Web 2.0 Television

Posts are forthcoming on the following: the Society of Editors Conference in Glasgow (see Roy Greenslade, Fleet Street 2.0), at which attending editors and journos are buzzing about the Google print ad test run project (more today on that via Poynter's Jim Romenesko, Mathew Ingram and BuzzMachine); Gannett's newsroom convergence (see E-Media Tidbits, Editors Weblog , Editor and Publisher and Wired); and the BBC's local stations plans to buy content from local and regional newspapers (BuzzMachine & Wordblog, also see the Wordblog post on print and broadcast journalism training convergence).  

For today, for now, I'm catching up in a big, big way. This post has more than you asked for, and I hope at least as much as you hoped. (More after the jump.)

Breaking as I post this: Paul Baquet, now ex-editor of the L.A. Times exits, didn't want the news to come out this way (via Romenesko); newspapers "cover voting problems in early Web stories" (Editor and Publisher) … ah, the 24/7 news cycle. 

Apparently Alan McDermid at Scotland's The Herald was bang-on without knowing it, seeing as his article reporting from  the Society of Editors conference, "Papers must use web to go global", mentions online ad revenues and Google but not that company's new print ad test-run. 

Mark Evans sums up Topix.net's new influx of funds — $15 million "from its three newspaper owners - Gannett, Tribune and McClatchy, which already owned a 75% stake. While there may be little newspapers can do to staunch the loss of subscribers, there are things they can do to ride the online wave. Topix is a clearly good example of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

"Last week continued to see much fallout over declining newspaper circulation and increased page views on newspaper Web sites, and manner of things to do with newsroom cuts, Web "reach" and laying blame. (Also see Reuters article via I Want Media.) Mathew Ingram's take: "As PaidContent points out, the site hasn’t exactly been able to integrate its tools and content with its newspaper owners so far, at least not in any meaningful way, and time is quickly running out."

On circulation and going digital both, Steve Yelvington weighs in.

As newspapers once again report declines in circulation, there's a natural tendancy to view it as yet more evidence that print is faltering in the face of the Internet. But that's not quite right. There's another story at work here: the collapse of the too-big, but not quite national, newspapers. That's a story of content and its relationship with a changing marketplace. [Link to post]

There's been quite a bit of negative reaction to Lauren Rich Fine's reported claim that print will continue to dominate online revenues for newspapers until 2036. It seems to me that the only thing such predictions are good for is to stimulate conversation, and I say that because I performed similar calculations a couple of years ago.

Fine assumes a much lower growth rate than most healthy newspaper companies are showing online, and also assumes a sharp reduction in online growth six years from now. I made no such assumptions in my projections. Instead, I took real data from the previous five years — remarkably consistent growth — and did a simple projection until the online curve crossed the print curve. Naturally I came up with a radically different answer. [Link to post]

Mathew Ingram and Jeff Jarvis's points about the circulation decline agree that for most newspapers, a print redesign won't change much. Ingram: "most of the newspapers … have continued to slide." Jarvis (who plays a little bait-and-switch game with duelling columnists): "… redesigns are no cure for what ails papers. … The lipstick ain’t doing it." Cool charts, dudes.

"Newsosaur" Alan D. Mutter makes a point about those page views. "Before newspaper publishers congratulate themselves on the recent 10.9% increase in the time readers spend on their web sites, they ought to take a look at how much better the competition is doing." Farther down in his post, Mutter says: "I am not arguing that newspapers should emulate the mega-portals, a costly strategy that most likely would fail at this late date. But they do need to get a lot more creative, if they hope to save themselves through sustained and robust online growth." (Via Fleet Street 2.0.)

And Mutter's still going: his most recent post, like Jarvis', responds to Poynter columnist Rick Edmonds' related article on journalism.org. "While the study may be taken as further evidence of the hopeless decline of the industry, the intelligent use of increased discounting may, repeat may, reflect a growing degree of sophistication and realism among publishers." Mutter concludes that post:

If newspapers use discounting and giveaways to build loyal, long-term audiences that can be delivered efficiently to discerning advertisers, the industry will emerge as a healthy competitor for the future.

