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April 28, 2020 2:59 pm  #1


Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

After 'liberal' Torstar Corp., which owns the Toronto Star and other papers, laid off 85 employees recently, including 11 editorial positions at community newspapers. "Conservative' Postmedia says hold my beer... 

Postmedia to lay off 80, permanently close 15 newspapers - https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/-1.1428207 

 

April 28, 2020 3:07 pm  #2


Re: Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

Toastmedia is as Toastmedia does.

 

April 28, 2020 3:12 pm  #3


Re: Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

Just four (4) weeks ago this forum celebrated that National Post removed its paywalls.   All content would be free.      Free can be expensive.

 

April 28, 2020 6:01 pm  #4


Re: Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

I'm not surprised at all.  I recently tried the very simple function of downloading monthly invoices for my past year's National Post subscription (our fiscal year ends March 31st).  Their horribly-outdated website was not even technologically capable of doing this! (though, to be fair, neither the Star nor Globe & Mail's websites were any better).

It continues to amaze me how great "heritage" brands like newspapers - but also also other public institutions - continue to be run into the ground by poor management unwilling and/or incapable of "keeping up with the times".  Funny how there seems to be plenty of taxpayer bailout money for executive compensation & sweetheart consultant deals (Star Touch, anyone?) - but very little available for actual R&D, automation, market research, and technically savvy front-line STAFF.

In a world where any joe with a keyboard can monetize their content by curating a community using freely-available tools, there is absolutely no reason (beyond incompetence) that behemoths like legacy newspapers can't find a way to leverage their brands.

 

April 28, 2020 6:29 pm  #5


Re: Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

how much, if anything, did postmedia take from the gov't bailout of newspapers?

the Barrie Today online paper from Village Media just announced yesterday the hiring of a new legal affairs reporter for the next five years, thanks to the gov't local journalism fund. 

things that make you go hmmm.....

 

April 28, 2020 7:21 pm  #6


Re: Postmedia latest to catch Covid19

Postmedia gets 8-10 million a year from the fund.  Torstar gets about $6 million.  Sort of shoots down the argument of the Liberals favouring a liberal paper. As nice as these figures are, neither will make or break the company, so they shouldn't be referred to as a bailout, but that's what most call it. The governments loaning $14 billion to GM was a bailout.   Most of the money for newspapers is actually tax credits not an actual cheque or money placed in an account. 
https://www.canadalandshow.com/postmedia-expects-millions-from-news-bailout/