New board of directors proposed
for Star Tribune
Lenders have chosen a former Wall
Street Journal publisher, the head of a
major newspaper company and two
local businessmen. A publisher has
yet to be named.
By JENNIFER BJORHUS, Star Tribune
The Star Tribune's proposed board of directors
will include former Wall Street Journal publisher L.
Gordon Crovitz, the newspaper will announce
today.
Crovitz is one of four well-connected executives
that the newspaper's major secured lenders,
slated to own the Star Tribune after it exits
bankruptcy, have named to its proposed board.
The other three are Michael Sweeney, managing
partner of the Minneapolis private equity firm of
Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison; former
banker and investor William Farley of Minneapolis,
principal of Livingston Capital; and Michael Reed,
head of Fairport, N.Y.-based GateHouse Media
Inc., which owns hundreds of small newspapers
across the country.
Sweeney is to be the chairman of the board.
None of the four could immediately be reached
for comment.
The group of secured lenders will probably name
two more board members later, and pick a new
CEO for the Star Tribune before Sept. 17, when a
federal bankruptcy judge is expected to confirm
the company's plan of reorganization, said Brad
Pattelli, managing director of Angelo Gordon & Co.
Several internal and external candidates for CEO
have been interviewed.
Referring to the two open board spots, Pattelli
said: "I think we could use more strengths in
social networking and the online community
experience."
The Star Tribune's reorganization plan calls for its
major secured creditors to swap $430 million in
debt for control of the newspaper company plus
$100 million in new debt. If the reorganization
plan is confirmed, the newspaper will probably
emerge from Chapter 11 protection later in
September.
Angelo Gordon, a private equity group in New
York, is one of the largest holders of Star Tribune
secured debt and has been leading the group of
secured lenders in finding new management for
the newspaper. The group includes Wayzata
Investment Partners, a private equity firm in
Wayzata; investment bank Credit Suisse Group;
CIT Bank; and an affiliate of GE Capital. It's not
clear who the largest shareholder will be because
the Star Tribune's debt can continue to be traded
until it exits bankruptcy, Pattelli said.
Pattelli said he was "thrilled" with the board
decisions.
"We've got people who have figured out how to
build paid-content models. We've got people who
have built out strong local news organizations
and we've got guys with strong connections in the
local community," Pattelli said. "Collectively, it's
just a great skill set to have to provide the
guidance to the next management team."
Gordon Crovitz is credited with building the paid-
content model at the Wall Street Journal. "The
trick will be figuring out how to replicate that at a
metropolitan newspaper," Patelli said. "I know
Gordon has some ideas about that."
Crovitz was at Dow Jones & Co., owner of the
Wall Street Journal, for more than 25 years. He left
in 2007. Most recently he co-founded a startup in
New York called Journalism Online aimed at
helping publishers charge people for reading
stories online.
Angelo Gordon has attracted attention because of
its interest in distressed print media companies.
The firm is a lead secured creditor in the
bankruptcies of the Star Tribune, Philadelphia
Inquirer and the Tribune Co., which owns the
Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. It also
has a stake in American Media Inc., publisher of
the National Enquirer.
Pattelli said Angelo Gordon has no plans to push
for combining any of the publications.
"We view each of these situations as
independent," he said.
While he said it "makes a lot of sense" to combine
the Star Tribune with its crosstown rival, the St.
Paul Pioneer Press, he said that the group of Star
Tribune lenders has not spoken with Pioneer
Press owner MediaNews Group about that.
Pattelli said Angelo Gordon has been investing in
troubled news publications because it believes
that certain ones have a future.
"It's often times difficult being a contrarian," he
said. "We're certainly going into it with our eyes
wide open. We're believers in that form of media."
Pattelli said he considers the media
investments long term, but for an investment fund
such as his that could mean five to seven years.
"If we're being fair and rational about it, you have
to own this for the long term in order to be
successful," he said. "I don't think there's a near-
term strategy for success."
Pattelli said that the Star Tribune was attractive
because of its dominant position in the market
but that it needed to build a paid content model
Monday, August 31, 2009
CTI Launches Website for Women
Christianity Today Launches Website for Thoughtful, Influential Women
Carol Stream, IL August 31, 2009 -- Christianity Today International has launched Kyria.com, a resource for women who want to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and in faithfully influencing the people around them to respond to Christ.
Kyria.com is a web-based resource for these women that provides solid, strong teaching material, and helps women understand what it means to live out their gifts to make a kingdom impact within their local church and throughout the world.
Ginger Kolbaba, founding editor, says, “We’ve heard from many women who want something different from the women’s ministry resources and events that are designed simply to make women more comfortable. A lot of Christian women want materials that will make them think and grow, and will help them go beyond themselves to make disciples of others.”
Amy Simpson, publisher at Christianity Today International, adds, “With Kyria.com, we acknowledge that God has created, gifted, and chosen women to do his work and to build his church. Kyria.com equips women to use their gifts, take responsibility for their spiritual formation and discipling others, and fulfill the work God has called them to—through the power of his life-transforming and life-sustaining Spirit.”
Women can join Kyria.com for an introductory price of only $14.95 a year and get access to the following resources:
Hundreds of articles that encourage and motivate women to go deeper in their ministries, discipleship, spiritual formation, and relationships with others.
A monthly digital magazine that focuses on a specific spiritual discipline or spiritual theme. The inaugural issue, titled “Born Identity: Chosen in Christ. Called to Influence, is set to launch November 2009.
Twenty percent off all downloadable resources at KyriaStore.com—members can find personal growth tools and teaching materials to use within their ministries.
Kyria.com features a growing list of top-notch contributors, both established and fresh voices, to speak to women and call them to live more deeply.
To become a charter member of Kyria.com or give a gift to influential, thoughtful Christian women you know, visit http://kyria.com/membership/.
# # #
Christianity Today International publishes 9 print magazines and newsletters and operates an award-winning website reaching more than 2.5-million unique visitors monthly.
Carol Stream, IL August 31, 2009 -- Christianity Today International has launched Kyria.com, a resource for women who want to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and in faithfully influencing the people around them to respond to Christ.
Kyria.com is a web-based resource for these women that provides solid, strong teaching material, and helps women understand what it means to live out their gifts to make a kingdom impact within their local church and throughout the world.
Ginger Kolbaba, founding editor, says, “We’ve heard from many women who want something different from the women’s ministry resources and events that are designed simply to make women more comfortable. A lot of Christian women want materials that will make them think and grow, and will help them go beyond themselves to make disciples of others.”
Amy Simpson, publisher at Christianity Today International, adds, “With Kyria.com, we acknowledge that God has created, gifted, and chosen women to do his work and to build his church. Kyria.com equips women to use their gifts, take responsibility for their spiritual formation and discipling others, and fulfill the work God has called them to—through the power of his life-transforming and life-sustaining Spirit.”
Women can join Kyria.com for an introductory price of only $14.95 a year and get access to the following resources:
Hundreds of articles that encourage and motivate women to go deeper in their ministries, discipleship, spiritual formation, and relationships with others.
A monthly digital magazine that focuses on a specific spiritual discipline or spiritual theme. The inaugural issue, titled “Born Identity: Chosen in Christ. Called to Influence, is set to launch November 2009.
Twenty percent off all downloadable resources at KyriaStore.com—members can find personal growth tools and teaching materials to use within their ministries.
Kyria.com features a growing list of top-notch contributors, both established and fresh voices, to speak to women and call them to live more deeply.
To become a charter member of Kyria.com or give a gift to influential, thoughtful Christian women you know, visit http://kyria.com/membership/.
# # #
Christianity Today International publishes 9 print magazines and newsletters and operates an award-winning website reaching more than 2.5-million unique visitors monthly.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
How Far in Advance Are Obituaries Written?
From Slate:
Early Deadlines
How far in advance do newspapers write obituaries?
By Christopher Beam
It depends on the person. The vast majority of obituaries are written after someone dies, not before. But news organizations prepare so-called "advancers" in one of three situations: The subject is so famous that the paper would be embarrassed not to have an immediate package in the event of an untimely death; the subject is old or sick; or the subject is "at risk"—i.e., he's a drug addict or a stunt biker.
