USA Today has announced that, due to progressively declining readership, it will restrict its daily circulation to Monday, Wednesday and Friday with rehashed headlines and stories taken from the more successful means of attracting readers through it’s award-winning news and entertainment Website http://www.usatoday.com/.
Plummeting advertising sales reflect how nearly every business sector is experiencing less than profitable returns on their investments. However quaint the suggestion may appear, industry officials have dubbed the updated newspaper as “USA Yesterday”, which has also been cited as a reflection on what also appears to be the state of America’s influence in the global marketplace.
After 26 years of being a staple in providing the latest in worldwide reporting, the paper’s goal of surpassing The Times of India circulation of 2.8M English language readers has come to end. It was a good run, but there’s no consolation for being second best with an all time high of 2.6 million.
After double digit increases in circulation in the 90’s, figures in the new millennium have flat-lined. Some cite the plagiarized and fabricated stories of foreign correspondent Jack Kelley that was uncovered in 2004, and the subsequent resignation of Editor Karen Jurgensen, as the beginning of the decline of USA Today. As others adamantly claim, the actual cause is most likely that access to the Internet as an inexpensive alternative to information services is the primarily cause for the massive declines in newspaper circulation.
Rumors are also abound that the flashy, color-filled photos on the front page of USA Today will succumb to nothing more than watercolor caricatures as submitted from anyone as creative as a third grader. Jeff Foxworthy has declined to add humorous captions because he would be offered no more in compensation that those who are chosen for their artistic contributions, which is solely name recognition.
“The Nation’s Newspaper”, published by the Gannett Company, is now among over 1,000 non-daily publications. Company spokesmen declined to comment on the future of one of its other publication, USA Weekly, although insiders have suggested that it, too, may face a new format and renamed USA Monthly.
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Although this is strictly written as satire, it’s a direct reference to the situation confronting every newspaper: fewer subscriptions, including cancellations and non-renewals, and plummeting advertising sales.In reality, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal are the two exceptions to the otherwise double-digit decline in other newspapers’ loss of readers.
The most dramatic change in the newspaper industry came as a surprise when The New York Times announced on January 5 that it is selling advertising space on its front page. Pricing is reportedly set at $75K weekdays and $100K on Sundays with the commitment of placing an ad 26 times during the year. The Washington Post remains the sole remaining national newspaper with front-page, news-only content.
Globally, the survival of newspapers is of grave concern, especially evidenced in France with the announcement of President Nicolas Sarkozy that tax breaks for local delivery services and free subscriptions to college students. President Sarkozy is prepared to double the government’s amount of advertising. Still, any consideration that the government may offer as support isn’t seen as a solution for the newspaper industry.
The director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scott Bosley, expressed his view that there would be a public perception that government influence may influence the integrity of journalism.
As the economic outlook for the nation is extremely dismal, so is the future of daily publications. is in jeopardy.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sell-outs, Buy-outs, Cop-outs = Hand-outs
A corporate tax cut wouldn’t likely create job growth because “waste, mismanagement and corruption” is rampant in both corporate and government institutions. Corporations wouldn’t do any better with this “gift tax” than they have under current Bush tax breaks.
Just as happened with lending institutions, businesses would hoard the funds for already needed working capital, and to supplement executive compensation, while offering lower wages and fewer benefits, knowing that with so many other job seekers in the same dire straits workers will have lower salary expectations. It would be a great blow to the free market system if funding appropriations had to be policed and enforced by the Fed.
It would better serve American business interests to have Congress review tariff laws and renegotiate “fair” trade agreements. Also, corporate America cannot be competitive in the global marketplace while shouldering the high costs of employee health benefits; a national healthcare plan should be a priority.
Surely President-elect Barak Obama recognizes the change we need goes beyond the failed corporate motto: “we love profits so we won’t hire American workers”.
We cannot afford any more bailouts - they breed sell-outs and buy-outs, but mostly cop-outs. Ultimately, they become nothing more than handouts.
Just as happened with lending institutions, businesses would hoard the funds for already needed working capital, and to supplement executive compensation, while offering lower wages and fewer benefits, knowing that with so many other job seekers in the same dire straits workers will have lower salary expectations. It would be a great blow to the free market system if funding appropriations had to be policed and enforced by the Fed.
It would better serve American business interests to have Congress review tariff laws and renegotiate “fair” trade agreements. Also, corporate America cannot be competitive in the global marketplace while shouldering the high costs of employee health benefits; a national healthcare plan should be a priority.
Surely President-elect Barak Obama recognizes the change we need goes beyond the failed corporate motto: “we love profits so we won’t hire American workers”.
We cannot afford any more bailouts - they breed sell-outs and buy-outs, but mostly cop-outs. Ultimately, they become nothing more than handouts.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Lenders By Any Other Name
I assume that if you regularly read, watch or listen to any news source that you’re fairly knowledgeable on the game players in the financial markets, however underhanded they have been at cheating investors, homeowners, and every other segment of the economy. But what about your neighbors, friends and relatives? Are they also “in the know” or just breezing through the economic mess in denial or, more likely, oblivious to the world outside their favorite reality shows, sports and show biz gossip?
