Monthly Archives: April 2009

“People are used to reading everything on the net for free, and that’s going to have to change,” Rupert Murdoch

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News Corp. Investing In Larger Mobile Device

Murdoch also predicted that the New York Times Co. (NYT) will have to charge online for access to its flagship newspaper.

“The inventory of display advertising on the web is doubling every year,” said Murdoch. “They’re never going to make money on an advertising model to replace what they’re losing.”

This is a paid article available only to subscribers, ironically, if you access this article through google news, you don’t have to sign in to access it.  I’m sure that will change too though.

I’m not sure why newspaper publishers are attempting to create their own eReaders though.  Can you imagine having a Hearst reader for their titles, a newscorp reader for their titles, a cell phone, and Ipod and a laptop to carry around?  Crazyness.

RELATED:

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News Media Innovation, Convergence and Sustainability – Interview with Don Carli

Murdoch says papers should charge on Web

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NPR Labs Launches CPB-Funded Study on Power Increase for HD Radio

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NPR Labs Launches CPB-Funded Study on Power Increase for HD Radio TM

Challenge is to Improve Digital Radio Coverage

and Protect Today’s Analog FM Services

April 2, 2009, Washington – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a grant to NPR Labs to undertake an expedited Advanced Digital Radio Coverage and Compatibility Study to improve innovative HD Radio TM services. The study will establish industry recommendations for the amount of power increase needed to improve digital radio coverage while protecting the existing analog FM system and its subcarriers, which serve more than 32 million public radio and 239 million total FM radio listeners each week. (Source: ACT1 based on Arbitron Nationwide, Persons Using Radio, Fall 2008, Persons 12+, Mon.-Sun Midnight-Midnight)

The new study will seek to determine how to maximize HD coverage while minimizing interference with essential analog FM radio services.  It will build on earlier research by NPR Labs of digital radio coverage, also funded by CPB. The earlier study revealed that FM services would experience a high level of interference from HD signals in some areas, if the needed power increase was not closely managed.

“We’re pleased CPB has selected NPR Labs to expedite a detailed technical analysis so we can resolve these critical issues,” said Vivian Schiller, NPR President and CEO. “NPR is committed to advancing HD Radio TM and protecting the quality of the listening experience for all of our audiences.  If the power increase is not carefully managed, NPR member stations risk losing audience to signal interference.”      Continue reading →

Digital Advertising 101 for Editors and Entrepreneurial Journalists at Columbia Journalism

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Check out the website at www.journalism.columbia.edu/ContinuingEducation to learn more about spring offerings and register.

Digital Advertising 101
Workshop: May 4, 2009
7 p.m. to 10 p.m

Learn about the business of advertising in the digital age in this May 4 workshop at the Graduate School of Journalism. Industry experts will provide editors and entrepreneurial journalists with a concrete understanding of digital advertising sales in order to better navigate business decisions that are affecting the editorial side of journalism. Participants will leave with basic tools to integrate advertising into the consumer experience without compromising editorial integrity or interfering with the editorial product. They will also learn how to perform a self-diagnostic regarding their organizations’ readiness to confront the new realities of the digital age.

Register for this workshop
http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1165270051272/page/1212610911553/simplepage.htm

NAA Looks Foolish on National TV

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Tuesday March 31, 2009 Steven Colbert had on John Sturm, president of the Newspaper Association of America.  Typical of all his guests, he made them look out of touch and stupid.  As Advertising Age wrote in their blog, “it was hilarous and depressing”.  Why on earth would the NAA send anyone to speak with Colbert for his program?  You know the saying, “all publicity is good publicity” well, it’s not.

Steven Colbert is an influencer watched by millions and he just pronounced the floundering newspaper industry dead.  It’s impossible for Strum to come up with a single retort to “why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” and “if you’re serious about competing on the internet, why don’t newspapers have a huge porn section?”

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen’s Namesakes
comedycentral.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Jacek Utko: Can design save the newspaper? TED2009

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Jacek Utko is an extraordinary Polish newspaper designer whose redesigns for papers in Eastern Europe not only win awards, but increase circulation by up to 100%. Can good design save the newspaper? Should newspapers be Free? Tabloid? Local? Niche? Opinion? Breakfast fodder? “In the long run there is no practical reason for newspapers to survive” states Jacek. Regardless, he is working with newspapers to create entirely new workflows and embedding great marketing, via design, right into the products.

Why you should listen to him:

Newspaper designer Jacek Utko suggests that it’s time for a fresh, top-to-bottom rethink of the newspaper. (At this point, why not try it?) In his work, he’s proved that good design can help readers reconnect with newspapers. A former architect, Utko took on the job of redesigning several newspapers in former Soviet Bloc nations, starting from basic principles. He worked closely with newspaper executives to figure out the business goals of their papers, and then radically reformatted the product to fit those goals. (And he wasn’t afraid to break a few grids in the process.)

As the art director at Warsaw’s Puls Biznesu in 2004, he redesigned this small business-focused newspaper and immediately won the SND award for world’s best-designed newspaper. Readers responded, and circulation went up. He’s now art director for the Bonnier Business Press, overseeing papers in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, and the work he oversees consistently wins major prizes (including another SND world’s-best in 2007 for Estonia’s Äripäev), despite their small teams and limited resources.

“Who knew that the world’s best designed newspapers are in Poland and Estonia?”

-June Cohen, TED

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