06 November 2009
05 November 2009
04 November 2009
26 July 2009
30 June 2009
25 June 2009
21 June 2009
17 June 2009
"Record d'audience pour LaProvence.com"
Two very different newspapers in Italy both hit new audience levels with their websites last week, and now this week it is La Provence in Marseille. In all three cases, this was driven by a specific event, but nonetheless, for coverage of those events, it was to the web and it was to newspaper sites that huge numbers of people have gone. I would be interested in all three cases to see if the spike in traffic was shared proportionately with other sites covering the same issue - sports in France, an election in Italy.
16 June 2009
"MySpace To Slash Staff by 30 percent" - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com
Newspaper culture, what is that?
"La ligne Nice-Cuneo doit-elle être conservée ?" - La question du jour - Côte d'Azur - nicematin.com
There is another point here. This large regional newspaper only got 51 people to vote on this issue in the last day. The page is badly presented and virtually none of the tools we have come to expect is being deployed in support. Further, and most troubling, if customers care about this issue, why isn't the newspaper going the extra mile to provide a link to the people who are making this decision. Not to do so seems idiotic to me.
"Pro Food Solutions"
A banner advertisement for this company just appeared on the New York Times website alongside a review of the new documentary, Food, Inc. It is odd to me that this should be here while I am reading this review, and for a company that serves not individuals but bigger customers, and that I do all of this while connected to the web in France.
Is there someone at the NYT who monitors who sees what where?
Is there someone at the NYT who monitors who sees what where?
15 June 2009
"If The Globe Were Sold, What Would It Go for?" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
How very sad but unless ego jacks up a buyer's offer, I think the low numbers are the most likely.
"Dell Says It Has Earned $3 Million From Twitter" - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
Are newspaper advertisers able to credit newspapers with earing this kind of money?
"Forbes: A “Capitalist Tool” That’s Pinching Pennies" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
All of this is relevant to many newspapers.
"On the iPhone, a Tool for the Careful Shopper" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
Why has no newspaper offered this instead?
14 June 2009
Côte d'Azur - nicematin.com
Nice Matin today has a story about an event they will hold at the newspaper's offices entitled - A Child at Any Price. There is no URL for more information and nothing on the newspaper's website at all about the event. I thin it is very good strategy to have as many events physically at the newspaper as possible, but they need to be supported by robus online services as well.
"Stop Pub - Ministère de l'Ecologie, de l'Energie, du Développement durable et de l'Aménagement du territoire"
I wonder what the internet equivalent of this is....
The local newspaper in Nice, France is running a big ad today for the local government calling on people to enter this program and to reduce waste in the process. I am not sure I have seen anything bordering on this in the US.
The local newspaper in Nice, France is running a big ad today for the local government calling on people to enter this program and to reduce waste in the process. I am not sure I have seen anything bordering on this in the US.
"allvoices - events, people, places that matter - tell us your news"
What would be wrong with any and every newspaper launching this themselves for their respective markets?
"Newspaper for Dogs Has Bite, if Not Taste" - NYTimes.com
Forever demonstrating the versatility of the newspaper medium?
13 June 2009
"Qui est le moins chers?"
I'd sure like to see a newspaper do something like this, instead of leaving it to advertisers and others to do.
"Nonprofit Journalism Gets Boost from A.P." - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com
My first reaction is that this is more about public relations than sound strategy. I very much doubt that the work product of these groups is what will turn around the fortunes of the owners of the AP, U.S. newspapers.
"Carte Club Privilège" - La Provence
Many newspapers have these special "privileges" cards. It is remarkable to me that there is so little in the website that really puts the power of technology to use to help customers meaningfully in dealing with the participating vendors. Moreover, there is a shocking lack of focus on life's essentials. One would think that cusotmers would appreciate being sent to this page rather than wandering all over McDonald's site for France tying to find it! Instead, the information about the McDonald's offer is linked only to this.
"Rivals Both Claim Victory in Iran's Election" - NYTimes.com
I wonder what the online equivalent of a blanked out newspaper headline or story is? See the reference here to Iranian newspapers apparently being told to delete some stories.
31 May 2009
29 May 2009
28 May 2009
20 May 2009
13 May 2009
"NY Times unveils 'Times Wire' online news feed" - AFP
For my purposes, at least, this strikes me as a very valuable offering and I plan to test it out regularly to see if it becomes part of my routine - might it be essential?
12 May 2009
"Hospitals Begin to Move Into Supermarkets" - NYTimes.com
Are there not significant opportunities for newspapers to do much the same thing?
"Tintin Breaks Records at an Auction" - NYTimes.com
Tintin was/is a reporter. At least some things relating to journalism are selling well these days.
