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Independent Singapore
23-07-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Netizen questions if SPH Media staff celebrated for ‘keeping print alive' were also affected by layoffs
FB/SPHMediaLtd SINGAPORE: A netizen online has questioned whether SPH Media staff recently featured for 'keeping print alive' in the city-state were among those affected by fresh retrenchments announced by SPH Media on Tuesday evening (July 22). 'Not sure whether any of those staff being celebrated earlier on were retrenched by SPH,' the user wrote on r/singapore. Another commenter said, 'Ouch… Just one week apart… does not look good.' On Tuesday, SPH Media chief executive Chan Yeng Kit announced in an internal e-mail that 11 production workers would be laid off. The affected staff had been operating two of the company's six printing presses, as well as handling newspaper distribution duties, The Straits Times reported. The cuts follow the decommissioning of two 30-year-old Colorliner printing presses, which the company said had reached the end of their operational lifespan. These were made by Manroland Goss Web Systems and were first used in 1996. Printing operations are being shifted to the four remaining Commander presses from Koenig & Bauer, which were deployed in 2003. These newer machines can print up to 56 broadsheet colour pages and produce up to 72,000 copies per hour. An SPH Media spokeswoman told The Straits Times that the changes allow the company to 'maintain quality printing operations and improve process efficiency.' 'Regrettably, the changes have also resulted in redundancies across 11 job roles in SPH Media's production division,' she added. She also noted that the company explored redeployment opportunities but found no suitable placements for the affected workers. Just last week, The Straits Times featured several decades-long serving staff behind what's 'keeping print alive' in Singapore. The featured employees included 60-year-old Abdul Razak, who joined the pre-press team over three decades ago and now works as a senior pre-press specialist; 56-year-old production manager Sumithy Kamalakaran; 64-year-old senior production manager Phua Kia Wah; 63-year-old assistant production manager Suhaimi Hamzah; and 55-year-old printing line chief Low Kok Siong, among others. /TISG Read also: SPH Media lays off 34 tech staff after reportedly claiming 'no such exercise' days earlier—The Edge Singapore reports () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Times
The same, but different: our new website explained
People generally take a dim view of unexpected change in the daily staples of their lives, including the design of their newspapers. So the top brass here were prepared for a bit of flak when they overhauled our digital offering. A lot of the rumpus centred on problems with finding items that had previously been reached with a couple of nonchalant clicks, but to judge by readers' comments and emails, most are getting their bearings again. One aspect of our overhauled website and app that may be less obvious to readers is that it completes the transition away from so-called edition-based publishing, an approach inherited from print that does not work well for fast-moving online news. Again, some readers, used to a once or twice-daily serving of stories, have found this disconcerting, such as Tim Dawson, who was puzzled not to have been able to track down online a piece he had read in print. 'I had assumed that all of your daily content was available via the app and the website,' Tim said. 'Is this not the case, and if it is not, how much of the content is not offered via the app and the website?' Our head of digital, Edward Roussel, explained why an article might appear in print but not digital. Breaking news stories appear first online and in the app. A version is later prepared for print. There is no value in taking the print article and publishing it online as we would be duplicating stories. In other words, the print and digital articles may be substantially different. Second, he said, we edit the app in the same way as we edit print. That is to say, we determine an optimum number of daily stories, across a dozen broad areas of coverage, and focus on the quality of those stories. 'One thing we don't do,' Edward stressed, 'is simply dump all print stories online.' That used to happen at many newspapers in times gone by, but it does not make for a happy reading experience. We publish on average 185 stories a day digitally. A midweek edition of the print newspaper, consisting of the main section and Times2, has about 140 to 150, but when you add Bricks & Mortar, The Game and all the weekend sections, the daily average exceeds 200. So, yes, it's true some print stories do not appear in our digital editions — but, given that a digital facsimile of the print paper is available in the Live app, on the website and even as a standalone app, no one need miss a word. The eagle eye of Stephen Pilbeam of Southampton alighted on a divot in our report on the dentist who unexpectedly found himself playing in the US Open. 'You say Matt Vogt has struggled with 'the Wurlitzer of emotions he has ridden since he qualified'. I suggest Mr Vogt may have ridden emotional rollercoasters, waltzers and whirlwinds, but merely played a Wurlitzer.' Hole in one. The Wurlitzer firm, founded in 1850s Cincinnati, began by importing musical instruments from Germany and moved into making pianos and then the organs that accompanied silent films. Jukeboxes followed — but no modes of transport, unless you count the organ that rises out of a pit in Blackpool Tower. In time the jukebox and organ operations split, but both were eventually owned by Gibson, the guitar brand favoured by Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Angus Young of AC/DC, not to mention James Hetfield of Metallica. I don't think we can claim, though, that Vogt felt as if he had been thunderstruck, or riding the lightning. I must confess I've not read Ronald McIntosh's 1990 blockbuster Hyphenation: Discussion of the Changing Principles of Word Division, so I am not an authority on a subject considered 'stretchingly difficult' by Fowler's, but our style guide has wise advice on hyphens, which boils down to: use sparingly. They are tolerated in words with prefixes to prevent a collision of identical letters, as in co-opt and pre-empt, and likewise in composite terms such as cut-throat. Which will not, you might