The resurgent San Francisco Chronicle

When newspapers took a nosedive in the late 2000s, it appeared as if the San Francisco Chronicle might be one of the industry’s biggest casualties. The paper reportedly was bleeding at least $50 million per year from its parent Hearst, a situation worsened by protracted labor negotiations, declining print revenue and a big newsroom payroll.
A lot has changed since then. Hearst withdrew its threat to close or sell the newspaper after taking steps to rein in spending. The Chronicle has a new editor in chief, Audrey Cooper, and a new publisher, Jeff Johnson. And, since 2013, the Chronicle no longer operates in the red.
So, what happened? How did the Chronicle stop hemorrhaging money and turn into a profitable enterprise? Much of it has to do with cost-saving decisions made in the depths of the Great Recession, namely cutting staff, shuttering its printing plant and renegotiating labor contracts. The Chronicle also owes its financial revival to a series of new initiatives designed to replace the traditional mainstay for newspapers: print display advertising, which continues to decline.
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