Comments on: US Papers Post Worst-Ever Quarterly Results

By: Så när landar liemannen? « Guy Number Three

Så när landar liemannen? « Guy Number Three — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:46:06 +0000

[...] i år är inte särskilt konstigt. De amerikanska dagstidningarnas resultat i första kvartalet var rekorduselt, med ett säljtapp på närmare 30 procent. Från USA kom nästan dagliga rapporter om [...]

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:45:12 +0000

Sun’s tiered access for scalable subscription model is one of several viable alternatives to the false binary proposition of closed or free online access to print resources. The approach captures a revenue stream that’s untapped: people willing to pay for what they read online. Another model, which would take advantage of the multi-media potential afforded by the internet, is for newspapers to begin earnestly producing video content with every possible story. The advantage to that model is the ad-space at the top of a good video is quite sought-after by traditional advertisers who are seeking to get vetted views of their commercials. It’s not a panacea, but it works for the business side, while maintaining a conduit for in-depth comparative analysis and debate. Video Op-Ed’s, for example, would be a wonderful product for online dissemination for newspapers. Take, for example, this video compilation from Newsy.com (disclosure: I am affiliated with them) about the coverage of the killing of George Tiller.

http://www.newsy.com/videos/the_killing_of_george_tiller

Newsy.com is a partner of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

By: Newspaper Fan

Newspaper Fan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:57:52 +0000

Thanks for the link to the Davies’ article, it was great for a laugh. What a bunch of bunk. So newspapers were slowly fading in 1965? Wow, if I knew that back in 1986 I never would have started in this business since it was doomed from 1965. Who knew those 30 percent profit margins for most newspapers up until 2007 were actually a mirage?

I love fools like this who try and look smart by playing Monday morning quarterback. Give it a rest. Or better yet, shove it. Newspapers have made plenty of mistakes over the years but this story is downright comical.

To alter a famous quote, this about the demise of newspapers, “it’s the Internet, stupid.”

By: Michelle Rafter

Michelle Rafter — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:49:49 +0000

Paul:

Thanks for linking to the post I did on L. J. Williamson and Examiner.com. Content aggregators have been topic no. 1 on my digital journalism blog for the past two weeks, ever since Tim Beyers, a Motley Fool contributing writer, wrote a guest post condemning content aggregators in general, and Helium in particular, as less than legitimate markets for professional journalists. A Helium representative responded so I gave her the floor the next day – and the fur’s been flying ever since. Content sites argue that writers – and their definition of a writer is pretty loose – can make money in their pay-per-click business model if they’re “good” enough – but what constitutes good is open to interpretation. Writers who’ve worked for sites like Helium, Examiner.com, Associate Content, HubPages, About.com, etc., report widely varying experiences.

My own take: given the option of working for a content aggregator or a hyperlocal news site started by a couple of out of work reporters, freelancers are better off with the latter both for the experience they’d gain and the opportunities that could materialize. Better yet, work for yourself.

Michelle Rafter