If publishers think they can use these tactics to fake us out, then they – and we – will be sorry.

Two reporters recently wrote up their adventures into Second Life, the alternate-reality video game in which players can spend real money in real stores with SL presences, like American Apparel. Guardian Observer writer Tim Adams, AKA Kenny in SL, explored the real lives of players he encountered — and by players I mean both SL participants and hook-up hopefuls. Adams also met up in SL with Reuters reporter Adam Pasick, who runs the new org's all-digital bureau — the one in Second Life. Crazy. Andrew Grant-Adamson also notices a great journalistic moment the two shared: 

Kenny, finding his money running out, decides to become a journalist and heads off to Reuters’ newsroom to meet Adam. He asks if there are any jobs going for aspiring feature writers.

Adam says he will “keep Kenny posted”. Some things in Second Life are all too like real life.

Two interviews with Pasick tell his tales, which include the media requests he's received, a surprise to him. From CNET: "We thought we might make a little splash. Instead, I've been getting interview requests from Poland, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand." And on the Reuters Media File blog, Pasick's colleagues Kenneth Li and Eric Auchard get the goods on the "fertile ground for reporting" and importance of disclosing "yourself as a reporter" (hence his SL name, Adam Reuters), among other subjects. (Via Cyberjournalist.net; previous posts from (the good Mr. Martin Stabe at) Fleet Street 2.0, one of them pointing to PBS MediaShift, also tipped me off.)

As Grant-Adamson pointed out, several journos and writers have delved into SL, including Jonathan Cohen here at RBN, whose revealing post about his time in SL is also worth a read. 

Globe and Mail tech writer Mathew Ingram 's forays into Second Life seem to remain on his personal site so far. And on his work blog, Ingram last week begged to differ with TechCrunch's Michael Arrington that the "insider information and conflicts of interest" on Arrington's blog makes it a different publication with different objectivity and accountability standards. "I would certainly agree that TechCrunch is different, but not in those ways. Traditional journalism is full of columnists, commentators and beat reporters who are every bit as close to their sources, friendly with them and conflicted by those relationships as Mike. … Nothing that TechCrunch is going through is different in that sense from dozens of investment newsletters." (Via Fleet Street 2.0)

Newspaper site Editor and Publisher, which is following newspaper blog coverage of the U.S. midterm "midtacular" elections today (insert whoop here), posts about the Ol' Gray Lady's latest digi-news: new daily "Urbanite" email newsletter covers local front and TimesSelect is free this week thanks to Philips. After a brief report on the ads visitors to NYTimes.com must view, noting the simliarity to Salon's promotion a couple of year ago, Mathew Ingram comments: "Having a freebie week definitely exposes some new NYT readers to the content — but will any of them “convert” and become paying subscribers? I’m not so sure."  But Adam Cohen's Editorial | Talking Points piece with embedded links to his "7 campaign ads worth watching" is pretty cool, so yeah, I'm enjoying free access week.

Steve Yelvington reopened the debate about the death of the editorialist Jeff Jarvis started. Or the editorial page, at least, and the byline-free commentaries there. Yelvington's post evaluates Jarvis' argument beside that of a BluftonToday blogger.

I don't think the editorial page of a newspaper is doomed to irrelevancy, but editorial pages must come to grips with the new world. The disconnection between editors of opinion in newspapers and the opinionated forums on many of those same newspapers' websites is mind-boggling.

To be relevant in the 21st century, I think editorialists need to become Web-centric conversation leaders, provocateurs, and embracers of opposing viewpoints. That shouldn't really be a role shift, should it?

