Newspapers Digital First News Summary-5/17/13

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

tablet logo jNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including  Advice for editors: Disrupt your newsroom culture 

The newsonomics of the mobile aggregator roundup                                                 Flipboard, Zite, Pulse, and their peers are giving news companies a second chance at dealing with the rise of aggregators

Majorities in Most Countries Perceive Their Media as Free                                           People worldwide are more likely to believe the media in their countries are free than not

Native’ Is a Means to an End                                                                                                  Native advertising has been the online marketing world’s shiny new object for the better part of a year. Sponsored posts, branded video and search ads could all be fairly characterized as native advertising, as could a full-page denim ad in a fashion magazine or a Coca Cola-sponsored pre-movie quiz if we stretch the definition a bit.

Every page is your homepage: Reuters, untied to print metaphor, builds a modern river of news  Reuters, as a wire service, has the concept of a minute-by-minute stream of news deep in its DNA.

Advice for editors: Disrupt your newsroom culture                                                         Chances are that your newsroom culture needs some disruption

Marketers Should Pay More Attention To Native Ads                                                           Are native ads “consumed” the same way Web surfers consume editorial content?

Think micropayments for media can’t work? Greg Golebiewski says you are wrong   There is a conventional wisdom in the media industry that micropayments for online content don’t work, but Greg Golebiewski of Znak It says that this isn’t true, and that media companies need to experiment with the model.

How The Boston Globe used its dual sites to cover the marathon bombing                  While Boston.com focused on community outreach and delivering “what you need to know,” BostonGlobe.com delved into traditional reporting backed by multimedia and interactive graphics.

The Dallas Morning News’ paywall is getting a makeover to try to capture digital-only readers  Publisher Jim Moroney says the paper will be adding a “greatly improved, metered paid-access model that is much more consumer friendly in every way.”

OC Register drops adult ads                                                                                                          An Orange County Register spokesperson confirms a report in the OC Weekly that the news organization will no longer accept adult ads.

Advocate owner says he ‘tried to buy’ Times-Picayune                                                          The Baton Rouge, La.-based Advocate announced Wednesday it was hiring four reporters from the Times-Picayune, a paper with which it is engaged in a growing newspaper war.

Study: Consumers Respond to Print Ads                                                                                      A new study from the Newspaper Association of America found that consumers were likely to make a purchase based on information in a print ad. Consumers reported that the used newspaper ads to plan their shopping or obtain coupons.

Newspaper rivalry good for readers                                                                                          The great south Louisiana newspaper war is on. This one is unlike those from the early 20th century in big cities, when the struggle was between two established papers rooted in the same market.

How publishers can win at mobile commerce                                                                             In the never-ending quest by marketers to put the right offer in front of the right consumer at precisely the right time, inner space is becoming the next frontier for mobile commerce – and a major opportunity for newspaper publishers.

Philadelphia Inquirer returns to newsstands on Saturdays                                                   The Saturday paper will return to newsstands this weekend after nearly a two-year absence.

How publishers are failing to deliver mobile advertising, and what you can do about it  Everyone’s talking about cross-platform media, but not many brands are doing it well – especially when it comes to advertising

New York Post’ offers buyouts; seeks 10-percent staff reduction in attempt to avoid layoffs The New York Post is offering voluntary buyouts to newsroom employees, editor-in-chief Col Allan informed the staff  in a memo obtained by Capital.

This is the best moment to be in journalism                                                                          Even though you love working in media and mostly love the other people who do, too, it got to be really depressing.

Hearst Hires Troy Young as Digital Media Chief                                                               Hearst Magazines, the publisher of such venerable titles as Esquire and Cosmopolitan, said on Wednesday that it was creating a new position, president of digital media

More groups organize against the Koch brothers buying Tribune’s newspapers.              The possibility of Charles and David Koch buying Tribune Co.’s newspapers “has struck a nerve in this liberal corner of the country,” The New York Times reports from Los Angeles.

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-5/10/13

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

tablet logo jNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including how Daily newspaper circulation totals ‘do not capture the full story’ anymore

Gannett: Paywalls Helped Offset Q1 Ad Lag                                                                    Revenue gains from the companywide rollout of paywalls last year helped offset nearly all of the 4.5% decline in advertising revenue during the quarter.

