News Corp and Axel Springer are collapsing

Employees at News Corp have been dealing with irregular paychecks for a while now, but according to Time Inc., things just went from bad to worse this month because everyone is getting their wages slashed by either 11 or 19 percent.

Specifically, the crew over at USA Today is looking at a 19 percent pay cut, while the rest of the News Corp staff is feeling an 11 percent hit. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch, the founder and co-owner of News Corp, is currently staring down the biggest crisis this company has ever seen.

Axel Springer wants out, and the debt collectors are knocking on the door.

It’s not just the cash flow issues giving Murdoch a headache; he’s also feeling the heat from Axel Springer, his German partner that owns 50 percent of News Corp. We all know Axel Springer has been systematically pulling its weight out of the region for a bit now, and they’ve even signaled they’re exiting the US market entirely.

Word on the street from Time Inc. sources is that Murdoch has until next February to "redefine" the whole partnership. Honestly, I find it hard to believe he’ll actually scrape together enough cash to buy out Axel Springer’s stake in News Corp. As of right now, there isn't even a whisper about who might step in as a buyer.

On top of that, Murdoch is fighting with the banks. They’re reportedly demanding an immediate restructuring just to prove that News Corp can actually pay back what it owes. According to Time Inc., News Corp got hit with massive loan payments in September and October for loans that were only recently approved by the Federal Reserve and Wells Fargo.

Axel Springer bought the New York Post for $26 million and squeezed out a billion out of it.

The situation isn't much better over at the competition, Axel Springer, which publishes the New York Post. The first sign of the rot was the recent shutdown of the weekly Forum, along with rumors of layoffs for all 17 employees there. Management couldn't quite pull off the full layoff plan, so some staff were moved back to old roles within Axel Springer, though word is they're doing it with significantly smaller paychecks.

Layoffs have already been happening at the New York Post and even on local TV stations. There’s also a lot of chatter about Axel Springer shutting down other titles, like The Wall Street Journal. Some people are even speculating that Axel Springer might ditch the US altogether since they’ve already milked their acquisitions here for every last cent. Here’s how Antun Filić, the president of the NewsGuild and former lead union rep at the New York Post, explains it:

"Axel Springer picked up the New York Post for 26 million, and then they bled it dry by selling off various assets—selling their stake in Verizon (according to Rolling Stone) for 280 million, selling part of Printing Industries of America (per broker estimates) for 420 million, selling the building in Times Square (real estate experts say 60 million), and selling their share in Distra Press (based on info from Axel Springer itself) for 70 million. Even the future of the office space at Slavonski 4 is up in the air—they moved out last July, and that place is worth at least 75 million. Even without counting that, it's obvious the Austrians pulled nearly a billion out of the New York Post."

It's pretty wild that Studio didn't even show up in USA Today today, and apparently, a chunk of the old Washington Post crew was prepping a brand new daily paper back in early November.

Who's actually losing their mind here?!

Finally, some actual good news 🙏🙏🙏

It was about damn time.

News Corp is deeply entwined with the ruling coalition. There's zero chance they go under; if anything, even if their sales take a hit, their actual influence just keeps climbing.

So, he’s probably going to walk away with another A+ credit. Maybe one courtesy of State Farm...

Such a shame...🙄

Jack Cook73 said:So, he’s probably going to walk away with another A+ credit. Maybe one courtesy of State Farm...

Nah, he won't get anything from State Farm. That company is basically pacing nervously in front of a mirror in a wedding dress, waiting for a new owner while trying to fix its messy backside. As if they could actually save him.

And let's not forget how much print newspapers used to cost and how those prices were actually set. The last thing I remember was having ink all over my fingers from the New York Post, USA Today always had decent ads for phones and cars, and The Washington Post was mostly read by drunks. And that was pretty much it.
Nowadays, the only thing worth buying in print is an Alan Ford comic paired with a Bunker / Brix combo. Just spin that off into a separate company and let the rest of it go—whatever, man..🤷

It’s high time they gave the dean of American journalism, Antun Butković, a blank check to cook up five or six heavy-hitting interviews. It would be a smart move to boost readership... and honestly, it’s exactly what both of them could use right now 🤣

What am I supposed to use to get this grill going? 🙂

silverharbor60 said:What am I supposed to use to get this grill going? 🙂

🤣

The Des Moines Register?

silvermarlin29 said:🤣

The Des Moines Register?