think, be much comfort to Dale Savage of Loughton, who complained: 'Your paper seems to have dispensed with the hyphen when appending a prefix to another word. This creates confusion to the eye and brain, trying to figure out what this strange new word is. When modifying a word with a prefix, please use a hyphen. The worst and most common example is 'miniseries'.' I can see that 'miniseries' looks like the love child of miseries and ministries, which sounds like gripping TV and is presumably why our style guide does prescribe a hyphen in mini-series. When it comes to radioisotopes, though, we're less accommodating. The outing for the cod-Latin motor bus poem last week was a trip down memory lane for David Marchant of Kent and Nuala Lonie of Linlithgow. For David it brought back Latin for Today and translating Fabula de Petro Cuniculo for bedtime stories — 'still a standard joke in my family as we recall Dominus McGregor'. Nuala impressively 'dredged up from memory' some extra couplets I had not included. Peter Lowthian of Marlow was thinking about Tolkien — who, you may recall, didn't write the poem. He had been to an exhibition at the British Library that 'featured some of Tolkien's correspondence, including a fan letter from Joni Mitchell, which I suspect impressed me more than it did him. Quite a few people wrote to him in the languages he invented, which Tolkien corrected in red ink and sent straight back again.' One of those red marks would have ornamented my column last week, for I erroneously referred to 'Elvish languages' when I clearly meant 'Elven' — many thanks to Ben Rapp for setting me straight on the correct way to refer to imaginary tongues. Write to Feedback by emailing feedback@ or by post to 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Shepparton News ends daily print editions as readers move online
Sylvia Campbell has fond memories of her late husband flicking through the local daily newspaper, Shepparton News. The northern Victorian paper was a fixture in the Campbell house and once it was read would be taken to the neighbour, sharing the cost. "If I was lucky and it did not go next door, I would get to read the paper but half the time it had gone before I got back home. "But he has been gone now nearly 11 years, so just one less expense for me when you are on your own." The 84-year-old said she still occasionally picked up the paper and would often hear about its news through a close friend who bought the paper every day. But that will come to an end soon. McPherson Media Group announced last week that Shepparton News and another of its papers, Echuca's Riverine Herald, will become twice-weekly print editions. The Riverine Herald was printed three times a week. The company, which has run Shepparton News for 135 years, said the change would start on July 14 with printed editions on Tuesdays and Fridays. It said it would provide daily news updates on its digital platforms through an upgraded mobile app, newsletters and audio bulletins. Executive chairman Ross McPherson told the ABC's Statewide Drive program the company was adapting to fundamental changes in the industry. "We need to provide the kind of service they are looking for." Mr McPherson said the company had been considering the move for years. "Most of our print readers are the older age groups and they are gradually dying," he said. "Few under 50 pick up a print paper as often as they used to. Ms Campbell is the vice-president of the Shepperton Senior Citizens Club, which has about 90 members and has been operating for more than 65 years. "They are not helping the elderly at all," she said. "A lot of us do not have computers or laptops so that [the print paper] is where we get our information from. "It makes it very hard for the older ones." Deakin University Professor of Communication and Australian local news expert, Kristy Hess, said a national study conducted a few years ago found the demand for local print news remained strong. "People are very passionate about feeling a newspaper between their fingertips," she said. Professor Hess said it was important that the media industry's continued shift towards digital platforms factored in everyone's needs. "I have long highlighted that that shift has to be slow to accommodate older audiences to address issues of digital literacy," she said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RedBird Capital Partners Announces Agreement To Acquire Telegraph Media Group
RedBird Capital Partners has today announced an in-principle agreement to acquire the Telegraph Media Group, becoming the sole control owner, which unlocks a new era of growth for the 170-year-old title RedBird's growth strategy will include capital investment in digital operations, subscriptions and journalism as it looks to expand The Telegraph internationally RedBird is in discussions with select UK-based minority investors with print media expertise and strong commitment to upholding the editorial values of The Telegraph International Media Investments ("IMI") will participate as a minority investor subject to ongoing secondary legislation NEW YORK, May 23, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RedBird Capital Partners ("RedBird") today announced that it has reached an in-principle agreement to acquire The Telegraph Media Group ("The Telegraph" or "TMG") at a total enterprise valuation of £500m, becoming the sole control owner. It is the largest investment in UK print media in a decade and unlocks a new era of growth for the 170-year-old title. RedBird's growth strategy will include capital investment in the group's digital operations to continue driving subscriptions, using best in class data analytics and Artificial Intelligence tools to expand the value proposition to its core subscriber base and potential new subscribers. RedBird will build on the strong financial foundations established by the current management team and will work with them to grow the brand internationally, with a focus on the United States where RedBird has a strong strategic presence across news, media and sports. Together, RedBird and TMG senior leadership will work to develop new content verticals in areas such as travel and events to maximise the commercial opportunities from a growing international and mass affluent subscriber base. With this transaction, RedBird has emerged as one of the largest investors in UK media, sports and entertainment, with a portfolio including Premier League Champion Liverpool FC; All3Media, the UK's largest independent television, film and digital production and distribution company; Fulwell Entertainment, one of the UK's leading television, film and music production companies; Build a Rocket Boy, one of the UK's largest independent video gaming and entertainment studios; and the pending acquisition of the UK's Channel 5 as a result of Skydance Entertainment's merger with Paramount Global. Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird, said: "This transaction marks the start of a new era for The Telegraph as we look to grow the brand in the UK and internationally, invest in its technology and expand its subscriber base. We believe that the UK is a great place to invest, and this acquisition is an important part of RedBird's growing portfolio of media and entertainment companies in the UK. Having now spent time with Chris Evans, Anna Jones and the entire senior management team at The Telegraph, we have tremendous conviction in the growth potential of this incredibly important cultural institution." "RedBird has a 30-year track record partnering with iconic, longstanding brands and supporting their underlying intellectual property for new forms of monetisation. We are looking forward to working with The Telegraph's exceptional leadership to deliver a growth plan that takes The Telegraph's journalism to new audiences around the world." "I also want to thank the Independent Directors and Deputy Chairman, Lord Black, for their tireless work and unwavering commitment to seeing this sale process through over the last two years. With this announcement, we are now looking forward to working with the Independent Directors and UK government regulators to complete our acquisition process." Chris Evans, Editor of The Daily Telegraph, said: "The Telegraph has made enormous progress in recent years since the launch of its digital subscriptions strategy, thanks to the hard work of its brilliant staff. But there is much more that can be achieved. With the right plan and the right investment by ambitious new owners, this venerable title can look forward to an era of unprecedented success." Anna Jones, CEO of Telegraph Media Group, said: "Telegraph Media Group is an award-winning news media organisation, with exceptional journalism at its heart, supported by leading commercial expertise, a commitment to innovation and a laser focus on data to drive strategy. RedBird Capital Partners have exciting growth plans that build on our success - and will unlock our full potential across the breadth of our business." RedBird has ambitious growth plans that focus on investing in top journalistic talent, from award-winning reporters to opinion-leading commentators. It will also remove barriers to growth and accelerate the transition to digital, building on The Telegraph's success as 'Website of the Year' at the UK Press Awards for two consecutive years. A key part of RedBird's strategy is expanding The Telegraph's global reach, particularly in the United States, leveraging the title's iconic brand and authoritative reporting to drive new audiences seeking world class independent journalism. Collaboration across RedBird's portfolio will create unique partnership opportunities, blending tradition with innovation to expand The Telegraph's position as a global leader in quality journalism. RedBird is in discussions with select UK-based minority investors with print media expertise and strong commitment to upholding the editorial values of The Telegraph. International Media Investments ("IMI") will also participate in the acquisition as a minority investor, subject to the passage of secondary legislation regarding foreign ownership thresholds. RedBird Capital Partners was founded in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, a leading investor and philanthropist with significant experience in building multi-billion-dollar iconic intellectual property companies. Managing a global portfolio of sports, media and entertainment, and financial services companies, RedBird spans ten offices worldwide, serving blue-chip institutional and family office investors seeking unique, transformative and differentiated investment opportunities across these three industry verticals. RedBird's flagship investments include Skydance Media (Larry and David Ellison) and its pending merger with Paramount Global; All3 Media; AC Milan; Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, PGA Tour); the Yankees Entertainment & Sports ("YES") Network (New York Yankees and Amazon); Artists Equity (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon); Fulwell Entertainment (Ben Winston, James Corden and Maverick Carter); the United Football League (Disney/ESPN, Fox and Dwayne Johnson); the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals; and Formula One's Alpine Racing team. RedBird also has a strong foothold in the financial services sector through a broad investment portfolio across insurance, specialty finance and wealth management, including Arax, one of the fastest growing wealth management platforms in the US that RedBird has scaled to $27 billion of AUM; Aquarian, a diversified life and annuity carrier and asset management platform with $20 billion in assets; and Bishop Street Underwriters, which recently acquired Landmark Underwriting, a specialty-focused managing general agent based in London, to expand its reach into the UK insurance market. About RedBird Capital Partners RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm that builds high-growth companies with strategic capital solutions to founders and entrepreneurs. The firm currently manages $12 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of blue-chip institutional and family office investors. Founded in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, RedBird integrates sophisticated private equity investing with a hands-on business-building mandate that focuses on three core industry verticals – Sports, Media & Entertainment, and Financial Services. Over his 30-year investment career, Cardinale has partnered with founders and entrepreneurs to build some of the most iconic growth companies in their respective industries. For more information, please go to View source version on Contacts Hanbury Strategy - UK Media RedBirdCapital@ Gagnier Communications - US Media RedBird@
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Breezy Knits for Warmer Weather
A version of this article appears in print on, Page 48 of T Magazine with the headline: Into the Light