“McClatchy Reports First Quarter 2013 Earnings”                                                                 The McClatchy Company today reported a net loss in the first quarter of 2013 of $12.7 million or 15 cents per share, including an $8.1 million after-tax loss related to debt refinancing and open-market debt repurchases. In the first quarter of 2012 the company reported a net loss of $2.1 million or 2 cents per share.

Multi-Site Strategy Helps Metros Build Rev                                                              Newspapers in Philadelphia, Boston, Houston and San Francisco have migrated much of their content over to paywalled sites that complement their free city sites. T

Worst job of 2013: Newspaper reporter tops lumberjack, soldier in survey.  CareerCast.com cited “ever-shrinking newsrooms, dwindling budgets and competition from Internet businesses” among the factors making newspaper journalism jobs the nation’s worst.

‘A la carte’ journalism presents alternative to paywalls                                                         With even The Mail Online now implementing paid content, a turning point for paywalls seems imminent. But an emerging alternative, “a la carte journalism,” allows readers pay per article, rather than subscribing to whole publications.

New York Times Moves Toward Netflix Model as Ads Tumble                                           New York Times Co. Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson is taking a cue from subscription services like Netflix Inc. in a bid to transform the publisher into an Internet company that relies less on advertising

The newsonomics of the Koch Brothers and the sales of U.S.’ top metros                               It almost makes wary Tribune watchers pine for Rupert Murdoch.

What You Should Be Aware Of When Purchasing A Daily Deal                                            Daily deals have had their ups and downs over the past couple of years, but in all actualization they are still relatively new to the marketplace.

Facebook loses millions of users as biggest markets peak                                          Facebook’s dominance in the social media world has come under threat from newer services such as Instagram and Path

Being up for sale doesn’t prevent The Boston Globe from raising its prices again               The Boston Globe may be on its way out of The New York Times Co.’s fold, but the Globe’s strategy to stabilize circulation revenue is still borrowing from the parent company’s playbook.

Daily newspaper circulation totals ‘do not capture the full story’ anymore                        “The total circulation numbers do not capture the full story any longer,” Neal Lulofs, executive vice president at AAM, stated in a phone interview. AAM’s board has decided to make reporting a five-day average — long the standard — optional for papers. That means come October there will be no valid comparison of daily circulation among newspapers.

When it comes to who’s reading newspapers, whose count counts?                           Television has Nielsen. Radio looks to Arbitron. Twice a year, the Alliance for Audited Media puts out circulation numbers for hundreds of daily newspapers.

Chattanooga Newspaper to charge for online content                                                              The Chattanooga Times Free Press will start charging to read the newspaper online next week for those who don’t subscribe to the print edition.

Apple might have a super-cheap iPad mini in the works                                                     Apple is reportedly working on two new iPad minis, including one model which is expected to compete on price with the affordable Android tablets from Amazon and Google.

Times-Picayune Plans a New Print Tabloid                                                                         Nearly one year after The Times-Picayune of New Orleans announced that it would print only three days a week, the paper said it planned to roll out a three-day-a-week tabloid edition.

Former Times-Picayune editors will lead Baton Rouge Advocate, which has a new owner. Former New Orleans Times-Picayune managing editors Dan Shea and Peter Kovacs will serve as General Manager and Editor, respectively, of the Baton Rouge Advocate

Newspaper Circulation Falls Except at Wall Street Journal, Times                               Average daily circulation at the largest newspapers in the U.S. declined in the six months ended March 31 from a year earlier, but circulation at The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times NYT +3.25% rose.

Print circ fell 42% at top papers since 2005                                                                                  A series of changes in recent years in the way newspapers count their subscribers masks a deep, ongoing and troubling plunge that has cut print circulation by 41.6% at the nation’s biggest papers since 2005. 

BlackBerry CEO Questions Future of Tablets                                                                         Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said the popularity of tablet computers may wane, an indication the company may shelve a follow-up to its ill- fated PlayBook device.

Hearst Gets a Million Subscribers iPad, Kindle, Android Editions                                        Last year, Hearst Magazines head David Carey said his company would have a million people subscribing to its tablet editions by the end of 2012. That didn’t happen, and they ended December with something like 900,000 subscribers. But now it has: Carey said Hearst hit the one million mark at the end of March.

