Klein Co-Authors New Paper on Entrepreneurial Journalism Education

CCLP executive in residence Jeffrey S. Klein and visiting CCLP researcher María José Vázquez Schaich published a paper in Observatorio Journal titled "Entrepreneurial journalism education: where are we now?" The study investigated how entrepreneurial skills are taught in journalism schools around the globe, exploring trends in the courses' objectives, the challenges faced by lecturers, and how these pioneering courses are integrated into each school's curriculum. Klein and Vázquez have worked together in the past to write a case study examining the viability of online community news sites. After studying how the fundamental changes in the media industry are forcing……

Newspapers Dying: The demise of geographic exclusivity

There are so many reasons why print newspapers are failing. Mostly, people complain that newspaper content is available on the Internet for free, so subscribers need not subscribe any longer, even though in reality circulation revenues were usually not more than 20% of total revenues. Or, more importantly, that classified advertising, the largest profit contributor of any newspaper, has been outdone by the efficiency of transactional web sites for homes, autos and jobs. Then there was the retail consolidation of big box stores, who hardly advertise, and chain department stores (only one advertiser rather than three or four). And the……

Columbia Journalism School features CCLP case study

Describing it as “a powerful new case on the business of media,” the Columbia Journalism School announced that it will feature CCLP’s research work on the Long Beach Post as a new case study for use in its prestigious Knight Case Studies Initiative. The case study, The Jury is Out: The Long Beach Post and Online Local News, is authored by CCLP Executive-in-Residence Jeffrey S. Klein and Research Associate María J. Vázquez. The report is available for journalism educators and students throughout the country and will be used as a teaching resource on the future of online community news websites…….

CCLP Researchers Share Projects with Annenberg Students, Faculty

From technology's impact on public diplomacy to the role of biography in constructing presidential legacy, the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy's (CCLP) diverse range of research projects and policy initiatives on display at the April 13th Policy Research Roundtable. Convened by CCLP Director Geoffrey Cowan and hosted by CCLP Research Director Mark Latonero (pictured left), the lunchtime event served as an opportunity for the Center to spotlight its key areas of engagement. "We believe that we have an obligation to produce research that makes a difference," Cowan explained to the standing-room only crowd, which included CCLP Fellows……

15 Ways to Generate Revenue for a Community News Web Site

My co-author María J. Vázquez and I recently finished writing a case study on a hyperlocal community news site in Long Beach California, the Long Beach Post. As with so many of these entrepreneurial sites, the founders were doing a great job of journalism and technology. The challenge was on the business and sales side. How do you effectively generate revenues to sustain the enterprise? Here are 15 suggestions to consider if you are building a community news web business, or any web content business for that matter. 1. Webinar. Find a topic of interest to an audience and a……

CCLP researchers examine viability of online community news sites; Report profiles challenges facing Long Beach Post

As local print, radio and television news divisions struggle to stay afloat, online community news sites are increasingly filling the gaps left by traditional news outlets. But, do these hyper-local, online startups offer a sustainable business model different from their traditional counterparts? The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (CCLP) seeks to answer that question with the publication of a new case study on the challenges facing the Long Beach Post, an online news website launched in 2006. The report, "Online Community News: A Case Study in Long Beach, California — What It Takes to Survive and Thrive"……

Journalism entrepreneurship on the hyperlocal level – a case study in community news

“There is a profound crisis taking place in American journalism.” That is the introductory line to the case study being published today by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy. My coauthor, María Vázquez, and I hope that this case, which focuses on the real life trials and tribulations of a four year old community news web site in a suburb of Los Angeles, will add to the admittedly parse academic literature on what some people call “hyper-local news”. Existing news magazines and newspapers face serious threats to their continued profitability and viability. The future outlook for local……

Klein in the Ventura County Star

"There's a revolution going on," Executive in Residence Jeffrey Klein told an audience of students, faculty and residents at California State University-Channel Islands. "The world of news and entertainment is dramatically different from what it was 10 years ago, even one year ago. The changes are so dramatic and so revolutionary it's not clear who's going to survive." Klein was speaking of ever-changing media landscape, and was quoted in the Ventura County Star…….

LA Times Exec Klein Joins CCLP as Executive in Residence

Jeffrey S. Klein, former senior executive with the Los Angeles Times and Times Mirror, has joined the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP) as the 2010-2011 Executive in Residence. As both a lawyer and journalist, he has more than 24 years of experience operating newspaper, magazine, television and Internet businesses. At CCLP, Klein will focus on the New Models for News initiative and on how legacy media companies are moving into the digital age. In addition, Klein will contribute regularly to the CCLP blog (www.communicationleadership.org), participate in programs and workshops organized by the Center, including the News Entrepreneur Boot……

Boot Camp for Journalism Entrepreneurs

Last week, I was an instructor at the News Entrepreneur Boot Camp 2010 at USC. Sponsored by the Knight Digital Media Center, USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, theAnnenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Public Policy(CCLP), and the Online Journalism Review, the camp brought together about 20 aspiring entrepreneurs, almost all former journalists, who are trying to create new news/information enterprises in the digital world. If you'd like to watch a video of my session, click here [from the Knight Digital Media Center], or take a look at my power point slides [below]…….