Lee Enterprises Works with Amazon Advertising to Offer OTT Services
Lee Enterprises is working with Amazon Advertising to offer over the top, or OTT, services to its more than 35,000 local business advertisers. OTT streams video directly to viewers using various video services and internet-enabled devices.
“This new opportunity is an excellent example of our commitment to delivering powerful solutions which solve for the needs of our clients and fit within our digital transformation strategy,” said Lee President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mowbray in a statement.
Amazon Advertising offers OTT inventory across IMDb TV, Twitch, top-tier network and broadcaster apps, and Amazon’s News app, says Lee. Amazon OTT and Twitch jointly reach a monthly audience of 120 million viewers across the U.S.
NNA, News Media Alliance Push Against Postal Rate Rise
A coalition of organizations representing commercial and nonprofit users of the mail on July 23 petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to issue a stay preventing the U.S. Postal Service from increasing postal rates on August 29. The National Newspaper Association, the News Media Alliance and the Association of Magazine Media were among the organizations petitioning.
The petitioners’ request is supported by the sworn statements of Consumer Reports, Meredith Corporation, Multi Media Channels and Yankee Publishing, among others.
The motion for a stay is the second attempt to halt the rates, brought in a lawsuit challenging the Postal Regulatory Commission’s authority to allow rate increases beyond the inflation-based cap in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. Before USPS announced the August increase, the mailers’ groups had asked for a judicial stay, but were turned down because the size of the rate increase was not yet known. Increases of nearly 9% are ahead for Periodicals newspapers, writes the NNA. Oral argument in the appeal is set for Sept. 13. Unless the court grants the stay, the postage rates will go into effect before the court makes it decision about the PRC authority to allow the increases. Once the increased rate money is spent, it cannot be refunded by USPS.
A copy of the motion is available here. The petitioners have not seen a ruling yet, Tonda Rush of the NNA told News & Tech today.
Forbes Launches The Forbes Store
If you’re needing a hip hoodie, water bottle or beanie, Forbes has got you covered. The company has launched an online store. “With its core franchises such as Under 30, ForbesWomen, For(bes) The Culture and more, the Forbes core collection of branded merchandise, which launches today, will provide branded items to Forbes’ loyal communities worldwide,” says the company in a release.
For its first collaboration, Forbes worked with apparel brand Boys Lie, founded by Forbes Under 30 alums Tori Robinson and Leah O’Malley.
Gannett Sells More Than 20 Publications to Local Owners, Part of Trend
Poynter and Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative have co-produced a piece that identifies a trend of chains selling off local newsrooms. Mark Jacob wrote the piece for the Local News Initiative. Gannett, for one, has sold more than 23 publications back to local owners, says Poynter.
Companies Push Back Return to Office
On July 30, The New York Times Company postponed its planned return to the office. The date for return has not been scheduled, says The Wrap. The company had been planning for workers to start to return in September. Its offices will be open for those who want to go in voluntarily, as long as they have proof of vaccination.
“In light of the evolution of the virus, including new trends around the Delta variant and the updated guidance from the CDC this week on masking, we have decided to push out our plans for a full return at this time,” said CEO of the New York Times Company Meredith Kopit Levien in an email that was reported by the Times, The Wrap reported.
The Washington Post has announced its staff will have to show proof of vaccination by mid-September to get into its offices as they reopen and as a condition of their employment, says The Wrap. Exceptions will be made for health-related or religious conflicts. Google has reset its expected return to October and said vaccines would be needed to come into office, and Twitter closed its San Francisco and New York offices, says The Wrap.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild, Lee Enterprises Reach Agreement
The Buffalo Newspaper Guild and The Buffalo News/Lee Enterprises have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract on July 30, according to the guild. The agreement comes after five months of bargaining, says the guild.