If a conversation should arise about the economy and you start throwing out names of troubled financial institutions, you might want to give them definitions that would make sense to anyone less informed so as not to unduly alarm them.
Lehman Brothers – An exclusive haberdashery.
Goldman Sachs – An outlet store of Saks on Fifth Avenue.
J.P. Morgan – One of the partners of the Law Offices of Morgan & Morgan.
Morgan Chase – An ambulance-chaser service of Morgan & Morgan.
AIG – Artificial Intelligence Group, which happens to be a fair description.
Standard and Poor’s – Business liquidity ratings: par and sub-par.
No company currently qualifies for a higher rating.
Washington Mutual – Bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.
SEC – Collegiate Southeast Conference (Go Gators!)
Securities and Exchange Commission – Brokers on Wall Street trading other people's securities in exhange for hefty commissions.
Wall Street – a barren dead end street.
These definitions won’t give you personally an ease of mind, but others are best left in blissful ignorance because what they don’t know won’t create undo concern, as if they could do anything about it anyway.
If a conversation should arise about the economy and you start throwing out names of troubled financial institutions, you might want to give them definitions that would make sense to anyone less informed so as not to unduly alarm them.
Lehman Brothers – An exclusive haberdashery.
Goldman Sachs – An outlet store of Saks on Fifth Avenue.
J.P. Morgan – One of the partners of the Law Offices of Morgan & Morgan.
Morgan Chase – An ambulance-chaser service of Morgan & Morgan.
AIG – Artificial Intelligence Group, which happens to be a fair description.
Standard and Poor’s – Business liquidity ratings: par and sub-par.
No company currently qualifies for a higher rating.
Washington Mutual – Bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.
SEC – Collegiate Southeast Conference (Go Gators!)
Securities and Exchange Commission – Brokers on Wall Street trading other people's securities in exhange for hefty commissions.
Wall Street – a barren dead end street.
These definitions won’t give you personally an ease of mind, but others are best left in blissful ignorance because what they don’t know won’t create undo concern, as if they could do anything about it anyway.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Stooges
Boy, would I just love to slap around a few people for the economic tailspin that has put in jeopardy the well-being of millions of Americans who had entrusted their life’s savings to their misguided judgments.
Benanke, Paulson and especially Greenspan are all dirty words on my 401(k) balance sheet. Ya, ya, they’re degreed but they’re more pedigreed assailants in financial dealings than what learned men of prestigious halls of education should be. You can bet they’re losses have affected their lives a lot less than the men and women put on the street from foreclosures. No, they can still eat high at restaurants on the top floor of a Manhattan building and afford whatever costs they incur from poor health conditions.
These three stooges are no better than any other millionaires of the Bush era of tax cuts for the wealthy. Unfortunately, President Obama will find it very difficult to end the tax-deferred status enjoyed by high-income earners; you don’t raise taxes in financially challenging times because it may further hinder the circulation of money to the economy when it’s so desperately needed. But it’s not very likely their expenditures will trickle down to the poor – it’ll circulate within the domain of other wealthy parties.
No, there’s no threat of me doing physical harm to anyone, but only because I have no desire to have a criminal record with jail time. They’re wouldn’t a bailout opportunity for me. But I sure would like to see them break down and cry for the mishandling of the billions of dollars swindled from hard working Americans. To hell with alligator tears - theirs’ would be from dry-eyed snakes. No apologies necessary, guys, because it just wouldn’t cut the cheesy losses of millions of taxpayers.
If Bernanke, Paulson and Greenspan are three stooges then Bush and Cheney are like Laurel and Hardy, respectively, but not respectfully suggested.
Benanke, Paulson and especially Greenspan are all dirty words on my 401(k) balance sheet. Ya, ya, they’re degreed but they’re more pedigreed assailants in financial dealings than what learned men of prestigious halls of education should be. You can bet they’re losses have affected their lives a lot less than the men and women put on the street from foreclosures. No, they can still eat high at restaurants on the top floor of a Manhattan building and afford whatever costs they incur from poor health conditions.
These three stooges are no better than any other millionaires of the Bush era of tax cuts for the wealthy. Unfortunately, President Obama will find it very difficult to end the tax-deferred status enjoyed by high-income earners; you don’t raise taxes in financially challenging times because it may further hinder the circulation of money to the economy when it’s so desperately needed. But it’s not very likely their expenditures will trickle down to the poor – it’ll circulate within the domain of other wealthy parties.
No, there’s no threat of me doing physical harm to anyone, but only because I have no desire to have a criminal record with jail time. They’re wouldn’t a bailout opportunity for me. But I sure would like to see them break down and cry for the mishandling of the billions of dollars swindled from hard working Americans. To hell with alligator tears - theirs’ would be from dry-eyed snakes. No apologies necessary, guys, because it just wouldn’t cut the cheesy losses of millions of taxpayers.
If Bernanke, Paulson and Greenspan are three stooges then Bush and Cheney are like Laurel and Hardy, respectively, but not respectfully suggested.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Same Old Thing
In the beginning.... there was Parcel Post. Not much has changed other than what will be written and posted on this year's version of the same old thing... words.
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