Talking Biz News

Information about business
journalism from the
Carolina Business News Initiative.

The New York Times’ David Carr writes a column for Monday’s paper, already available online Sunday evening, that wonders why the business media have begun to ignore large layoffs such as the one announced last week by Circuit City.

Carr wrote, “After hearing a fairly expansive report on public radio’s Marketplace late Wednesday, I woke up the next morning eager to read more.

“USA Today ran a short article on the front page, The Wall Street Journal ran a brief on B4, The New York Times published a wire report inside its business pages, while The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times gave the news a bit more room.

“Only the piece in The Baltimore Sun really explored the broader implications, while most of the coverage stuck to the usual suspects and themes. There were a few quick mentions on the evening news, but I saw no cable-talk umbrage at what this meant. And the next day, it was yesterday’s news.

“Media outlets could not be blamed for having a little fatigue when it comes to layoffs, which have become an organic part of American life. With Detroit laying off more than 70,000 people in the last few years, the approximately 8 percent of Circuit City’s work force who got the heave-ho as a result of a ‘wage management initiative’ — yet another advance in corporate-speak — do not seem like a big deal.”

Read more here.

Earl Maucker, the editor of The Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, wrote Sunday about changes coming to the paper, including an overhaul of the Monday business section.

Maucker wrote, “Next, on Monday, April 9, we will debut a new Your Business section.

“Instead of a tabloid section, it will become a full-size broadsheet section and feature our Help Team columnist Daniel Vasquez on the cover.

“We will feature People on the Move on the second page and maintain a strong focus on small business stories on Page 3, leading with columnist Marcia Heroux-Pounds. In addition, we’ll have content on personal finance — including a business planning calendar — as well as charts on credit and loan rates, mortgage rates and yields on CDs.

“And finally, the new Your Business section will debut with a revamped online component, containing even more stories and relevant business content. There will be several important ‘channels’ in our new online offering, including more information on personal finance, planning tips, links to small business resources and searchable calendars to help businessmen and women.”

Read more here. 

The Bucks County Courier Times is cutting its stock listings in favor of the AP’s Money & Markets page, according to a story in Sunday’s paper.

Rose Venditti McIver wrote, “Most of our agate (the small type) listings will remain on the four days we run the Money & Markets package. We’ll run 1,024 listings from the New York Stock Exchange, 920 from the Nasdaq, 144 from the American Stock Exchange and 735 mutual-fund listings. The Sunday agate package will remain unchanged. If you find we’ve deleted a listing you count on, call me and we’ll do our best to restore it.

“This change comes as more and more people rely on the Internet for up-to-the-minute stock listings and look to the newspaper to provide more context and help them interpret what’s happening in the financial markets. Responding to that need, The Associated Press has created a Money & Markets package that comprises 20 graphic modules.

“The enhanced financial package that debuts Tuesday features six of the 20 modules. We’ll add more, based on reader interest. Please let us know what you think of this upgrade.”

Read more here.

The Colorado Springs Gazette is expanding its Sunday business section and adding daily features during the week while also introducing the AP’s Money & Markets page for its stock listings.

In a short story in Sunday’s paper, the Gazette stated, “These changes are aimed at providing the news and information you need as you work, invest, spend money and do business in the Pikes Peak region.

“The centerpiece of these improvements is a new stock market report. Instead of running hundreds of yesterday’s closing prices for stocks and mutual funds, The Gazette’s new Money & Markets page features news and analysis about how the markets are performing — and where they’re expected to go. We’ll continue to list closing prices for about 100 stocks of companies that are of interest to local readers.

“Our Money & Markets report at gazette.com (under the Business tab) complements our print report and features a look-up service of current prices for all stocks and mutual funds. In the space we’re saving in print with our new Money & Markets report, we’re adding news, analysis and stories on topics you’ve told us are important to you: technology, investing, spending, real estate and careers.”

Read more here.