"'NYT' Launches Latest Digital Edition"
It's not clear to me that this will make the New York Times more essential to those customers who choose to pay for this. That, for me, is the test.
"We’re Dull, Small Banks Say, and Have Profit to Show for It" - NYTimes.com
Any comparisons worth making with community newspapers vs those in larger cities? Chicken dinner and church social reporting vs the guy now accused of murdering his xth wife who I think was arrested recently - PEDERSON or some variation on that spelling?
11 May 2009
"New Search Service Aims to Answer Tough Questions" - NYTimes.com
It reminds me of the role that a good newspaper is supposed to serve....
10 May 2009
"The American Press on Suicide Watch" - NYTimes.com
This is a superbly written essay on the challenges of the moment. I don't think his challenge will be met without findin a new indirect way to pay for what we are not willing to buy directly - quality journalism. That's what advertising has done until now, and we now to find new forms of advertising and new forms of other payments that will foot the bills of the reporters whose work society values but for which its people are not willing to pay directly.
09 May 2009
08 May 2009
06 May 2009
05 May 2009
04 May 2009
03 May 2009
01 May 2009
28 April 2009
"Auto Ads Decline In Step With Industry Woes" - NPR
It sure seems to me that newspapers need to carve out a far more creative and valuable service for automakers and dealers.
27 April 2009
"US Newspaper Circulation Sees Steeper Decline" - NYTimes.com
A fuzzy line between the sustainable and the unsustainable is fast approaching as these numbers continue to drop.
25 April 2009
24 April 2009
"Gannett Launches Digital Media Network" - MediaPost
Is this playing to newspaper strengths or chasing after the strength of others?
23 April 2009
22 April 2009
21 April 2009
"America's Newest Profession" - WSJ.com
It would be really interesting to chart the number of newspaper jobs over the past 50 years, the number of bloggers, and the number of people commenting or writing letters to the editor -- all over the same period.
"The Times Reports Quarterly Loss of $74 Million" - NYTimes.com
Reality strikes after yesterday's great news about all of the Pulitzers. As much as I rely - and pay for that reliance with a 7-day print subscription -on The New York Times, I do not feel like I am a meaningful member of any NYT community. To be honest, I am not sure what would give me that sense of belonging; all I know is that I don't have it, perhaps many others as well, and unless we "get it", so to speak, these numbers are likely to look even worse. I recall an apron I have hanging in a closet. On it is printed something like "I got my job through The New York Times". It is hard to remember the last time I got some validation/reward for having seen something in print or online - editorial, advertising or otherwise - and having done something in response...from doing a link like this one to making a recession-beating purchase of some sort. Surely, there are creative ways to address this far better than has been done to date.
20 April 2009
"YourMembership.com - The Complete Online Member Community"
I know nothing of this company, but it sure suggests a lot to me of what newspapers ought to be doing.
"Books - The Ponzi Workshop" - NYTimes.com
Note the very last paragraph. I think it applies in spades to the future of newspapers.
"Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach Obama" - NYTimes.com
Letters are something once highly valued by newspapers.
19 April 2009
17 April 2009
16 April 2009
15 April 2009
"Newspaper Ads Expected to Show Up to 30% Drop" - NYTimes.com
This will eventually hit all newspapers unless they come up with a better mix of paper and electronic offerings that match contemporary lives.
"Media Executives Plan Online Service to Charge for Content" - NYTimes.com
Another ego-driven adventure, I fear.
14 April 2009
13 April 2009
11 April 2009
10 April 2009
"Newspaper Editors to Replace Cancelled Convention with Online "Webinars"" - Journalism in the Americas
This makes tremendous sense.
"YouTube in Music Video Deal With Universal" - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
If this works for TV programs and music, might it not work for news - local and/or anywhere? How does a newspaper stay in control of what it owns, reports, and how does that newspaper hold on to customer relationships? Or just forget about them?
09 April 2009
08 April 2009
07 April 2009
06 April 2009
05 April 2009
04 April 2009
03 April 2009
"Bar Codes In Newspaper Ads Link To Web Content Via Mobile App" - MediaPost
Maybe this will be the time for this very good idea to work.
02 April 2009
"How Do You Feel About the Economy?" - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
Another simple idea well-deployed.
"A Different Kind of Spin, After the News Has Gone" - Globespotters Blog - NYTimes.com
I had not thought til I read this about the need to be thinking of new, alternative uses for newspaper buildings around the US. That time has come.
Alas, many newspapers long ago moved out of their historic center city locations - a critically stupid blunder on their part - to lifeless industrial parks and sterile suburban settings. For those still in interesting places and buildings, there might be some good opportunities.