Traditional journalism skills like news judgment and attention to detail still count the most in online news roles,"according to a new study by a Medill Schol of Journalism student, produced in cooperation with the Online News Association. Master's student C. Max Magee surveyed than 400 online journalists for the study." (Via Cyberjournalist with link to PDF; Editors Weblog provides a similar overview with a few more details)

Korean citizen journalism pioneer site/online newspaper OhMyNews is "struggling financially" and could be in trouble, Cyberjournalist reports (via BusinessWeek). CJ also points to "Internet punk" and newspaper Web site guru Rob Curley's fave Web sites. Back to OhMyNews, though — Editors Weblog has more:

OhmyNews, the Korean online newspaper whose content is in majority edited by readers, is expected to start losing money in 2006, after 4 years of narrow profits.

… Observers form [sic] the press industry began to wonder if OhmyNews’ success was a regional phenomenon, triggered by the general distrust of Koreans towards major media companies. Critics claim that the increasing development of blogs will cause users to lose interest in citizen journalism sites such as OhmyNews.

OhmyNews executives reply that blogs will never have the credibility of their  online publication, where the articles of citizens are constantly screened, edited and fact-checked by professional journalists.

But on a happier Citizen-J. note, NewAssignment.net has launched as a test site, joining Jay Rosen's PressThink and the Wordpress placeholder site/blog. Exciting! It's all happening, as they say … er, said.

Oh, and the Greensboro News-Record has launched in-house online video documentaries (via Romenesko). because as editor John Robinson blogs, "Newspapers are more than ink on paper these days. They are also more than words on the computer screen. … More and more people are watching video on their computers, and it's as natural as reading the morning newspaper over breakfast."

Believe it or not, there's much more. But finally for today, recent Web 2.0 Newspapers-type links from I Want Media include: 

[From today:] 

Google 'Won't Save Newspapers'
Blogging Stocks
Google plans to start testing an advertising program with large U.S. newspapers. However, "selling more ads into a dying medium is not going to solve the core problems that newspapers face," writes Douglas McIntyre. Newspapers simply "don't work for advertisers anymore."

Internet to Kill Off Newspaper Classifieds, Op-Eds
Press Gazette/Guardian
Newspaper op-eds will soon be killed off by blogs, which are "more timely," says BBC College of Journalism editor Kevin Marsh. Also: Classified ads will vanish from newspapers by 2020, predicts Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. "Google is hoovering up stupendous amounts of money," he adds.

Gannett Seeks 'Blog Mojo' to Attract Readers
Washington Post
Gannett is changing the way its papers gather and present news by incorporating elements of "citizen journalism." Prior to the Internet, struggling newspapers tried to look "more colorful," following the lead of USA Today. Circulation did not improve. Now, newspapers look to the Internet.

NY Times on Web Buying Spree?
Crain's New York Business
The New York Times Co. could go on a digital buying spree financed by the television stations the company put on the block in September. Investment bankers say the company might buy industry blogs or online job boards to offset the loss of classified ads to such sites as Craigslist. 

[From Nov. 6 and earlier:] 

BBC May Buy Content From Newspapers
Press Gazette
The BBC may purchase content from regional newspapers as part of its plans for "ultra-local" U.K. television news, says director general Mark Thompson. He insists that the BBC could work in partnership with local papers and that it would not seek to emulate their level of coverage. 

News Corp Eyeing Newsday
Newsday
News Corp. is said to be interested in acquiring Tribune's Long Island tabloid Newsday. The buy could allow News Corp.'s New York Post to save money by eliminating redundant production costs — as well as reporters. News Corp., owner of MySpace, could "morph Newsday into digital media." 

Fewer Newspapers With Lower Circulation Is the Future
Seeking Alpha
Newspapers are competing with many new media types, most of which are free, writes consultant Carl Howe of Blackfriars Communications. "We'll just have to get used to smaller newspaper circulations and fewer brands." But, "fewer newspapers means less paper in your recycling bin."

Heloise: Unwanted Newspapers Ideal as Fireplace Logs
King Features Syndicate
Newspapers make excellent fireplace logs, writes syndicated columnist Heloise. Old newspapers and a few empty vegetable cans can be bundled together to burn "like a regular log." These homemade logs "are a great way to recycle unwanted newspapers."