The first category is rarified: world leaders such as Barack Obama or Gordon Brown. The second category includes Sen. Kennedy and other figures over the average life expectancy of 75 or 80. (Even before Kennedy announced that he had brain cancer in May 2008, newspapers were preparing obituary packages.) Likewise, The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer had an obit ready for Pope John Paul II a full two years before his death.
Into the third category fall stars like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. When Jackson died at 50, the Los Angeles Times already had an obituary ready because he had a spotty health record. In 2008, when Spears' antics were regularly featured in the tabloids, the Associated Press prepared her obituary despite the fact that she was only 26 years old.
The obituary assignment process also depends on the subject. Big papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post have regular beat reporters write obituaries whenever possible. (For example, a Times political reporter wrote Kennedy's obit.) The rest are written by a designated obituary team consisting of an editor and a handful of writers. Sometimes those writers have expertise in a particular area, like sports or Hollywood, in which case they'll cover those subjects. But for the most part, obit writers are generalists.
Obituary writers have various ways of keeping tabs on who just died and who's near death. They peruse other papers and Web sites for death news and sometimes set up Google News Alerts for the phrase dies at, as in "Edwards Kennedy dies at 77." Another simple strategy is to pump beat reporters at their own paper for information about which of their sources or frequent subjects might be kicking the bucket soon. Writers also communicate with the subject's friends and family. The Washington Post, for example, checked in periodically with Kennedy's circle about the senator's health.
Occasionally, a news organization will set up a pre-interview with the subject for use in his or her obituary. In fact, in 2007, the New York Times began recording such interviews for use after the subject's death. Other times, the subject will approach the newspaper. For example, notorious lobbyist Edward von Kloberg III, who spent his career representing dictators like Saddam Hussein and the military regime in Burma, phoned the Post about an interview months in advance of his death.
How many obits do papers keep in the can? Depends on the organization's size and resources. The New York Times claims to have 1,200 "advancers" ready, the oldest written back in 1982. The Washington Post has about 150 prepped. Occasionally, this practice leads to embarrassment. Advance obituaries sometimes slip out, like when CNN mistakenly posted mock-ups of its obituary page for Dick Cheney in 2003. In 1998, the Associated Press mistakenly reported Bob Hope's death, which was then announced on the Senate floor. Other times, the subject outlives the author: By the time Gerald Ford died in December 2006, his obituary writer had been dead for 11 months.
The quickening news cycle makes obituary writing tricky. In the past, the worst time for someone to die was after your newspaper's 5 p.m. deadline, since writers would have to rush to get an obit in the next day's paper. But these days, just about any time is inconvenient, since news organizations are expected to have a profile ready hours after someone's death.
Explainer thanks Adam Bernstein of the Washington Post; Marilyn Johnson, author of The Dead Beat; and Claire Noland of the Los Angeles Times.
Early Deadlines
How far in advance do newspapers write obituaries?
By Christopher Beam
It depends on the person. The vast majority of obituaries are written after someone dies, not before. But news organizations prepare so-called "advancers" in one of three situations: The subject is so famous that the paper would be embarrassed not to have an immediate package in the event of an untimely death; the subject is old or sick; or the subject is "at risk"—i.e., he's a drug addict or a stunt biker.
The first category is rarified: world leaders such as Barack Obama or Gordon Brown. The second category includes Sen. Kennedy and other figures over the average life expectancy of 75 or 80. (Even before Kennedy announced that he had brain cancer in May 2008, newspapers were preparing obituary packages.) Likewise, The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer had an obit ready for Pope John Paul II a full two years before his death.
Into the third category fall stars like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. When Jackson died at 50, the Los Angeles Times already had an obituary ready because he had a spotty health record. In 2008, when Spears' antics were regularly featured in the tabloids, the Associated Press prepared her obituary despite the fact that she was only 26 years old.
The obituary assignment process also depends on the subject. Big papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post have regular beat reporters write obituaries whenever possible. (For example, a Times political reporter wrote Kennedy's obit.) The rest are written by a designated obituary team consisting of an editor and a handful of writers. Sometimes those writers have expertise in a particular area, like sports or Hollywood, in which case they'll cover those subjects. But for the most part, obit writers are generalists.
Obituary writers have various ways of keeping tabs on who just died and who's near death. They peruse other papers and Web sites for death news and sometimes set up Google News Alerts for the phrase dies at, as in "Edwards Kennedy dies at 77." Another simple strategy is to pump beat reporters at their own paper for information about which of their sources or frequent subjects might be kicking the bucket soon. Writers also communicate with the subject's friends and family. The Washington Post, for example, checked in periodically with Kennedy's circle about the senator's health.
Occasionally, a news organization will set up a pre-interview with the subject for use in his or her obituary. In fact, in 2007, the New York Times began recording such interviews for use after the subject's death. Other times, the subject will approach the newspaper. For example, notorious lobbyist Edward von Kloberg III, who spent his career representing dictators like Saddam Hussein and the military regime in Burma, phoned the Post about an interview months in advance of his death.
How many obits do papers keep in the can? Depends on the organization's size and resources. The New York Times claims to have 1,200 "advancers" ready, the oldest written back in 1982. The Washington Post has about 150 prepped. Occasionally, this practice leads to embarrassment. Advance obituaries sometimes slip out, like when CNN mistakenly posted mock-ups of its obituary page for Dick Cheney in 2003. In 1998, the Associated Press mistakenly reported Bob Hope's death, which was then announced on the Senate floor. Other times, the subject outlives the author: By the time Gerald Ford died in December 2006, his obituary writer had been dead for 11 months.
The quickening news cycle makes obituary writing tricky. In the past, the worst time for someone to die was after your newspaper's 5 p.m. deadline, since writers would have to rush to get an obit in the next day's paper. But these days, just about any time is inconvenient, since news organizations are expected to have a profile ready hours after someone's death.
Explainer thanks Adam Bernstein of the Washington Post; Marilyn Johnson, author of The Dead Beat; and Claire Noland of the Los Angeles Times.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Fire Destroys Building, But Newspaper Keeps Publishing
Anadarko, Okla. newspaper publishes after fire
By MURRAY EVANS
ANADARKO, Okla. (AP) - A weekend fire that destroyed the building that housed The Anadarko Daily News didn't stop the newspaper from publishing on Monday.
The Saturday morning fire that began in a bar next door to the newspaper in southwest Oklahoma destroyed, among other things, a 1962 printing press and 60 rolls of newsprint weighing 1,000 pounds each. The newspaper is being laid out in a nearby art gallery and printed at the El Reno Tribune, Daily News publisher and editor Carolyn McBride said.
``People said we lost the newspaper,'' McBride said as the rest of the newspaper's 14 employees scurried around, working to make their deadline. ``We said, 'No, we're just around the corner.' We lost our building. We didn't lose our newspaper, because the newspaper is in our spirit.''
A courier headed out the door toward El Reno at about 2:40 p.m. Central time with the paste-up of Monday's edition of the Daily News and the printed copies were expected to arrive back in Anadarko about 6 p.m.
McBride, who runs the 4,200-circulation newspaper with her husband, Joe, said the Daily News dates back to April 15, 1901. Joe McBride's family bought the newspaper in 1937 and has owned it since.
The building that housed the newspaper dated from 1906, she said. Anadarko police have said the blaze was reported about 5 a.m. Saturday and destroyed the newspaper office and the Tornado Alley Bar. It took firefighters more than three hours to extinguish the fire, the cause of which has not been determined.
No injuries were reported. The fire came a little more than three months after a tornado that hit Anadarko also damaged the Daily News building. Carolyn McBride said the newspaper does have insurance.
On Monday, in the alley behind the burned-out building, Daily News pressman Larry Botone surveyed the damage. The burned rolls of newsprint littered the alley, along with pieces of roofing that caved in during the fire.
``I just got that sucker fixed,'' he said of the Goss Community press. ``I put new rollers in it. That Saturday paper was the best-looking paper we'd put out in a long time.''
