'The Daily' Lays Off 30% of Staff, Switches to Vertical-Only Design to Cut Costs

MacRumors · Jul 31, 2012, 03:04 PM

News Corp.'s celebrated tablet newspaper The Daily will lay off 50 of its 170 employees and slash costs by creating all digital pages in the newspaper in vertical format only, rather than designing pages in both vertical and horizontal formats, among other things, reports All Things Digital:

Quote:

Employees who produce the paper's editorial page and sports coverage will be heavily hit by the layoffs, and the Daily will run skeletal versions of those sections from now on. But the cuts will affect other parts of the Daily, including its design and production staff.

[...]

But people familiar with the paper's plans say it isn't changing other parts of its strategy, including a recent move to produce a weekend edition.

Earlier this month, it was reported that The Daily had been put "on watch" and that the iPad newspaper was losing tens of millions of dollars a year.

Pricing for the iPad version of The Daily is currently set at $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year via In App Subscription, with the iPhone version being offered at roughly half-price on monthly and yearly subscriptions.

Article Link: 'The Daily' Lays Off 30% of Staff, Switches to Vertical-Only Design to Cut Costs

Jodles · Jul 31, 2012, 03:16 PM

It's such a cool app, but horrible journalism... Definitely a great way to present news on a tablet device instead of trying to emulate a newspaper format. Just sort the journalism out!

sazivad · Jul 31, 2012, 03:16 PM

It was News Corp. anyway.

Jodles · Jul 31, 2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sazivad

It was News Corp. anyway.

Point...

HitchHykr · Jul 31, 2012, 03:35 PM

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

starbird · Jul 31, 2012, 03:36 PM

The should consider selling the app, so to speak. Just a though.

tazhombre · Jul 31, 2012, 03:45 PM

Vertical only? I use my iPad in horizontal 98% of the time. Guess I won't be considering using it any time soon.

JoEw · Jul 31, 2012, 03:53 PM

great great platform to deliver news the app has an amazing UI, to bad the articles just suck... It doesn't matter how you present the content, if the content is crap. It won't be successful. The Daily has proven this.

Codyak · Jul 31, 2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

How can you not hate on Fox News?

tasset · Jul 31, 2012, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

Well if the editorials didn't cater to the 1% and iDevice-less rural yokels who support them, perhaps their subscription base could have been sustainable!
I did like the app design though. Shame.

Queso · Jul 31, 2012, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

Mate, they hacked the voicemail of a brutally murdered teenager, just to get a story. How low would they have to go before you see them for what they are?

imageWIS · Jul 31, 2012, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

There's a lot to hate.

ChrisA · Jul 31, 2012, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodles

It's such a cool app, but horrible journalism... Definitely a great way to present news on a tablet device instead of trying to emulate a newspaper format. Just sort the journalism out!

And now that they have fired most of their editorial staff we can expect even worse writing. That is a sure way to die. People only buy a newspaper because they expect better content than they get on the free web sites.

riverfreak · Jul 31, 2012, 04:36 PM

LOL moment of the day. They're going to save costs by only publishing the digital edition in a vertical format?

News Corp is known for its shoddy and unethical journalism. Is it any wonder they can't hire developers smart enough to separate content from formatting and deliver their crappy product in any format and layout they choose with virtually no effort?

That is just sad and pathetic. They need The Bobs to come in and do some corporate restructuring. Is this good for the company?

Proving once again that mediocrity attracts mediocrity, and then it reproduces.

rollinginthemud · Jul 31, 2012, 04:37 PM

Really the only good thing about the Daily was Dear Coquette.

quasinormal · Jul 31, 2012, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

Cue in a punch in the face from Wendi.

It is not about hate. It is about News Ltd perverting democracy. I have literally bumped into pre fox/NYT/LT/sky Rupert a couple of times in my younger days. He seemed like a very decent bloke at the time.

Sadly i think age has gotten the better of poor old Rupe. Time for Wendi to kick some liberal butt.

BC2009 · Jul 31, 2012, 05:03 PM

I got free trials of The Daily several times, but every time it did not keep me engaged enough to even read the issues they gave me for free.

