In case you missed it, this little nugget was buried in Tribune's bonus news as reported by the Chicago Tribune: "The Tribune Co.’s publishing division generated $461 million in operating cash flow last year, a margin of 16.7 percent 'during one of the worst years in newspaper advertising history.' ”
Sounds like that's a very respectable figure--considering. Cash flow measures the money or cash companies generate in relation to their sales or revenue to pay expenses. If that's the kind of cash flow margin Tribune's publishing division can generate in a bad year, imagine what it must have been in a good year--20 percent, 25 percent, 30 percent?
Of course, the amount of cash generated is not enough to pay off Tribune's billions of dollars in debt. And we all know that Tribune achieved the nearly 17 percent cash flow margin by rolling lots of heads down the aisle, which freed up cash by reducing expenses.
Considering all the heads that are still being axed, perhaps the cash flow margin for 2009 will hit 20 percent or better?? Banks and creditors are going to love it.
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And the People Said ...
I'd rather exercise than read a newspaper ~ model Kim Alexis
For some reason, (media moguls) assume people will want to buy more newspapers if they have less news in them and are less useful ~ Molly Ivins
A newspaper is a circulating library with high blood pressure ~ Arthur Baer
Newspaper readership is declining like crazy. In fact, there's a good chance that nobody is reading my column ~ Dave Barry
America is a country of inventors, and the greatest of inventors are the newspaper men ~ Alexander Graham Bell
Editor: a person employed by a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed ~ Elbert Hubbard
Newspaper Jokes
Two newspaper reporters walk into a bar, and discover these bada-bing jokes. Send in your own favorites.
What's the difference between a managing editor and a sack of fertilizer? The sack.
Why is a headline like a Scud missile? Both are offensive and inaccurate.
What's the difference between a features editor and an onion? People cry when you cut an onion into pieces.
How do you know when there's a circulation consultant at the door? His hat says "Domino's."
If you threw a reporter and a photographer off a cliff at the same time, who would hit bottom first? Two answers: 1. The photographer, becausethe reporter would get lost on the way. 2. Who cares?
Some American newspapers have outsourced their customer service, copy editing and other functions to a company in Mumbay, India. The public face of the company is an Americanized Indian named Helen Waite. Journalists looking for jobs in American papers now must dial Helen and wait.
What's the difference between a managing editor and a sack of fertilizer? The sack.
Why is a headline like a Scud missile? Both are offensive and inaccurate.
What's the difference between a features editor and an onion? People cry when you cut an onion into pieces.
How do you know when there's a circulation consultant at the door? His hat says "Domino's."
If you threw a reporter and a photographer off a cliff at the same time, who would hit bottom first? Two answers: 1. The photographer, becausethe reporter would get lost on the way. 2. Who cares?
About Me
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- Maria Padilla
- Orlando, Florida
- I spent nearly 25 years in the newspaper business at five different newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the Orange County Register, the San Juan Star (Puerto Rico) and the Reno Gazette Journal. My last paper was the Orlando Sentinel. I am blogging about the Orlando Sentinel because attention must be paid to the decline of the Orlando area's only major source of daily news, and to the historical makeover of the newspaper industry in general. Keep your comments and tips coming. Reach me at maria_padilla@bellsouth.net.
Dearly Departed
• Carrie Alexander • Ashley Allen • Scott Andera • Mark Andrews • Melissa Angle • Elaine Aradillas • John Babinchak • Steve Barnes • Alex Beasley • Caralyn Bess • Marie Blom • Jay Boyar • Laura Brost • Matthew Hay Brown • Peter Brown • Bill Buchalter • Ron Bush • Jim Buynak • Mike Cabbage • Alicia Caldwell • Ramsey Campbell • Ken Clarke • Bobby Coker • William Couch • Autumn Cruz • Bob Curran • Dave Curtis • Christine Dellert • Tameesha Desangles • Stephanie Duesing • Cristina Elias • Jane Eto • Mike Etzkin Sr. Designer • Sara Fajardo • Dana Fasano • Trevor Fraser • Shweta Gamble • Barry Glenn • Judy Grimsley • Charlene Hager-Van Dyke • Melissa Harris • David Heeren • Cathy Hertz • Don Hey • Ed Hinton • Sean Holton • April Hunt • Nancy Imperiale • Terry Irwin • Sara Isaac • Bruce Isphording • Dean Johnson • Ryan Johnson • Joe Kaleita • Gene Kruckemyer • Sarah Langbein • Laurie Lawrence • Andrea Lentz • Paul Lester • Denise Lewis • Jennifer Lewis • Jeff Libby • Mick Lochridge • Brad Logan • Larry Lopez • Rick Maese • Rebecca Mahoney • David Marsters • Sylvia Martin • Alex Marvez • Reggie Myers • Loraine O’Connell • Terry O'Roen • Lynn Osgood • Sherri Owens • Maria Padilla • Becky Panoff • Gary Peach • Robert Perez • Manning Pynn • John Raoux • Gail Rayos • Kristen Reed • Carol Rhodes • Tim Rivers • Lisa Roberts • Jon Rodeheffer • Roger Roy • Javier Ruiz • Eric Saegebarth • Jeff Schnick • Gwyneth Shaw • Chris Sherman • Mike Slason • Jack Snyder • Joe Sollaccio • Lou Stancampiano • Matt Steinhoff • Shan Stumpf • Erin Sullivan • Michelle Tevis • Jim Toner • Tammie Wersinger • Keith Wheeler • Susan Whigham • Don Wilson
1 comment:
newspaper margins often approached the 20 and even 30% mark, tv stations even higher.
that phrase, a license to print money, was true. there is a poynter staffer who once worked at a tv station with 90% profit margin, he swears.
the problem now is that those profits - and most industries would kill for 16% - go to the debt load and are inadequate. if the paper was free of the zell deal, it would flourish.
the severances zero out - they are not affecting the future and that is what analysts look for.
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