The fire happened during a busy news weekend in this town of about 6,600 people, located about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. In addition to the fire, a female pastor was found dead in her church building on Sunday morning. The apparent homicide was the lead story in Monday's paper, although the fire story also made the front page.
The publisher said the Daily News bought new computers and office supplies over the weekend for its temporary quarters. She said the Oklahoma Press Association offered the newspaper assistance in setting up computers, and the OPA's executive director, Mark Thomas, visited the Daily News on Sunday and Monday.
He brought a temporary ``Anadarko Daily News'' banner to hang in the windows of the temporary office. Before that, an notebook-size sheet of paper with the printed words ``The Anadarko Daily News'' was posted on the door. The staff used cell phones for work until land lines could be connected.
``The paper won't look normal for awhile,'' Thomas said. ``But this brings home the point that people depend on the paper more than they realize. These newspapers are the heartbeat of the community.''
By MURRAY EVANS
ANADARKO, Okla. (AP) - A weekend fire that destroyed the building that housed The Anadarko Daily News didn't stop the newspaper from publishing on Monday.
The Saturday morning fire that began in a bar next door to the newspaper in southwest Oklahoma destroyed, among other things, a 1962 printing press and 60 rolls of newsprint weighing 1,000 pounds each. The newspaper is being laid out in a nearby art gallery and printed at the El Reno Tribune, Daily News publisher and editor Carolyn McBride said.
``People said we lost the newspaper,'' McBride said as the rest of the newspaper's 14 employees scurried around, working to make their deadline. ``We said, 'No, we're just around the corner.' We lost our building. We didn't lose our newspaper, because the newspaper is in our spirit.''
A courier headed out the door toward El Reno at about 2:40 p.m. Central time with the paste-up of Monday's edition of the Daily News and the printed copies were expected to arrive back in Anadarko about 6 p.m.
McBride, who runs the 4,200-circulation newspaper with her husband, Joe, said the Daily News dates back to April 15, 1901. Joe McBride's family bought the newspaper in 1937 and has owned it since.
The building that housed the newspaper dated from 1906, she said. Anadarko police have said the blaze was reported about 5 a.m. Saturday and destroyed the newspaper office and the Tornado Alley Bar. It took firefighters more than three hours to extinguish the fire, the cause of which has not been determined.
No injuries were reported. The fire came a little more than three months after a tornado that hit Anadarko also damaged the Daily News building. Carolyn McBride said the newspaper does have insurance.
On Monday, in the alley behind the burned-out building, Daily News pressman Larry Botone surveyed the damage. The burned rolls of newsprint littered the alley, along with pieces of roofing that caved in during the fire.
``I just got that sucker fixed,'' he said of the Goss Community press. ``I put new rollers in it. That Saturday paper was the best-looking paper we'd put out in a long time.''
The fire happened during a busy news weekend in this town of about 6,600 people, located about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. In addition to the fire, a female pastor was found dead in her church building on Sunday morning. The apparent homicide was the lead story in Monday's paper, although the fire story also made the front page.
The publisher said the Daily News bought new computers and office supplies over the weekend for its temporary quarters. She said the Oklahoma Press Association offered the newspaper assistance in setting up computers, and the OPA's executive director, Mark Thomas, visited the Daily News on Sunday and Monday.
He brought a temporary ``Anadarko Daily News'' banner to hang in the windows of the temporary office. Before that, an notebook-size sheet of paper with the printed words ``The Anadarko Daily News'' was posted on the door. The staff used cell phones for work until land lines could be connected.
``The paper won't look normal for awhile,'' Thomas said. ``But this brings home the point that people depend on the paper more than they realize. These newspapers are the heartbeat of the community.''
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Murdoch to Close Free Londonpaper
Murdoch closes paper as free news squeeze begins
Murdoch publication Londonpaper to close within a month
Paper, which employs 60 editorial staff, was launched in 2006
Murdoch's News Corp. says it plans to charge for online content
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Rupert Murdoch's News International, which plans to begin charging for online content, said Thursday it was to close its free London newspaper as part of cost-cutting measures.
The Londonpaper, which employs 60 editorial staff, will cease publication within a month, according to a statement.
"The strategy at News International over the past 18 months has been to streamline our operations and focus investment on our core titles," James Murdoch, who heads his father's Europe and Asia operations said.
He added that the performance of the newspaper had "fallen short of expectations", adding: "We have taken a tough decision that reflects our priorities as a business."
The Londonpaper, one of three free titles circulated to the English capital's commuters, recorded a pre-tax loss of £12.9 million ($21.2 million) last year, according to News International.
It was launched in 2006 as a rival to the city's longstanding paid for publication, the Evening Standard -- then owned by Associated Newspapers, who retaliated with their own free sheet, London Lite.
Rupert Murdoch said earlier this year his News Corp. media empire would begin charging for online content on its portfolio of titles including The Wall Street Journal, the London Times and the New York Post.
"We are now in the midst of an epochal debate over the value of content and it is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning," he told analysts in May.
Could You Stand Three Months Without Facebook?
This is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.Social Media creates anxiety says TWU professor
TWU Associate Professor of Philosophy, Robert Doede says that social media creates anxiety, among other things, in its users.
Trinity Western University English and communications double major Hannah Jenkins has changed the way she uses Facebook, but it took a media fast of three months for her to see why she should.
Each spring, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Robert Doede, PhD, puts social media addiction to the test. For a 5% bonus credit his Philosophy 210 students are challenged to abstain from all social and traditional media throughout the three month semester and journal about their experiences. Only the strong succeed, giving up things like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, videogames, television and movies. Doede says that out of a typical class of 35 only about 12 seek the challenge, and by the end of the semester only four to six are still “media abstinent.”
While social media sites like Facebook provide an easy connection to significant people in our lives, Doede sees the downside of these sites first-hand. He says, “Students can’t wait to get out of class to update, find out if anyone commented on their page or sent them anything. Their spare time is being more and more devoted to keeping so-called friends apprised of their lives and satisfying their own voyeuristic interests in others’ lives, to the point that schoolwork can be surrounded by the anxieties of updating.”
21-year-old, Hannah Jenkins decided to take Doede up on his challenge. Until taking the class she, like all her peers, had been a big user of Facebook. Jenkins shares how she would spend hours non-stop playing around on Facebook and recalls that, “afterward I felt completely numb, drained and devoid of all humanity.”
Doede says that students partaking in the fast share with him in their journals that, as they abstain from media, they see a decrease in anxiety, have more time, notice their shopping habits change, and lose weight, and their grade point average generally increases. Doede also says that, “Some get bored immediately because they were so addicted to such high levels of stimuli. They were constantly checking and updating sites that it had kept their lives in perpetual motion and, therefore, they don't call upon and develop their own internal resources for entertainment."
The correlation between attention and anxiety is where Doede sees just how these sites are damaging. “Attention is something that diminishes as there are more demands on students’ time in terms of information access and our world. Our culture provides an over abundance of information access. We have so much we can’t linger on anything in particular or access anything for long because then we are losing out,” says Doede. This creates a subtle anxiety from within us as we try to be as efficient and as rapid-fire as possible in as many domains of our life as possible.”
“At first when I went off Facebook I found it really difficult,” says Jenkins. “A big feature of it was events and when you aren’t on Facebook you are disconnected from invitations. There is also a lot of anxiety around responding to people and projecting the right image of yourself. I was anxious about making sure I had the right photos up.”
Washington Post Scraps Hyperlocal Web Site
From Yahoo.tech:
Washington Post scrapping 'hyperlocal' Web site
Posted on - Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:59PM EDT
WASHINGTON - In its latest cost-cutting move, The Washington Post's owner is scrapping an experimental Web site that provided more news coverage about events happening around the neighborhoods of a Virginia suburb.
LoudounExtra.com will be shut down as an independent Web site this Friday, with some features moving to WashingtonPost.com. The site was focused on Loudoun County, Va. — an area located about 25 miles from Washington, D.C.
