Newspapers a big success -- on the Internet

MediaPost reports that newspaper websites captured 41 percent of all Internet views last quarter, a big success. Of course, it also reports that they aren't making money from them, not so big a success.

Column laments loss of people of color from Sun-Times

Huffington Post column laments the loss of the last people of color on the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board. It's only the latest in a largely-overlooked trend. As newspapers shed staff, they are often losing a large part of their minority staff since, often, these were the reporters and editors with less seniority or minorities jumped to other media or even other occupations.

Maybe the doomsayers are right

It seems that way as more and more industry leaders seem to be wandering the desert looking at mirages with hope. Read this report of a talk by MediaNews Group Inc. CEO Dean Singleton who talks about outsourcing everything, including local reporting, then contrast it with suggestions of "local, local, local," and question whether the industry's leaders have a clue. James McPhearson of a website that has outsourced reporting to India is quoted in the article as saying: "You might miss the nuance of a sneer on a councilman's face but you know how he voted and what he said. That's factual and can be reported on from anywhere." He's correct. Just running the press release will do the same.

Meanwhile, the American Copy Editors Society points out the problems with Singleton's plan. Simply put, it destroys credibility.  FYI, this is a good site to visit on a regular basis.

Show me the money!

MediaPost continues to point to a major problem with all the new media talk: the money's not there yet. Yes, online revenues have increased, (although they are slowing now), but not close to enough to cover the losses in other areas. It's enough to turn even normally-optimistic people like me (who sees the tremendous upside of convergence) into a bit of a pessimist. Still, when I see some of the wonderful media storytelling -- including the current Journal Sentinel opus on Wisconsin's drinking culture (which has some excellent stories among the hand-wringing and preachy stuff) -- I can't help but think of the tremendous possibilities available to reporters.

Some thoughts on newspaper space cutbacks

While I was reading a story on the latest big newspaper to announce it was cutting sections, the Boston Globe, one line stood out to me. The Globe is dropping two sections (actually combining their content with existing sections, while adding a new entertainment-themed tabloid. But the phrase that stood out to me was this: "Martin Baron, editor of the Globe, said while some newshole will be lost, the pages lost include house ads and event listings."

The key part of that was the "event listings" portion. It's long been an axiom in print journalism (back when the competition was seen as broadcast) that newspapers owned "anything in agate type," that is all of the box scores, event listings, calendars, stock tables, etc. that ran in the smallest type. This was because this detail was impractical for broadcast.  

But, frankly, its better on the Internet since it can run in larger fonts and more detail. If I were seeking an online audience, I'd have the most complete listings, calendars, box scores, etc on my site.  Then I'd aggressively promote it on the print pages. Anyway, it's just one more indication of how the media landscape has dramatically changed.

Media use up -- both new and old media

An Iowa State University study finds that media consumption is up, but it's both new media and old. Apparently many of us are using new media while continuing to use old media. In fact, old media numbers are up, as well as new media. Doesn't mean advertisers are staying with old media, they're not. Maybe they should be.

Philip Meyer on "the endgame" for newspapers

Philip Meyer, who has written some of the most influential books on journalism, especially precision journalist, takes on the newspaper industry in an article in the American Journalism Review. He's been predicting the end of print editions for some time now, based on readership data, but has some very interesting observations and predictions in this article. His bottom line suggestion: focus on the community leadership role with interpretation and context. He also says time is running short for newspapers to sharply focus their missions.

Chicago Tribune joins dump-AP movement

Tribune Company executives notified the Associated Press that all newspapers owned by the corporation would drop AP service after the two-year period contractually demanded. It's only the latest and largest media company to notify AP that it planned to drop the service after a price rise. That doesn't mean it actually will drop AP, but it's a move that shows how the media world is changing. Editor & Publisher offers a nice roundup of what's happening.

In defense of bloggers. . .

New York University's Jay Rosen offers a stirring endorsement of bloggers, saying, among other things, that "bloggers and journalists are each other's ideal 'other' . . . ." Bloggers fill different needs than journalists, and operate differently. Rosen's blog has long been one of the more thoughtful journalism blogs.

Student newspaper story prompts thefts

The student newspaper at the University of Texas at El Paso reported on the school's defrocked homecoming queen's past may have included time as an exotic dancer. Suddenly, its newspapers began disappearing from their sales boxes. The Student Press Law Center reports that says that more than 3,500 newspapers were stolen. No one has been charged.

Wisdom from down under

For four decades, American newspapers have been lulled into complacency by being virtual monopolies. They have grown fat and ossified. During my time with just The Milwaukee Journal and Journal Sentinel, I watched as it went from a lean, tight newspaper with only a few editors to one with layers upon layers of assistant managing editors, senior editors, deputy senior editors, assistant senior editors, etc. (When I started at The Milwaukee Journal its news operations had one editor, one managing editor, one assistant managing editor; today, its masthead lists an editor, a managing editor, a deputy managing editor, six assistant managing editors, and at least six senior editors.)

I strongly believe that we must start looking for solutions in areas where competition has continued -- overseas. Newspapers in other parts of the world have had to stay nimble to keep afloat, and that has led them to reacting positively to changing media winds, not just to wring their hands and lay off more people. As someone who loves and is addicted to newspapers, I can only hope that our leaders will start looking for ways to adapt, not just die. 

The CEO of a major Australian media company -- with extensive newspaper holdings, including in Sidney and Melbourne -- makes the case for why print media will continue to be important, and how it can survive. His speech includes a lot of business jargon, but he makes a case not only for how print must survive but why. 

David Kirk calls himself a newspaper "conservative," who believes that newspapers are a vital part of a healthy society, with a healthy future. He builds his argument around three pillars: strong content, addressing audiences and supporting his newspapers' brands. He isn't talking about cutting staff that his audience wants to read, like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and, frankly, most American metropolitan newspapers continue to do. Nor is he talking about dropping sections, ignoring portions of the audience, and allowing his readers to gradually drift away. He is talking about aggressively going after them. I'd love to see our newspapers tell their story as well.

WEEKLY WORLD NEWS RISES FROM DEAD!!!

OK, that's a bit exaggerated, and those of you who turn up your noses at newspapers like the late, great Weekly World News can turn away now because it's time to get down and have some fun. A group of investors calling themselves Bat Boy LLC after a WWN character has purchased the newspaper. I always like media to be pretty upfront about itself and the WWN never quite hid the fact that, well, it didn't use facts in its stories about "How to Tell if You're Descended From a Space Alien" or "Titanic Survivor Found in Lifeboat." Will it return (it's been online only for more than a year; the current issue features a story about Barack Obama's "half-man, half-bat, half-brother")? We don't know, but I can think of few possible revivals that bodes more fun.