News & Tech: Tribune Publishing Using SPIR@L Tech From Agfa

October 11, 2021

Article by: News & Tech

Tribune Publishing Using SPIR@L Tech From Agfa

Agfa is touting its SPIR@L screening technology and its use by Tribune Publishing. SPIR@L screening replaces the ink dot used in offset printing with more efficient shapes, such as spirals, delivering a thinner ink layer, says Agfa. When Agfa rolled out SPIR@L, Tribune Publishing agreed to a trial at its largest site. Once the results were in, the decision was made to integrate it into their print production process, says Agfa. “Across Tribune newspapers, SPIR@L is securing positive results. Efforts at the Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, and the Sun-Sentinel are demonstrating an average ink savings of 7% while improving print quality,” says the Agfa release. Agfa’s headquarters and parent company are in Mortsel, Belgium.

Two Journalists Win Nobel Peace Prize

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for “their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” says the committee. Ressa and Muratov are receiving the Peace Prize for their courageous fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia, says the committee.

At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions, says the committee. In 2012, Ressa co-founded Rappler, a digital media company for investigative journalism, which she still heads. In 1993, Muratov was one of the founders of the independent newspaper Novaja Gazeta. Since 1995 he has been the paper’s editor-in-chief.

IAC’s Dotdash Buying Meredith

Barry Diller’s IAC and Meredith Corporation, owner of brands such as People, Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Southern Living, InStyle and Real Simple, have announced a deal where IAC’s Dotdash digital publishing unit will acquire the entity that will hold Meredith Corporation’s National Media Group, which is made up of its digital and magazine businesses, and its corporate operations, in an all cash transaction at a purchase price of $42.18 per share. “The transaction combines the power of Dotdash’s digital publishing model with Meredith’s trusted, iconic brand portfolio, loyal audience and scale,” says a news release on the deal. The combined company, to be called Dotdash Meredith and led by Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel, is expected to be one of the largest publishers in America. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.

Gannett Selling Providence Printing Plant

Gannett has put a 158,400-square-foot printing plant used by The Providence Journal on the market, Providence Business News reported. New York-based real estate company BellCornerstone listed the property, at 204 Kinsley Ave. in Providence (Rhode Island), for $8 million. A leaseback arrangement that would let Gannett go on using the plant for ten years is part of the deal. Gannett has put a number of its properties on the market recently.

City of El Paso May Buy El Paso Times Printing Press Building

The city of El Paso may buy the El Paso Times printing press building. The city council will vote tomorrow on the city’s buying of the building for $3.6 million, according to a council agenda, the paper reported.

The printing press has stopped running as print has been moved to Juarez, Mexico. Laura Cruz-Acosta, spokesperson for the city of El Paso, said the property would “serve a significant public purpose” and centralize more services and offices to one site, the paper said. Gannett owns the building. Gannett has put a number of its properties on the market recently.

Transylvania Times Moves Office

The bi-weekly Transylvania Times (Transylvania County, North Carolina) has moved its main office from Broad Street to Water Oak Suites on East Main Street in Brevard, the paper reported.

The Transylvania Times was located at its old spot since the 1950s. A Goss Comet printing press, put in in 1962, ran in the basement of the building. Today, the paper is published digitally out of Bristol, Tennessee. The paper has some photos of the office in years past here.

American City Business Journals Launches Providence Business Journal

American City Business Journals has launched the Providence Business Journal (Rhode Island). “At a time when media companies are cutting back and with the economy in peril, it’s a bold decision to launch a new media property. But as the economy comes back and the way of doing business continues shifting out from under owners and managers, the need for local business intelligence in Greater Providence and the surrounding region has never been greater,” says a story on the launch from the business journal. ACBJ employs nearly 360 journalists across 44 markets. The company also owns and operates Hemmings Motor News, AmericanInno, Bizwomen and BizEquity. ACBJ is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is part of Advance, a private business with a portfolio spanning media, communications, technology, education and other sectors.

Tow Center for Digital Journalism Survey Asked About Life at Small Papers

The Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism has released findings of a survey in a report titled “Life at Local Newspapers in a Turbulent Era: Findings from a survey of more than 300 newsroom employees in the United States.” The observations in the report are based on an online survey conducted between Aug. 4 and Sept. 8, 2020. The question at the core of the research report: “What is it like to work at a small-market local newspaper in the United States?” Among the findings:

  • Digital increasingly dominates: More than half (57 percent) of respondents said they spend more time on digital output than three years ago. Print remains important, with 54 percent of respondents working across both print and digital products.
  • Trade publications remain essential for learning: The majority of respondents (67 percent of the total sample in 2020 vs. 57 percent in 2016) said they learn about new tools and technology through articles in publications like Nieman Lab, Poynter and CJR. This is some way ahead of other methods such as attending conferences or more formal training sessions.

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