“In light of the tentative agreement, the guild is ending its two-week byline strike and thanks the Western New York community for its tremendous outpouring of support,” said a statement from the guild. “We believe this tentative agreement represents a good deal for our members, and a much better deal than what many other newspaper workers across the country are getting,” said Guild President Sandra Tan.
Nearly 1,800 community members signed a petition asking Lee Enterprises and The Buffalo News to reach a deal with the guild. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the guild membership.
Watertown Daily Times Press Worker Hurt
An employee at the Watertown Daily Times (New York) was injured in the press room Saturday, the paper says. The employee was flown to a Syracuse hospital, 7 News reported. Johnson Newspaper Corp. President and COO Alec Johnson says the worker’s hand became stuck in a print roller. Emergency crews from Guilfoyle Ambulance and the Watertown Fire Department helped dislodge the worker’s hand, says 7 News.
“All of the employees of the Times, Johnson Newspapers and my family have him in our thoughts and we are all hoping for a full recovery,” Johnson wrote to 7 News. For the safety of the staff, Johnson stopped printing for the night. The main news sections of the Watertown Daily Times were not delivered Sunday. The full Sunday e-edition was available. Johnson said the press staff was “instrumental” in getting help for the worker. He also thanked Guilfoyle and the fire department.
McClatchy Launches Doorfront Direct Magazine Delivery
Magazine and catalog delivery network Doorfront Direct says McClatchy has joined the network and begun weekly delivery. “As we continue our focus on better-serving our customers, Doorfront Direct is a natural fit for our markets,” said Dan Schaub, vice president, supply chain operations at McClatchy.
“We are thrilled to be working with the McClatchy team,” said Randall Brant, executive director of Doorfront Direct. “We’ve launched 10 markets in July, and we’ll be phasing in others during the remainder of the year.” “With these new markets, we’ll have more than 60 markets participating. Plus, we are adding more magazine titles and catalogs, so the volume for each affiliate will grow,” Brant added.
As an affiliate of Doorfront Direct, McClatchy’s local distributors are delivering national monthly magazines to local readers with their home-delivery carrier force, the same independent contractors who deliver the daily paper.
Lincoln Journal Star Moving
The Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska) is moving. Following a time when staff will work either from home or in a temporary spot, the paper will relocate to new offices in the Telegraph District, says the paper. Aug. 13 will be the final day at 926 P St., the facility where the paper has been for 70 years. Trinitas Ventures is buying the 926 P St. building and plans to knock it down to build an apartment building, the paper said. The Journal Star sold its production facility at Ninth and Q streets to Drury Development in spring 2020. The company constructs Drury and Pear Tree Inn hotels. It has not made its plans for the site public. Lee Enterprises owns the paper.
Nielsen Announces Cookieless Approach for Measurement
Nielsen has announced its approach to eliminate its reliance on digital identifiers and ensure that advertisers and publishers can continue to measure confidently in a dynamic, privacy-first media environment. “With its new approach to measuring authenticated and unauthenticated web traffic, Nielsen will become the leading platform to validate first-party server data with real consumer behavior,” says Nielsen. See more detail here.
Westplex Buys Moberly Monitor-Index from Gannett
Westplex Media Group announced July 28 that it has agreed to buy the Moberly Monitor-Index (Missouri) from Gannett. It is the fourth community paper in Westplex’s portfolio. Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media M&A firm based in New Mexico, represented Gannett in the transaction. Terms of the transaction, expected to close on Sept. 1, were not disclosed. Westplex is owned by Tim Schmidt. Schmidt founded Westplex in 2018 when he bought the Montgomery Standard, a weekly in Montgomery City, Missouri.
More News
- The Tampa Bay Times is doing a promotion offering its ePaper free on Fridays for a limited time.
- Quebec is providing $9.7 million more ($7.76 million USD) to compensate newspapers for recycling costs, the Montreal Gazette reports. “Any additional pressure could harm the financial health of newspapers,” says Culture and Communications Minister Nathalie Roy. The $9.7 million is part of the province’s plan to support print media, says the paper.
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