 

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-5/3/13

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

tablet logo jNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including how Papers Should Heed MediaXchange Lessons

Online ad revenues up, sponsored content revenues down in 2012. http://buff.ly/15l8TbZ

Papers Should Heed MediaXchange Lessons                                                                         Much of the talk at the Newspaper Association of America’s mediaXchange conference in Orlando, Fla., centered on embracing digital, with shining examples and dire warnings dished out from the likes of The Guardian‘s Alan Rusbridger and IAC’s Barry Diller.

U.S. Wireless Market Reaching Saturation                                                                              The U.S. wireless market is reaching a point where pretty much everyone who wants a mobile phone has one, leaving providers at a point where they have to determine other ways to boost their revenues.

WSJ’s paywall isn’t stopping it from getting Pulitzers                                                Following a post Wednesday by Columbia Journalism Review’s Dean Starkman pointing out the Journal newsroom’s Pulitzer shutout (Bret Stephens did win for commentary this year), another debate about the decline in the paper’s longform storytelling has cropped up.

Personalized Commerce: Coming to an Internet Near You                                           Retailer strategies leveraging data can have a personal effect on buying habits sooner than you know it.

MediaPost Publications Online Display Ad Spending Up 10% In 2012                        Display Internet advertising globally rose 9.9% last year, fueled by a 21.2% gain in Latin America. Display Internet spending, however, made up just 1.9% of total ad spending in 2012. At the other extreme, TV claimed almost two-thirds of ad dollars.
Paywalls did not cause the fall of WSJ longform                                                                 Alexis Madrigal asks whether The Wall Street Journal’s paywall is responsible for its turning away from longform journalism. That one’s easy: No.

A lesson from Warren Buffett: Newspapers’ value rests in their relevance                            A study of Warren Buffett’s 2012 letter to shareholders reveals actionable insight for newspapers

What’s the value of multiple screens?                                                                                  Recent studies show advertising effectiveness remains constant across platforms, is strengthened by a multi-platform approach, and that digital readers feel the need to interact with ads by clicking through for more content.

Why the Star Tribune Fell for Programmatic                                                                Necessity is the mother of invention. With declining ad sales for the last seven years, newspapers — large and small — are forced to find the best ways to squeeze as much revenue from their pages, particularly online where inventory is seemingly infinite

Trinity Mirror CEO Simon Fox on the problem with paywalls, industry consolidation and what’s wrong with metrics  Newspapers in the UK and US are rushing headlong into gated access models, metered systems and paywalls – with even The Sun planning to raise the content drawbridge later this year.

NAA turns feisty, boasting of ad effectiveness and digital subscription success.               The Newspaper Association of America’s annual mediaXchange conference is always part industry promotion, an occasion for expressions of confidence. But at this year’s edition in Orlando last week, those sentiments had a fighting edge.

Content Marketing Rises, But Will It Hurt Paid Ads?                                                            The results show that 86 percent of companies serving consumers and 92 percent of “business to business” companies now use content marketing.

Volkswagen preps iPhone-integrated iBeetle for reveal next week                      Volkswagen is taking iPhone compatibility to new level, with plans to unveil next week the iBeetle, a version of its iconic brand with a built-in docking station and specialized app.

Groupon’s Stock Stumbles                                                                                                   Despite the sharp decline, Groupon’s shares have gained nearly 26% so far in 2013, outperforming the broad market

Newspapers need to juice up the ad content, not just the news                                            The quality of newspaper content is getting some much-needed attention these days, as companies work to justify their print price increases and digital meters/paywalls.

63% of Advertisers Say Brand Marketing Spending Will Increase in 2013                             A recent Nielsen study has found that 63 percent of brand advertisers expect more money to be spent on brand marketing in 2013.

New York Times lifts paywall for video, plans ‘franchises’                                                    The New York Times is no longer restricting non-subscribers’ access to its video content. The move, which comes as the Times tightens other parts of its paywall, is part of the paper’s plans to expand its brand in the video space.

Mobile’s Elite: Younger, Richer Than Marketers Realize                                                       It’s no surprise to any marketer these days that the best targets for its mobile efforts are the young and affluent.

Thanks for reading!

Best,

-Jeff

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-4/26/13

Posted on April 25, 2013 by

tablet logo jNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including A Look At How Gannett’s Digital Strategies Are Paying Off

Extra, extra: Newspapers aren’t dead yet                                                                        Painfully slowly, not all that surely, but still, a new business model for newspapers is taking shape.

