Most newspaper stories are still too long

The news cognoscenti gasped when the Columbia Journalism Review recently reported that the nation’s leading newspapers aren’t writing as many long stories as they used to. But I think most stories are still way too windy.



In a moment, I’ll tell you why, as briefly as I can. First the background: 



Tallying yarns topping 2,000 words on Factiva, CJR found the number of long-form stories at

Newspaper audience aged severely since 2010

The population of people reading newspapers has aged dramatically in the last three years to the point that nearly three-quarters of the audience is aged 45 or older, according to my analysis of survey and census data. 





When I performed the same analysis using the same methodology in 2010, only half of the newspaper audience was aged 45 or higher, reflecting a rapidly growing rejection of  

Smartphone shopping perils publishers

The smartphone has emerged as the hottest shopping accessory since the brown paper sack, the latter of which, as a matter of law, now costs a dime if you don’t bring your own environmentally sustainable tote into the supermarket in my part of California. 

With nearly one out of five consumers now consulting their mobile gizmos when making a purchasing decision, smartphone shopping represents a

Auto recovery leaves newspapers behind

Although the sales of new vehicles hit a five-year peak in 2012, automotive advertising at newspapers was on track at year’s end to decline for the ninth straight year – and likely headed to the lowest level since 1979.  

The continuing slump in auto advertising at newspapers, which has persisted in spite of a healthy rebound that powered new vehicle sales to 14.5 million units  in 2012, is

Why investors embraced newspapers in 2012

Part two of two parts.  The first part is here. 

While more than half of newspaper advertising has vaporized since peaking at $49.4 billion in 2o05, the share prices of five out of the nine publicly held publishers impressively outpaced the broader stock market in 2012. 

Yesterday, we looked at the winners and losers among the publishing sector in a year when the average share price of

Happy New Year?

The most dreaded day of the year is over and we can all move on and welcome in 2013. I mean I'm glad that New Year's Eve is over.

I didn't always feel like this. The last day of the year always used to be cause for celebration, taking stock of the year behind me and looking forward to the year ahead. It was a night for fun spent with friends and family. A party night.


In the Netherlands however, the last day of the year is like entering a war zone. Normal people who wouldn't normally be associated with vandalism and causing a public nuisance suddenly develop the need to walk around town with a rucksack filled with fireworks, setting them off to cause the most noise and destruction possible. This means that rubbish bins are removed or sealed off, bus shelters are boarded up, post box openings are made so small you can barely get a letter through it and the local council sends out a brochure in which it recommends that you seal your letter box off with tape around New Year. Sounds like a real party huh?

Our street is a sea of red from the rubbish from fireworks set off on 31st December. Unfortunately those in our street responsible for all the fireworks set off are also the ones who seem only to be able to clear the direct area outside their own houses. Our garden is littered with firework trash from our neighbours. What a party that is to clean up.

And the best bit of all is reading on New Year's Day that the "celebrations" the night before were quite quiet and uneventful because only dozens of arrests were made in one town, only ten people were admitted with firework injuries at a hospital, only one young boy lost his hand, one station was vandalised, emergency workers were attacked, the fire brigade went from one fire to another..... you get the picture. Sounds like a real party huh?

What is great to see is the 'normal' display of fireworks set off across the country at midnight. Luckily the majority of Dutch people know what fireworks are for... and know how to welcome in 2013!

I hope that 2013 is a great year for you all and stealing the sentiment of a friend posted on Facebook:
"Forget the diets and the resolutions you always break.......just be the best you can be."

Happy New Year!!!

Many newspaper stocks beat market in 2012

Part one of two.  Second part is here. 

After getting shellacked in 2011, a number of newspaper stocks rebounded sharply last year, with five out of nine publicly held publishers handily outpacing the broader market. 

On average, newspaper stocks rose 20.8% in 2012, as compared with a 13.4% increase in the Standard and Poor’s index of 500 shares. But the average doesn’t properly reflect the