Posts Tagged ‘newspapers’

2 Big Myths that are Killing Newspapers

newspapers (Tehrān)

From a post I found over at SimsBlog with some really good thoughts:

…is how journalists “spent nearly a century denying responsibility and involvement in business decisions”.

The result of this siloed newsroom is that a large chunk of the organization has no real understanding of how the business works.

That is a very real idea.  In fact, I think they are still running from the business end today.

But let’s not let the advertising department off the hook!

The Big Advertising Department Myth: We sell eyeballs

Not really.

Eyeballs are about mass and placement in the form reader demographics, circulation numbers, lines, columns, colour and position requests.

What advertising departments actually sell is connection and context that lead to sales results.

The article has more interesting information, but it really talking about as newspapers are making excuses and fussing…it’s time to take some responsibility.

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Why paywalls won't help most big newspapers

Talking To A Brick Wall
Image by Joriel “Joz” Jimenez via Flickr

The paywall discussion is in full force at my job (Gazette Communications) and my buddy and I were discussing the idea of adding a paywall to our electronic edition yesterday at lunch.  Funny – as the exact same thing we were talking about was pointed to in this Boing-Boing post:

The critical point here is that advertising is still what makes money for news, even when there’s a cover charge. Paywalls aren’t just sold to readers. They must be sold to advertisers. Paid walls make the eyeballs behind them much more valuable.

It will just be very interesting to see how long the paywall phenomenon lasts – i may well be a short term solution, but the problem is a super long term one.

To succeed with paywalls, then, publishers need not only an established monopoly on something valuable (local news, scoops, reporting quality) but also a plan to translate that into advertiser interest. Paywalls alone, unless they are ridiculously expensive, just won’t be enough.

Either way – I’m sure we’ll do it.  I wish we wouldn’t, I’m not sure we’ve looked at the complete array of options objectively yet.  Wish us well.  :)

Why paywalls won’t help most big newspapers

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i = Future Of Newspapers = Think, Know, Understand, and Feel – /Message

Interesting concept:

The paper’s team worked with media consultancy Innovation to come up with a new way to organise the product. “Our feeling was,” said Figueiredo, who came on board at an early stage, moving from Diário Económico, “that people were not concerned about traditional sections any more.

i = Future Of Newspapers = Think, Know, Understand, and Feel – /Message.

Media – use the megaphone before its too late

Members of Austrian jazz band Riverside Stompe...

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One of my favorite ideas of our CEO Chuck Peters is the idea that “old-media” is like a megaphone.   We  broadcast a message in a one-way fashion rain the news down to all within earshot.  I like that analogy.

But I guess I’m thinking that we better starting using the thing to engage some people really soon – or we’ll have nobody left, or a lot of deaf ears, to talk to.

I think sometimes people are trying to make this all too complicated, I see three main points.

  1. Focus on the community – for me this is more about fostering relationships and just being real.  Let’s not get hung up on who own’s it, what the rules are or that…but the conversation, is it meaningful?
  2. Use the megaphone – not in the obnoxious, “see how loud I can holla”, Ty Pennington way – but people are listening and they want to know what to do.  Let ask them what they think.
  3. “Don’t over think the room” – this a quote from the great philosopher Colin Cowherd.  I guess it speaks to me – let’s see what the people will use, not analyze to death the exact mentality of each person and their “true” motives.  Damn – put something up, try it, see how it works, revise, put something else up, see how it works, revise.

OK – enough rambling from me – let’s crack the switch and see if anyone wants to talk.

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Can journalism live without ads?

Caught an interesting post at PJNet:

Beneath the somber tales of shrinking revenues and staff cuts is an even more somber reality about the news business: The nearly two-century-old marriage between consumer advertising and journalism is on the rocks.

Good stuff…

Ten Common Objections to Social Media Adoption and How You Can Respond

Found a post over at ReaDwriteWeb called “Ten Common Objections to Social Media Adoption and How You Can Respond

Steve Outing wrote a very good article at Editor and Publisher on Friday about the need for cultural change inside the newpapers around the US (found via the wonderful CyberJournalist.net). That article got me thinking that people in many different industries probably hear many of the same objections to new, social media and online tools. (“It takes too much time, conversations online are insipid” etc.)

Top 10 Best Newspaper Websites

I’m not sure which article I like better – the 10 sites or the American Newspapers and the Internet: Threat or Opportunity? – but this is definitely it. Take a look at this link and I will give you my thoughts on the top ten below.

I really like a lot of the different stuff I see on each site – maybe, if I have some time later I will cut and paste them all together to make “tom’s cool newspaper site”.

But some of my favorites are:
The Chron – because of their super simple navigation.
Naples News – this site just “feels” good, it has a great positive vibe.
Bakersfield – use of color

So, here the list I looked at first: The Bivings Report Top 10

Also – here is another top 10 for you to enjoy: More Top 10 from Howard Owens in response to the other top 10.

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