Gannett, Times Co. Web Paywalls Have Been a Success, Report Says                         Gannett Co., New York Times Co. and other newspaper publishers are finding that consumers are willing to pay for online subscriptions for access to local news content, according to a report from Borrell Associates Inc.

Flipboard Adds 3 Million Users Since Launch Of Personalized Magazines, Over 500,000 Magazines Created To Date                                                                                                   Mobile magazine Flipboard revealed today that over half a million personalized magazines have been created on its platform since the launch of the new feature just two weeks prior.

Two charts that tell you everything you need to know about the future of newspapers  The U.S. newspaper industry has lost more than $40 billion in ad revenue in the past decade — over half of that in the last four years alone — and Google’s ad revenues are now more than twice what the industry pulls in.

The newsonomics of recycling journalism                                                                          There’s an important number in his week’s first-of-its-kind Newspaper Association of America report

Newspaper Paywalls are a Defensive Strategy                                                                            In a dying industry, the sensible thing to do is to maximize your revenues before you die. Paywalls might well make money for newspapers. But that doesn’t mean that newspapers aren’t dying. Quite the opposite.

Pricing Engine Launches the First Solution for Small Businesses to Create, Manage and Optimize Online Advertising  Pricing Engine, www.pricingengine.com, today announced the launch of an easy-to-use but powerful platform for online advertising that levels the playing field for small business owners looking to significantly improve the performance of their ad dollars.

Star Tribune Unveils StarTribune Weekly Ads to Streamline Shopping Experience and Give Advertisers More Options Star Tribune Media Company today unveiled new enhancements to Star Tribune Weekly Ads, the digital preprint solution that enables print advertisers to reach thousands of additional, motivated shoppers on StarTribune.com, Minnesota’s most-visited local website.

Publishers Strike Back on Data                                                                                                After years of allowing third parties to plunder precious publisher data, publishers are now starting to take control of their data.

A Look At How Gannett’s Digital Strategies Are Paying Off                                           During 2012, Gannett introduced paywalls across all 81 properties in its U.S. community newspaper division

Newspapers Weigh Value Of Digital Subs                                                                   Newspaper have moved the paywall discussion beyond whether they will happen to how they will be implemented and are now looking at what is the best way to structure their digital subscription models

NAA: Papers To Return To Rev Growth In ’14                                                                         Jim Moroney, publisher and CEO of The Dallas Morning News and outgoing Newspaper Association of America, told attendees at the NAA’s mediaXchange conference that the industry would see its first year-over-year revenue increase by early 2014.

New York Times considering cheaper subscription option                                               Asked for a key lesson learnt from developing the New York Times paywall, Paul Smurl tells Journalism.co.uk ‘we should have done it sooner’

The newsonomics of Pulitzers, paywalls, and investing in the newsroom                       Could it be that investing in the newsroom isn’t just good for journalism — that it’s also good for the bottom line?

Newspapers Face Softened Requirement in 2014 for Intelligent Mail Barcodes Newspapers claiming automation mailing rates for their Periodicals newspapers or Standard Mail flats not eligible for Enhanced Carrier Route rates face new hurdles on Jan. 26, 2014, as the U.S. Postal Service’s mandates for Full-Service Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMbs) kick in.

4 key elements of a digital media business                                                                            What can traditional publishers learn from pure play digital and social media companies? Plenty.

Twitter Adds Google-Like Keyword Targeting                                                                 Twitter has already been showing users ads based on what they read. Now it’s trying to target them based on what they type.

The Future of TV: Cobbling Together Digital Services                                                           The future of TV is a patchwork of digital services rather than cable providers dominating markets around the country, panelist after panelist told the audience at Ad Age’s Digital Conference today.

AP Head: Alliance With Papers Is ‘Beyond Biz’                                                                     Gary Pruitt, president and CEO of the Associated Press, in an exclusive interview with NetNewsCheck said the news organization maintains “an enduring relationship that goes beyond business” with newspapers.

Americans spend more than a quarter of their time online on social media                        An Experian Hitwise survey of time spent online says Americans spend 27 percent of their time online using social media.

Thanks for reading!

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-4/19/13

Posted on April 18, 2013 by

tablet logo jNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including a discussion on What Are People Actually Doing On Their Mobile Phones? 

Cleveland Paper Shifts To 3-Day Delivery                                                                                    A new digitally focused media company, the Northeast Ohio Media Group, will launch this summer to help meet the rapidly changing needs of local readers and advertisers.

