The decision has been made to use the knowledge we have gained from the New Jersey Local and take the experiment in a new and exciting direction. And so today this part of The New York Times hyperlocal experiment has come to an end.

The Times is passing the baton to another site, Baristanet.com. Baristanet is one of the most successful hyperlocal Web sites in the country, and its owners, Debbie Galant and Liz George, both experienced writers and editors, are leaders in the field.

The new and exciting direction of which NYT speaks of is to cease publication… it seems lots of companies these days are trying this new approach to er…business.  Publicly traded NYT shut their experiment down because they couldn’t figure out how to make money with it, plain and simple.  Just looking at the The Local I could say, “where the hell is all the local advertising”?

Thankfully, Galant and George don’t seem to have any problem making money with their local news style.  Their sites content AND advertisements are plentiful and on topic.   A statement from their site follows below. Good luck to them and Happy Newsing.

Press Release from Baristanet

Starting tomorrow, July 1, the place we all call Baristaville gets bigger.

We will begin covering Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange with sites for each town as The New York Times today ends publication of The Local in New Jersey and directs its readers in those three towns to Baristanet.

We’ve served Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield — towns encompassing about 90,000 people — since 2004. Expanding to Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn will bring Baristanet’s coverage area to 150,000.

“Hyperlocal journalism is constantly evolving, and as The Times continues to investigate this arena, we’ll watch with great interest how our friends at Baristanet advance the cause in Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn,” said Jim Schachter, associate managing editor.

We’re thrilled that the Times has passed their hyperlocal baton to us and we will run with it. First and foremost, we are your local homegrown online community. And to that end, we are bringing these new towns into an expanded “Baristaville” by staying local. Journalist and Maplewood resident Jolie Solomon joins the Baristanet team along with community contributors from Maplewood, South Orange and Millburn.

What does this mean for you dear readers? More to love, we hope, and some new voices as we welcome these towns and new readers into the online community you helped create. Thanks for everything you do to make this site an online news and entertainment destination and a true community. And feel free to say hi and interact with your new neighbors in Baristaville.

###

Visit Baristanet.com for more.

U.S. Online Newspaper CPMs Nearly 3 Times Higher than Average

RESTON, VA, June 16, 2010 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report of the top U.S. online newspaper groups based on the comScore Media Metrix service. The newspaper category represents the first site category for which each of the top ten ranked entities has transitioned to the comScore Media Metrix 360 (Unified Digital Measurement) methodology.

The report showed that more than 123 million Americans visited newspaper sites in May, representing 57 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience, as the New York Times Brand led the category with more than 32 million visitors and 719 million pages viewed during the month. The average visitor viewed 22 pages of content on the New York Times, also leading the top ten. Tribune Newspapers ranked second in terms of audience with 24.8 million visitors, followed by Advance Internet (18.1 million visitors) and USA Today Sites (16.8 million visitors).

“The good news for publishers is that even as print circulation declines, Americans are actually consuming as much news as ever – it’s just being consumed across more media,” said Jeff Hackett, comScore senior vice president. “The Internet has become an essential channel in the way the majority of Americans consume news content today with nearly 3 out of 5 Internet users reading newspapers online each month. As news evolves towards a more digital model, the issue is not attracting the eyeballs, but rather demonstrating the true value of those eyeballs to advertisers. As advertising rates for digital move closer into line with those of traditional media, the economics of the news business should begin to look a lot more promising.”

Online Newspapers Attract High CPM Rates from Advertisers

comScore’s Ad Metrix service shows that among the top site categories where display ads appeared in April 2010, online newspapers accounted for 2.4 percent of impressions but a higher 6.7 percent of display advertising dollars. The average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) on online newspaper sites was $7, higher than each of the other top site categories and nearly three times the average CPM for the total U.S. Internet at $2.52.

“Online newspapers represent premium inventory for advertisers,” added Hackett. “comScore research conducted last year for the Online Publishers Association showed that visitors who are exposed to display ads on news sites are more likely than average to visit the advertiser website, are heavier online buyers and tend to have higher household income. Online news publishers are also leading the way in the use of newer display ad formats, which are aiming to create a richer, more engaging experience for consumers.”

In particular, online newspapers have demonstrated significantly faster adoption of the new OPA ad units. While these units currently account for just 0.06 percent of all display ads delivered online in the U.S., they account for 0.43 percent of ads on newspaper sites, or seven times higher than average. Notably, the Fixed Panel 336 x 860 unit is the most popular unit being used on newspaper sites among the new OPA units at a rate 35 times higher than average.

