As print advertising continues to slide and online slows, there’s always another way to up your revenues in the downturn: direct payments from the customer. Few British publishers have made a success of charging for online content—but a panel at the FIPP World Magazine Congress in London on Tuesday illustrated how paid content is still a burning issue… —Carolyn McCall, CEO, Guardian Media Group: Could Guardian.co.uk, or parts of it, ever go behind a paywall? It “would be fantastic” to charge for news, but BBC.co.uk’s dominance would make 100 percent pay-for all but impossible, McCall said. But she added: “Realistically, there will be some parts of your website, (such as) MediaGuardian, lots of specialist areas where we do brilliantly, where we should think about how we charge for content that is not easy to replicate.” For McCall, “it’s crazy that we do so much to put content out there but we don’t get money for it.” Previously Guardian News & Media, which is blessed to be supported by revenues from across GMG, has said a pay wall for components other than the likes of its news archive and crosswords could work against its mission to spread liberal journalism throughout the world. —John Smith, CEO, BBC Worldwide: “You can (do paid content), it’s there: look at iTunes.” BBCWW shows make two percent of all iTunes downloads, Smith said. Meanwhile, BBCWW’s Radio Times iPhone app, launched last month, is riding high in iPhone’s paid apps chart and Smith claims “good growth” for Lonely Planet‘s iPhone guides. But Smith is less bullish on the economy: “It would be nice to think, by the autumn, we would have a recovery - but I don’t know what ‘recovery means’ ... In our TV business with channels like Dave, even if ad rates recover at the rate that GDP will recover, it’ll be another 20 years before we see the same level of ads.” Where have print publishers gone wrong in their digital strategy? McCall’s theory: “One of the mistakes is that everybody has looked to digital as the panacea for what is happening to newspapers”. She says that while the globally popular Guardian.co.uk is not profitable, some parts of the GMG empire do make sizeable digital profits, notably Trader Media in which it has a 50 percent stake and The Guardian’s classified jobs business. McCall says regional newspapers have “been hammered in terms of structure” in the last few years, and she doesn’t see a way back for many. McCall agreed with fellow panelist Bill Kerr, chairman of US magazine publisher Meredith (NYSE: MDP), that the bottoming of the ad market is due for this Autumn while 2010 will be flatter in terms of decline. More after the jump… Disclosure: paidContent:UK’s parent company ContentNext Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian News & Media.

As print advertising continues to slide and online slows, there’s always another way to up your revenues in the downturn: direct payments from the customer. Few British publishers have made a success of charging for online content—but a panel at the FIPP World Magazine Congress in London on Tuesday illustrated how paid content is still a burning issue… —Carolyn McCall, CEO, Guardian Media Group: Could Guardian.co.uk, or parts of it, ever go behind a paywall? It “would be fantastic” to charge for news, but BBC.co.uk’s dominance would make 100 percent pay-for all but impossible, McCall said. But she added: “Realistically, there will be some parts of your website, (such as) MediaGuardian, lots of specialist areas where we do brilliantly, where we should think about how we charge for content that is not easy to replicate.” For McCall, “it’s crazy that we do so much to put content out there but we don’t get money for it.” Previously Guardian News & Media, which is blessed to be supported by revenues from across GMG, has said a pay wall for components other than the likes of its news archive and crosswords could work against its mission to spread liberal journalism throughout the world. —John Smith, CEO, BBC Worldwide: “You can (do paid content), it’s there: look at iTunes.” BBCWW shows make two percent of all iTunes downloads, Smith said. Meanwhile, BBCWW’s Radio Times iPhone app, launched last month, is riding high in iPhone’s paid apps chart and Smith claims “good growth” for Lonely Planet‘s iPhone guides. But Smith is less bullish on the economy: “It would be nice to think, by the autumn, we would have a recovery - but I don’t know what ‘recovery means’ ... In our TV business with channels like Dave, even if ad rates recover at the rate that GDP will recover, it’ll be another 20 years before we see the same level of ads.” Where have print publishers gone wrong in their digital strategy? McCall’s theory: “One of the mistakes is that everybody has looked to digital as the panacea for what is happening to newspapers”. She says that while the globally popular Guardian.co.uk is not profitable, some parts of the GMG empire do make sizeable digital profits, notably Trader Media in which it has a 50 percent stake and The Guardian’s classified jobs business. McCall says regional newspapers have “been hammered in terms of structure” in the last few years, and she doesn’t see a way back for many. McCall agreed with fellow panelist Bill Kerr, chairman of US magazine publisher Meredith (NYSE: MDP), that the bottoming of the ad market is due for this Autumn while 2010 will be flatter in terms of decline. More after the jump… Disclosure: paidContent:UK’s parent company ContentNext Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian News & Media.

