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The BBC Caribbean Service is making its final broadcasts, ending seven decades of programming for the region. The service is being shut as part of budget cuts announced by the BBC World Service in January. Excerpts: [ Link ] BBC managers say they have had to make tough choices because of a 16% cut in UK government funding. But one critic called it a short-sighted decision, showing the BBC did not understand the complexities of the region. The Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and Portuguese for... MORE
Arianna Huffington is to launch a UK edition of the Huffington Post this summer, as the US news and current affairs website recently acquired by AOL moves to expand internationally. The multi-millionaire, who sold Huffington Post to AOL for USD 315m in February, told the MediaGuardian Changing Media Summit on Thursday that the takeover meant she could accelerate plans to hire journalists and create a UK-specific site. The details: [ Link ] Huffington Post UK will follow the same model as the US... MORE
A new platform for crowdfunded photojournalism which aims to build a community around projects has received more than USD 20,000 in backing, just over a week since it went live, according to journalism.co.uk. Some details: [ Link ] Emphas.is works by inviting story proposals and an expenses budget estimate from professional photojournalists, to be reviewed by a board of advisers working against a set list of criteria. Individuals can then make a contribution to approved projects, giving them... MORE
An alliance of media businesses opposed to Rupert Murdoch's bid to take full control of BSkyB said it is "fanciful" to hope Sky News will be kept independent after the proposed takeover, the Press Association has reported. Excerpts: [ Link ] The coalition - including BT, Guardian Media Group, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media and the Telegraph Media Group - argued that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt's plans to wave through the News Corp takeover are flawed. In a legal... MORE
The Executive Committee of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), meeting in Brussels from March 19 - 20 and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have given their full backing for the workers and employees of the PRISA Group which publishes El País newspaper which has recently announced plans to reduce its staff in Spain and Latin America with the estimated loss of 2.500 jobs. "Plans to reduce jobs in the PRISA Media Group take their roots in a doubtful management more... MORE
The Daily News , Zimbabwe's largest selling newspaper that was banned eight years ago for criticising President Robert Mugabe, has hit the stands again. The Daily News was a strident critic of Mugabe. With presidential elections again expected later this year, the newspaper is hardly beating a retreat. According to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report, it went to the extent of asserting in its editorial on Friday, "We unapologetically declare that we will take a critical stand against bad... MORE
Gannett Co, the owner of 82 US newspapers including USA Today , is considering charging for its online content, Chief Executive Officer Craig Dubow said, according to a Bloomberg News report. The company, which also owns television stations, is trying a paid-content model at three newspaper websites, and is likely to experiment more before making a decision about the broad use of paywalls, Dubow said in a telephone interview today. “We’re going to see more of this until we can get exact a model... MORE
The BBC's Albanian Service has made its last broadcast after nearly 20 years serving audiences in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. It is one of five language services closing after cuts announced by the BBC World Service in January. The details: [ Link ] The Albanian Service first operated in 1940-1967, then resumed broadcasts in 1993 as Albania emerged from communism. The service came into its own as Albania was shaken by civil unrest in 1997, the BBC's Sean Fanning reports. Around 750,000... MORE
The largest US newspaper and local TV companies have created a new system to sell online advertising in a private exchange, part of a growing shift by publishers to take control over the digital ad-buying process in an attempt to raise ad rates, says an Adage report. Excerpts: [ Link ] The New York Times Co, Hearst, Tribune and Gannett will start selling the bulk of ad inventory for its newspapers and local TV stations in a closed system to be administered through the consortium's joint venture... MORE
Spain's biggest media group Prisa, which publishes the leading daily El Pais, said Monday it had slumped into the red in 2010 as sales dropped and it cut heavy debt, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has reported. Prisa reported a net loss of 72.9 million euros ($101 million) in 2010 after making a net profit of 50.5 million euros in 2009. Revenue tumbled 14.8 percent to 2.69 billion euros. The details: [ Link ] "In 2010, Prisa implemented much of its financial restructuring plan, with the... MORE
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