1) It rarely was "up-to-date" when I launched it -- instead I had to wait for it to update to the latest issue

2) The reporting was nothing great except for a couple of articles here and there (I liked their piece on the revolution in Egypt)

3) The layout and design were cool, but I prefer something simpler like the USA Today app's layout (simple sections, tappable videos, horizontal swipe between stories, vertical swipe between pages of same story and advertisements that are easy to dismiss). The Daily added bells and whistles I did not really need.

I wanted to like The Daily, but it has never really kept me engaged.

Shaun, UK · Jul 31, 2012, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

There are good reasons why so many people hate the Murdoch media.

Why don't you just express your own view rather than trying to goad people.

NorCalLights · Jul 31, 2012, 06:24 PM

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the problem with The Daily isn't too many layouts... the problem is bad journalism.

Laying off employees hasn't saved the local print newspaper, and it won't save this newfangled digital one either. If News Corp is serious about saving this property, it's time to double down and start publishing the real, compelling journalism that well-educated, young-professional readers are interested in. That's how you grow a readership.

Oh wait... I forgot... real, compelling journalism is at odds with the close-minded political views of the parent company. Good luck...

WilliamLondon · Jul 31, 2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HitchHykr

Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...

I'm sure this has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that News Corp is splitting and trying to make the non-broadcast side of the company appear more valuable. They're doing it in other areas of the company, for example, the London Times just increased its price (hugely) and cut its content at the same time.

I'm sure that has nothing at all to do with trying to create a corporation that is lean and looks to be worth more than it actually is, due to excessive cost cutting and short term price increases (intending to drive revenue).

It's a well known trick companies do to make themselves more appealing before a sale or valuation.

Oh, and it's crap journalism, but then so is everything Murdoch owns.

Earendil · Jul 31, 2012, 07:45 PM

Politics and good journalism aside, I hope and assume that "cutting 50 employees" will save 1000x more than it took the one dev and one layout guy to get the horizontal content correct? And yet horizontal content is arguably one of the biggest features of the application. Dear goodness what are they thinking.

I'm no media expert, but I served as the chief photo editor for a student run college paper for a year. It was a weekly, but the bright students I worked with had no problem laying out a 12 page paper in 4-8 hours on a Sunday night before the 6am print. Obviously there are differences of format and quality, but the cost savings, if you're doing it right, can't be THAT much.

BornAgainMac · Jul 31, 2012, 08:06 PM

Didn't see a difference from other news outlets. For the haters, what do you recommend for news? How do you know that source is accurate and ethical?

Aqua Bliss · Jul 31, 2012, 08:13 PM

Dear Daily, if you change to Vertical only, I am cancelling my subscription. I loathe using my iPad vertically.

Surely this move will cause additional layoffs - pick horizontal for the sake of your few remaining employees.

Rocketman · Jul 31, 2012, 08:25 PM

The Daily is an example of the RDF working in a real way.

Badandy · Jul 31, 2012, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tasset

Well if the editorials didn't cater to the 1%...

Uggh. Barf.

Jul 31, 2012, 03:16 PM	#3
sazivad macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: New Jersey	It was News Corp. anyway. __________________ My devices: iPod touch, MacBook Air. • StarCraft II is a fun game.
	12

Jul 31, 2012, 03:36 PM	#6
starbird macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2010	Perhaps... The should consider selling the app, so to speak. Just a though. __________________  Verizon iPhone 5 Black (32GB)  iPad (32GB Black WiFi 3rd gen)  20" iMac Core2Duo  2nd gen TV  Proud to be an 'iSheep' 
	0

Jul 31, 2012, 03:45 PM	#7
tazhombre macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2008	Vertical only? I use my iPad in horizontal 98% of the time. Guess I won't be considering using it any time soon. __________________ Too much  stuff to list...
	6

Jul 31, 2012, 03:53 PM	#8
JoEw macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2009	great great platform to deliver news the app has an amazing UI, to bad the articles just suck... It doesn't matter how you present the content, if the content is crap. It won't be successful. The Daily has proven this. __________________ 27" iMac, 2.66 GHz Intel Quad-Core i5, 12GB RAM, 1TB HD & SSD 256GB, iPhone 5 32GB Black, iPad 4th Generation 16GB Black, TV 3rd Generation iPod Nano 7th Yellow
	9