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

***********************************************
If you would like to discontinue receiving news updates from comScore or to modify your subscription options, please visit: http://www.comscore.com/unsubscribe

If you received this email through a forward and would like to join our mailing list, please visit: http://www.comscore.com/join
Read top comScore thought leaders’ views on current industry news at the comScore Voices blog: http://www.comscore.com/blog

Sign up to receive the latest comScore news via RSS feed: http://www.comscore.com/rss

Do you have any comments or concerns that you would like to share with us? You can contact us by e-mail at press@comscore.com or by sending a letter to:

Attn: Andrew Lipsman
comScore, Inc.
233 South Wacker Drive,
Suite 3400
Chicago, IL 60606

Partnership of the City, Polytechnic Institute of NYU and Columbia University Will Connect Media Companies with Academic Institutions and Drive Independent Technology Research

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today launched NYC Media Lab, a new initiative to promote innovation within New York City’s media industry. The new laboratory – a consortium of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) and Columbia University – will drive new technology research and connect companies looking to advance new media technologies with local academic institutions undertaking related research. NYC Media Lab builds on models established at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University and is the nation’s first government-supported laboratory for media innovation. It will be housed within the NYU Polytechnic Institute campus in Downtown Brooklyn. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at the Wired “Disruptive by Design” conference held at the Morgan Library and Museum, where he was joined by New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky, NYU-Poly Provost Dianne Rekow, Columbia University Vice President for Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer Orin Herskowitz, and AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong, an advisor to the City’s MediaNYC 2020 initiative.

“Many of New York City’s 100 universities and colleges are conducting new media-related research within areas that the City’s 10,000 media companies are looking to expand, but all too often that connection is made slowly or never at all. The NYC Media Lab will bring these two forces together,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “And by sponsoring its own independent research driven by private sector interests, the NYC Media Lab will further establish the City as a center for next-generation media research and commercial development.”

New York City Economic Development Corporation will provide $250,000 to establish NYC Media Lab, which will be located in Downtown Brooklyn at the NYU-Poly Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications and Distributed Information Systems. During its inaugural year it will host a minimum of 10 roundtable discussions between the private sector and academic institutions on topics ranging from technology innovation to business model redesign to legal issues. NYC Media Lab will host its first roundtable discussion this summer, focusing on the future of online and mobile video. The event, sponsored by WPP, the world’s largest communications services group, will bring together senior product and strategy leaders from across WPP’s portfolio of companies with faculty experts from Columbia, New York University and its Polytechnic Institute, who are currently engaged in research on the topic.

NYC Media Lab will connect private-sector businesses with research already underway, and develop collaborative research projects on topics vital to the City’s media industry such as: next generation search technologies; content format for digital mobile content; computer animation for film and gaming; emerging marketing techniques; and new devices currently in development that may affect content distribution. In addition, the NYC Media Lab will create a media research and development database comprised of university faculty; experts from corporations, not-for-profit research institutions, and R&D facilities throughout New York City; as well as contribute its own expertise to research currently being undertaken by the City’s academic institutions. It will also provide educational and networking services.

NYU-Poly will be responsible for management and operations of the NYC Media Lab, and Columbia University will coordinate involvement of its research faculty and faculty at other area institutions, and may contribute space for NYC Media Lab events. Divisions from area universities including New York University, the City University of New York, The New School, and Fordham University will be engaged to participate in the NYC Media Lab. And NYC Media Lab will develop a sponsorship and partnership structure to enable outside institutions to join the initiative. The NYC Media Lab will seek additional sponsors and members to support the expansion of its activities. Those looking for more information about NYC Media Lab can visit www.NYCMediaLab.org.

“The speed at which technology is evolving today means that our City’s academic researchers and media companies must work together to make sure that New York remains at the forefront of innovation,” said NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky. “By establishing this new Media Lab to facilitate these interactions, we increase the chances that the next great technology company will grow and thrive here, as opposed to Silicon Valley or elsewhere.”

“As technology and media increasingly converge, collaboration is essential to researching and identifying the best new IT solutions for New Yorkers,” said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Carole Post. “The NYC Media Lab will provide the City valuable insights as it seeks to leverage academic and private sector expertise to address public sector issues.”

“NYU-Poly eagerly accepts the challenge to work with Mayor Bloomberg and New York City Economic Development Corporation to create the NYC Media Lab,” said President Jerry M. Hultin. “The NYC Media Lab is a prime example of academic entrepreneurship, a concept that we at NYU-Poly refer to as i-squared-e: invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. The NYC Media Lab will demonstrate that a university’s great ideas need not live only in laboratories but in the real world. The powerful combination of technology push from academia and market place pull from the City’s media leaders will transfer great research breakthroughs into new commercial products and processes.”

“Columbia enthusiastically embraced the challenge by Mayor Bloomberg and the City to join with our peer universities in New York on the MediaNYC 2020 task force,” said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. “With a Journalism School that trains leaders in the field, an Engineering School that helped develop FM radio, lasers and MPEG technology, and a Business School that is tackling the challenges of a changing media industry, we look forward to contributing a wide range of our intellectual capital to the NYC Media Lab. We share with the Mayor the firm belief that even in the most digital, disaggregated economy, New York City has unique advantages in creating a vibrant, entrepreneurial community where the next generation of media innovation can thrive.”

