Student Publications Journalism Update

Sales Forces with Separate Online Sales Teams Perform Better

2012-01-18T12:59:00.002-05:00

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/165955/media-companies-with-digital-only-sales-staff-perf.html

The Case for a Paywall

2011-10-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

It's going to happen sooner or later, so why not now? In the Daily's case, please substitute donations for subscriptions when you read this article.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/newspay/149953/its-time-5-reasons-for-taking-the-plunge-into-a-metered-paywall/

Newspaper Advertising Declines for 20th Quarter in a Row

2011-09-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/newspaper-ad-spending-down-7-in-2q-2011-09-01?link=MW_latest_news

Smaller Newspapers are Rethinking Free Access to their Websites

2011-08-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

Small and midsize newspapers increasingly are charging print subscribers slightly for full Web access. The move comes in part by realization that free access was a mistake.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/business-news/the-biz-blog/141628/9-reasons-newspapers-are-suddenly-asking-print-subscribers-to-pay-for-full-web-access/

An Inexpensive Paywall Provider Identified

2011-06-10T13:03:00.002-04:00

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/Features/Article/Paying-for-Content--Simplified

Federal Study Finds Local Reporting Has Waned

2011-06-09T09:08:00.000-04:00

As reported in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/business/media/09press.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

First Quarter Ad Sales Statistics

2011-06-02T12:52:00.002-04:00

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=151518

Washington Posts Admits to Plagarism by Pulitzer Winning Reporter

2011-03-17T09:35:00.002-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/business/media/17paper.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Google Announces Payment System for Digital Content

2011-02-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

This article provides an outline of both the Apple and Google online content payment systems:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/business/media/17google.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

The Future is Here

2011-02-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

or so Rupert Murdock would have us believe ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/business/media/03daily.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=the%20daily&st=cse

Pay Model has Little Effect on Traffic or Ad Revenue of Small Papers

2011-01-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/business/media/18brill.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Poll: Most won't pay to read newspapers online

2011-01-13T16:18:00.003-05:00

by Lance Whitney of CNET News

Would you pay to read your favorite newspaper online? Most say no, at least according to a new Harris poll.

With traditional print newspapers struggling to turn a profit, many have turned to the Web as a means to stay afloat. While some offer their online content free of charge, other papers have played around with subscriptions by charging readers a monthly fee. But that strategy may backfire, says a Harris poll released Wednesday.

Among more than 2,000 online adults surveyed, 77 percent said they wouldn't pay anything to read a newspaper's stories on the Web. And among those willing to pay, 19 percent would cough up between $1 and $10 a month; only 5 percent would shell out more than $10 each month.

The poll also revealed what many newspapers have already experienced--that readership of traditional news is steadily dropping. Just 43 percent of the people surveyed said they read a newspaper each day, either in print or online. Around 72 percent read a paper once a week, while 81 percent read only once a month. And 10 percent said they never read a newspaper.

One factor in the decline of the daily newspaper is age. The younger you are, the less interested you seem to be in reading the daily news. Among folks 55 and older, 64 percent still read a daily paper. Among those 45 to 54, 44 percent catch a daily paper, while 36 percent of adults 35 to 44 do. But of those 18 to 24, only 23 percent said they read a paper each day, while 17 percent said they never do.

Following last year's trend, more newspapers are likely to either shut down this year or change to a new business model, notes Harris. But if people won't pay to read news online, the challenge remains for news outlets to find another way to survive.

Conducted with Adweek Media, the Harris poll surveyed 2,136 adults online on December 14 and 16 of last year.

Oklahoma State's Campus Newspaper is Putting Up a Modest Paywall

2010-12-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

Go to the link below to see the details:

http://www.mypressplus.com/press/120110release

News Corp. is Developing an I-Pad Only Newspaper

2010-11-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/business/media/22carr.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Report on The Times of London's Online Paywall

2010-11-03T09:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/business/media/03newscorp.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Newspaper websites reach 2/3 Internet users in September

2010-10-22T14:58:00.000-04:00

Newspaper companies attracted 102.8 million unique visitors to their websites in September—almost two-thirds (61 percent) of all adult Internet users. The analysis, performed by comScore for the Newspaper Association of America, also indicates that newspaper websites stand out in today’s consumer landscape, reaching 55 percent of 25-to-34-year-olds and 73 percent of individuals in households earning more than $100,000 a year.
“This data from comScore reinforces how newspaper publishers are leveraging original, high-quality content to build a powerful and engaged audience in the digital space,” said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. “The analysis also paints a powerful picture of our medium’s Web audience, with newspaper websites attracting consumers that deliver maximum value to advertisers.”
In addition to audience strength, September comScore data also points to engagement, with newspaper website users generating nearly 4.1 billion page views and spending more than 3.3 billion minutes browsing the sites.
NAA is adopting comScore’s Unified Digital Measurement methodology—which bridges panel-based and website server-based metrics—as its preferred measurement methodology because it more accurately reflects the true size of the newspaper Web home and at-work online audience. Going forward, Web audience figures from comScore will be posted on Naa.org each month.

