Out of the mouths of interns
July 3rd, 2008 by David Warner in People, The Business of MSM, The Morning PapersInside the layoffs at the Trib, as reported by intern Jessica DaSilva. Commenters praise her passion (admirable) while criticizing her spelling (lamentable). As for Editor Janet Coats’ quote that the Tampa Tribune is an “add-on” to TBO.com, not vice versa: Is this a bravely candid acknowledgment of the reality of today’s media, or (like Jessica’s spelling) the death knell for journalism as we know it? Or both? Opinions vary, but to newspaper editors everywhere, the debate is familiar.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
When will you newspaper people understand that journalism is not tied to paper? Why can’t you put good journalism on the internet - sure would cost you a lot less.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
We need to find out how to make money on the Internet first. The papers are still the bread and butter of the operation.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
@Syd: It’s not so much about figuring out *how* to make money online as it is finally getting serious about doing so. Google generates $2 million an hour in advertising revenue by creating value for both advertisers and users: Ads targeted to keywords, which deliver a more relevant audience to the advertiser. And by being relevant to search behavior initiated by the user, the user is more likely to actually view those ads as useful content, rather than advertising of the old-fashioned, intrusive variety.
To the extent that most newspapers can even be said to have a digital advertising strategy, you’ll likely find that it’s still tied firmly to print. Literally, in the form of print upsells, and philosophically, in the form of dumb, CPM-based and mostly untargeted banner ads like those right here on this page. I’m looking at three ads for things that have nothing to do with my physical location, the content of this page, my browsing habits on this site or my personal preferences: A burger restaurant, Ruth Eckerd Hall and a law firm. Random. It’s the old print display advertising model shoehorned into a medium that offers superior alternatives. These are hardly our best efforts.
As documented in the original Newspaper Next report, Media General’s own Richmond Times-Dispatch found that 78 percent of public-facing businesses in their market did not have an advertising relationship with the newspaper. What did those 12,500 non-consuming businesses want? “Help me reach a targeted, upscale audience in a specific geography.” And, “Help me establish an online presence for my business that will target customers and prospective employees.”
Do we not see how rich the potential is for local newspapers to be the outlet that offers those services to their communities, if only we would look beyond the old rules and obsolete conventional wisdom of print-centric advertising?
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
@ William: I don’t disagree with you at all. But many in the management positions are hard to get on the wagon with anything.
We are operating in outdated model that they will continue to use until we bleed out.
July 5th, 2008 at 11:05 am
At least we’re seeing how unqualified today’s young journalists are. Newspapers have lowered their standards and hired the cheapest people rather than the best people.
Now we’re seeing the results of that “plan”: Juvenile writing and a pervasive sense of entitlement.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I still think it’s hard to monetize the Internet at this stage, not saying that it’s not the future or anything. But whether it be because of advertising reluctance, or maybe newspaper management reluctance, I think that the transition from print to online has been a sloppy one.
For one thing, daily newspapers across the country (not just the local ones) knew they had to be online, but didn’t know quite how to do it. So instead of putting together a solid online first operation from the beginning, they instead thought all the reporters should have blogs, where they can share their views and opinions (because we always want to be able to pin more bias to reporters than they already get).
Some other newspapers, like the Biz Journal and such, adopted the Web first philosophy. There they treat news on a daily basis online, and then reserve the real good stuff for print, thus making people want both online and print.
Creative Loafing also has looked for ways to monetize the Internet, and created blogs that make more sense to what they do, providing a way to COMPLEMENT their print edition, not replace it. You want to come online to read PoHo and such, but you also want to find a newsstand to pick up CL because there is value in both.
I know someone who runs a very popular news Web site that gets thousands of unique visitors every day, and is picked up on a lot of larger sites. They have an agency that sells ads for them in Hollywood (it’s an entertainment site), but even with something established like that site (it’s been around for about a decade now), they are still having a hard time fully monetizing it. In fact, it will gross about one person’s salary when it’s all said and done.
It’s all about finding ways to complement your print and online products, and making BOTH a value readers will want. Provide a service online that people will want to check more than once a day, and then provide a print product that goes beyond what is found online. There are ways to make the print product a valuable product, and even an elite product, that will allow it to continue to be popular, even as other print products go by way of the Edsel.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
This girl my be a intern but they have opinions too. Who says that only Journalist have the right to be the only ones to write. I am a computer tech but I still know people still mess up their computers. As for the spell checker on blogs they are mostly they don’t exist like eveyones word processor. SO lay off on the spelling this person got the information out.
As for the newspapers Editor she sould have been fired herself for making a uneasy newsroom. If the people in the newsroom were smart they should have all walked out, and see who puts the newspaper together.
I used to work for the Telegraph in Nashua, NH and I know how stupid management is. Or should I say non listening management. If any newspaper is going under they upper management should be the ones to blame. They all saw the web way back in 1995 and they did nothing to move ad’s to the web side of the newspaper.
Also todays newspaper management have no open vision for new ideas. I’ve seen a few newspapers come up with new Ideas for web sites and how they can get you to subscribe. some are offering online versions and also some have a video or audio update, take a look at the Cape Cod Times.
As for what they took away from consumers there are no paper boys who put the paper in your door or front porch. Just contracotrs who toss it in your driveway or no deliver it at all. Take a look at how the size has shrunk too. Allot less local investagative reporting but just a blerb from the AP news wire.
I may not be the highly so called journalist, but just a computer tech, but, hell we don’t say only computer tech do computer programs we do it all just like everyone else. it does not matter what age you are, but always remember these young people will be taking care of you when you get older, it could be any job.
I’ve seen programs where a news writer can write his or her’s story send it to a copy editor and the article and photos if they have any can be sent to the web and to a plate for printing. This is why I don’t work for a newspaper anymore its just stupid upper management is clueless and they have no more ideas and just want to be closed to anything.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Alan, Alan, Alan, don’t you know that the only legit opinions come from crusty old (mostly white male) journalists who have ink stains on their shirt cuffs and a press card stuck in their fedora? C’mon, add The Front Page to your Netflix queue.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Time to dust off an old joke:
What do you call someone who knows two languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who knows one language? American.
What do you call someone who knows no language? Alan.
(rim shot) I’ll be here all week. Be sure to try the veal.