Reader’s Digest embraces multimedia, reduces frequency of print publication

September 21st, 2009 Sun-Times, Journal Sentinel in printing agreementCHICAGO — Journal Sentinel Inc. and Sun-Times Media Group Inc.

September 17th, 2009 Variety trade newspaper to charge for online siteLOS ANGELES — Ending a three-year flirtation with free online content, Variety newspaper plans to put some of its Web site content behind a "pay wall" that will require a paid annual subscription, its publisher said Thursday. The changes at the Hollywood trade publication will take place early next year and come with new online features such as a better archive, publisher Brian Gott said.

August 24th, 2009 Reader's Digest files prearranged Ch. 11 papersPLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.

August 20th, 2009 Reader's Digest: Lenders on board with Ch. 11 planPLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.

August 17th, 2009 Reader's Digest to file for Chapter 11 protectionNEW YORK — The publisher of Reader's Digest, the country's most popular general interest magazine, said Monday it will file for Chapter 11 protection with a plan to swap a portion of its debt for ownership of the company. Reader's Digest Association Inc., owned by the New York private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings since 2007, said Monday it has reached an agreement in principle with a majority of secured lenders to erase a portion of the $1.6 billion they hold in senior secured notes.

August 17th, 2009 Reader's Digest files for Chapter 11 protectionNEW YORK — The publisher of Reader's Digest, the country's most popular general interest magazine, said Monday it will seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors amid declining circulation, an industrywide advertising slump and large debts. Reader's Digest Association Inc.

August 17th, 2009 Chapter 11 plan cedes Reader's Digest to lendersNEW YORK — The publisher of Reader's Digest, the country's most popular general interest magazine, said Monday it will file for Chapter 11 protection with a plan to swap a portion of its debt for ownership of the company. Reader's Digest Association Inc., which also markets books and publishes dozens of other magazines and Web sites, said it has reached an agreement in principle with a majority of lenders to erase a portion of $1.6 billion in senior secured notes.

July 21st, 2009 U-M, Amazon offer 400K titles with print-on-demandDETROIT — The University of Michigan says it's teaming up with Amazon.com to offer reprints of 400,000 rare and out-of-print books from its library that no longer are under copyright. The Ann Arbor school announced the arrangement Tuesday.

June 24th, 2009 News startup expects 10 pct of Web readers to paySAN FRANCISCO — A startup planning to sell news online is hoping to get money from about 10 percent of Internet readers accustomed to mostly free access to newspaper and magazine Web sites since the 1990s. The still-developing venture, Journalism Online, made the projection Wednesday in a New York meeting with reporters that The Associated Press joined on a telephone.

June 10th, 2009 USA Today to introduce digital edition, for a feeNEW YORK — The new publisher of USA Today plans to introduce an electronic replica of the printed newspaper and charge readers for it. The new version will be sent by e-mail to readers beginning Aug.

April 30th, 2009 Canadian newspaper cancels Monday print editionsTORONTO — Canada's National Post, one of the country's two national newspapers, is going without its Monday print editions for nine weeks this summer in a move that will lower its newsprint costs. Company spokeswoman Phyllise Gelfand says the company will still publish an online edition.

April 29th, 2009 Survey: 22 pct of Internet users ditch newspaperNEW YORK — Sure, plenty of readers are turning more to the Web for newspaper and magazine stories, but are they giving up on print altogether? In many cases, yes, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. It found that 22 percent of Internet users have canceled a print subscription because they could get the same product online.

April 26th, 2009 Osborne: Newspapers will survive, in new formAUSTIN, Texas — Even though their look and operations may be different, newspapers have a future in the journalism world if they learn how to survive in a competitive field, former Dallas Morning News publisher Burl Osborne said Saturday. "Now the consumers have taken charge — they decide what news is," Osborne said.

March 31st, 2009 NEW YORK - The Sun-Times Media Group Inc, owner of the Chicago Sun Times and more than 50 other US newspapers, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday as it became the latest casualty of the advertising slump that is wreaking havoc throughout the newspaper industry. The company said it would continue to operate as usual as it tries to stabilise its operations, though it said it was ordering all non-union employees to take a week of unpaid leave in April or May.

March 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers have built a microchip from graphene, a form of pure carbon, that can operate at much higher speeds than existing silicon chips. This will enable faster data transmission in mobile phones and computers.