McGuire on Media

Category Archives: Newspapers

Some tidbits on ESPN.com/newspaper threat, Don Ohlmeyer and Pat Forde

My old friend Phil Meyer called it right when he commented in this article about ESPN.com entering Chicago. Phil called it another “nail in newspapers’ coffin.”  ESPN’s spokesman, Paul Melvin took a much politer tack.  “As a company, we are fans of newspapers, and not believers they are going away. They face challenges that will [...]

Trying to find the right tone when "left wing technologists" grab all the attention

Perhaps the wisest thing I read this summer was this fine articulation of an idea I’ve been talking about for months. Rick Edmonds, the media business guru for Poynter Online wrote this: “Put another way, a transition to robust digital options and aggressive experimentation are still good strategies for newspaper organizations. But I might tap [...]

News21 can teach us to make journalism and storytelling better

Wednesday I came out of a News21 presentation of work done by Cronkite School journalists that made me ready to shout from the rooftops.  This is sensational work done by great students with expert professional direction and funded by two incredibly far-sighted funders. Even more important for readers of this blog there are bright, clear [...]

Star Tribune teamsters, Michael Connelly and other rants

Tucson Citizen case should stop here

The judge in the Tucson Citizen case did exactly what I think he had to do when he rejected Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard’s request for a restraining order. AP Reporter Art Rotstein wrote: “Collins’ ruling denied the state a temporary restraining order, but the state is entitled to continue with its lawsuit alleging antitrust [...]

Newspaper critics need to count to 100 and take a sedative

It has been major sport for some time to mock the newspaper business and its executives for failure to act. Now words like “collusion’ and “bullies” and “too late” are pock-marking what should be an intelligent debate.
Jeff Jarvis, a guru way out of my league, is the hero of the critical set whose main message [...]

Associated Press is right to take on Google and other aggregators. Newspapers need to follow quickly.

Holy Smokes! The Associated Press announcement that it will take on aggregators like Google with legal action is as big a news as we’ve seen in a while. AP found its heart, its soul and it’s courage.
This is the battle that has to take place, and now the question will be who will join in.  [...]

McGuire's complete Presstime interview on newspaper future

Presstime has published a pretty interesting analysis of the future by a bunch of folks with lots of theories about where newspapers are heading. The piece offers some good insights. Presstime was kind enough to include my comments, but they edited some of my wisdom just as they edited everybody else.  I think it it [...]

Michigan newspapers grapple with dramatic solutions

I was born in Michigan. I delivered and read the Saginaw News as a kid. I worked with the Grand Rapids Press when I was the student Sports Information Director at Aquinas College. Competing with Deborah Howell and Walker Lundy in the Twin Cities was a pistol in the 90’s, but I was prepared for [...]

APME and ASNE have danced around merger for a long, long time

There are lots of  musings out there about ASNE’s cancellation of this year’s annual convention, but the one that grabbed my attention came from my friend Steve Buttry. Steve opines that a merger between ASNE and APME makes the most sense. I think it is important that the record show that merger between the two [...]