New York City is home to more than 100 colleges and universities, including nine academic research institutions that annually create over 600 inventions, produce nearly 200 new licenses and options, and generate over $500 million in licensing revenue. The City’s media sector employs more than 300,000 people and produces $30 billion in annual revenue. It also has a significant concentration of startups, many of which are in the new media sub-sector that is expected to expand significantly in the near term, with annual growth rates potentially surpassing 35 percent. Several of the City’s academic institutions currently undertake research on topics of interest to this sector; however, there has not been a facilitator to bring that research together with interested businesses. Many corporations at the intersection of media and technology, including WPP and AOL, are looking for ways to reach an expanding consumer base – including through expanded content distribution and hyper-local coverage – that may be supported by research currently being undertaken in New York City.

“New York City is the media capital of the world and today’s announcement by Mayor Bloomberg will ensure that it keeps that title as this industry continues to evolve and innovate,” said AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong. “The creation of the NYC Media Lab is the perfect collaboration between the private and public sectors and academia to realize the potential of homegrown innovations in this space. At AOL, we recognize the talent, resources and entrepreneurial spirit that’s alive here in New York. Earlier this year, we launched our own New York Technology Center with a goal of bringing more engineering into the content business – and making the Internet even more useful than it is today. We’re delighted to join with the Mayor on this announcement and look forward to working with the consortium on the Lab.”

NYC Media Lab will build upon initiatives already launched by the City to foster the creation of new media businesses and technologies and develop and train the sector’s workforce. These include: a network of business incubators for startup companies; the release of City data for software developers and programmers to create digital mobile applications; a seed and early-stage investment fund for technology businesses; a series of workshops to assist startups and small businesses in applying for City IT Contracts and federal research grants; and JumpStart and FastTrac programs to provide support to entrepreneurs launching or growing businesses in New York City.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Stu Loeser/Andrew Brent   (212) 788-2958

David Lombino/Libby Langsdorf (Economic Development Corp.)   (212) 312-3523

Kathleen Hamilton (NYU Polytechnic Institute)   (718) 260-3792

Holly Evarts (Columbia University)   (212) 854-3206

…Diller, Brill, and Murdoch seem be stating a simple fact—we will have to pay them—but this fact is not in fact a fact. Instead, it is a choice, one its proponents often decline to spell out in full, because, spelled out in full, it would read something like this:

“Web users will have to pay for what they watch and use, or else we will have to stop making content in the costly and complex way we have grown accustomed to making it. And we don’t know how to do that.”

-CShirky read the entire post on Shirky’s blog.

No comment from the Google Topeka executives who are now scrambling to unload their digital advertising and data mining enterprises.

Total ad spending in the U.S. fell 12.3% to $125.3 billion in 2009, according to a report from Kantar Media (formerly TNS Media Intelligence).

Internet display advertising was up 7.3%, and free-standing inserts, up 3.0%.

While the economy had an impact in the numbers, clearly, the business model is not working.

Answer:
??????????

An unscientific poll I conducted at my Community College revealed the best newspaper website, as voted on by me and some college students, is not even a newspaper website… it is the Huffington Post.  Why?  Because as soon as you land on the homepage you know what the big story of the day is. You don’t have to agree with their bent, but you know what’s going on in the world pretty damn quickly. NPR.org, CNN.com, and BBC.co.uk were in the mix too as were even more unconventional filters like reddit, digg, delicious, facebook and twitter.

I think i know what the news is

vs this

so what happened in the world today?

Newspaper website people, please do the following:

1. Use big pictures to tell a story, not because your readers are stupid and can’t read but because your readers are smart and want an engaging multimedia presentation.

2. Stop with the page jumps.

3. Stop with the invasive advertising.

4. Please break your mammoth newspaper website into a bunch of micro sites.

5. Fix your navigation.

6. Fix your navigation.

7. Fix your navigation.

8. Hire a web development company with no ties or experience with the newspaper industry to redesign your site.

9. Take your site down completely and syndicate your content to Google news… or whomever wants to make a deal.

Please check www.america-east.com for updates.

ABB Inc.

Accraply

AdMall

Advance Diagnostics Computer Services

Agfa Graphics

alfaQuest Technologies

Anocoil Corporation

Anygraaf USA, Inc.

Aragon System Products

Atex

Bluefin Technology Partners

Brainworks Software Development Corp.

Bridgemont Community & Technical College
formerly the Community & Technical College at WVU Tech)

Brock Solutions, Inc.

Central Ink Corporation

Data Sciences, Inc./DSI

DENEX, Inc.

Digital Technology International (or PBS)

DPS, Inc.