A majority of the biggest newspapers in the country now have paywalls                      Smaller and mid-size newspapers have been the early adopters when it comes to paywalls. But now, more of the big papers are starting to flip the switch too.

What’s Holding Back Responsive Web Design?                                                            Responsive web design — where “one design fits all devices” — continues to gain momentum. Dozens of responsive sites have popped up, and a recent post on Idea Lab from Journalism Accelerator outlined how and why media sites should go responsive.

Facebook to See Three in 10 Mobile Display Dollars This Year                                        Mobile advertising will reach $7.29 billion in 2013, and Google will take home more than half of it

Big Changes for Apple’s iPhone                                                                                                Apple Is Preparing Such Big Changes To The iPhone Software That Engineers Are Using Special Filters To Hide Their Screens

Mathew Ingram: Why I admire the OC Register, even though I disagree with almost everything they are doing I may disagree with them about the benefits of a hard paywall, or the wisdom of cutting 90 percent of the newspaper’s blogs, but at least the owners of the Orange County Register are putting their money where their mouths are.

Report: Local Mobile Ad Rev To Hit $9B By ’17                                                                       U.S. mobile local advertising revenue is expected to grow at a rate of about 49% per year to hit $9.1 billion by 2017, according to a new forecast from BIA/Kelsey.

Belo Makes Mobile Push As Traffic Spikes                                                                              With about 50% of its traffic coming from mobile, Belo is making an aggressive shift toward restrategizing mobile content creation.

Retailers Expecting Explosive Mobile Growth This Year, Focusing On Apps                      The overwhelming majority of retailers surveyed by mobile experience management platform Artisan say they expect mobile commerce to grow at a faster pace in their organization than online commerce once did.

The newsonomics of the Orange County Register’s contrarian paywall                                Get your hot dogs. Get your beer. Get your newspaper. Step right up.

Newspaper revenue decline slows in 2012                                                                   Newspaper industry revenue declined last year at its slowest pace in six years, as publishers turned to new businesses and raised more money from online subscriptions.

Is It Good for Publishers When Advertisers Are Distributors?                                Advertisers want their ads to be more relevant. And (most) publishers have an audience monetization problem. So a new crop of ad formats offers to solve both problems by letting advertisers benefit from social sharing by distributing editorial content to prospective customers.

Digital First Media’s John Paton on newspapers and paywalls                                          Digital First Media chief executive officer John Paton says that paywalls aren’t the answer for newspapers, and that print is eventually going to go away — which is why the company needs to take more risks.

Flipboard is a giant iceberg lurking in the path of the media                                     Flipboard’s recent update lets users create custom “magazines” and share them. For a large swath of the publishing industry, this provides a glimpse of what (for them) could be a grim future.

Newspaper ad sales skid for seventh straight year                                                    Advertising sales, the predominant revenue stream for the newspaper industry, dropped for the seventh year in a row in 2012, falling to less than half the record $49.4 billion achieved as recently as 2005.

Deeper data dive finds $5.5 billion in uncounted newspaper industry revenue.              Years of negative reports on ad revenue losses could leave the newspaper industry muttering, “I demand a recount.” The Newspaper Association of America has just completed such an exercise and found some solid gains that have been overlooked previously in its own measurements.

What Are People Actually Doing On Their Mobile Phones?                                    InsightsNow for AOL and BBDO have created an infographic based upon a study conducted by the company in 2012. Over 20 users composed a seven-day journal and in-depth interviews about their mobile activity.

Toronto Star Tests Monthly E-Book Subscriptions                                                                 The Toronto Star is testing the e-book market with a dedicated subscription model. Launched in November 2012, Star Dispatches is the brainchild of the Toronto Star’s marketing department.

AOP census predicts 15% rise in digital revenue this year                                            Research by the Association of Online Publishers reveals optimism in sector but diversification in revenue streams

One downside of paywalls: Where does your growth come from?                                Paywalls can bring in extra revenue for newspapers and other traditional media outlets, and they can help keep existing readers from leaving — but how do they help bring in new readers? And what happens if they don’t?

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-4/12/13

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

tablet logoNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including a discussion on As Android tablets grow, publishers struggle to match the iPad experience.

