Hachette Filipacchi Implements Internal Social Network

Magazine publisher Hachette Filipacchi, whose U.S. headquarters is in NYC, is implementing a new company-wide social media network. 

The new, as-of-yet unnamed network, will serve to link employees at its far-flung offices and across its many brands, ranging from Elle to Car and Driver.  According to the company memo obtained by The New York Observer, its purpose is to "bring us closer together and establish new relationships.”

The New York Observer

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> Fashion Week: Fashion Mags Move Into Digital Space

Newsday's Paywall Experience Provides Lessons

Panelists on one of the afternoon sessions at the Media Summit 2010 at the McGraw Hill Building in Manhattan's Midtown this week discussed the problems associated with paywalls in light of Newsday's experience.

Julie Michalowski, Vice President, Business Development, Conde Nast Consumer Marketing, said that the panelists' respective organizations aren’t focusing on paywalls, but on “what the brand experience and value is.”

Alisa Bowen, SVP, Head of Consumer Publishing for Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI) defended the use of paywalls.  “Paywalls aren’t right for some. Let’s be clear about that.  We’ve experimented with putting up barriers on parts of our website.  In one case [she didn’t specify, according to paidContent], traffic dropped 70 percent after instituting a paywall.  In another case, using the same barrier level, mind you, happened to lead to a traffic rise of 300 percent.  The value extraction is very specific to different audiences.”

Bowen also alluded to Newsday's claim that the paywall model wasn’t intended to drive online subscriptions, but rather to create more value for Cablevision (NYSE:CVC) customers by offering access to the paper’s Web site.

paidContent

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> Newsday.com Attracts 35 Paying Subscribers

Wolff: 'Newser' on Threshold of Breaking Even

Media critic and Newser founder Michael Wolff informed Fast Company's founder Alan Webber that Newser is on the "threshold of break even" and that the Web site could "probably get to break even the next couple of months if [Newser] cuts [its] costs more" at the We Media conference in Miami this week.

During their session, he also offered his take on "some of the biggest names in media today," "pulling no punches" in WebNewser's opinion with quips such as:

• Rupert Murdoch: I think Rupert has gone off the reservation. I think he's raging against the darkness. All of the Murdoch kids are really smart, really talented and they really wish their father would go home.
• The Sulzbergers: Just the stupidest people who have ever walked the earth. They are not just hopeless, but hapless. The people who run [The New York Times Company] are ill-equipped to do it.

WebNewser

Previous:
> We Media Offers 'NYConvergence' Readers Discount

[Editor's Note: NYConvergence is a co-sponsor of the We Media conference.]

Barnes & Noble Accelerates Digital Efforts

Bookseller Barnes & Noble has appointed a general manager for its digital newsstand and emerging content at Barnes & Noble.com who will be responsible for creating and leading the digital newsstand and emerging content business, a "large strategic focus for the company."  The division will work with newspaper, magazine, periodical, blogs, and other content publishers to sell and market their digital editorial products to Barnes & Noble customers.

AllThingsD

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> The Nook Coming to a Store Near You

WNET Moving Forward With Street-Level Studio

WNET's street-level studio at Lincoln Center, at West 66 Street and Broadway, is intended to "raise the profiles of WNET and sister station WLIW and draw new audiences and followers," according to Neal Shapiro, chief executive of WNET.org, the station's parent company.

The new studio will open in mid-April, he said, and will host a new weekly hourlong current affairs program Need to Know, which is being produced with PBS backing instead of the program Worldfocus, which is ending.  WNET has also been trying out a new local news program, Metrofocus, which could be produced there as well.

Other programming that will have a home at Lincoln Center includes the SundayArts interview show and fundraising drives.

Crain's New York Business

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> WNET NY to Build PBS News Destination Site
> Thirteen and WLIW21 Move to Lincoln Center

B5media Launches 'The Gloss'

b5media launched fashion and beauty Web site The Gloss this week.  The Gloss, as with other b5media Web sites, will be overseen by Gawker Founding Editor Elizabeth Spiers and run by Editor-in-Chief Lilit Marcus, formerly of Jewcy.com, and Deputy Editor Jennifer Wright, formerly of ask melissa.

WebNewser

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> Outbrain, b5media Partner

Publishers Discuss eReading Devices at Conference

At the keynote speech this morning at the Publishing Business Conference & Expo going on through tomorrow, March 10th, at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York-based OpenRoad Integrated Media CEO Jane Friedman mentioned that she is also looking forward to the iPad, especially because it will allow her company to publish children's books. Hearst Magazines President Cathie Black spoke about how in 5 years Hearst doesn't "want to be in the device business." 

TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home

Mesa Global to Accelerate Digital Media Financing

Mesa Global, the NY-based merchant bank whose emphasis is found within its full name, Media and Entertainment Strategy Advisors, plans to focus more on digitally-driven media, advertising, and marketing companies with the appointment of former Montogomery & Co. investment bank manager and managing director of its media practice Mark Wasserberger.

By its own admission, however, the merchant bank's first seven years "have mostly been devoted to film finance, early-stage advisory and middle-market investment banking."

The Deal Magazine

'NY Times' Plans Daily Webcast

This spring, The New York Times plans to launch a daily webcast, according to sources who spoke with DailyFinance.  The show, which could begin as early as a month from now, will be produced on the fourth floor of The New York Times Building and air around lunchtime EST.

Critic Marion Meneker of The Big Money thinks that The Times' show could "step into the vacuum being created as traditional TV news operations like ABC News dramatically downsize their staffs."

DailyFinance

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> 'New York Times', NYU to Expand 'The Local' Web Site

Investors & Startups to Gather at BootStrapper Summit

The fourth BootStrapper Summit is taking place in New York City on April 1, 2010. The conference brings together startups and investors and has tracks dedicated to advertising, digital media, mobile, seed spotlight and others.

Location and registration details can be found on the conference site.

[Editor's Note: Trylon SMR, publisher of NYConvergence, is a promotional partner for the BootStrapper Summit.]

This Week's Media and Tech News Wrap-Up

NYConvergence

This week, NYConvergence checked out the Pluggedin Ventures Roundtable, as well the NY Tech Meetup for the latest presentations by NYC tech startups.  Also, we were in attendance for the Second Annual Shorty Awards, where two local Twitter users were honored. 

In other digital-media technology news this week:

• New York state opened up a center for homeland security
• Cablevision got into a dispute with WABC-TV over fees
• The city went looking for a few good film production people to fill jobs
• NY bloggers became eligible for press passes
• Mediaite readied the launch of Styleite
• HHS-Connect continued its work integrating NYC health data
• Startup AnyClip got ready for its close up
• Thumplay launched a mobile music service
• Verizon expanded its wireless broadband service in upstate NY

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