The decision announced Tuesday comes as Washington Post Co. is trying to cut losses in its slumping newspaper division. Although the company remains profitable as whole, its newspaper operations lost $143 million through the first half of this year.
Like most newspaper publishers, the Post has been hard hit by a sharp drop in advertising as more readers and marketing budgets shift to the Internet.
With the Internet turning news into a free commodity, the Post and other publishers have been trying to serve up more content that can't be easily found anywhere else. The push has spawned so-called sites like LoudounExtra that provided information traditionally considered too parochial for daily newspapers in major metropolitan areas.
It's still unclear whether this so-called "hyperlocal" approach can generate enough revenue to justify the additional overhead.
Instead of operating a separate Web site, the Post has decided it makes more sense to blend LoudounExtra with the rest of the newspaper's county-specific coverage.
"We are still dedicated to maintaining a high level of coverage of the counties surrounding Washington, D.C.," Post spokeswoman Kris Coratti wrote in a Tuesday e-mail.
Financial pressures led to the closure of another hyperlocal news service called BackFence in 2007.
Meanwhile, other media outlets are upping the hyperlocal ante.
The joint venture that runs MSNBC.com said Monday that it will pay an undisclosed amount to acquire EveryBlock, a Chicago-based news service that zeros in on 15 U.S. communities. In June, AOL bought two hyperlocal startups, Patch Media Corp. and Going Inc., for undisclosed amounts.
Washington Post scrapping 'hyperlocal' Web site
Posted on - Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:59PM EDT
WASHINGTON - In its latest cost-cutting move, The Washington Post's owner is scrapping an experimental Web site that provided more news coverage about events happening around the neighborhoods of a Virginia suburb.
LoudounExtra.com will be shut down as an independent Web site this Friday, with some features moving to WashingtonPost.com. The site was focused on Loudoun County, Va. — an area located about 25 miles from Washington, D.C.
The decision announced Tuesday comes as Washington Post Co. is trying to cut losses in its slumping newspaper division. Although the company remains profitable as whole, its newspaper operations lost $143 million through the first half of this year.
Like most newspaper publishers, the Post has been hard hit by a sharp drop in advertising as more readers and marketing budgets shift to the Internet.
With the Internet turning news into a free commodity, the Post and other publishers have been trying to serve up more content that can't be easily found anywhere else. The push has spawned so-called sites like LoudounExtra that provided information traditionally considered too parochial for daily newspapers in major metropolitan areas.
It's still unclear whether this so-called "hyperlocal" approach can generate enough revenue to justify the additional overhead.
Instead of operating a separate Web site, the Post has decided it makes more sense to blend LoudounExtra with the rest of the newspaper's county-specific coverage.
"We are still dedicated to maintaining a high level of coverage of the counties surrounding Washington, D.C.," Post spokeswoman Kris Coratti wrote in a Tuesday e-mail.
Financial pressures led to the closure of another hyperlocal news service called BackFence in 2007.
Meanwhile, other media outlets are upping the hyperlocal ante.
The joint venture that runs MSNBC.com said Monday that it will pay an undisclosed amount to acquire EveryBlock, a Chicago-based news service that zeros in on 15 U.S. communities. In June, AOL bought two hyperlocal startups, Patch Media Corp. and Going Inc., for undisclosed amounts.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Only 8 Cities Left With Two Daily Papers
According to paidContent, there were fewer than 10 cities with two daily newspapers as of December 2008. These include Boston, Chicago, Washington, DC, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and San Francisco. (A January post on Reflections of a Newsosaur ponders which papers in those towns might be the ones to eventually bite the dust.)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Chas. Overby -- 12 Commandments for the Future
Twelve Commandments for a Better News and Newspaper Future from Charles Overby, Chairman and CEO of the Freedom Forum
August 9, 2009
The last decade in the history of American newspapers is in fact the lost decade, so says Charles Overby, Chairman and CEO of the Freedom Forum and CEO of the Newseum. Mr. Overby, a journalist, editor and publisher was the recipient of The 2009 Gerald M. Sass Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Mass Communication at the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication annual convention this past week in Boston.
Mr. Overby, in his acceptance speech, outlined the problems facing newsrooms and newspapers in today’s market place, and offered his views on how to reverse the declining trend facing the industry today.
Here are Mr. Overby’s “great dozen” ideas for the problems and solutions of today’s newsrooms and newspapers:
1. Free is not a business model:
Free is not a business model, certainly not for newspapers and news is and always has been a business. A free press does not mean free news. The survival of the free press, as we know it, depends on the public paying for it. If we want newspaper-size newsrooms, people have to pay for it. If we don’t, then forget it. It does not matter. But the idea that profits for newspapers are designed for greedy newspaper owners, I think, is missing the point. We need a revenue base that will support robust newsrooms and robust journalism.
2. Internet cannot replace the newspaper-sized newsroom:
We must resist the notion that the Internet, social networking and twitter can adequately replace newspaper-sized newsrooms. This doesn’t mean that you have to be against those new media. That is not the case at all. They are nice add-ons, but they are not a substitute for newspaper-sized newsrooms.
3. Preservation of the newsroom:
The issue is not narrowly the preservation of newspapers; it is the preservation of the adequately funded newsrooms.
4. Charging for content does not make you technically illiterate:
Rupert Murdoch announced this week that News Corp. plans to start charging for news content on the Internet at all his properties worldwide. Immediately Murdoch was labeled as technically illiterate. It is interesting to me that when cable companies charge fifty dollars or more a month to consumers they are not seen as technically illiterate.
5. Publishers are waking up:
I believe newspapers publishers are waking up to this reality and I think you will see many other legacy media outlets charging for their content. It is about time they did so. Not everybody will choose to pay for content. That’s OK, ten, twenty years ago not every body chose to subscribe to a newspaper. But many people who value substantive serious news will pay.
6. Publishers are to blame for their papers’ demise:
If people in the future asked the question who lost the news people, if traditional media disappeared as we knew it, whose fault will it be? I think the answer will be it was the fault of those who worried more about extending their brand for free on the Internet, than those who focused on preserving the value of their brand. Let us hope it will not come to that.
7. The underline principle of news has not changed:
The changes for the most part have involved the delivery of the news from drawing on cave walls, to smoke signals, to the pony express to satellites. But the underline principle of news has not changed; seek the truth, tell the story as fully and fairly as possible. There has been one other constant until recently. Over the years people have understood that you pay for news. That was true in the days of the colonial press; it was true even in the days of the penny press. But now it seems to be a debatable concept. For those who think that people should pay for the news, now incredibly, are often characterized as luddite, hopelessly out of touch. The dilemma has brought newspapers to the edge of a cliff. The future of newspapers, and I would say journalism as we know it, hangs in the balance. I recognize that some people have already written off newspapers and some of you may have already compared newspapers to dinosaurs. I believe that is a mistake.
8. The last decade is the lost decade
It is difficult for me to comprehend how steep the decline of newspapers has been in the last decade. I consider the last decade as the lost decade for newspapers. Virtually every thing about newspapers has gone down in the last decade. Circulation is down, advertising is down, profits are down and in some cases gone, news hole or the amount of space available for news stories is down, the number of editors and reporters is down.
9. Negative trends are the result of publishers’ disastrous decisions:
These negative trends are largely the result of the disastrous decision about ten years ago of newspaper publishers to put virtually all the newspapers’ content on the Internet for free. The thinking ten years ago went like this; we have to be on the Internet. We can’t miss this opportunity. We will figure out the business plan as we go along. The optimist thought the move to the Internet might ultimately allow newspapers to eliminate the two biggest expenses printing and distribution. The optimist also thought the Internet will bring in many new readers that will result in major profitable advertising.
10. Free is a trendy thing:
This move to free content is a very trendy thing, very seductive particularly with young people…there is even a book called Free. I point out that the book is not free it cost me $26.99.
11. Newspapers can’t survive if they continue to give their content for free:
Newspapers publishers are only now beginning to recognize that can’t survive if they continue to give their content free. If the free content trend continues you can bet the size of the newsrooms will decrease even more. That is bad for local communities, it is bad for journalism and I think it is bad for our democracy.
