Washington Post

News Byte

Washington Post Finishes Digg Deal

Peter Kafka in Media on May 10 at 4:00 am PT

The Washington Post has closed its deal to acquire some of Digg’s technology staff, who will go to work for SocialCode, a Washington Post subsdiary that helps marketers buy ads on Facebook and Twitter. AllThingsD had previously reported that the Digg hires would work alongside the team that built the paper’s Social Reader; that team works for WaPo Labs, a different subsidiary.

News Byte

Paid Newspaper Aggregator Ongo Shuts Down

Peter Kafka in Media on May 8 at 1:12 pm PT

Ongo, a newspaper-backed startup that tried to sell digital subscriptions to a variety of publications, is shuttering after less than two years. The New York Times, the Washington Post and Gannett each put a reported $4 million into the company, but it never got traction with subscribers. Nieman Journalism Lab has a good exit interview with CEO Dan Haarmann, who blames Apple’s subscription policy, among other factors, for the company’s failure.

News Byte

Warren Buffett Says He May Buy More Newspapers

Peter Kafka in Media on May 5 at 2:24 pm PT

Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, who owns the Buffalo News, the Omaha World-Herald and a big chunk of the Washington Post, told shareholders today that he may buy more newspapers. “I think there is a future for newspapers that exist in an area where there is a sense of community,” he said. “I think the economics will be ok, but it will be nothing like the old days.”