Link to Newspaper Front Pages Around the World

2010-10-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Distribution of the UK Student Newspaper is Ostensively Hindered by U Marketing Contract

2010-10-19T09:07:00.000-04:00

http://www.splc.org/news/newsflash.asp?id=2160

Huffington Post Unit to Merge with the Center for Public Intergrity

2010-10-19T08:57:00.000-04:00

The New York Times reports on a merger that will double the size of the not for profit journalism center:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/business/media/19nonprofit.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Story on the Demise of the Chicago Tribune

2010-10-07T10:00:00.002-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/media/06tribune.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail0=y&emc=tnt

Steve Kagan's Slide Show for the NYT Week in Review Section

2010-09-22T09:35:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday's NYT Week in Review section included photos taken by our own Steve Kagan documenting some of the changes that the accompanying article attributes to the tenure of outgoing mayor Richard M. Daley.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/weekinreview/12saulny.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Steve

Poynter Online article about Students' Preference for Print

2010-09-14T14:37:00.000-04:00

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=136&aid=190619&view=print

Ad spending declines moderate according to the Newspaper Association of America

2010-09-09T15:41:00.001-04:00

Newspapers narrowed the decline in advertising revenue again in the second quarter but the ad spending results released Tuesday continue to portray an industry in serious decline, Editor & Publisher reported.

This year's second-quarter total print ad revenue of $5.694 billion, for instance, is the lowest Q2 total since 1983.

And while the total print and online ad spending declined by the first single-digit percentage in the past 10 consecutive quarters of double-digit decline, the revenue of $6.438 billion is the lowest Q2 total since the pre-Internet year of 1985.

Figures released by the Newspaper Association of America show total print and online ad spending fell 5.6% the quarter compared to the year-ago results. That represents a significant narrowing of the decline from 9.7% in the first quarter of the year, and 23.7% in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Online-ad spending, which NAA says now accounts for 12% of total revenue, jumped by 14% to $743.9 million. In the first quarter online spending was up 5% after declines in all four quarters of 2009.

"Despite a highly competitive environment, online-advertising growth rebounded back into double digits, while declines in traditional revenue categories continue to moderate as the general advertising recovery progresses," NAA President and CEO John Sturm said. "The fact that online now represents nearly 12% of overall newspaper advertising revenues bodes well for our medium's future in an increasingly digital environment."

Sturm said there is "heightened optimism" about an advertising turnaround in the industry.

"In a world where trusted, high-quality content is in demand, newspaper companies are uniquely positioned to benefit from the advertising recovery," he said.

University of Colorado Considers Closing Their J-School

2010-08-31T09:25:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15891065?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com

NYT Article about Burnout Amongst Online Journalists

2010-07-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to an article from the NYT describing the burnout experienced by the online journalists at Politico.com. It's a must read for those of you in or considering this career path:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/business/media/19press.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Google's Vision for the Future of Journalism

2010-07-12T11:21:00.000-04:00

Below is the link to an excellent article, published in The Atlantic, about Google's vision for the future of news gathering, delivery, subscriptions, online advertising and many other topics specific to our industry. I think that it's a must read but it is extremely long. Read it when you have the time:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/06/how-to-save-the-news/8095/1/

The Sad State of Investigative Journalism

2010-07-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to a NYT article that discusses the state of investigative journalism in the US generally and in Chicago specifically:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/business/media/05conroy.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

Alloy has been Acquired by Zelnick Media

2010-06-24T11:19:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to an Adweek article announcing the acquisition of Alloy Media, our largest agency account for ad sales. It doesn't appear that the acquisition will have much impact on operations:

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3ieb17ddd24af6bab69b6ccfef9d891281

Update on the Detroit Newspapers

2010-06-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to Michigan Public Radio's Jack Lessenberry's recent update on how the Freep and News are faring with their reduced home delivery experiment:

http://jackshow.blogs.com/jack/2010/04/essay-newspaper-experiment-an-update-42810.html

The Michigan Daily Story in Urdu

2010-06-21T10:46:00.000-04:00

Below is a link to the video created by the Voice of America featuring the Michigan Daily. The purpose of the video was to encourage freedom of the press in Pakistan. Who do that Urdu? We do that Urdu!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYPxg2e1-mM&feature=related

The Michigan Daily Out of the Blue Video

2010-06-21T10:31:00.000-04:00

Below is the link to the video created for the Out of the Blue program on the Big Ten network:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Pep_npWuU

News Corporation Prepares for Paid Online Content

2010-06-17T15:11:00.003-04:00

This is a link to an article in the N. Y. Times about the News Corporation's plans to extend their paywall to all of their online publications:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/business/media/15newscorp.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

The Death of the Daily Northwestern

2010-06-17T15:10:00.001-04:00

This is a link to an article in the Daily Northwestern about their current financial situation. Their organizational and financial structure are very similar to ours. Unfortunately for them, they are in a very precarious position:

http://www.nuintel.net/features/the-death-of-the-daily/

Online News Fights to Live On Its Merits

2010-06-17T14:37:00.002-04:00

This is a link to an article in the New York Times describing the efforts of online only news organizations to remain financially viable through ad sales, reader donations and grants from foundations:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/business/media/24carr.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y