12. Reversing the trend:
The question is can this trend be reversed or stopped? Will people now pay for news content after growing accustomed for decade for getting this for free? I believe the trend can be reversed and that people will pay for news, perhaps in combination with print and the Internet. Readers have to see and understand substantive value for what they are paying for. They will not pay for a newspaper, or its equivalent, that continues to shrink in size and resources.
August 9, 2009
The last decade in the history of American newspapers is in fact the lost decade, so says Charles Overby, Chairman and CEO of the Freedom Forum and CEO of the Newseum. Mr. Overby, a journalist, editor and publisher was the recipient of The 2009 Gerald M. Sass Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Mass Communication at the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication annual convention this past week in Boston.
Mr. Overby, in his acceptance speech, outlined the problems facing newsrooms and newspapers in today’s market place, and offered his views on how to reverse the declining trend facing the industry today.
Here are Mr. Overby’s “great dozen” ideas for the problems and solutions of today’s newsrooms and newspapers:
1. Free is not a business model:
Free is not a business model, certainly not for newspapers and news is and always has been a business. A free press does not mean free news. The survival of the free press, as we know it, depends on the public paying for it. If we want newspaper-size newsrooms, people have to pay for it. If we don’t, then forget it. It does not matter. But the idea that profits for newspapers are designed for greedy newspaper owners, I think, is missing the point. We need a revenue base that will support robust newsrooms and robust journalism.
2. Internet cannot replace the newspaper-sized newsroom:
We must resist the notion that the Internet, social networking and twitter can adequately replace newspaper-sized newsrooms. This doesn’t mean that you have to be against those new media. That is not the case at all. They are nice add-ons, but they are not a substitute for newspaper-sized newsrooms.
3. Preservation of the newsroom:
The issue is not narrowly the preservation of newspapers; it is the preservation of the adequately funded newsrooms.
4. Charging for content does not make you technically illiterate:
Rupert Murdoch announced this week that News Corp. plans to start charging for news content on the Internet at all his properties worldwide. Immediately Murdoch was labeled as technically illiterate. It is interesting to me that when cable companies charge fifty dollars or more a month to consumers they are not seen as technically illiterate.
5. Publishers are waking up:
I believe newspapers publishers are waking up to this reality and I think you will see many other legacy media outlets charging for their content. It is about time they did so. Not everybody will choose to pay for content. That’s OK, ten, twenty years ago not every body chose to subscribe to a newspaper. But many people who value substantive serious news will pay.
6. Publishers are to blame for their papers’ demise:
If people in the future asked the question who lost the news people, if traditional media disappeared as we knew it, whose fault will it be? I think the answer will be it was the fault of those who worried more about extending their brand for free on the Internet, than those who focused on preserving the value of their brand. Let us hope it will not come to that.
7. The underline principle of news has not changed:
The changes for the most part have involved the delivery of the news from drawing on cave walls, to smoke signals, to the pony express to satellites. But the underline principle of news has not changed; seek the truth, tell the story as fully and fairly as possible. There has been one other constant until recently. Over the years people have understood that you pay for news. That was true in the days of the colonial press; it was true even in the days of the penny press. But now it seems to be a debatable concept. For those who think that people should pay for the news, now incredibly, are often characterized as luddite, hopelessly out of touch. The dilemma has brought newspapers to the edge of a cliff. The future of newspapers, and I would say journalism as we know it, hangs in the balance. I recognize that some people have already written off newspapers and some of you may have already compared newspapers to dinosaurs. I believe that is a mistake.
8. The last decade is the lost decade
It is difficult for me to comprehend how steep the decline of newspapers has been in the last decade. I consider the last decade as the lost decade for newspapers. Virtually every thing about newspapers has gone down in the last decade. Circulation is down, advertising is down, profits are down and in some cases gone, news hole or the amount of space available for news stories is down, the number of editors and reporters is down.
9. Negative trends are the result of publishers’ disastrous decisions:
These negative trends are largely the result of the disastrous decision about ten years ago of newspaper publishers to put virtually all the newspapers’ content on the Internet for free. The thinking ten years ago went like this; we have to be on the Internet. We can’t miss this opportunity. We will figure out the business plan as we go along. The optimist thought the move to the Internet might ultimately allow newspapers to eliminate the two biggest expenses printing and distribution. The optimist also thought the Internet will bring in many new readers that will result in major profitable advertising.
10. Free is a trendy thing:
This move to free content is a very trendy thing, very seductive particularly with young people…there is even a book called Free. I point out that the book is not free it cost me $26.99.
11. Newspapers can’t survive if they continue to give their content for free:
Newspapers publishers are only now beginning to recognize that can’t survive if they continue to give their content free. If the free content trend continues you can bet the size of the newsrooms will decrease even more. That is bad for local communities, it is bad for journalism and I think it is bad for our democracy.
12. Reversing the trend:
The question is can this trend be reversed or stopped? Will people now pay for news content after growing accustomed for decade for getting this for free? I believe the trend can be reversed and that people will pay for news, perhaps in combination with print and the Internet. Readers have to see and understand substantive value for what they are paying for. They will not pay for a newspaper, or its equivalent, that continues to shrink in size and resources.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Launching a Magazine From Your Dorm Room
From Journalism 2.0:
Print magazine puts company on fast track
As far as entrepreneurial opportunities go, launching a new print magazine seems a few years behind the times. Launching it from a dorm room while you’re still in college makes the odds of success even longer. Which is why I love stories like this so much.
Last weekend at Digital Journalism Camp Portland, I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan Sims, CEO of Brass Media, a Corvallis-based company that is in its 6th year of operation and is succeeding with an interesting and innovation revenue model.
In 2007, Businessweek named Sims to its “Best Entrepreneurs Under 25″ list. Sims’ hometown of Corvallis presented him with the 2006 “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, making him the award’s youngest recipient, at age 22.
Sims told me he started Brass Media while a student at Oregon State, using his dorm room and his parents’ garage for an office, but dropped out to drive the business forward. He has kept his foot on the gas pedal ever since. Brass is one of the fastest growing companies in Oregon and found a place on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies last year, too.
What’s the secret? How does a 20-something launch and grow a magazine publishing business during this period of decline for print media and an overall economic downturn?
By opening up to new ideas and expanding into new markets. A financial planning resource for young people (18-25) written by young people, Brass made its way into the classroom when a teacher in New York state requested some copies to use in a class. This led Sims to a new sales and distribution channel, and new revenue. Now the quarterly magazine circulates 350,000-400,000 copies (down from a high of 500,000) and is popular with financial institutions who want to reach this highly desirable target market.
Now Sims is diversifying again, growing a suite of multimedia and digital tools that engage his audience and build brand awareness for advertisers. He has more than two dozen employees and a national network of contributors. Leveraging that distributed resource with more digital offerings is a smart play, and one that will likely keep Brass Media on the fast track of profitable publishing.
Print magazine puts company on fast track
As far as entrepreneurial opportunities go, launching a new print magazine seems a few years behind the times. Launching it from a dorm room while you’re still in college makes the odds of success even longer. Which is why I love stories like this so much.
Last weekend at Digital Journalism Camp Portland, I had the pleasure of meeting Bryan Sims, CEO of Brass Media, a Corvallis-based company that is in its 6th year of operation and is succeeding with an interesting and innovation revenue model.
In 2007, Businessweek named Sims to its “Best Entrepreneurs Under 25″ list. Sims’ hometown of Corvallis presented him with the 2006 “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, making him the award’s youngest recipient, at age 22.
Sims told me he started Brass Media while a student at Oregon State, using his dorm room and his parents’ garage for an office, but dropped out to drive the business forward. He has kept his foot on the gas pedal ever since. Brass is one of the fastest growing companies in Oregon and found a place on the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies last year, too.
What’s the secret? How does a 20-something launch and grow a magazine publishing business during this period of decline for print media and an overall economic downturn?
By opening up to new ideas and expanding into new markets. A financial planning resource for young people (18-25) written by young people, Brass made its way into the classroom when a teacher in New York state requested some copies to use in a class. This led Sims to a new sales and distribution channel, and new revenue. Now the quarterly magazine circulates 350,000-400,000 copies (down from a high of 500,000) and is popular with financial institutions who want to reach this highly desirable target market.
