Google Launches News Search Type Filter (News & Tech)

July 27, 2020

Article by: NEWS & TECH

Google Launches News Search Type Filter

With a July 21 tweet, Google announced that it has a new search type filter: News.

Publishers can now analyze traffic coming from the News tab on Google Search, the tweet says. It says users can learn more about filtering data on Performance reports. The company then sent out an email on the matter, says Search Engine Roundtable. “We’ve recently added new data to the Performance report in Search Console: Google Search’s News tab data. This data shows clicks, impressions, and click-through rate for any links seen in the ‘News’ tab in Google Search results,” the email said. “To access this data in the report, click the ‘Search type: Web’ filter on the top of the report, then select ‘News.’”

McClatchy Files Chatham Deal With Court

McClatchy announced July 24 that it filed an asset purchase agreement with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, formalizing the details of Chatham Asset Management’s successful bid for ownership of McClatchy in the Chapter 11 sale process. The proposed asset purchase is scheduled for consideration by the court at a hearing on Aug. 4. Under the deal, Chatham will acquire McClatchy for $263 million in a credit bid of the company’s first-lien debt, plus $49 million in cash and the assumption of additional liabilities.

All employees will be offered their current job with the new McClatchy, with equivalent compensation, benefits and full credit for service years, McClatchy says. The agreement also says the new McClatchy will honor all current collective-bargaining agreements. As part of the transition, Chairman Kevin McClatchy, President and CEO Craig Forman and fellow board directors announced plans to leave the company when the transaction closes by the end of the third quarter.

New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham won a July 10 auction for McClatchy. Chatham is McClatchy’s biggest creditor and majority owner of Canada’s Postmedia Network. Judge Michael E. Wiles shot down a challenge to Chatham’s bid from another hedge fund, Alden Capital Group. There’s a five-day challenge period after the deal goes to the court, McClatchy’s D.C. bureau said. Among McClatchy’s papers are the Miami Herald and The Sacramento Bee.

Mullen Buys Two Papers in the Dakotas

Louis Mullen has bought the Emmons County Record in Linton, North Dakota, and the Prairie Pioneer in Pollock, South Dakota. Mullen bought the two papers on July 1 from long-time owners Allan and Leah Burke.

The Burkes bought the Prairie Pioneer in 1987 and the Emmons County Record in 1993. Wyoming-based Mullen owns weeklies in North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. The Pioneer and the Record are now under Mobridge Publishing, joining the Mobridge Tribune in Mobridge, South Dakota; the Potter County News in Gettysburg, South Dakota; and the West River Eagle in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Julie Bergman of Grimes, McGovern & Associates represented the Burkes in the sale.

Delta Print Works with imPRESSions on Consolidation

California-based Delta Print Group has consolidated its print operations by merging five print companies under one roof. imPRESSions Worldwide helped in the effort with the relocation of two of the company’s presses. imPRESSions undertook the dismantling of a Goss Community SSC and a Heidelberg Harris V-25 pressline and moved both to Delta Print’s new plant in Natomas, California.

imPRESSions had supplied and installed the 5-unit Goss Community press in a Sacramento facility of the company in 2019 to accommodate continued growth. It was anticipated that once the new 130,000-square-foot plant was ready, the press would be relocated to the new facility. Plans were also underway to relocate the 6-unit Heidelberg Harris V-25 press once the SSC press was up and running. The relocation and the installation of both presses were completed in two months.
By August, the plant will be staffed to run 24 hours a day, according to imPRESSions.

UPM Stops Newsprint Mill, Closes Plywood Mill

Finland-based forestry giant UPM announced July 16 that it was permanently ceasing production at its Chapelle newsprint mill in Grand-Couronne, France. The consultation process with employee representatives was completed on June 15 and approved by French authorities on July 15.

The closure impacts 228 people. UPM says it’s offering support to employees in order to alleviate effects related to the mill’s closing. With the closure, UPM will reduce its newsprint paper capacity by 240,000 metric tons. “We remain committed to selling the mill assets if we receive a suitable offer,” says Anu Ahola, senior vice president, news and retail, UPM. The closure will result in annual savings of around 30 million euros ($35 million). Meanwhile, UPM’s Jyvaskyla (Finland) plywood mill will be permanently closed on July 31, the company says. The closure will mean 147 lost jobs.

Cal Poly Honors Prince with Scholarship, Endowment

Cal Poly has established an endowment in honor of printing industry icon Raymond J. Prince, an advocate of education and industry growth who died in May. The endowment, the Raymond J. Prince Graphic Communication Future Leader Program, will award annual scholarships to graphic communication students who demonstrated academic achievement and the potential to succeed in graphic communication. The endowment will also support program advancement, including laboratory and professional development.

Harvey R. Levenson, Cal Poly professor emeritus and former head of the university’s Graphic Communication Department, aims to reach the first $30,000 as soon as possible to award two $15,000 scholarships paid over four to five years, and then raise an additional $70,000 to help endow future Ray Prince scholarships. Levenson personally pledged the first $15,000 to cover the first scholarship.

Prince, a 61-year printing industry veteran, consultant, and advisor, died on May 1. He was 76. Along with holding a number of industry jobs, he served as a vice president of the National Association for Printing Leadership.

In Brief

-The New York Times announced that Meredith Kopit Levien, the paper’s chief operating officer, will become its next president and chief executive officer. Levien will succeed Mark Thompson, who has served as CEO since 2012, on Sept. 8. Levien joined The Times in 2013 as head of advertising and was promoted to executive vice president and chief revenue officer in 2015. In 2017, she was named COO.

-Shannon J. Allen has been named publisher of The Sand Mountain Reporter (Albertville, Alabama).

Robert Patchen Jr., publisher of the Times Observer of Warren (Pennsylvania) since 2010, will be taking a new position in the Ogden Newspapers, publisher of The Minot Daily News (North Dakota).

-Leona Allen, a longtime editor at The Dallas Morning News, has been promoted to deputy publisher responsible for diversity and inclusion across the company.

-Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division has announced the promotion and expanded role of Rich Rindo to vice president, U.S. sales, commercial print strategy and business development.

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