Alas, many newspapers long ago moved out of their historic center city locations - a critically stupid blunder on their part - to lifeless industrial parks and sterile suburban settings. For those still in interesting places and buildings, there might be some good opportunities.
01 April 2009
31 March 2009
30 March 2009
29 March 2009
"E.U. Warns Internet Companies on User Privacy" - NYTimes.com
Newspapers need to care a lot about this.
"The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia"
This is the new global edition of The New York Times. I hope it succeeds, and we will know soon enough......
28 March 2009
"Facebook at 5 - Is It Growing Up Too Fast?" - NYTimes.com
Newspapers need to pay a whole lot more attention to this.
26 March 2009
"Screen Time: Study Parses How, When We Watch" - NPR
This sure has a big impact on the future of newspapers.
Will E-Book Anti-Piracy Technology Hurt Readers? : NPR
There is a lot for newspapers to learn from this.
24 March 2009
"The Vietnam War, Through Eddie Adams' Lens" - NPR
Who will replace this sort of photography in a post-printed newspaper world?
"Hearst's Houston Chronicle Cutting 12 Pct of Staff" - NYTimes.com
This is a newspaper that used to be owned by a foundation and most would have thought it would survive, successfully, forever. Who would bet on that proposition today?
23 March 2009
21 March 2009
"Meet Laura, Your Virtual Personal Assistant" - NPR
Which newspaper will be the first to offer a virtual news assistant like Laura?
20 March 2009
19 March 2009
18 March 2009
17 March 2009
National Geographic Society: Information from Answers.com
To what extent is this a viable model for a newspaper company today? Consider its story.
16 March 2009
15 March 2009
14 March 2009
13 March 2009
12 March 2009
"For Papers, a Downsizing Trickle Becomes a Flood" - NYTimes.com
I continue to believe that we need just one newspaper - anywhere - to demonstrate how they have responded to the information and service needs of the geographic market they seek to serve, successfully, in order to turn this around. What are the criteria? That more than 90% of the people with access to the internet in that market have subscribed to something from the newspaper in any medium with some paying for highest value offerings, and that everyone in the market is offered a free daily product that, when combined with the electronic offerings, is the most essential means by which advertisers of all kind can seek customers in that geographic market.
So far, as I sit in Chapel Hill, several newspapers have me well within that 90% group, with me paying money for some of what I receive from newspapers, but none of them has yet perfected the link between me and the mass of advertisers physically located inside and outside this geographic market whose customer I already am or whose customer they would like me to be.
I don't see any one of thes papers - from the most local to the most international - even trying to do this.
Why is this job so hard to grasp?
So far, as I sit in Chapel Hill, several newspapers have me well within that 90% group, with me paying money for some of what I receive from newspapers, but none of them has yet perfected the link between me and the mass of advertisers physically located inside and outside this geographic market whose customer I already am or whose customer they would like me to be.
I don't see any one of thes papers - from the most local to the most international - even trying to do this.
Why is this job so hard to grasp?
10 March 2009
09 March 2009
The Bob Edwards Show - Bob Edwards Weekend
The interview about Global Post was very interesting. The founder pointed out that he is a friend of Bill O"REILLY of the O"Reilly Factor and that is why they are a co-sponsor. He said that Huffington Post approached them and they added them as well.
08 March 2009
"Google branches into expandable ads" - CNET News
And which newspapers are offering this independently to advertisers?
07 March 2009
06 March 2009
04 March 2009
03 March 2009
"Mobile phone use passes milestone as UN report reveals global growth" - The Guardian
And the total number of daily newspaper purchasers around the world? Ok, include those who pick up a free paper, too!
"'New York Times' to Launch Local Citizen Journalism Sites"
French regional newspapers mastered this approach in print a long time ago.
02 March 2009
"Mediapart.fr - Abonnement au nouveau journal interactif" - Maximiles
This is such a difficult sell....
"Pearson publie des résultats 2008 meilleurs que prévu"
Some good - or at least better - news again.
28 February 2009
"Broadcast Networks Battling Uphill for Profit and Audience" - NYTimes.com
Newspapers learned long ago that they can never afford to ignore what is happening in the television world.
27 February 2009
"Newspaper Convention Canceled Amid Industry Woes" - NYTimes.com
Another telling sign of where things are going....
"Rocky Mountain News Is Closing in Denver" - NYTimes.com
There are very few people or companies left who are prepared to buy existing newspapers. It is astounding to think that I am writing that sentence in 2009.
26 February 2009
"Google adds ads to Google News searches" - CNET News
One of the reasons why paying attention to Google is such a high priority.
"Hearst to use Helium citizen journalists" - Boston Business Journal
This strikes me as a smart move.