Now Sims is diversifying again, growing a suite of multimedia and digital tools that engage his audience and build brand awareness for advertisers. He has more than two dozen employees and a national network of contributors. Leveraging that distributed resource with more digital offerings is a smart play, and one that will likely keep Brass Media on the fast track of profitable publishing.
Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper--To Save It
From Time magazine. This is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper — To Save It
By Belinda Luscombe
When Larry Kestenbaum, clerk of Washtenaw County, Michigan, was in Lansing for a meeting recently, he saw something unfamiliar on the faces of the other clerks: pity. Colleagues from hard-pressed towns like Flint, Jackson and Kalamazoo were offering sympathy because, despite everything, they still had a local newspaper, while Ann Arbor, his county seat, did not.
At first blush, Ann Arbor is an unlikely place to earn the dubious distinction of being the first good-size municipality in the U.S. to give up on its only daily newspaper. A2, as the town is known, is more or less the beauty queen of Michigan: pretty, confident and seemingly immune to the problems of her peers. It still has a downtown with sidewalk cafés and quirky local stores. Its biggest employers are two universities and two hospitals, and it has weathered the recession better than most of the rest of the state. Nearly half its residents have graduate degrees. How could the paper die in a place like this? (See 10 ways your job will change.)
The answer is that it didn't die. It was killed by its owners in a high-stakes gamble to try to create a new and more profitable enterprise. (In the past nine years, the paper lost more than half its classified-ad pages.) The Ann Arbor News ceased to exist on July 23. On July 24, AnnArbor.com was launched. The new website has a paper version — also called, oddly, AnnArbor.com — that comes out on Thursdays and Sundays. The News's owner, Advance Publications, is betting it can rebrand the 175-year-old News as a Web publication, turn a profit and still satisfy its readers' craving for local news. A lot of U.S. newspapers, and their readers, have a stake in whether the experiment in Ann Arbor succeeds.
A local newspaper is more than an organ for delivering news and information. It's a habit, a watering hole, a local landmark. It's a unifying force, even if that's just because, like a loud uncle, it gives everyone something to complain about. It's the hub that connects many people to their community. "The News was like an old friend. You weren't sure why you spent time with it, but you did, because it was such an old friend," says Charles Eisendrath, who runs the Knight-Wallace Foundation at the University of Michigan. How does a city deal with that loss? What, if anything, is irreplaceable in the transition from print to Web?
Death's paperboy has been tossing a lot of venerable titles onto the porch of history recently. The 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the 149-year-old Rocky Mountain News are gone. Dozens more are shadows of their former selves, their revenues and resources gutted by the flight of classifieds, the gasping economy and the hordes of websites competing for readers' attention. The best that most print publishers can do is try to slow the drain-circling while frantically figuring out how to make money on the Web. This means cutbacks, layoffs, misery. (See the 10 most endangered newspapers in America.)
Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper — To Save It
By Belinda Luscombe
When Larry Kestenbaum, clerk of Washtenaw County, Michigan, was in Lansing for a meeting recently, he saw something unfamiliar on the faces of the other clerks: pity. Colleagues from hard-pressed towns like Flint, Jackson and Kalamazoo were offering sympathy because, despite everything, they still had a local newspaper, while Ann Arbor, his county seat, did not.
At first blush, Ann Arbor is an unlikely place to earn the dubious distinction of being the first good-size municipality in the U.S. to give up on its only daily newspaper. A2, as the town is known, is more or less the beauty queen of Michigan: pretty, confident and seemingly immune to the problems of her peers. It still has a downtown with sidewalk cafés and quirky local stores. Its biggest employers are two universities and two hospitals, and it has weathered the recession better than most of the rest of the state. Nearly half its residents have graduate degrees. How could the paper die in a place like this? (See 10 ways your job will change.)
The answer is that it didn't die. It was killed by its owners in a high-stakes gamble to try to create a new and more profitable enterprise. (In the past nine years, the paper lost more than half its classified-ad pages.) The Ann Arbor News ceased to exist on July 23. On July 24, AnnArbor.com was launched. The new website has a paper version — also called, oddly, AnnArbor.com — that comes out on Thursdays and Sundays. The News's owner, Advance Publications, is betting it can rebrand the 175-year-old News as a Web publication, turn a profit and still satisfy its readers' craving for local news. A lot of U.S. newspapers, and their readers, have a stake in whether the experiment in Ann Arbor succeeds.
A local newspaper is more than an organ for delivering news and information. It's a habit, a watering hole, a local landmark. It's a unifying force, even if that's just because, like a loud uncle, it gives everyone something to complain about. It's the hub that connects many people to their community. "The News was like an old friend. You weren't sure why you spent time with it, but you did, because it was such an old friend," says Charles Eisendrath, who runs the Knight-Wallace Foundation at the University of Michigan. How does a city deal with that loss? What, if anything, is irreplaceable in the transition from print to Web?
Death's paperboy has been tossing a lot of venerable titles onto the porch of history recently. The 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the 149-year-old Rocky Mountain News are gone. Dozens more are shadows of their former selves, their revenues and resources gutted by the flight of classifieds, the gasping economy and the hordes of websites competing for readers' attention. The best that most print publishers can do is try to slow the drain-circling while frantically figuring out how to make money on the Web. This means cutbacks, layoffs, misery. (See the 10 most endangered newspapers in America.)
The End of Free News?
From WalletPop:
The end of free news?
Jo Robinson
I'll admit that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to news. I enjoy a good read of the paper at the weekend with a big mug of tea - but I'm picky about which paper. When I was studying for my journalism course I had to read The Sun for research purposes. I was so ashamed that I hid it behind my copy of the Guardian on the tube.
Reading the papers does seem like an old-fashioned luxury these days though and plenty of people just aren't prepared to pay for the privilege. Many of us will just catch up on the news online in our lunch breaks at work. Plus with all the freesheets available now, you can get your news fix for nothing.
Trouble is, with advertising revenue falling fast, newspapers are looking to make money elsewhere. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp which owns The Sun, The Times, the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal has announced plans to start charging surfers to view its online news pages. It certainly sounds like a desperate measure.
Frankly it's going to reduce the number of readers, because people just won't be prepared to pay. And what can these publications really offer online to justify the charge?
The Financial Times charges people to view articles online, and has set up monthly subscriptions. I'd argue that this works because of the specialist nature of that publication. Surely for more general papers, people are just going to go elsewhere for their news. Plus, if you have to pay for the stuff online, I'd much rather spend the money on a paper and enjoy the good old-fashioned feel of print between my fingers.
So what do you think? Would you pay to read the news online, or just find a free version elsewhere? How much better would the paid for websites have to be for you to pay?
The end of free news?
Jo Robinson
I'll admit that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to news. I enjoy a good read of the paper at the weekend with a big mug of tea - but I'm picky about which paper. When I was studying for my journalism course I had to read The Sun for research purposes. I was so ashamed that I hid it behind my copy of the Guardian on the tube.
Reading the papers does seem like an old-fashioned luxury these days though and plenty of people just aren't prepared to pay for the privilege. Many of us will just catch up on the news online in our lunch breaks at work. Plus with all the freesheets available now, you can get your news fix for nothing.
Trouble is, with advertising revenue falling fast, newspapers are looking to make money elsewhere. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp which owns The Sun, The Times, the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal has announced plans to start charging surfers to view its online news pages. It certainly sounds like a desperate measure.
Frankly it's going to reduce the number of readers, because people just won't be prepared to pay. And what can these publications really offer online to justify the charge?
The Financial Times charges people to view articles online, and has set up monthly subscriptions. I'd argue that this works because of the specialist nature of that publication. Surely for more general papers, people are just going to go elsewhere for their news. Plus, if you have to pay for the stuff online, I'd much rather spend the money on a paper and enjoy the good old-fashioned feel of print between my fingers.
