Earlier I said that newspapers were missing out on some lucrative areas of niche local coverage, like weddings. Has the Washington Post been reading this blog? FishbowlDC has an internal memo where the eds look for a local wedding reporter.
Of course, the Post just decided to cut the business section, which I promoted as another under-served area of local coverage, so we'll call the score even for now.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Reinvention by arbitrary distinctions
Today Advance Publications announced that the Ann Arbor News will cease to be in July. In its place, a company called AnnArbor.com LLC will take over, printing a twice-daily paper and a weekly "total market" printed product. The News made a sad announcement of the "difficult" news to its readers. It's as if General Mills decided to discontinue production of Honey Nut and Frosted Cheerios, and therefore decided to rename Cheerios "WholeGrainCereal.com" amid much melancholy fanfare.
The Ann Arbor News is a 174-year-old brand. Everybody in the town knows about it and has an opinion on it. Why mothball the brand when you can reinvent it? A change to the printed publication and a retrenchment of the web site can be done within the context of "The Ann Arbor News."
If there's anything that media companies possess, it's brand equity. Newspaper companies may be facing difficult times, but now is not the time to burn the house down to build a shack on the lot.
Kudos to Advance for trying out a new model; every time someone tries something different, we learn more about what works and what doesn't. But distinguishing between your established print brand and web site remains a terrible idea (in related news, the Washington Post has, apparently, finally decided that locating their web staff in Virginia was a mistake). A hybrid, platform-agnostic approach to the news is the way to go.
The Ann Arbor News is a 174-year-old brand. Everybody in the town knows about it and has an opinion on it. Why mothball the brand when you can reinvent it? A change to the printed publication and a retrenchment of the web site can be done within the context of "The Ann Arbor News."
If there's anything that media companies possess, it's brand equity. Newspaper companies may be facing difficult times, but now is not the time to burn the house down to build a shack on the lot.
Kudos to Advance for trying out a new model; every time someone tries something different, we learn more about what works and what doesn't. But distinguishing between your established print brand and web site remains a terrible idea (in related news, the Washington Post has, apparently, finally decided that locating their web staff in Virginia was a mistake). A hybrid, platform-agnostic approach to the news is the way to go.
Monday, March 16, 2009
DC Bureau, Unfocused Web Site Closing
Sadly, Media General is closing its DC bureau. Along with it goes another unfocused, poorly thought-out web site, mgwashington.com.
Years from now, people chronicling the downfall of the newspaper giants will wonder: who could possibly have thought a site like that a prudent use of scarce resources? What business does a local newspaper company have trying to compete in the already-crowded national news landscape? Who thinks a struggling corporate parent company, like Media General or McClatchy, would make a good brand? Why create a seperate brand, rather than promoting your already established local brands?
Sure, there's something to be said for throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. But if you're making most of your money selling local newspaper ads, why are you creating a web site to sell national web ads? It boggles the mind. I question whether these sites are profitable, even if you don't factor in the salaries of the reporters generating the content.
Newspaper companies, take note: original national reporting adds value and brand prestige. Reporting on local politicians and legislative issues from Washington adds relevance. Unfocused, quixotic web strategies add nothing.
Years from now, people chronicling the downfall of the newspaper giants will wonder: who could possibly have thought a site like that a prudent use of scarce resources? What business does a local newspaper company have trying to compete in the already-crowded national news landscape? Who thinks a struggling corporate parent company, like Media General or McClatchy, would make a good brand? Why create a seperate brand, rather than promoting your already established local brands?
Sure, there's something to be said for throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. But if you're making most of your money selling local newspaper ads, why are you creating a web site to sell national web ads? It boggles the mind. I question whether these sites are profitable, even if you don't factor in the salaries of the reporters generating the content.
Newspaper companies, take note: original national reporting adds value and brand prestige. Reporting on local politicians and legislative issues from Washington adds relevance. Unfocused, quixotic web strategies add nothing.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Simon: City Journalism Already Dead in Baltimore
"The Wire" creator David Simon weighed in on the demise of newspapers in this Sunday's Washington Post. He argues that the Baltimore Sun gave a one-over treatment to a police-involved shooting that would have been a much bigger deal back in the day when reporters actually put shoe-to-pavement to report on local crime. Furthermore, Simon said he "didn't trip over any blogger[s]" or citizen journalists on the way to the police department to check out the story.
City dailies would do well to take notice of The Wire's popularity with 20- and 30-somethings. The future currency of local papers will be purely local reporting. If papers made more of an effort to flesh out local crime stories, local police departments, and the city's underworld figures, it could help attract younger readers (and may produce some nostalgia for the print product).
City dailies would do well to take notice of The Wire's popularity with 20- and 30-somethings. The future currency of local papers will be purely local reporting. If papers made more of an effort to flesh out local crime stories, local police departments, and the city's underworld figures, it could help attract younger readers (and may produce some nostalgia for the print product).
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