Brainworks Software: August 2007 Archives
Newspapers may have ignored interactive in years past, but today leaders of smart news organizations, including the people at Gannett, are changing their minds and recognizing the effectiveness of Internet-related technologies and business models.
Gannett has recently developed a two-pronged approach to editorial that is extremely promising in that it builds on methods that are succeeding online. The first prong is called "hyper-local," and it focuses on niche content that only local news organizations can provide. The second is "citizen journalism," which marshals the growing phenomenon of "user generated content" into an editorial force of huge potential. This approach is covered in detail in the following article from Wired Magazine:
"One morning last December, Tom Callinan, editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer, walked into his office to discover a package from his bosses at Gannett, the company that owns the Enquirer and 84 other dailies across the US. When he opened the box, he had to smile. It was a pair of Nike running shoes.
"Callinan -- and all the other top editors who received shoes that week -- got the point: The nation's largest newspaper chain was in deep trouble, and the editors had better get ready to run fast. Callinan had been ready for seven years. Back in 1999, he was in the audience when Intel chair Andy Grove bluntly told the members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors that the Internet and new technologies were about to swamp their hulking cruise ship of an industry. They had a choice: Change course or go under. The $57 billion industry didn't change, but Callinan did. By day, he was the editor of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in upstate New York. By night he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, emerging two years later with a master's degree in new media. He decided newsroom culture would never change on its own. "I learned a phrase in grad school: 'Dislodge the equilibrium.'"
Read complete article ...
Gannett has recently developed a two-pronged approach to editorial that is extremely promising in that it builds on methods that are succeeding online. The first prong is called "hyper-local," and it focuses on niche content that only local news organizations can provide. The second is "citizen journalism," which marshals the growing phenomenon of "user generated content" into an editorial force of huge potential. This approach is covered in detail in the following article from Wired Magazine:
"One morning last December, Tom Callinan, editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer, walked into his office to discover a package from his bosses at Gannett, the company that owns the Enquirer and 84 other dailies across the US. When he opened the box, he had to smile. It was a pair of Nike running shoes.
"Callinan -- and all the other top editors who received shoes that week -- got the point: The nation's largest newspaper chain was in deep trouble, and the editors had better get ready to run fast. Callinan had been ready for seven years. Back in 1999, he was in the audience when Intel chair Andy Grove bluntly told the members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors that the Internet and new technologies were about to swamp their hulking cruise ship of an industry. They had a choice: Change course or go under. The $57 billion industry didn't change, but Callinan did. By day, he was the editor of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in upstate New York. By night he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, emerging two years later with a master's degree in new media. He decided newsroom culture would never change on its own. "I learned a phrase in grad school: 'Dislodge the equilibrium.'"
Read complete article ...
A trend is arising among so-called "old media" companies. Experiencing the "revenue reapportionment" that has been brought about by the rise of the Internet, traditional media companies, both large and small, are learning from their electronic rivals to find success in new approaches. This ClickZ.com report details several examples including this one of note:
"Gannett, McClatchy, and Tribune teaming up to collectively sell advertising across their Web properties. 'The Wall Street Journal' calls it 'a one-stop shop for online ads.' You could also view it as an ad network.
"'Open Network,' as the endeavor is working-titled, is aimed at capturing spend from the telco, automotive, and other major national campaigns local newspapers have had trouble securing in recent years with one consolidated buy."
Read complete article ...
"Gannett, McClatchy, and Tribune teaming up to collectively sell advertising across their Web properties. 'The Wall Street Journal' calls it 'a one-stop shop for online ads.' You could also view it as an ad network.
"'Open Network,' as the endeavor is working-titled, is aimed at capturing spend from the telco, automotive, and other major national campaigns local newspapers have had trouble securing in recent years with one consolidated buy."
Read complete article ...
