Newspaper Industry

In his new book, "Changing Models for Journalism: Reinventing the Newsroom," Brant Houston explores the deep transformation that journalism has undergone in the last decade, including the decimation of traditional newsrooms, changing revenue streams, corporate ownership and investors, and the surge in nonprofit newsrooms and collaborations.

The future of print media, especially for local outlets, is in dire straits as large enterprises buy out community newspapers. The Webster-Kirkwood Times is an anomaly in the St. Louis media landscape — because its journalists got together to purchase the paper themselves.

The country's largest newspaper company, Gannett, is once again forecasting it will sell off more of its daily newspapers. Its publications include the Columbia (Missouri) Daily Tribune, Springfield (Missouri) News-Leader, the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois and McDonough County Voice in Macomb, Illinois.

A top investor thinks the owner of newspapers like St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Omaha World-Herald are entering a difficult business climate with advertising sales continuing their decline.

Alan Achkar is now executive editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his second stint at the daily.

Shareholders for Lee Enterprises, owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 23 other papers in the Midwest, re-elected three directors on Thursday. That news could complicate any future takeover bid by Alden Global Capital.

The lawsuit isn’t unexpected. Journalism analysts and union representatives had anticipated that Alden Global Capital would continue to aggressively pursue a deal for the newspaper owner.

Lee Enterprises' board of directors rejected a buyout offer from Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for downsizing the newspapers it owns.

Lee executives said the hedge fund, known for gutting the newspapers it acquires, did not follow the rules in trying to nominate three people to the the publisher's board.

The media giant has sold 12 papers in smaller communities as it streamlines national operation