Jul 31, 2012, 07:45 PM	#21
Earendil macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Washington	Politics and good journalism aside, I hope and assume that "cutting 50 employees" will save 1000x more than it took the one dev and one layout guy to get the horizontal content correct? And yet horizontal content is arguably one of the biggest features of the application. Dear goodness what are they thinking. I'm no media expert, but I served as the chief photo editor for a student run college paper for a year. It was a weekly, but the bright students I worked with had no problem laying out a 12 page paper in 4-8 hours on a Sunday night before the 6am print. Obviously there are differences of format and quality, but the cost savings, if you're doing it right, can't be THAT much. __________________ Current: MacMini 2ghz / iPod Touch 2g / iPhone 4g Retired: Alum Powerbook 1.25ghz / 4gb iPod Mini "ooo! They have the internet on computers now!" - Homer J. Simpson
	2

Jul 31, 2012, 03:16 PM	#2
Jodles macrumors regular Join Date: Dec 2008	It's such a cool app, but horrible journalism... Definitely a great way to present news on a tablet device instead of trying to emulate a newspaper format. Just sort the journalism out!
	10

Jul 31, 2012, 03:35 PM	#5
HitchHykr macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Virginia	Queue in the Fox News/News Corp/Rupert Murdoch haters in 3...2...1...
	5

Jul 31, 2012, 04:36 PM	#14
riverfreak macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Park City, UT/Livingston, MT/Santa Fe, NM, USA; GRO, Mexico	LOL moment of the day. They're going to save costs by only publishing the digital edition in a vertical format? News Corp is known for its shoddy and unethical journalism. Is it any wonder they can't hire developers smart enough to separate content from formatting and deliver their crappy product in any format and layout they choose with virtually no effort? That is just sad and pathetic. They need The Bobs to come in and do some corporate restructuring. Is this good for the company? Proving once again that mediocrity attracts mediocrity, and then it reproduces.
	6

Jul 31, 2012, 04:37 PM	#15
rollinginthemud macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2011	Really the only good thing about the Daily was Dear Coquette.
	1

Jul 31, 2012, 05:03 PM	#17
BC2009 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2009	I got free trials of The Daily several times, but every time it did not keep me engaged enough to even read the issues they gave me for free. 1) It rarely was "up-to-date" when I launched it -- instead I had to wait for it to update to the latest issue 2) The reporting was nothing great except for a couple of articles here and there (I liked their piece on the revolution in Egypt) 3) The layout and design were cool, but I prefer something simpler like the USA Today app's layout (simple sections, tappable videos, horizontal swipe between stories, vertical swipe between pages of same story and advertisements that are easy to dismiss). The Daily added bells and whistles I did not really need. I wanted to like The Daily, but it has never really kept me engaged.
	0

Jul 31, 2012, 06:24 PM	#19
NorCalLights macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006	I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the problem with The Daily isn't too many layouts... the problem is bad journalism. Laying off employees hasn't saved the local print newspaper, and it won't save this newfangled digital one either. If News Corp is serious about saving this property, it's time to double down and start publishing the real, compelling journalism that well-educated, young-professional readers are interested in. That's how you grow a readership. Oh wait... I forgot... real, compelling journalism is at odds with the close-minded political views of the parent company. Good luck...
	8

Jul 31, 2012, 08:06 PM	#22
BornAgainMac macrumors 601 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Florida Resident	Didn't see a difference from other news outlets. For the haters, what do you recommend for news? How do you know that source is accurate and ethical?
	0

Jul 31, 2012, 08:13 PM	#23
Aqua Bliss macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2010	Dear Daily, if you change to Vertical only, I am cancelling my subscription. I loathe using my iPad vertically. Surely this move will cause additional layoffs - pick horizontal for the sake of your few remaining employees.
	0

Jul 31, 2012, 08:25 PM	#24
Rocketman macrumors 601 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Claremont, CA	The Daily is an example of the RDF working in a real way. __________________ Think Different-ly! The President campaigned against Congress. D Sen is led by D Sen ML Reid and D VP and Sen Pres Biden, under orders of D Pres Obama. http://www.gop.gov/indepth/jobs/tracker
	3

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