Local Retail Won’t Disappear — Mobile Will Transform the In-Store Experience                 E-commerce sales topped $1 trillion for the first time in 2012 and the recent struggles of once-dominant big box retailers have led many to think that technology will win entirely, an retail apocalypse is near.

Want Better Email Revenue? Send Late at Night                                                                       In everyday life, most people don’t want to be bothered late at night. But the opposite seems to be true when it comes to email.

For Ad Clicks, Tablets Outperform Smartphones                                                         Industries with attractive, rich visual content outperform on tablets by widest margin   

Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune in print dispute                                                                        When the Chicago Sun-Times inked an agreement with the Chicago Tribune to print and distribute its newspapers, the two companies went from being bitter rivals to business partners as well.

Generation Mooch? Why 20-somethings have a hard time paying for content             Having grown up with a wealth of news and information at their fingertips for free, 20-somethings are heading into adulthood without much experience paying for that content. The question is, will content providers ever turn them into paying customers?

Orange county Register Blocks Readers from Commenting on Paywall Move                 When Orange County Register owner Aaron Kushner first took the reins of OC’s paper of record last year, one of the first things he did was announce that he was going to erect a paywall for the paper’s website. Kushner didn’t say when or how it would work, but details are starting to emerge from Grand Street, both official and not.

Pew Report Sees a Glass Half Empty                                                                                   There’s no question that Pew’s annual media audit and survey of 2,000 consumers is about as depressing as any of the 10 annual reports that the nonprofit media watchdog has completed. Among the lowlights:

New York Times’ paywall bumped up home delivery subscriptions                                    ”We didn’t design this model to support print but in fact what we’ve seen is an increase in home delivery subscriptions, in particular on Sundays,” The New York Times’ Paul Smurl told Rachel McAthy while talking about The New York Times’ paywall’s second birthday.

Papers Worldwide Embrace Web Subscriptions                                                       Newspapers, once reluctant to try to charge readers for access to their Web sites, have begun doing so in droves.

Swartz: Hearst Committed To 7-Day Publishing”                                                                     “We remain committed to seven-day publishing,” he said of Hearst’s papers. “Newspapers are still a tough business. I don’t want to claim we have all the answers. We’ve tried some things that are showing signs of success, and we’re pleased with our results.”

Boston Globe publisher Chris Mayer advances changes for paper even as it’s up for sale     If Chris Mayer is sweating the fact that The Boston Globe is going to have a new owner soon, he isn’t showing it.

Apple gov’t rep says next two iPhones were designed under Steve Jobs”                              In discussing the possibility of adding a theft resistant “kill switch” to future iPhone models, Apple’s government liaison has noted that the next two generations of iPhone have already been developed, and were designed before Steve Jobs’ death.

Paywalls for all or not? The real issue is what’s the core offering                                        Begin talking about putting paywalls around online news content and all sorts of things happen.

Soon your media will know you better than you know yourself                                      Though tablets and ebook readers are now mainstream, the revolution in the way they display content – and how that content will be generated dynamically – is yet to come.

Former Target Employee Comes Up With New Way To Do Daily Deals                           While daily deals have ran out of steam over the past year, not everything believes that people have given up the promotions all together – Scott Sailer, president and co-founder of Minneapolis start-up LumaNEAR, has faith in two core ideas: People want deals, and businesses want foot traffic.

Mobile coupons edge out print as retailers switch strategy                                               Mobile coupons are disrupting the traditional print circular method of distribution as more marketers and retailers are incorporating them into their strategy to build loyalty, drive in-store traffic and possibly combat showrooming.

This tipping-point for paywalls does not fix newspapers’ larger crisis                                   Not even the smartest metered model can make up for paltry digital ad revenues and a failure to recruit younger readers

National Brands Miss 86% of Local Feedback                                                                         Ever tweet a complaint about the endless line at your local Walgreen’s? Don’t expect a quick fix because there’s a good chance it went unheard.

Tokyo Newspaper Launches Augmented Reality App for Children                                   These days, children are more likely to reach for an iPad than a newspaper, but Tokyo Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest daily newspapers, wants to put print back into their hands.  

As Android tablets grow, publishers struggle to match the iPad experience                    When the IDC forecast this month that Google’s Android operating system would soon surpass Apple’s iOS in tablet market share, publishers of digital magazines could be excused for some handwringing.