As print advertising continues to slide and online slows, there’s always another way to up your revenues in the downturn: direct payments from the customer. Few British publishers have made a success of charging for online content—but a panel at the FIPP World Magazine Congress in London on Tuesday illustrated how paid content is still a burning issue… —Carolyn McCall, CEO, Guardian Media Group: Could Guardian.co.uk, or parts of it, ever go behind a paywall? It “would be fantastic” to charge for news, but BBC.co.uk’s dominance would make 100 percent pay-for all but impossible, McCall said. But she added: “Realistically, there will be some parts of your website, (such as) MediaGuardian, lots of specialist areas where we do brilliantly, where we should think about how we charge for content that is not easy to replicate.” For McCall, “it’s crazy that we do so much to put content out there but we don’t get money for it.” Previously Guardian News & Media, which is blessed to be supported by revenues from across GMG, has said a pay wall for components other than the likes of its news archive and crosswords could work against its mission to spread liberal journalism throughout the world. —John Smith, CEO, BBC Worldwide: “You can (do paid content), it’s there: look at iTunes.” BBCWW shows make two percent of all iTunes downloads, Smith said. Meanwhile, BBCWW’s Radio Times iPhone app, launched last month, is riding high in iPhone’s paid apps chart and Smith claims “good growth” for Lonely Planet‘s iPhone guides. But Smith is less bullish on the economy: “It would be nice to think, by the autumn, we would have a recovery - but I don’t know what ‘recovery means’ ... In our TV business with channels like Dave, even if ad rates recover at the rate that GDP will recover, it’ll be another 20 years before we see the same level of ads.” Where have print publishers gone wrong in their digital strategy? McCall’s theory: “One of the mistakes is that everybody has looked to digital as the panacea for what is happening to newspapers”. She says that while the globally popular Guardian.co.uk is not profitable, some parts of the GMG empire do make sizeable digital profits, notably Trader Media in which it has a 50 percent stake and The Guardian’s classified jobs business. McCall says regional newspapers have “been hammered in terms of structure” in the last few years, and she doesn’t see a way back for many. McCall agreed with fellow panelist Bill Kerr, chairman of US magazine publisher Meredith (NYSE: MDP), that the bottoming of the ad market is due for this Autumn while 2010 will be flatter in terms of decline. More after the jump… Disclosure: paidContent:UK’s parent company ContentNext Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian News & Media.

As print advertising continues to slide and online slows, there’s always another way to up your revenues in the downturn: direct payments from the customer. Few British publishers have made a success of charging for online content—but a panel at the FIPP World Magazine Congress in London on Tuesday illustrated how paid content is still a burning issue… —Carolyn McCall, CEO, Guardian Media Group: Could Guardian.co.uk, or parts of it, ever go behind a paywall? It “would be fantastic” to charge for news, but BBC.co.uk’s dominance would make 100 percent pay-for all but impossible, McCall said. But she added: “Realistically, there will be some parts of your website, (such as) MediaGuardian, lots of specialist areas where we do brilliantly, where we should think about how we charge for content that is not easy to replicate.” B2B publishing is better positioned than general news to make money from online, she said. Previously Guardian News & Media, which is blessed to be supported by revenues from across GMG, has said a pay wall for components other than the likes of crosswords could work against its mission to spread liberal journalism throughout the world. —John Smith, CEO, BBC Worldwide: “You can (do paid content), it’s there: look at iTunes.” BBCWW shows make two percent of all iTunes downloads, Smith said. Meanwhile, BBCWW’s Radio Times iPhone app, launched last month, is riding high in iPhone’s paid apps chart and Smith claims “good growth” for Lonely Planet‘s iPhone guides. But Smith is less bullish on the economy: “It would be nice to think, by the autumn, we would have a recovery - but I don’t know what ‘recovery means’ ... In our TV business with channels like Dave, even if ad rates recover at the rate that GDP will recover, it’ll be another 20 years before we see the same level of ads.” Where have print publishers gone wrong in their digital strategy? McCall’s theory: “One of the mistakes is that everybody has looked to digital as the panacea for what is happening to newspapers”. She says that while the globally popular Guardian.co.uk is not profitable, some parts of the GMG empire do make sizeable digital profits, notably Trader Media in which it has a 50 percent stake and The Guardian’s classified jobs business. McCall says regional newspapers have “been hammered in terms of structure” in the last few years, and she doesn’t see a way back for many. McCall agreed with fellow panelist Bill Kerr, chairman of US magazine publisher Meredith (NYSE: MDP), that the bottoming of the ad market is due for this Autumn while 2010 will be flatter in terms of decline. More after the jump… Disclosure: paidContent:UK’s parent company ContentNext Media is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian News & Media.