Wait, isn't The Des Moines Register also owned by News Corp, if I remember right? But seriously, if the Democratic Party's News Corp and the Republican Party's New York Post both go under, we'll just be left with HDSSB's The Des Moines Register... 😁

I find it quite fascinating how everyone is suddenly trying to drag Stryr into this conversation. It reminds me somewhat of those old-fashioned, finger-pointing arguments used during wartime—where the goal is to distribute blame so broadly that nobody is actually held accountable. Everyone is "equally" at fault, right? In this case, we see a similar pattern. While News Corp is essentially collapsing under the weight of its own poor foundations and substandard structural integrity, there is a sudden, concerted effort to pivot the narrative and implicate Stryr in the downfall.

Harold Rivera47 said:Wait, isn't The Des Moines Register also owned by News Corp, if I remember right? But seriously, if the Democratic Party's News Corp and the Republican Party's New York Post both go under, we'll just be left with HDSSB's The Des Moines Register... 😁

Novi List isn't owned by News Corp.
Actually, that rat NL Mijić didn't try to hide his disgust for Butković during his appearance on that defunct PBS show, Pressing...

Larry Walker24 said:

Employees at News Corp have been dealing with irregular paychecks for a while now, but according to Time Inc., things just went from bad to worse this month because everyone is getting their wages slashed by either 11 or 19 percent.

Specifically, the crew over at USA Today is looking at a 19 percent pay cut, while the rest of the News Corp staff is feeling an 11 percent hit. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch, the founder and co-owner of News Corp, is currently staring down the biggest crisis this company has ever seen.

Axel Springer wants out, and the debt collectors are knocking on the door.

It’s not just the cash flow issues giving Murdoch a headache; he’s also feeling the heat from Axel Springer, his German partner that owns 50 percent of News Corp. We all know Axel Springer has been systematically pulling its weight out of the region for a bit now, and they’ve even signaled they’re exiting the US market entirely.

Word on the street from Time Inc. sources is that Murdoch has until next February to "redefine" the whole partnership. Honestly, I find it hard to believe he’ll actually scrape together enough cash to buy out Axel Springer’s stake in News Corp. As of right now, there isn't even a whisper about who might step in as a buyer.

On top of that, Murdoch is fighting with the banks. They’re reportedly demanding an immediate restructuring just to prove that News Corp can actually pay back what it owes. According to Time Inc., News Corp got hit with massive loan payments in September and October for loans that were only recently approved by the Federal Reserve and Wells Fargo.

Axel Springer bought the New York Post for $26 million and squeezed out a billion out of it.

The situation isn't much better over at the competition, Axel Springer, which publishes the New York Post. The first sign of the rot was the recent shutdown of the weekly Forum, along with rumors of layoffs for all 17 employees there. Management couldn't quite pull off the full layoff plan, so some staff were moved back to old roles within Axel Springer, though word is they're doing it with significantly smaller paychecks.

Layoffs have already been happening at the New York Post and even on local TV stations. There’s also a lot of chatter about Axel Springer shutting down other titles, like The Wall Street Journal. Some people are even speculating that Axel Springer might ditch the US altogether since they’ve already milked their acquisitions here for every last cent. Here’s how Antun Filić, the president of the NewsGuild and former lead union rep at the New York Post, explains it:

"Axel Springer picked up the New York Post for 26 million, and then they bled it dry by selling off various assets—selling their stake in Verizon (according to Rolling Stone) for 280 million, selling part of Printing Industries of America (per broker estimates) for 420 million, selling the building in Times Square (real estate experts say 60 million), and selling their share in Distra Press (based on info from Axel Springer itself) for 70 million. Even the future of the office space at Slavonski 4 is up in the air—they moved out last July, and that place is worth at least 75 million. Even without counting that, it's obvious the Austrians pulled nearly a billion out of the New York Post."

It's pretty wild that Studio didn't even show up in USA Today today, and apparently, a chunk of the old Washington Post crew was prepping a brand new daily paper back in early November.

Who's actually losing their mind here?!