So what do you think? Would you pay to read the news online, or just find a free version elsewhere? How much better would the paid for websites have to be for you to pay?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Is Murdoch's Plan to Charge for Online News Doomed?
From The Atlantic:
Is Murdoch's Plan to Charge for Online News Doomed?
Rupert Murdoch announced plans to charge for all online content of his newspaper and TV empire, in what is possibly the boldest move of any media mogul to boost revenue from online news. Since Murdoch's News Corp empire spans the globe, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Fox News and basically anything ever published in Australia ever, this would send shock waves through a barren online media landscape that is gasping for revenue streams. But will it work?
Gawker says the move has "fail written all over it." Andrew Sullivan (who gets a check from Murdoch's News Corp for a Sunday column) gives it more of a chance. Me, I have the feeling that asking readers to pay for FoxNews.com is like charging $10 for an after-dinner mint. That's not just my liberal commie instincts talking up: I'd say the same about CNN.com or any site subsisting on the lifeblood of AP wire stories. If the bulk of your site is expendable, borrowed, or fungible with Google News, there's no reason to pay a dime for it.
All sorts of details remain unclear, but here are three questions I would want answers to before I deliver a prediction.
1) Is This Happening in Stages?
Presumably, Rupert won't throw a big fat switch that suddenly makes every piece of News Corp online paid content -- from Aussie surf channels to Indian entertainment sites to Glenn Beck. He'll do this in stages. WSJ.com is already a free/paid hybrid site. Perhaps he'll try to expand the paid section and gauge reader response and revenue. Or maybe he'll start tinkering with paid models on Australian sites before unveiling a comprehensive plan in the States. It will be interesting to see how inches toward an empire of all paid content.
2) Will There Be Bundling?
In June, News Corp's chief digital officer Jonathan Miller suggested he might like to charge for Hulu. And lo, a great national wailing was heard. But wait, Miller said, it wouldn't be so bad if we bundled, or asked consumers to pay a low price for access to a number of shows:
"I think what works for consumers most likely -- and this has to be tested, frankly -- is bundles. I think you have to figure out what are the right bundles that people buy and what's contained in that bundle."
On Hulu, I guess that would mean you could "buy" NBC access, or maybe sitcom access. Across News Corp, bundling could work too. Murdoch could create national bundles (ie pay a monthly fee to access all his American-based media) or topical bundles (ie a monthly fee for MarketWatch, Barrons, SmartMoney and the WSJ Business and Markets tab). Or it could be like buying discounted shirts at Target. If I buy two website access passes (say, WSJ and Sunday Times) can I get a third of equal or lesser value (Fox News) for free?
3) Will He Close the Google Loopholes?
Pssst, I've got a secret! Technically, much of WSJ.com is already paid content. But there's an easy way around the pay wall. Some articles show the first few paragraphs interrupted by a banner asking you to subscribe to read the rest. But! If you copy the headline and paste it into your Google search, the first item under "News Results" will be the full article...free! That means WSJ's subscriber-only content is, well, not subscriber-only at all. Presumably, Murdoch allows this to optimize traffic from web searches, but it's a pretty obvious loophole and one that he'll have to close if he expects enterprising news readers to actually pony up cash for content.
Is Murdoch's Plan to Charge for Online News Doomed?
Rupert Murdoch announced plans to charge for all online content of his newspaper and TV empire, in what is possibly the boldest move of any media mogul to boost revenue from online news. Since Murdoch's News Corp empire spans the globe, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Fox News and basically anything ever published in Australia ever, this would send shock waves through a barren online media landscape that is gasping for revenue streams. But will it work?
Gawker says the move has "fail written all over it." Andrew Sullivan (who gets a check from Murdoch's News Corp for a Sunday column) gives it more of a chance. Me, I have the feeling that asking readers to pay for FoxNews.com is like charging $10 for an after-dinner mint. That's not just my liberal commie instincts talking up: I'd say the same about CNN.com or any site subsisting on the lifeblood of AP wire stories. If the bulk of your site is expendable, borrowed, or fungible with Google News, there's no reason to pay a dime for it.
All sorts of details remain unclear, but here are three questions I would want answers to before I deliver a prediction.
1) Is This Happening in Stages?
Presumably, Rupert won't throw a big fat switch that suddenly makes every piece of News Corp online paid content -- from Aussie surf channels to Indian entertainment sites to Glenn Beck. He'll do this in stages. WSJ.com is already a free/paid hybrid site. Perhaps he'll try to expand the paid section and gauge reader response and revenue. Or maybe he'll start tinkering with paid models on Australian sites before unveiling a comprehensive plan in the States. It will be interesting to see how inches toward an empire of all paid content.
2) Will There Be Bundling?
In June, News Corp's chief digital officer Jonathan Miller suggested he might like to charge for Hulu. And lo, a great national wailing was heard. But wait, Miller said, it wouldn't be so bad if we bundled, or asked consumers to pay a low price for access to a number of shows:
"I think what works for consumers most likely -- and this has to be tested, frankly -- is bundles. I think you have to figure out what are the right bundles that people buy and what's contained in that bundle."
On Hulu, I guess that would mean you could "buy" NBC access, or maybe sitcom access. Across News Corp, bundling could work too. Murdoch could create national bundles (ie pay a monthly fee to access all his American-based media) or topical bundles (ie a monthly fee for MarketWatch, Barrons, SmartMoney and the WSJ Business and Markets tab). Or it could be like buying discounted shirts at Target. If I buy two website access passes (say, WSJ and Sunday Times) can I get a third of equal or lesser value (Fox News) for free?
3) Will He Close the Google Loopholes?
Pssst, I've got a secret! Technically, much of WSJ.com is already paid content. But there's an easy way around the pay wall. Some articles show the first few paragraphs interrupted by a banner asking you to subscribe to read the rest. But! If you copy the headline and paste it into your Google search, the first item under "News Results" will be the full article...free! That means WSJ's subscriber-only content is, well, not subscriber-only at all. Presumably, Murdoch allows this to optimize traffic from web searches, but it's a pretty obvious loophole and one that he'll have to close if he expects enterprising news readers to actually pony up cash for content.
Minnesota Paper Drops to 2x Week
Red Wing paper cuts publishing to twice weekly
The Republican Eagle will switch to all-local news coverage, publish Wednesday, Saturday, and lower its subscription price.
By STEVE ALEXANDER, Star Tribune
The Red Wing (MN) Republican Eagle, citing a drop in advertising revenue, said Wednesday the newspaper will publish two days a week instead of five, and it will drop its wire-service national coverage in favor of all local news.
Beginning Sept. 2, the Republican Eagle will publish Wednesday and Saturday rather than Tuesday through Saturday, publisher Steve Messick said. The paper will post breaking news stories on its free website, www.republican-eagle.com, every day.
The Red Wing paper, which has a circulation of 6,100 and is profitable, will continue to employ 18 people in its offices, including nine in the newsroom, Messick said. But another 24 employees in the paper's Red Wing printing plant, which handles commercial printing jobs in addition to the newspaper, could face job cuts, he said.
The paper's owner said the decision was necessary for the Republican Eagle's survival.
"A decision of this magnitude is centered on maintaining the economic viability of the Red Wing paper," said Steve McLister, vice president of newspapers for Forum Communications, the Fargo, N.D., company that owns the Republican Eagle among other newspapers, TV stations, websites and commercial printing operations.
The root of the paper's problem is a decline in advertising, a situation seen at most newspapers nationwide, McLister said. Traditionally, advertising has generated 75 percent of a newspaper's revenue, compared with 25 percent from subscriptions, he said.
The Red Wing paper has seen declines in employment, auto and real estate advertising, Messick said.
The Red Wing newspaper is the second paper owned by Forum to make the switch to twice-weekly publication, McLister said. Last year, the Superior Telegram in Superior, Wis., cut publication from five days a week to two, but no other Forum-owned newspapers are contemplating such as change, he said.
The Republican Eagle will switch to all-local news coverage, publish Wednesday, Saturday, and lower its subscription price.