Today, ex-Motorola (NYSE: MOT) CFO Paul Liska accused his former employer of launching a smear campaign against him. Well, yes, Paul, that tends to happen when you file a wrongful termination suit against a multinational corporation. Let’s take a look back at the tortured history of these two. Feb. 22, 2008 Liska takes over Motorola CFO duties from Tom Meredith (NYSE: MDP) as company’s handset sales slump. His mandate is clear: boost sales. Industry Moves: Motorola Appoints Paul Liska CFO Feb. 3, 2009 Almost a full year later, the handsets still aren’t selling. The company reports a fourth-quarter loss of $3.6 billion, and Liska announces he’s leaving the sinking ship. Earnings: Motorola Posts $3.6 Billion Loss; Mobile Devices Sales Plummet Much more, after the jump March 5, 2009 ... or was he pushed? Liksa files a wrongful termination suit against Motorola, claiming he was “involuntarily terminated for cause.” Also, he’s forced to return his $400,000 signing bonus. Double ouch. Fired For Cause? Ex Motorola CFO Liska Sues Handset Maker March 9, 2009 The plot thickens: Motorola claims that Liska is, in fact, a whistle blower! Dun-dun-duuun! Fired Motorola CFO Liska Strikes Back; Was He A Whistleblower? April 9, 2009 A month later, Motorola continues to pile on the claims against Liska, trying to counterbalance his suit. The company calls him “treasonous” and accuses him of trying to extort money. Motorola Calls Former CFO a ‘Treacherous Officer’ Who Plotted Whistle-blower Defense April 10, 2009 Sealed documents from the case start to leak out, and apparently, Liska was claiming that Motorola’s co-CEOs—Sanjay Jha and Greg Brown—were knowingly misstating sales forecasts. Motorola’s Former CFO Alleges Company Misstated Financial Forecasts April 13, 2009 Two analysts, asked how Liska’s claims would affect Motorola’s financials, conclude: not a whit. Analyst Says Motorola’s Spat With Former CFO ‘Likely Ends With Little To No Impact To Motorola’ April 16, 2009 Motorola fires back with a new claim—- that Liska knowingly erased his company laptop’s hard drive. Motorola Accuses Ex-CFO Liska Of Destroying Evidence

Board also increases annual dividend for 17th consecutive year

Ad gains at Better Homes and Gardens help drive National Media Group profit growth

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Board of directors at Meredith Corp (NYSE: MDP) announced a hike in its annual dividend for the seventeenth consecutive year. MDP declared its quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, payable on March 15 to shareholders as of record on February 26. The dividend marks an increase of $0.02 per annum. MDP has been paying dividends for the past 63 years.

MDP’s shares have risen by 1.65% to $31.49 since morning.
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Meredith Names a New Chairman

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Theflyonthewall.com is Wall Street's specialist in breaking equity news. Veteran traders build a proprietary feed of news that's faster and more relevant than any other source. Try us for free and discover for yourself.

See the rest of the story here.

Theflyonthewall.com is Wall Street's specialist in breaking equity news. Veteran traders build a proprietary feed of news that's faster and more relevant than any other source. Try us for free and discover for yourself.

( click to enlarge ) (GIGM) has lots of value, however the weak market is pushing the stock down. It has made a new 52 weeks low on Wednesday, but a last-minute rally helped it close at $2.78. The technical daily chart shows possible rally as K line is back above D line. Volume is shrinking ...

The week just ended was noteworthy for several reasons most of which seemed to focus on political events. A Republican won the apparently important senate seat, the healthcare bill seems to be struggling (even Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson is having second thoughts), Ben Bernanke's reappointment is a little more in doubt than people might have expected a month or two ago, Paul Volcker has inspired President Obama to try to make some changes to how certain banks[More...]

Meredith Corporation (MDP), a leading media and marketing company, recently reported second-quarter 2010 results that exceeded Zacks’ expectations on the heels of improved advertising performance at its National and Local Media groups, lower operating expenses, increased readership and online traffic. The quarterly earnings of 49 cents a share outdid the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents, [...]

(MDP) Meredith Corporation’s Report Tops Consensus

Meredith Corporation (MDP), a leading media and marketing company, recently reported second-quarter 2010 results that exceeded Zacks’ expectations on the heels of improved advertising performance at its National and Local Media groups, lower operating expenses, increased readership and online traffic. The quarterly earnings of 49 cents a share outdid the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents, ...