is indeed its responsibility ... to make sure an independent, free and pluralistic press exists," he said.
This is sensitive territory for Sarkozy, who has been accused of cozying up to media moguls and exerting influence over them. He is also no stranger to heavy criticism in the country's often opinionated newspapers.
In measures to take effect next month, the state will increase its annual support for newspaper and magazine deliveries to euro70 million ($90 million) from euro8 million last year, and spend euro20 million more a year for its advertisements in print publications. The state will also defer some fees the publications face.
One of Sarkozy's solutions to help the industry is a pilot program that will give teenagers celebrating their 18th birthday a free, yearlong subscription to any general news daily of their choice. The publisher is to give the newspapers away, while the state pays for the deliveries.
That initiative appeared designed to assuage industry fears that young readers don't share the same appetite for print media that their parents and grandparents have, denting current and future revenues.
"The habit of reading the press is learned very young," Sarkozy said, while insisting that the aid would only buy time for publishers to adapt to the new media landscape.
The initiative is designed to help the sector over three years "to modernize and invest in the print media sector in exchange for important structural reforms," he said. The measures he announced Friday largely came from recommendations in a three-month study into the industry's health that was released on Jan. 8. The study also recommends that newspapers restructure their finances and that journalists be better trained for multiple forms of media, including online.
"None of the proposed measures ... will be useful in the end if the profession doesn't meet its challenges," he said. "The industry has a future to reinvent. ... Time is running out."
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Notes 1-14
Debate notes
Regulated Capitalism:
Negative-The American Dream is a nice house, a nice car and so forth, but when the economy begins to fail; who is there to help our American citizens. In order to keep our economy alive and save the value of the U.S. dollar the government must get involved. Actions such as the bailout are necessary to save the US economy. But without regulation how will we know if the money is going to the right place. At this stage in the bailout the government has failed to keep track of the funds. While U.S. citizens are suffering to save their houses. In order for a bailout to be successful the gov’t must distribute the money not only to the banks, but to the homeowners. Homeowners are among the groups that need money more, yet they are getting the short end of the stick only “40 billion of the 350 billion” has been allocated to the cause of foreclosed homes.
Affirmative-The American gov’t has proven it self inept when it comes to the bail out of big business. The 350 billion allocated and dispensed was hardly tracked by the gov’t and came with little regulation. According to the ny times “an oversight board recently issued a scathing report saying the treasury failed to track the money adequately.” The gov’t has failed to learn from its own mistakes and it is unjust to continue to fund such error with the taxes of the American people.
NY Times Jan. 13th “At Obama’s urging, Bush to seek rest of bailout funds” by David M. Herszenhorn:
“40 billion [of 350 billion] of the new money to be used for home foreclosure prevention efforts.”
“… 5 point plan ensuring the money would be used for lending or preventing further crises and not for ‘enriching shareholders and executives;”
Just b/c bailouts exist doesn’t mean that the money should be given loosely.
“…tough but sensible conditions that limit executive compensation until taxpayer money is paid back, bank dividend payments beyond de minimis amounts and put limits on buy backs and the acquisition of already financially strong companies.”
Regulated Capitalism:
Negative-The American Dream is a nice house, a nice car and so forth, but when the economy begins to fail; who is there to help our American citizens. In order to keep our economy alive and save the value of the U.S. dollar the government must get involved. Actions such as the bailout are necessary to save the US economy. But without regulation how will we know if the money is going to the right place. At this stage in the bailout the government has failed to keep track of the funds. While U.S. citizens are suffering to save their houses. In order for a bailout to be successful the gov’t must distribute the money not only to the banks, but to the homeowners. Homeowners are among the groups that need money more, yet they are getting the short end of the stick only “40 billion of the 350 billion” has been allocated to the cause of foreclosed homes.
Affirmative-The American gov’t has proven it self inept when it comes to the bail out of big business. The 350 billion allocated and dispensed was hardly tracked by the gov’t and came with little regulation. According to the ny times “an oversight board recently issued a scathing report saying the treasury failed to track the money adequately.” The gov’t has failed to learn from its own mistakes and it is unjust to continue to fund such error with the taxes of the American people.
NY Times Jan. 13th “At Obama’s urging, Bush to seek rest of bailout funds” by David M. Herszenhorn:
“40 billion [of 350 billion] of the new money to be used for home foreclosure prevention efforts.”
“… 5 point plan ensuring the money would be used for lending or preventing further crises and not for ‘enriching shareholders and executives;”
Just b/c bailouts exist doesn’t mean that the money should be given loosely.
“…tough but sensible conditions that limit executive compensation until taxpayer money is paid back, bank dividend payments beyond de minimis amounts and put limits on buy backs and the acquisition of already financially strong companies.”
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