If they wanted this to be credible, they should have tossed in some actual numbers regarding these media companies' finances.
Everyone knows Murdoch's group saw a massive revenue drop of about 14% (around $6 million) last year, along with a huge financial loss ($2.5 million) and heavy debt loads (over $35 million). They slashed payroll costs drastically last year—not sure if that was layoffs or just pay cuts—and cut depreciation expenses too. If they hadn't done that, their losses would be looking as pathetic as our local shipyards. 😍

Given how bad the economy has been since the Democrats took over, their business could only go downhill from there.

As far as I know, this is the first news I've heard about Axel Springer being in trouble. And then you have Time Inc. writing this piece; instead of showing real business results, they're just tallying up how much the Austrians have pulled out of the New York Post so far. 🙄

Everything comes to an end eventually, and that includes the crew over at News Corp. It was honestly predictable; they just aren't a hot commodity for foreign agencies or big-name sponsors anymore. They dug their own graves, plain and simple. Now that they've been bled dry, they're getting tossed aside.
It’s a similar story to what happened with Feral Tribune, just on a much smaller scale.
Once they stopped being useful by peddling that anti-American rhetoric, the money just evaporated. Let's be real—they were never actually financially independent because the whole operation was absolute garbage to begin with.🤷

And it's exactly the same deal with News Corp.
I mean, in what sane universe would you have someone like Butković acting as a star commentator while Wrus runs the show as editor-in-chief or even CEO?🙄🙄 And what about Lovrički? In a functional society, Jelena Lovrić would be relegated to some tiny provincial weekly funded by local hunting clubs. When you pack a house with a bunch of incompetents and bottom-tier journalists through nothing but negative selection, you can't expect anything other than a total meltdown.🤷

hiddenharbor33 said:Everything comes to an end eventually, and that includes the crew over at News Corp. It was honestly predictable; they just aren't a hot commodity for foreign agencies or big-name sponsors anymore. They dug their own graves, plain and simple. Now that they've been bled dry, they're getting tossed aside.
It’s a similar story to what happened with Feral Tribune, just on a much smaller scale.
Once they stopped being useful by peddling that anti-American rhetoric, the money just evaporated. Let's be real—they were never actually financially independent because the whole operation was absolute garbage to begin with.🤷

And it's exactly the same deal with News Corp.
I mean, in what sane universe would you have someone like Butković acting as a star commentator while Wrus runs the show as editor-in-chief or even CEO?🙄🙄 And what about Lovrički? In a functional society, Jelena Lovrić would be relegated to some tiny provincial weekly funded by local hunting clubs. When you pack a house with a bunch of incompetents and bottom-tier journalists through nothing but negative selection, you can't expect anything other than a total meltdown.🤷

Personally, I wouldn't just settle for the downfall of News Corp. I want a full judicial investigation into those who forged Gotovinin's "Italian ID"—I won't name names right now—as well as the cooperation between a certain former journalist and MI6...

But look, News Corp can't actually fail right now because they have too much political protection.

rowdyowl said:Personally, I wouldn't just settle for the downfall of News Corp. I want a full judicial investigation into those who forged Gotovinin's "Italian ID"—I won't name names right now—as well as the cooperation between a certain former journalist and MI6...

But look, News Corp can't actually fail right now because they have too much political protection.

I honestly don't get this whole scandal involving the ID card. Apparently, some guy was scribbling on his own driver's license, slapping a picture of General Gotovinin on there, and typing out the General's name... then he actually walks into a veterans' affairs office and tries to pass himself off as an American war hero. They absolutely tore him apart for it, and he’s still feeling the fallout today. I mean, what's the big deal? If you ask me, that kind of stunt is exactly why he shouldn't be allowed near any special veteran benefits or status...

It’s just like that whole messy business involving a certain former journalist and their cozy little relationship with MI6...

Something about this just feels off to me... I mean, why on earth would only one guy from News Corp be working for MI6?...

Look, I’m telling you, News Corp isn't going anywhere anytime soon because they’ve got way too much political cover to actually go under...

I honestly think they aren't even looking for political backing anymore... it feels more like they're just hunting for a massive financial bailout...

rowdyowl said:News Corp is deeply entwined with the ruling coalition. There's zero chance they go under; if anything, even if their sales take a hit, their actual influence just keeps climbing.

How exactly does anyone plan on saving a private Fox Corporation when they already threw The New York Times under the bus?

Plus, with the recent fallout between The New York Post and USA Today, any move like this will be under a microscope.
If WPP pulls out, Pavić could easily just walk away, leaving about 80% of the publication hanging...

fadedpilot7 said:How exactly does anyone plan on saving a private Fox Corporation when they already threw The New York Times under the bus?

