NYTimes
New York Times Owes $400M
The Bee Gees once urged us to understand The New York Times’ effect on man. That was thirty years ago, when sheets of dead trees reigned supreme among media.
Now that we are all media, perhaps we can try to understand man’s effect on The New York Times.
…the company must deliver $400 million to lenders in May of 2009, six months from now. The company has only $46 million of cash on hand, and its operations will likely begin consuming this meager balance this quarter or next. The company has been shut out of the commercial paper market, but has a $366 million short-term credit line remaining that it entered into several years ago, when the industry was strong.
To her credit at least, the Gray Lady sees what’s coming, and she’s doing something about it. If the New York Times is in trouble, how long can Philippine newspapers stay complacent and condescending in the face of the Web?
(Image via Ron Smith.)
Newspapers Should Link
One of the complaints I hear from Philippine entrepreneurs is that Philippine newspapers often fail to link to their businesses. Hell, sometimes they won’t even publish URLs. It’s as if Philippine newspapermen still deny the existence of the Web.
When even the New York Times, the gray old lady of newspapers, notes the rise of outbound links on newspaper sites, even the stodgiest newsroom dinosaur should know that times are changing.
This is why I like the Philippine Daily Inquirer: they link. Mere dead tree coverage doesn’t have the assumed value it once had. If a newspaper won’t link to relevant resources on their site, then its value to you is diminished fivefold. If a newspaper won’t link to your business on their site, then its value to your business is diminished tenfold.