Dynaric/DYC Supply

EAM Mosca Corp.

Editor & Publisher

Enfocus

Ewert America Electronics

Farscape Technologies

FUJIFILM Graphic Systems U.S.A.

Gannett Media Technologies International

Goss International Corporation/FERAG

Harland Simon

ICANON Newzware & Pongrass Publishing

K & M Newspaper Services Inc.

Kansa Technology LLC

KBA North America

MacDermid Printing Solutions

MAN ROLAND Inc.

MANSI Media

Masthead International

Manugraph DGM, Inc

MediaSpan Group

Miles 33

Miracom Computer Corp.

Morcor Solutions Inc.

MSSI

MultiAd

MWM Systems

NELA

NewsNotes/Scranton Label, Inc.

Newspapers & Technology

OneVision, Inc.

Outsourcing USA

PCF – Publishers Circulation Fulfillment, Inc.

Plumtree Company

Pongrass Publishing & ICANON Newzware

ppi Media US, Inc.

Pressline Services

Presteligence, Inc.

Prime UV Systems

Print2Finish

ProImage America, Inc.

ProtecMedia

Puzzleflow Solutions

QuickWire Labs

Quipp

Rima-System

Rockwell Automation

Software Consulting Services, LLC

Southern Lithoplate

StraPack

Tech-Energy Co.

Tensor Group, Inc.

The Sun Chronicle – Local I Do’s

TKS (USA), Inc.

TownNews.com

US Ink

Vision Data

WoodWing USA

America East is sponsored by 13 state and regional press associations, News&Tech, Suburban Newspapers of America and Editor & Publisher.

“We close the show with educational opportunities for editorial, packaging and press production.”

Monday Sessions | Tuesday Sessions | Twitter users track and utilize #ae2010 for updates

Wednesday, MARCH 17
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Attendee Registration Desk Open
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Private Demonstrations with Exhibitors
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SNA Advertising Symposium and Workshop (Special registration is required.)
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Print Quality Judges’ Meetings
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Session: Mailroom Issues Roundtable
9:30 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Session: The Green Side of “Lean and Green”
10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Session: Production Software Tools for Saving Time and Money
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Session: SNAP Survey Results
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Exhibit Floor Open
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cyber Cafe with Gourmet Coffees
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Print Quality Awards Presentations
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. PNA Scholastic and Collegiate Keystone Press Awards Luncheon (Special registration is required.)
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Various Roundtables on Exhibit Floor
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social on Exhibit Floor

MAILROOM ISSUES
Wednesday, March 17, 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Back by popular demand….a session just for mailroom managers. What are your biggest issues in the bustling mailroom of your newspaper? Discuss them with your peers. No topic or concern is off limits so come to talk and learn!
Moderator: Fred Schuerger, Packaging and Distribution Manager, Erie (Pa.) Times-News
Continue the discussion additional roundtable conversations on the exhibit floor beginning at 11 a.m. Packaging vendors will join the discussion.

Production in Lean Times
Wednesday, March 17, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Part I:
The Green Side of “Lean and Green”
9:30 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
Sustainability is a three-legged stool with profit, environmental and social commitment as the guiding principles. To maximize profits companies must find new ways to add value for their customers including shorter cycle times, lower costs and improved services. Profit, however, must not be at the expense of environmental responsibilities. Aside from compliance to federal and regional EPA requirements, most companies can actually save money by reducing, reusing and recycling. Social aspects include providing both responsibility and leadership for employees and the community at large.
Speaker: Tom Croteau, Partner, Media Technology Partners

Part II:
Production Software Tools for Saving Time and Money
10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Stephen Beals, who spent more than 30 years in prepress, now writes for Graphic Arts Online and many other print and web publications and runs his own web site called Printoolz. He will discuss a variety of ways printers and publishers of all kinds are automating their pre-press capabilities to increase speed and efficiency. Discussion will be oriented to small newspaper publishers who may not be familiar with the many types of automation software available today.
Speaker: Stephen Beals, Founder, Printoolz.com

SNAP Survey Results
Wednesday, March 17, 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Hear the results and an analysis of the “State of the SNAP” Survey.
You are encouraged to participate in the survey now! Give and get insight into the state of the SNAP process. Go to https://snap1.justsurvey.me/534ea623039 and complete the survey before America East so that SNAP has valuable results to share. You can also access the survey at www.america-east.com. See the Sessions/ Workshops page.

PRINT QUALITY AWARDS PRESENTATION
Wednesday, March 17, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
One of the few print quality contests remaining in the U.S. Trained judges provide extensive feedback on ink laydown, registration, halftone quality, page alignment and overall print appearance. All contest entries will be on display throughout America East.
A continental breakfast is available beginning at 8:30 a.m. Contest participants are encouraged to meet with judges to review scores from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., prior to the sessions
beginning.

*This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change. Please check www.america-east.com for updates.