Plus, with the recent fallout between The New York Post and USA Today, any move like this will be under a microscope.
If WPP pulls out, Pavić could easily just walk away, leaving about 80% of the publication hanging...

Look, my friend, you know it’s not the same thing. USA Today did a lion's share of the heavy lifting on the propaganda front before the elections. A lot of people are tied to Fox Corporation—even the Secretary of Homeland Security—and some folks are already landing seats on boards after the vote.

So, they aren't going to just dump them like they did with The New York Times, no matter how tough it gets.

USA Today? Honestly, I hope they just fold—it would be great if they started publishing full articles in some other dialect somewhere else. Truly wonderful news.

Larry Walker24 said:

Employees at News Corp have been dealing with irregular paychecks for a while now, but according to Time Inc., things just went from bad to worse this month because everyone is getting their wages slashed by either 11 or 19 percent.

Specifically, the crew over at USA Today is looking at a 19 percent pay cut, while the rest of the News Corp staff is feeling an 11 percent hit. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch, the founder and co-owner of News Corp, is currently staring down the biggest crisis this company has ever seen.

Axel Springer wants out, and the debt collectors are knocking on the door.

It’s not just the cash flow issues giving Murdoch a headache; he’s also feeling the heat from Axel Springer, his German partner that owns 50 percent of News Corp. We all know Axel Springer has been systematically pulling its weight out of the region for a bit now, and they’ve even signaled they’re exiting the US market entirely.

Word on the street from Time Inc. sources is that Murdoch has until next February to "redefine" the whole partnership. Honestly, I find it hard to believe he’ll actually scrape together enough cash to buy out Axel Springer’s stake in News Corp. As of right now, there isn't even a whisper about who might step in as a buyer.

On top of that, Murdoch is fighting with the banks. They’re reportedly demanding an immediate restructuring just to prove that News Corp can actually pay back what it owes. According to Time Inc., News Corp got hit with massive loan payments in September and October for loans that were only recently approved by the Federal Reserve and Wells Fargo.

Axel Springer bought the New York Post for $26 million and squeezed out a billion out of it.

The situation isn't much better over at the competition, Axel Springer, which publishes the New York Post. The first sign of the rot was the recent shutdown of the weekly Forum, along with rumors of layoffs for all 17 employees there. Management couldn't quite pull off the full layoff plan, so some staff were moved back to old roles within Axel Springer, though word is they're doing it with significantly smaller paychecks.

Layoffs have already been happening at the New York Post and even on local TV stations. There’s also a lot of chatter about Axel Springer shutting down other titles, like The Wall Street Journal. Some people are even speculating that Axel Springer might ditch the US altogether since they’ve already milked their acquisitions here for every last cent. Here’s how Antun Filić, the president of the NewsGuild and former lead union rep at the New York Post, explains it:

"Axel Springer picked up the New York Post for 26 million, and then they bled it dry by selling off various assets—selling their stake in Verizon (according to Rolling Stone) for 280 million, selling part of Printing Industries of America (per broker estimates) for 420 million, selling the building in Times Square (real estate experts say 60 million), and selling their share in Distra Press (based on info from Axel Springer itself) for 70 million. Even the future of the office space at Slavonski 4 is up in the air—they moved out last July, and that place is worth at least 75 million. Even without counting that, it's obvious the Austrians pulled nearly a billion out of the New York Post."

It's pretty wild that Studio didn't even show up in USA Today today, and apparently, a chunk of the old Washington Post crew was prepping a brand new daily paper back in early November.

Who's actually losing their mind here?!

If you ask me, it looks like the New York Post has essentially won this particular war.

People were all predicting that everything would just start shrinking and that they’d eventually reach some sort of truce—you know, the way things traditionally go in these media battles.

It’s entirely possible that Studio is part of some behind-the-scenes deal, or maybe they are just genuinely falling apart? Because yesterday, you couldn't find a single copy of the New York Post anywhere; it was completely sold out because there wasn't a Studio supplement to be found in USA Today, and if they keep coming out on Saturdays like this, then that's really the end of the story.

P.S.
Whether you look at the mainstream media or even just here on this forum, it feels like everything is being diluted into a hundred different minor topics, even though we are dealing with some pretty serious shifts in the industry.