Friday, November 23, 2007

Newspapers, merchants in make-or-break season

Gannett papers and TV stations are fighting for every holiday advertising dollar when competition from the Internet is greater than ever. Holiday consumer spending "is expected to be the weakest in five years because of rising energy prices, falling home values and a tight credit market,'' the New York Times says this morning. Gannett shares, meanwhile, traded modestly higher at markets' open.

Near Indianapolis, Hoosiers braved cold temperatures and long lines to snap up toys, clothes and electronics on Black Friday, the symbolic start of the holiday shopping season, the Indianapolis Star says. Regina Braun (above, left) chatted with Stephanie Mulkey as they waited in the checkout line today at a JCPenney at Hamilton Town Center mall.

In Indianapolis and in Phoenix, editors get bonus points for publishing shopping video already. The Star's was a bit hard to find; it's in this multimedia section. The Arizona Republic's was more prominent because the video player appears alongside this story. Like many in Gannett, the Star and the Republic are speeding coverage to the Web; in the past, papers didn't publish Black Friday stories until Saturday's editions.

The Star's front page today; click on the image for a bigger view:


Today's Republic; click on the image for a bigger view:

[Photo: Danese Kenon, Indianapolis Star; front pages, Newseum]

No comments:

Post a Comment

Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.