NPR: All Things Considered Dot-Com Media
"Linda Wertheimer traveled to New York City to look into the viability of Web sites run by three news organizations; ABC News, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. All three sites have not reached profitability but all of them have made a firm commitment to remain online. The Wall Street Journal site is the only one that requires subscribers to pay. Recently, advertising revenue has diminished which is making it even harder for these sites to make a profit. ABC News and the New York Times have recently had significant layoffs in their digital divisions. (12:30)"

redux [01.30.01]
Media Guardian Prophets of doom at online news profits
"Leaning down from the stage, Rupert Murdoch, the head of News Corporation, made it clear that the honeymoon with online news was over. "I just don't see how you can make money out of it."

Since that comment, at an annual meeting last November, many other media bosses have started to wonder whether they will ever make money online. After years of worrying that their business would be eaten up by upstarts staffed by twentysomethings, the new era finds them wondering whether they will ever recoup the millions invested in new staff, new technology and new advertising."

redux [01.22.00]
The New York Times Rethinking Internet News as a Business Proposition
[requires 'free' registration]
"The first era of newspaper experiments on the Internet, fueled in part by the fear that the Web would devour profits, is over. A new era of newspaper experiments on the Internet, fueled in part by the fear that the Web will not generate profits, has begun.

Where will it lead?"

Editor & Publisher Online What's Wrong With Today's News Web Sites
"It's that time of year for me again. As one of the 30 judges of the annual Editor & Publisher EPpy Awards (which honor the best Web sites of the newspaper and news industries), I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks poring over newspaper sites.

In a nutshell, here's what I've noticed: Over the years that I've been volunteering as an EPpy judge, news sites have grown to be more comprehensive and feature more and better content. But comprehensive, while an admirable trait, is not always enough to get users to make visiting and using a site a habit."

redux [01.26.00]
Online Journalism Review Soul-Searching Time at Online News Units
"As nearly every week brings word of a new round of layoffs and cutbacks in new media, current and former online staffers, executives and industry analysts are surveying the wreckage and wondering whether the reluctant, often testy romance between media companies and the Internet has come to an end. My God, was it all ... just ... a meaningless fling?

The consensus so far? Media companies have begun some serious retrenchment and rolled back a number of initiatives, but they have not yet begun a full-scale retreat from the online medium. While the Holy Grail of online publishing -- a profitable business model -- remains elusive, the quest continues."

Editor & Publisher Online MSNBC.com TO REDUCE SPENDING
"A"We're certainly not reducing our coverage of news," said Nicol, when E&P asked him about the letter. Several hundred employees work for MSNBC.com, which shares bureaus with NBC News to complement newsgathering efforts.

For MSNBC.com, the past year had some months with record profitability, but other months fell short. Although planning is not completed, targeted cuts will be made in travel and entertainment, freelance expenses, and other discretionary spending, Nicol said. Some open positions around the company will be eliminated, but hiring will continue for critical positions."

redux [02.02.00]
First Monday Interactive Features of Online Papers
"According to McAdams, who helped create the Washington Post's online service, "A journalist with little online experience tends to think in terms of stories, news value, public service and things that are good to read, but a person with a lot of online experience thinks more about connection, organization, movement within and among sets of information and communication among different people". Journalists today must choose. As gatekeepers they can transfer lots of information, or they can make users a smarter, more active and questioning audience for news events and issues. Making users smarter means involving them in a collaborative experience; i.e. interaction"