Regarding new details about Gannett's digital revenue, and its role in the company's future, a reader says in a comment: "There is a digital future, no doubt about that. But it is not the only future, and that is where the company is going horribly wrong.
The business model of newspapers was based on owning the printing press. The business model for digital isn't the same, because everyone owns the printing press. Should we continue to try to develop the niftiest, most convenient and advertiser-friendly digital products we can? Of course.
But . . . content remains the coin of the realm, and the sooner we begin devoting resources to gathering, creating and, yes, distributing original and compelling content -- content that matters -- the sooner investors and society will begin to treat Gannett as an important community asset, and not a dying institution."Join the debate, in the original post.
This is what Gannett should be doing, however someone has convinced the powers to be that the web is the ONLY way to go. Which means, we're doomed.
ReplyDeleteThe web content is weak, especially for real news. The real news gets smothered and lost among the other soft stuff; pets, moms, cooking, music, etc.
ReplyDeleteYeah, good luck with getting more news out there. You'll be too busy doing ethically questionable stories featuring your publisher's favorite advertisers, writing countless stories about a certain non-profit group because one of your 75 editors sits on the board, and using your few remaining photographers to take pictures from your local bar's ladies night for your Web site's perverted visitors.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm. That's good "content."
That conference transcript is comical. It's worth a read---really.
ReplyDeleteTwo executives leading a news organization are puffed out proud of how far they've been able to take Career Builders and ShopLocal?
Amazing. (Watch out Craigslist. They're gaining on you!)
Dubow had the best line, the one about using Mogulus to "break" not news, but events like high school ball games.