Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?

From Canada:

• CRTC denies BCE’s bid to acquire Astral [CRTC] (via @jsource)
• Traditional sources still continue to be Canadians' favoured way to get news [Canadian Magazines]
• Blogger Scott Bullock looks at advertiser interest in Toronto's free city weeklies [Masthead]
• In Toronto, we’re dumping the j-school model to produce a new kind of reporter [Nieman Lab]
• Unions representing communications, paper industries merge [Masthead]
• The Globe to roll out metered paywall as industry shifts to digital revenue [Globe and Mail]

 

From the U.S. and beyond:

• How magazines will be changed forever [CNN] (via @mathewi)
• Gannett’s good earnings report could signal a turning point for newspaper organizations [Poynter]
• How to make your journalism project succeed on Kickstarter [Nieman Lab]
• The interns strike back -- British magazine settles for minimum wage [Canadian Magazines]
• Out Of The Ashes Of Dead Trees [The Daily Beast] (via @mediagazer)
• Blogger turns to tips, briefly becomes “best-paid” journalist in his country [Pando Daily] (via @mediagazer)
• Newsweek to reduce staff, eliminate print edition as it goes digital only in 2013 [Poynter]
• Creativity 'closely entwined with mental illness,' writers particularly susceptible [BBC] (via @omar_aok)
• So far, so good for digital magazine marketing launch Next Issue Media [Canadian Magazines]
• Gannett announces rise in circulation revenue, driven by paywalls [Mediabistro]

 

From Story Board last week:

• The good, the bad and the ugly of freelance work: Headline from today’s precarious work conference at Ryerson: freelancing for multiple clients can feel more secure than working for a single employer. That was a bright note for freelancing in the discussion so far, sounded by longtime freelancer Kim Pittaway...
• The Born Freelancer’s guide to healthy eating — Pt 1: Without a doubt the single most important asset we freelancers possess is our good health. 9 to 5ers can take sick days off and still get paid. If we don’t work we don’t get paid. Therefore it is necessary for the working freelancer to take responsibility for their health in order to maximize their earning potential...