Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg cares about New York's media scene. As well he should: he owns most of it. So you would think that Mike's ideas on how to fix the current state of the industry's tailspin would sound a little bit more informed, and less like something pulled out of a desperate last bid by the same companies he's trying to save:


Bloomberg:

To this end, the Bloomberg administration is launching an initiative to boost the media industry, as the city’s Economic Development Corporation is searching for a consultant to craft a report on the state of the industry and give recommendations to bolster its growth in coming years. The media industry is one of the largest in the city, accounting for more than 160,000 jobs and $15 billion in wages, and occupying more than 14 percent of Manhattan’s office space. EDC envisions the study as a yearlong effort that would include CEO round tables, workshops with industry professionals and suggested policy actions to bolster the industry.

Portfolio:

"We’ve had more meetings,” said the magazine’s editor, Joanne Lipman. “And one of the things we did is we made a list of every writer we had and what stories they’re working on, and asked how their pieces are relevant, and has the landscape changed in a way to reshape their stories.”

Really? More meetings are the answer here? Throwing money at consultants won't help fix the problem, because we already know what the problem is: lack of ad dollars. It's less about the Internet stealing old media's job and more about everyone suffering. And ignoring that problem will lead to stupid decisions, like Portfolio's, to cut back their website to force readers into picking up their magazine for business news.