Outsourcing In, Insourcing Out
In your Thursday media column: Foreign correspondents are anachronized, jobs are vaporized, and the Obamanaguration will not be televised. (Yes it will):
Outsourcing is in! At newspapers. The Tribune Co. is trying to strike a deal with the Washington Post to use the Post's foreign coverage, which is really a testament to just how fucked up and decrepit Tribune has become. And the NY Daily News wants to use foreign coverage from the newly launched GlobalPost.com, which, hey, sounds like a good idea, because GlobalPost is gonna need a lot of clients to support all those foreign correspondents it hired. This is probably the new model for foreign coverage for papers who are just slightly too prestigious to run foreign sections composed totally of AP wire stories about BUS PLUNGES in Peruvian mountain towns. [WSJ]
Dreary media layoff news roundup of the day: PlanetOut, which is merging with Regent Media, is rumored to be laying off 50% of its remaining staff. The Boston Globe is cutting 50 newsroom jobs, through buyouts. A tipster tells us the FT has laid off at least four sales reps (the company recently announced 80 total layoffs coming). And American Express publishing is laying off 33, presumably including the Travel & Leisure victims we heard about yesterday. Read Media Crack every day, or you miss out on bad news.
Uncool Bush-appointed Republican FCC chairman Kevin Martin is running, full of Obamafear, straight to a new job with the Aspen Institute think tank, where he will ponder how to eliminate sexual thought in America, or some such foolishness.
Press release: "NPR will be the only radio broadcaster of “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at The Lincoln Memorial." Weelllllllllll, isn't that just fancy, hmmmm? We just wanted to imagine Homer Simpson saying that in his mocking falsetto. [UPDATE: Just-received additional NPR press release: "SEVEN YEAR OLD SHARES HIS BELIEFS ON NPR’S THIS I BELIEVE SERIES." Fancy.]
Oh look, talking person Glenn Beck's new show on Fox premieres Monday, and his first guest will be none other than Wasillan elected official Sarah Palin. Who is clearly still not paying attention to our advice. [TVNewser]