Today newspapers like endangered species

The "Spiderman" French, Alain Robert, climbed it with his bare hands in forty minutes, June 5, 2008. Others prepare his ascension differently. Judging by its shiny head from 52 floors, real glass Cathedral built by Italian architect Renzo Piano on 8th Avenue, in the heart of Manhattan, the "New York Times" has nothing of a specimen of extinction. Except that the major New York newspaper recently had to resell half leasing to an investment fund, for $ 225 million, in an attempt to cover his debts. "Endangered species". The formula is of Democratic Senator and former candidate to the White House, John Kerry. It is not only the "Lady Grey" (the "Gray Lady") founded in 1851, but most of the major U.S. newspapers face the erosion of their traditional recipes and the explosion of information online.

"Today, newspapers like endangered species ...." "" New York Times,"bought the"Boston Globe"for 1.1 billion dollars in 1993, but the market value of the entire group is less than $ 800 million today," said Senator of New England, to which the future of the daily life of Boston is necessarily at heart. The tension is palpable in the 'new york times' headquarters, where tired reporters enjoy this rare moment and humbling of the aftermath of "scoop" watching tremble the foliage of the birch trees of the patio. Two years after his installation in the glass Tower of Renzo Piano which dominates Midtown Manhattan, the old "Grey Lady" shreds of black. Decline of 5 of wages against ten days "without pay", advertising revenues in freefall, incomes stagnant online debt rising... The good time is indeed gone.

Such a huge carcass oversized, Renzo Piano Tower evokes a little of the Interior, the cold and bureaucratic film "brazil", universe of Terry Gilliam. One note of humanity on the walls: the photos of the winners of the generous harvest price achieved each year Pulitzer (still five in 2009), but the corresponding fell in Iraq, as this young performer of twenty-three years of the Baghdad office. Taken in grip between the tradition of the great story and the new wave of soluble instant information on the Internet, the Publisher of the "New York Times" is confronted with the weight of its debt ($1 billion). The only first quarter, the New York Times Company suffered a net loss of $ 74.5 million, against a loss of $ 58 million on the whole of the 2008 fiscal year. According to his last statement to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) on May 7, its print newspapers advertising revenues fell 31 in the first quarter and those of online advertising by 8 over the same period. PIs: the dissemination of the "New York Times" (1.04 million copies) fell 3.6 in the last six months (against average 7 for American newspapers) and that of the "Boston Globe" fell by 13.7. "If we fail to maintain or increase revenues from our digital activities to offset the decline accelerated our income from print newspapers, our activity and its financial perspectives will be negatively affected", prevents the "New York Times", which will have to move its selling price to the number of 1.5 to 2 dollars from June 1.

No question of lowering the guard

"Our quality journalism is the core assets of our shareholders," said the President of the "New York Times", Arthur Sulzberger Jr., to the General Assembly on 23 April. No question of lowering the guard for the heir of fifty-seven years who took the Presidency of the group in 1997. For him, even if the Web was still only 12 of the revenues of the group, the Nytimes website (with its 20.1 million unique visitors) remains a nugget. But in any case, the predators began lurking. After the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, in September, in 6.4 of the capital, talking about Michael Bloomberg, the patron of Google, Eric Schmidt, or CBS and potential "saviours" for the "NYT". Latest: music producer David Geffen unsuccessfully proposed to Harbinger Capital Partners Investment Fund to resume its 19 of the "New York Times" (bought for 500 million in 2007) for $ 185 million. Co-founder of the Hollywood studio Dreamworks with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who played an active role in the financing of the campaign of Barack Obama, David Geffen is "White Knight" ideal. Through his surroundings, he is willing to provide the means to pursue its "journalistic mission", the "times" without interfering in the management.

The trap of the free Web

Assuming that the Sulzberger clan, which has preferred to accept the convertible loan of 250 million dollars of Carlos Slim in January, be prepared to take a step back. However, despite the entry stage of David Geffen, widely commented on by the American press for several days, Arthur Sulzberger and his cousin Michael Golden, Vice President of the "NYT", did not intend to release the bar of a newspaper "which has overcome many financial storms and policy thanks to the support of the family". A condition, however, that 27 heirs of the Ochs-Sulzberger dynasty, who saw their annual dividend (approximately $ 25 million), suspended in February, are resistant to birds of prey.

For its part, the writing is rather skeptical on the support of Carlos Slim, described as "fair" partner by Arthur Sulzberger. "A 14 interest, it is far from being a gift!" sighs a journalist. Some newspaper executives wonder rather if its future is not a form of Yalta with Google and growing digital platforms (Kindle, Sony, i-Phone...). While American newspapers lost advertising revenues in 2008 $ 7.5 billion, Google, in won 21 billion by aggregating information from free sources, note Senator John Kerry. A low voice, some editors are beginning to acknowledge the California firm to have largely contributed to undermine their business model. "We're all terribly dependent and tétanisés both by Google", says a member of the association of publishers online (Online Publishers Association). This is why the question of a return to a paying Internet model taps today the leaders of the "New York Times". And if the "Wall Street Journal", which has never renounced the paid model, was correct After abandoning the pay "TimesSelect" (a selection of editorials) experience in September 2007, the patron of the digital activities of the "New York Times", Martin Nisenholtz, recently recognized study new forms of paid content (subscriptions or micro-payment to act...) "We must take care to distinguish the short-term effects of a terrible recession of long-term industry trends", however, view this veteran of the Web that launched the Nytimes in 1995. In writing (employed 1,300, including graphic designers, photographers and Secretaries...), the integration of the Web and the daily paper teams is not made without grinding of teeth. "This is not just a matter of generations but cultures." "Number of journalists do not want to be pushed to agencier, so noble trade it, and defend an added value based on the time of reflection," says a seasoned journalist.

The "New York Times", ultimate bulwark of principled information hierarchical in a blogs unbridled and uncontrolled tidal wave Ready to ride the horse digital, but without losing its soul, the "Grey Lady" of Manhattan knows that it played a little compass of the world press. No other daily newspaper in the world can boast to display his "101 Pulitzer Prize" magic figure, as recently reminded Arthur Sulzberger. Sign the "threatened species" are sometimes unsuspected reserves of endurance..