Twitter is hoping to start turning a profit by offering a premium version of the site for commercial users. The plan remains short on specifics. Some have criticized the site, which reaches 7 million unique users accounding to a Nielson estimate, for being slow to find a profit model. Twitter just hired its first staffer to focus on monetization this month. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….Continue Reading Twitter seeks new profit model
News
Will community news sites keep growing?
A few of my newspaper editor friends have tweaked me recently about the reporting I've done on community news Web sites. All had the same question: Given these sites' mostly tiny size (audience, news content, revenue), haven't I been hyping their impact a bit? It's a fair question. So is a related one that also comes up. Aren't many of these sites likely to fail because, despite valiant efforts by their creators, they'll be unable to generate sustainable advertising revenue? Since coming to USC Annenberg last fall, I've reported extensively on the rise of community Web sites, in posts at……Continue Reading Will community news sites keep growing?
Reviewing media cross-ownership
The acting chairman of the FCC, Michael Copps, has said that the agency may need to reevaluate current cross-ownership restrictions in light of the current struggles in traditional media. Copps has not endorsed Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that the restrictions on cross-ownership of media be relaxed, but has indicated he is willing to consider adjusting the rules. You read the article on the Multichannel News website here…….Continue Reading Reviewing media cross-ownership
Josephson: three steps for profitability
Mark Josephson, the CEO of news aggregation site Outside.in, proposes a simple mantra to save newspapers: aggregate, curate, and network. First, newspapers should start to aggregate local content to attract readers with stories that affect their lives. Second, newspapers are uniquely poised to curate the information available online, by supplying their own editorial voice and separating the wheat from the chaff. Finally, newspapers need to partner with local media, blogs, and businesses to generate profits from their work. You can read the Business Insider article here…….Continue Reading Josephson: three steps for profitability
Should newspapers publish once a week?
Theodore F. di Stefano suggests in the E-Commerce Times that newspapers begin publishing weekly rather than every day. By publishing in-depth coverage of current news that is not available on the Web or in current weekly magazines, newspapers could offer a unique perspective that could prove profitable. It would require a change in the way newspapers cover the news, but could save them from going under, he says. You can read di Stefano's article here…….Continue Reading Should newspapers publish once a week?
Could the Kindle encourage micropayments for news?
Daniel Finkelstein of the London Times muses on the possibility that the Kindle will prompt people to pay to subscribe to newspapers. He even suggests that the newspapers could give the Kindle away and then charge for content, noting that it costs the New York Times more to print and deliver their newspaper than it would be to purchase Kindles for its subscribers. You can read Finkelstein's entry on the Times…….Continue Reading Could the Kindle encourage micropayments for news?
Resistance to government’s role in saving newspapers
The response to Sen. Benjamin Cardin's proposed legislation to help newspapers become nonprofits has been met with some criticism. James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal argues that the guidelines for nonprofits would prevent them from writing commentary on legislation and candidates, and thereby have a chilling effect on journalism. You can read the full Wall Street Journal article here. In the Cleveland Plain Dealer, columnist Kevin O'Brien goes farther, saying that newspapers must reject Cardin's proposal. You can read the column in Cleveland Plain Dealer here. Still others, including the editor of a Southern Maryland paper, note the prohibition……Continue Reading Resistance to government’s role in saving newspapers
Former newspaperman starts watchdog site
Jim Walls, formerly of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has started a new site devoted to ethics and transparency in government. Atlanta Unfiltered will focus on public records, and shy away from any interpretation or opinion. You can read the post from Altanta Unsheltered here…….Continue Reading Former newspaperman starts watchdog site
Newspapers as non-profits? Tax savings but some big downsides
Given the fact that many newspapers seem headed toward nonprofit status anyway, it's perhaps not surprising that someone would try to make it official. Legislation introduced this week by Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland would enable newspapers to establish themselves as tax-exempt nonprofits and qualify for significant expense savings courtesy of Uncle Sam. Under the Cardin measure, they wouldn't have to pay income taxes on income derived from advertising sales. That's a big difference from existing IRS regulations, which customarily extract federal income taxes on advertising revenue derived by nonprofits. (There are a number of exceptions to this, including one……Continue Reading Newspapers as non-profits? Tax savings but some big downsides
Legislation would give newspapers a non-profit avenue
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin has introduced a bill, the Newspaper Revitalization Act, that would enable newspapers to restructure as non-profits by offering a variety of tax breaks. Though this might not save large conglomerates, Cardin hopes it will save local and community newspapers. Read the Reuters story. ……Continue Reading Legislation would give newspapers a non-profit avenue