Thursday, April 24, 2014

New York Times Not Quite Keeping Up

The New York Times reports that advertising revenues are up 3.4% from a year ago. But, operating expenses are up 3.8%*. From Poynter:
Both digital and print advertising revenue rose, for a combined total that was 3.4 percent higher than the same period in 2013.
. . .
The company says it now has about 799,000 digital-only subscribers, an increase of 39,000 over the first quarter of 2013. Circulation revenues were up 2.1 percent. It expects circulation revenue “to increase in the low-single digits in the second quarter of 2014″ over the same period in 2013.

The company’s operating costs went up 3.8 percent, “mainly due to higher compensation and benefits expenses associated with the strategic growth initiatives as well as higher retirement costs,” the earnings report says.
[emphasis added]
Higher compensation and benefits expenses? Higher retirement costs? Wonder what that will be like when the effect of Obamacare on health insurance premiums kicks in. Not to mention the minimum wage (old $8/hr kind not the $10/hr kind NYT favors for other businesses) that NYT just started paying academic interns.

http://investors.nytco.com/press/press-releases/press-release-details/2014/The-New-York-Times-Company-Reports-2014-First-Quarter-Results/default.aspx
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*though adjusted operating costs (depreciation, amortization, etc.) were up only 3.2%

4 comments:

MAX Redline said...

Lots of negative numbers on the Grey Lady's balance sheet.

T. D. said...

Though you wouldn't know it from the tone of the Poynter story. Because of the continuing decline of newspaper revenue any sort of plus in advertising revenue is "big news" for the newspaper industry. Even if the bottom line gets smaller and smaller.

MAX Redline said...

"Well, we still have our shorts!"

T. D. said...

Interesting, isn't it, that NYT is supposed to be doing really well comparatively because of their paywall. Apparently, even the top is not doing great--though not yet sinking like many of the others.