The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Single Bulb - February 13, 2018
Big media deals are always attention-getting. Media watchers wax on about consolidation, digital, jobs and competition. Money by the pile being what it is, most transactions of a certain scale are rather creative. Give thanks to the accountants and hedge fund managers for keeping the last light on.

Sharing Means Caring… And Voting - June 12, 2017
Elections are media events and have been for decades. Voters are, in democracies, the ultimate arbiter. Each one processes election information uniquely; agreeing, disagreeing, dismissing, engaging or any possible combination. Campaign strategies focus on motivating as well as discouraging and sometimes confusing. Mass media tools are important, new media tools vital.

The Customer Calls The Tune And It’s No Coincidence - November 2, 2015
By most accounts, print circulation seems to have bottomed out. Losses from the digital decades are starting to reverse, albeit slightly. Print advertising, however, may never recover. Digital advertising, which benefits Facebook more than publishers, seems to have stalled except for mobile ads, expected to overtake TV sometime soon, maybe, unless the ad blockers take over. All of this is just opportunity.

Some Laws Are Irrefutable - October 31, 2013
Intertwined like the DNA double helix the Royal Charter for press self-regulation was officially adopted by the Queen as the first criminal trial over phone hacking and other tawdry deeds gets underway in the UK. That some UK newspaper publishers seem not to connect the two is remarkable, something on the order of denying the laws of science. That such a “medieval instrument” as the signature of the monarch was deemed necessary testifies to the political – if not popular – misunderstanding of the flow of information as the digital age enters its maturity.

That Fiery Glob Could Land On Your Desk - October 10, 2013
Experienced negotiators know how to read a room. Parties in dispute resort to name-calling – or worse – as deadlines approach. The skilled practitioner knows this is the moment to ferret out a solution. Threats, you see, really do work and once the inevitable is clear hearts and minds will follow.

A Tale Of Tabloid Troubles - September 17, 2012
Every tabloid editor knows what moves eyeballs. It’s a skill passed on generation after generation, unbound by geography. Dirt on celebrities and politicians is fine but nothing beats that grainy photo of a well-known somebody starkers. Brilliance is causing talk on the street, any street, and maybe a lawsuit. Leveraging a better business deal is genius.

Deconstructing The Power Of The Press And Other Book Deals - May 31, 2012
For the news media to speak truth to power assumptions are that power – and the powerful – are not coagulated with those speaking, lest confusion reign. Power may be the ultimate social force, bigger than money and often more fun. But confusion is a force unto itself when sown carefully into the fabric.

The Proprietors Come Forward - April 26, 2012
There is an obsession in many circles with that select set of individuals who principally own big media companies. Some are reclusive and others thrive on attention. Few are at a loss for opinion on the way the world works and, certainly, the way it affects their business. And they do like things to be the way they want them.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation

News Corporation is a highly competitive media giant a global, multi-media footprint. From paywalls and pay-TV to tabloid troubles and new ventures the media industry watches Rupert Murdoch. Update includes family ties, succession plans and other News Of The World. 210 pages PDF (September 2012)

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UK Newspapers

The newspaper market in the UK is among the worlds most competitive. The publishers are colorful, editors daring, journalists talented and readers discerning. ftm follows the leaders, the readers, the freebies and the tabloids. 83 pages PDF (October 2010)

Order here