In host of challenges, NYT's future hinges on one

That is management's decision about whether to charge consumers to read content on its Website, says MarketWatch media columnist Jon Friedman. "Times people stress that Arthur Sulzberger Jr. (left), chairman and publisher, and Janet Robinson, the parent company's president and chief executive, have thoroughly researched the pros and cons of charging for content,'' Friedman writes today. "But as the media world has waited for the Times to do something, its top management has maddeningly shuffled its feet on this crucial issue."

Against that backdrop, Friedman predicts the New York Times Co. will get a takeover offer this year -- mostly like from growing business media giant Bloomberg LP.

Earlier: NYT Co. shares close at new 52-week high

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