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Newspapers Digital First News Summary-4/05/13

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

tablet logoNewspapers are maximizing the opportunities within their print audiences while growing digital audiences and engagement to develop a sustainable model for the future. See how newspapers are meeting that challenge including a question- Can Newspapers Evolve Into ‘Local Membership’ Organizations?

Newspapers killed newspapers,’ says reporter who quit the business                          Allyson Bird autopsies the business she left

Promotions Skyrocket, Ads Drop                                                                                              U.S. businesses are spending less on advertising than they were 10 years ago, while spending on promotions has nearly doubled in the same period,

Glory days’ of journalism? No, yes, no and yes.                                                                          In nine years of calibrating the health of the news media in the United States, the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism never has painted a bleaker picture of the performance and prospects of the press than it did in the annual report. 

Print Readership of the Chicago Reader … Rising?                                                                    In a post on Time Out Chicago‘s decision to end its print edition, Michael Miner reveals that print readership of the Chicago Readerhas grown by 38 percent(!) since 2010, according to figures from The Media Audit

How Digital Behavior Differs Among Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers                    While internet usage is nearly ubiquitous in the US, mobile phone and mobile internet usage are taking a far greater role in digital activity among consumers of all ages—and uptake is poised for further growth.

When advertising becomes content, who wins — advertisers or publishers, or both?     One of the biggest trends in media at the moment is “sponsored content” or what some call “native advertising.” But is it the savior of online media, or just another mirage in the advertising desert?

The newsonomics of GAFA’s global reach                                                                         Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon are dominating online advertising. How can publishers find profitable niches in their shadows?

Introducing SFChronicle.com                                                                                                     The in-depth articles, columnists and photos that have made The Chronicle San Francisco’s newspaper for generations have a new digital home with the debut of SFChronicle.com.

Can Newspapers Evolve Into ‘Local Membership’ Organizations?                       Newspapers are well positioned to start these kinds of programs. They have great brands that are well-known in their communities, they already have a membership base in the form of subscribers, and they have strong relationships with local businesses and organizations.

New York Times closes another loophole in its digital paywall”                                              A popular trick, called NYClean, to get around the New York Times’ article limit no longer works. The development coincides with the Times’ ongoing effort to shut down loopholes around its digital subscription.

Skinny and white: the fashionable new look for news sites                                                   Call it fashion week for the news industry. This month, three major American journalism shops have said they will be redesigning their websites: Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.

Congress Passes Resolution to Preserve Saturday Mail                                                       Both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that blocks the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to halt Saturday delivery of periodicals, first-class and standard mail. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) also determined this week that the USPS is bound by the ruling, due to the financial support provided by the U.S. Government.

USA Today announces two big changes                                                                                    USA Today is making “big changes” by putting the cover story in the newspaper “on hiatus” and keeping story jumps to a “bare minimum, if at all,” editor in chief Dave Callaway announced to staffers in a memo on Tuesday.

Why Publishers Would Miss Cookies                                                                              Mozilla’s announcement that third-party cookies will be blocked in the future is not going to lead to positive effects for publishers or even improve advertising.

Looking For ‘Oxygen,’ Small Papers Erect Digital Pay Walls                                                The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle recently said they will start charging readers for online content, joining big papers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Some large papers have made it work because they offer a lot of unique content. But the same holds true for tiny community newspapers, like the weekly Chinook Observer tucked in an isolated corner of Washington state.

Why Media Sites Should Adopt Responsive Design                                                  Responsive design is the big buzz of 2013. If 2012 was foretold to bring prosperity based on the Chinese zodiac, Mashable’s prediction for 2013 forecast a big year for responsive design, presenting a significant paradigm shift in the web design and development world where previously we were restricted by browser or device. 

Leaner, Meaner Media Finally Ready to Invade Agency Turf                                      Everyone loves a Cinderella story. Whether it’s David slaying Goliath or a college basketball team’s unlikely journey from dark horse to Final Four contender, it’s hard not to root for an underdog.

Paywalls rise                                                                                                                                   It’s paywall season right now: the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Telegraph,the Sun — all have recently announced plans to erect paywalls in an attempt to extract subscription revenues from their most loyal online readers.

Native advertising: A fine line between ‘innovative’ and ‘insidious’”                                  Two camps are forming around native advertising. One believes the practice is evil, or, in the words of Mediassociates VP Ben Kunz, “insidious.”  The other camp believes native advertising is an innovative way to “add value” to the advertiser-audience relationship.

Thanks for reading!

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