FT.com: Murdoch takes lead in race for Travel Channel

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is ahead in the $800m-plus auction for the Travel Channel, ‘in a twist to a process that has underscored the revival in media moguls’ confidence on the industry outlook’, reports the FT.

Full story at this link…

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NME launches new paid-for iPhone app

NME has launched a new application for the iPhone – at 59p a download.

The application will offer users ‘iconic images’ from the magazine and photos from the app can also be bought. The bought images can be uploaded to Facebook or saved to your mobile, a release from publisher IPC explained.

The application has been developed by Umee using their Umee Mobile for iPhone platform.

NME recently launched another app for iPhone, the NME Radio app, which enabled users to purchase and download songs as they are played on the station.

Today’s launch follows recent iPhone app releases by several publishers. The Financial Times launched its iPhone app in July. It provided registered users with access to 10 articles a month and access for paying subscribers to more articles and market tracking tools.

Related reading on Journalism.co.uk: ‘iPhone apps: To charge or not to charge?’

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FT.com: INM agrees financial restructuring

Independent News & Media has at last agreed a financial restructuring with its bondholders ‘after months of negotiations that will see the lenders take control of the publisher’, reports the Financial Times. INM’s banks have yet formally to agree to the restructuring plan, however. Full story at this link…

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Luxury still in demand, says FT’s How To Spend It editor

Even in a recession, there is still demand for images like these in print, claims Gillian de Bono, editor of How to Spend It, the luxury Financial Times lifestyle magazine, due to launch online on Saturday:

The new online site will feature ‘behind-the-scenes’ of shoots like these:

Here she is, Gillian De Bono, editor of the magazine, as well as the new website:

More information over on our main site.

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FT.com: Birmingham Post ‘might cease daily publication’

At the weekend the FT reported that Birmingham Post might cease daily publication after 152 years, ‘becoming the first flagship newspaper of a large city to go weekly in response to the recession and competition from online media.’

“The circulation of the Birmingham Post has dropped from 18,500 to 12,700 since 2000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Locally, a fully paid circulation of less than 7,000 is spoken of. It is understood that options studied by Trinity Mirror, which owns the white-collar morning title, include converting the lossmaking publication into a weekly title. The media group might publish the Birmingham Mail, an evening newspaper with a blue-collar readership, in the mornings instead. This would trigger wide-ranging redundancies, from delivery drivers to newsagents and journalists in a newsroom that services several titles.”

Full story at this link…

Yesterday, the Press Gazette’s Grey Cardigan said his sources back the report:

“I knew that sales were poor, but I didn’t realise that paid-for copies had dropped to fewer than 7,000 – a claim made by the FT and stood up by my own sources this morning. (Just what you want on the golf course early on a Sunday - a call from Mr Cardigan suggesting that you’re about to lose your job.”

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FT.com: EC scrutiny for new PSB activities

“Moves by public sector broadcasters within the EU to expand their activities into new areas, such as mobile TV and video on demand, would still be subject to prior independent scrutiny under revisions to controversial proposals published by Brussels on Friday,” reports the Financial Times.

Full story at this link…

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CounterValue: FT’s Newsroom 2009 and why CMS tech is holding publishers back

Great post from Telegraph assistant editor Justin Williams on changes to production under the Financial Times’ Newsroom 2009 project and the Tele’s own trials with new sub-editing processes.

But, says Williams:

“What has and continues to hold this up is the technology. Editorial CMS suppliers continue to market products that, although making the process of web publishing easier and faster, still rely upon the buyers maintaining large production departments to manage the print pages.”

Spelling, grammar, style checks, page construction and more should be automated, he argues.

Full post at this link…

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FT’s Newsroom 2009 plans – outline and FAQ

An outline of the Financial Times’ ‘Newsroom 2009′ project has been leaked to document-sharing site Scribd by user Garciaripples (hat tip to @shanerichmond). Read the documents in full below or Journalism.co.uk’s digest of the plans:

An FAQ on the plans was also posted:

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MediaGuardian: Further integration as FT reporters asked to sub-edit

As part of a scheme called Newsroom 2009, Financial Times reporters will be responsible for sub-editing parts of their own stories, adding hyperlinks and writing draft headlines.

Full story at this link…

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FT results: FT.com paid-for subscriptions up 9%

According to parent company Pearson’s preliminary financial results for 2008, released today, the Financial Times’ website saw a 9 per cent growth in paid-for subscribers to 109,609.

Register users – the free-part of the access model – increased from approximately 150,000 at the end of 2007 to 966,000 by the end of last year.

In September last year, FT.com managing director Rob Grimshaw told Journalism.co.uk that the financial crisis had caused an explosion in registrations and subscriptions to the site.

Advertising revenues for FT Publishing as a group fell by 4 per cent, but overall profits for 2008 rose by 13 per cent to £195 million.

“[G]rowth of digital and subscription businesses and strong demand for premium content exceed decline in advertising revenues,” said a release from Pearson.

“At the FT Group, we anticipate continued strong demand for high-quality analysis of global business, finance, politics and economics; a tough year for advertising; strong renewal rates in our subscription businesses; and continued growth at Interactive Data.”

The group’s publishing division posted a 9 per cent increase in sales to £74m (£56m in 2007).

Pearson itself recorded an adjusted operating profit rise of 11 per cent to £762 million in 2008.

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