Archives: January 2009

Self-Promotion (And, In One Case, Also Kinda Late-To-The-Party. Nevertheless!)

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 30

This just in, give or take several months: you can now follow me on Twitter. My new column, on the cheap ways OfficeMax is ginning up buzz despite a relative...

On Conde Nast Shuttering Domino, And The Folly Of The Magazine Spin-off

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 28

Some years ago, when consumer spending was absolutely on fire, I was talking with a top magazine executive about Conde Nast’s Lucky magazine—a.k.a. "the magazine about shopping." As journalists sometimes...

Pepsi Deserves Some Kind Of Award For This. Just Maybe Not The Ones They Want

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 27

I am willing to bet this new-ish Pepsi billboard has to be the only corporate ad in history to reference both Barack Obama and Creem Magazine. And it did all...

The Ralph Lauren Model For Media: Pearson CEO Marjorie Scardino Coins A Phrase

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 27

Basically: charge too little for content, no one will pay anything. Charge a lot for content, and people will pay. You may be laughing at this. But I guarantee you...

Another Crack At Bloggingheads.tv, In Which A Cagey Robert Wright Forces Me Into Acting All Pollyanna And Stuff

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 23

Noted author and bloggingheads.tv impresario Robert Wright was kind enough to have me back for another bloggingheads episode. As he said in the, uhm, "diavlog" he hadn't gotten much sleep...

The New York Times Company, Carlos Slim, and Timing.

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 20

If you were a closely-watched media company and you wanted to ensure that your news about a major new investor made the least possible splash whatsoever, do you maybe think...

The Reported Carlos Slim/New York Times Talks Show Continued Reshaping Of An Old Newspaper Industry Adage

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 18

The new buyer or investor of last resort for a trophy newspaper is no longer the local real estate tycoon. It’s a billionaire from overseas. The piece I wrote for...

In The Inbox Today: Bizarre Hoax Email Sent From Radio Advertising Bureau President-CEO Jeff Haley's Account

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 15

Around 5 PM Eastern time today my colleague Tom Lowry and I received a particularly incendiary email, which bore the return emailaddress of Radio Advertising Bureau President-CEO Jeff Haley. It...

Arguments Why Journalism School Professors Should Not Be Quoted Regarding The Business Of Newspapers

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 13

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's own (excellent) reporting on the news that its parent company Hearst Newspapers is alloting but 60 days to sell it: Tim Pilgrim, a journalism professor at...

Son Of Bad Ads, Designer Jeans Department: Moving On From This Obsession Now, But First These

Posted by: Jon Fine on January 06

Bravo, Australia. I may not be able to find the Cotler jeans ads I was talking about, but this might be even better....