By STEVE ALEXANDER, Star Tribune
The Red Wing (MN) Republican Eagle, citing a drop in advertising revenue, said Wednesday the newspaper will publish two days a week instead of five, and it will drop its wire-service national coverage in favor of all local news.
Beginning Sept. 2, the Republican Eagle will publish Wednesday and Saturday rather than Tuesday through Saturday, publisher Steve Messick said. The paper will post breaking news stories on its free website, www.republican-eagle.com, every day.
The Red Wing paper, which has a circulation of 6,100 and is profitable, will continue to employ 18 people in its offices, including nine in the newsroom, Messick said. But another 24 employees in the paper's Red Wing printing plant, which handles commercial printing jobs in addition to the newspaper, could face job cuts, he said.
The paper's owner said the decision was necessary for the Republican Eagle's survival.
"A decision of this magnitude is centered on maintaining the economic viability of the Red Wing paper," said Steve McLister, vice president of newspapers for Forum Communications, the Fargo, N.D., company that owns the Republican Eagle among other newspapers, TV stations, websites and commercial printing operations.
The root of the paper's problem is a decline in advertising, a situation seen at most newspapers nationwide, McLister said. Traditionally, advertising has generated 75 percent of a newspaper's revenue, compared with 25 percent from subscriptions, he said.
The Red Wing paper has seen declines in employment, auto and real estate advertising, Messick said.
The Red Wing newspaper is the second paper owned by Forum to make the switch to twice-weekly publication, McLister said. Last year, the Superior Telegram in Superior, Wis., cut publication from five days a week to two, but no other Forum-owned newspapers are contemplating such as change, he said.
1 in 3 Internet Users Visited Newspaper Site in June
From Editor & Publisher:
One in Three Internet Users Visited a Newspaper Site in June
By Jennifer Saba
NEW YORK A little more than one-third of all Internet users visited a newspaper Web site in the month of June -- some 70.3 million unique users, according to the Newspaper Association of America.
Nielsen Online (owned by E&P's parent company) provided the data to the NAA and since the Web metrics firm vastly expanded its panels effective in June, the NAA is not providing figures for prior periods.
Page views to newspaper Web sites totaled 3.5 billion in June. The monthly average time spent per total unique users was 2.7 million minutes or 38 minutes and 24 seconds per person. Nielsen defines "time per person" as the average time spent over the course of a month.
"The newspaper audience continues to expand as publishers aggressively capitalize on their investments in digital properties," John Sturm, president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
The NAA recently released a study conducted by MORI Research that found 82% of the 3,000 adults surveyed said they had taken action as a result of newspaper advertising.
"As the financial environment improves and advertisers return to spending, they will want to reach the valuable and engaged consumer audience that only newspapers can deliver through their multiple platforms," Randy Bennett, senior vice president of development of the NAA, said in a statement.
One in Three Internet Users Visited a Newspaper Site in June
By Jennifer Saba
NEW YORK A little more than one-third of all Internet users visited a newspaper Web site in the month of June -- some 70.3 million unique users, according to the Newspaper Association of America.
Nielsen Online (owned by E&P's parent company) provided the data to the NAA and since the Web metrics firm vastly expanded its panels effective in June, the NAA is not providing figures for prior periods.
Page views to newspaper Web sites totaled 3.5 billion in June. The monthly average time spent per total unique users was 2.7 million minutes or 38 minutes and 24 seconds per person. Nielsen defines "time per person" as the average time spent over the course of a month.
"The newspaper audience continues to expand as publishers aggressively capitalize on their investments in digital properties," John Sturm, president and CEO of the NAA, said in a statement.
The NAA recently released a study conducted by MORI Research that found 82% of the 3,000 adults surveyed said they had taken action as a result of newspaper advertising.
"As the financial environment improves and advertisers return to spending, they will want to reach the valuable and engaged consumer audience that only newspapers can deliver through their multiple platforms," Randy Bennett, senior vice president of development of the NAA, said in a statement.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Last Newspaper Generation
Guest Post: The last newspaper generationby Esther Wojcicki, journalism teacher and newspaper adviser at Palo Alto High School
Reading the newspaper these days makes me sad about journalism. “The American Press on Suicide Watch” was the headline of Frank Rich’s New York Times column this past Sunday. “Legendary brands from the Los Angeles Times to the Philadelphia Inquirer are teetering,” Rich said, adding that the New York Times Co. (NYT) might shutter the Boston Globe. Maureen Dowd riffed too about “The Future of Journalism” — which was the title of last week’s Congressional hearing chaired by Senator John Kerry. Journalists, Kerry said, are “an endangered species.”
The crisis isn’t simply that consumers are no longer willing to pay real money to support real journalism. Consumers truly don’t care enough about the product. A Pew Research Center survey in March found that 42% of readers said they wouldn’t miss their city paper. Most of these readers, as you might guess, were under 40 years old.
I care a lot because I teach journalism at Palo Alto High School, in California. I’ve been teaching high school journalism for 25 years. Starting with 19 students, I’ve built our journalism program into the largest high school journalism program in the country, with six publications, four journalism teachers, and about 400 students. In the advanced journalism class, I teach 70 juniors and seniors. I also teach freshman English.
I decided to poll my journalism students: “How do you prefer to get your news, online or in print format?”
The popular answer may surprise you. About 70% of the students said they prefer “print format” — a hard copy of the paper. They said it’s easier to read this way — especially if a story is long. Long stories online give you headaches and eyestrain, they told me.
When I asked how many get breaking news online, almost everyone raised their hands. They prefer online for breaking news and sports news as well. But they prefer the hard-copy newspaper for features, opinion pieces, and columns, as well as long news stories.
“Who prefers to read magazines online?” When I asked that question, no one raised their hand. Makes sense to me. I can’t imagine reading magazines online.
My students say that they read a greater variety of stories in print. Online they tend to seek specific stories or subscribe to RSS feeds that they know they’re interested in. This is why I urge them strongly to read the hard-copy newspaper. How can you expand your world and your knowledge base if you read only what you’re already interested in?
Yes, it’s ironic, these kids who live in the heart of Silicon Valley recognize the value of traditional print journalism. In February, I took 50 of my students to New York City to visit several publications. The New York Times was one of them. The editors there posed this question: “How many of you read the New York Times in print?” The majority of hands went up. The editors were very surprised.
As one of my students said, “Who wants to have breakfast reading your computer if you can avoid it?”
So here’s the reality: It’s not necessarily that people enjoy getting their news online. It’s just that it’s faster and more efficient — and free.
This is the rub: Readers aren’t willing to pay for news online. They expect it to be free. The standard was set back in the 90’s, and it’s now part of the culture of the Internet. Ads, they said…the ads should pay for it. So far, that strategy has had mixed results. And now we see Amazon.com (AMZN), with the Kindle, and other e-book innovators asking consumers to pay subscription fees for newspapers delivered wirelessly.
How will this story evolve? I’m not sure whether there is a solution to help pay for real journalism. I told one of my sources close to the industry about the results of my poll. “We are in a transition period,” he said. “Wait until the netbooks become ubiquitous. Then kids won’t mind taking their netbooks everywhere and accessing all their news online. It is just a matter of time.”
I wonder if it really is a matter of time. Not for me. Nothing can replace reading the New York Times on Sunday morning. I’ll pay for that pleasure, even though news about the future of journalism is bad.
Esther Wojcicki is a journalism teacher and newspaper adviser at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California. In 2002, she was named California Teacher of the Year by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Starting in 1984, she built one of the largest high school journalism programs in the nation — about 400 students currently. One of her students a decade ago: my Postcards colleague Jessica Shambora. And we featured two of her daughters – Susan, VP of Product Management at Google (GOOG), and Anne, co-founder of genetic analysis startup 23andMe, in “The New Valley Girls,” a feature about Silicon Valley’s rising-star women in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women issue last October. Wojcicki’s other daughter, Janet, is Professor of Pediatrics at University of California Medical Center.
“Woj,” as Wojcicki is known to her friends and students, this year was named Board Chair of Creative Commons, a group dedicated to providing free licenses and other legal tools to facilitate sharing, remixing and using of creative works of all kinds.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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