"German group Springer bucks media slump" - European Journalism Centre
I am not sure if there is anything to be drawn from this for application elsewhere.
25 February 2009
"Vidders Talk Back To Their Pop-Culture Muses" - NPR
Imagine how this might work if applied to newspapers and news stories instead of television programs.
"5 Newspapers in Northeast to Share Content" - NYTimes.com
The Associated Press, just like a paper's printing press, only makes sense if their is a minimum level of work. If the work drops below that minimum, neither the press nor the agency can continue.
"Murdoch on the prowl for print sales" - Variety
Whether it be he or not, it is most likely to be someone without a SULZBERGER name or some relation to it.
"Hearst to Slash, Sell or Close the San Francisco Chronicle Newspaper" - WSJ.com
More perspective on this news.
"Washington Post Shares Decline After Profit Falls" - NYTimes.com
If the Washington Post did not have its other businesses, this would be a very dismal picture.
24 February 2009
"Metro International receives bid offer" - European Journalism Centre
There inevitably will be purchasers, at some price, for many remaining newspaper properties.
"Hearst May Sell or Close San Francisco Chronicle" - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
Another sad chapter nears an end.
"Downie Says Newspapers Must Constantly Look For New Revenue Streams" - Neon Tommy
I think we are all dancing around economics and essentials. Either there is a business or there is not!
"Goodbye to the Age of Newspapers (Hello to a New Era of Corruption)"
It's a sound argument for deaf ears.
"Americans watching more TV than ever" - Nielsen
And likely reading their newspapers less or - perhaps - less intently while the television plays.
"Currah: Kitemarks Have Great Potential to Help the News Business" - Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits
A lot of this discussion is really on the fringes of what needs to happen.
"Financial Times to cut costs" - Reuters
Cutting back time worked, and compensation, seems like a fair way to address the economic challenges newspapers face.
"Hearst Taps Yahoo Vet Khemlani as VP, Digital Media"
The trendlines are slow to develop but inevitable.
23 February 2009
"Information Wants to Be Expensive" - WSJ.com
I agree with this thinking, but it is a huge change to make --- for newspapers to really focus on how they can become really valuable in the lives of their customers.
"ICFJ to offer online course on investigative journalism in Arabic" - IJNet
I have believed for a long time that a huge amount of continuing professional education could be carried out online. It is wonderful to see this course offered in Arabic and I hope many more will follow.
"New Search Technologies Mine the Web More Deeply" - NYTimes.com
This has profound implicaitons for newspapers who ought to remain extremely attentive to what Google is trying to do. More important, tho, is the need for newspapers to look locally - where their greatest strength lies - and ask what they could be doing to bring more of the "knowledge" of and about their market to their customers who rely on them for that local insight and perspective. Show me one newspaper that is doing this today.
22 February 2009
"Rupert Murdoch’s Love of Newspapers Is Weighing on News Corp" - NYTimes.com
Newspaper love afflicts many of us.
"The Media Biz: Memo to Newspaper Publishers"
This is useful from a wise commentator, but not enough focused on the big picture; the changes recommended are not enough. A clearer strategy needs to precede them.
"Marc Andreesen advises newspapers to shut down the presses" - Reportr.net
The issue of how printing facilities fit into the future of newspapers is worth a lot of fresh analysis. It needs to be approached more from the standpoint of job printing than newspaper production, I think.
20 February 2009
19 February 2009
17 February 2009
16 February 2009
15 February 2009
12 February 2009
10 February 2009
09 February 2009
06 February 2009
05 February 2009
04 February 2009
02 February 2009
31 January 2009
30 January 2009
"Is Community-Funded Journalism The Answer?" - NPR
I think getting people to pay more for news is a good idea but I am very uncomfortable with this approach; it threatens the independence and professionalism of journalism in my mind.
28 January 2009
"Free Newspaper Venture Depends on Local Blogs" - NYTimes.com
There is one of these in France, too. It might work, but needs to anticipate fully what people are going to value when printed on a piece of paper.
"Cox newspapers in NC cutting 28 jobs to save costs" - ABC 13
We are going to see a lot more of this.
"Washington Post to End Book World as Stand-Alone Section" - NYTimes.com
Whether this was a good move or not depends on whether the Post has reoriented its thinking about books and attempted to insert itself in the new electronic link that most book readers now enjoy. Is there, for example, a stand alone - but fully linked behind the scenes - website/page on books with the Post's name on it? In my view, everything then flows from that. The only page I could find is not very compelling or especially useful. It needs to redone starting with the customer - the reader and maybe buyer of books who can be convinced that the Post has something to offer in pursuing that interest. That includes advice and purchasing or borrowing books.....and it all has to be done in the name of the Post in order to stick and succeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
