The European Union is launching a new website aimed at a forum for discussion that transcends language barriers. The new site, funded by 3 million euros from the European Commission and run by 10 journalists, will translate content from among 250 titles that cover news in and around Europe. The site will begin publishing in 10 languages, but expects to cover all 23 of the EU's official languages in the next five years. In response to those who questioned the motives of the venture, EU communications commissioner Margot Wallstrom stated, "It has nothing to do with whether we like what……
Month: May 2009
QR codes create interactive advertising
In Japan and parts of Europe, advertisers have long used QR codes to create an interactive experience from their printed ads. These QR codes are like barcodes–they appear in print and can link cell phones to specific Web sites. The technology could help advertisers determine what appeals to which consumers, and may even help newspapers make more money off of their printed product. You can read the PBS MediaShift post…….
NPR head argues that newspapers should stay free
Vivian Schiller, CEO and President of NPR, argues in an interview that newspapers' best bet is to continue to offer their content for free. She says that there are only a few kinds of content that people have proved willing to pay for online–real-time financial news, some fantasy sports and pornography. As the former head of NYTimes.com, Schiller discusses her advocacy to end TimesSelect. While the service gained the newspaper $10 million annually, it seemed unlikely to grow, and therefore would not prove a useful tool to sustain the newsroom…….
Could charging for online subscriptions save print?
The editors of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Post Register in Idaho both attribute their extraordinary print subscription numbers to the fact that they only offer free web content to their subscribers. All others have to pay to access their articles online. Their success may be why 28% of newspapers say they are considering instituting online fees, according to a recent AP survey. As Journalism Online CEO Steven Brill put it, "Online fees will give people one less reason to stop subscribing to the [printed] newspaper." You can read the article from the Huffington Post here…….
Spanish court grants newspapers protection over content
A Spanish court has ruled that newspapers have intellectual property rights over their content. Over two years ago, the editors of 55 newspapers sued a press-clipping service Documentacion de Medios for including their stories as part of the service. Henceforth, any group seeking to use newspapers' material in a similar way will have to get prior consent from the editors. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….
New revenue streams boost TV, while new fees may stifle Internet radio
WASHINGTON — Speakers at a conference of broadcasters here last week described new revenue sources that may make the difference between profit and loss for U.S. broadcasters. And there was bad news for streaming media on line — which turns out to be good news for radio stations. First, here's a look at that new revenue for television.Actually, it's not that new: it's just suddenly getting bigger – billions of dollars bigger. That new money is from political ads, a revenue stream turning into a veritable Mississippi River of money, and it comes at a time when the local TV……
Carnegie Corporation taps CCLP for examination of government’s response to the crisis in the news industry
From a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on the future of journalism to a new tax cut for newspapers signed into law by the governor of Washington state, policymakers nationwide are responding to the crisis facing the news business. "It's … a time of real hardship for the field of journalism ….. But it's also true that your ultimate success as an industry is essential to the success of our democracy," President Obama told members of the White House Correspondents' Association. Thanks to a grant from Carnegie Corporation, the USC Annenberg School for Communication's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy (CCLP)……
To The Lucky Class of 2009
Another year, another graduation. But, of course, this is not just another year. For the graduates themselves, it is one of the most important times of their lives. For many of them, their parents and millions of ordinary Americans, it is a very, very tough time. My graduation was last Friday — not as a student, but as a teacher at the University of Southern California. For me it was a great year because I had great students. I hear I'm in a dying business – not education, but my field: The things I teach, journalism and writing, are destined……
Another way that Google can help
Rory Maher on PaidContent has another suggestion for how Google, who is reportedly working with newspapers to improve their websites, might help the publications. He suggests that newspaper Web sites have trouble with search optimization. As an example, he cites how the New York Times ran a cover story on a bombing plot in the Bronx, but a search of "Bronx bombing plot" listed many small blogs and TV sites before the NYT. He suggests that Google could help these sites boost their numbers by better adapting to search features. You can read the post on PaidContent.Org's website…….
Google CEO discusses newspapers' business models
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, shares his views on newspaper business models and how Google can help the publications make money. For instance, though he views the transition from for-profit to non-profit organization is difficult, Schmidt argues that, "news gathering and the profitability model was always an uncomfortable relationship." He also notes that Google is working with the Washington Post and other newspapers to improve their websites and increase their monetization. You can read the Editors' Weblog entry here…….