American Newspapers and the Internet:
Threat or Opportunity?
Erin Teeling, The Bivings Group
September 28, 2007
The Situation
• The Problem: Newspapers losing audience
• The Solution: Learn how to build an engaged online audience
• “ATMM”
The Process: Step 1
• Assess Your Audience
– Where are they going?– What are they doing?– How can you keep them engaged?
The Process: Step 2
• Take Inventory– How old is your platform?– What are you offering?– What type of communication avenues
do you make available?
The Process: Step 3
• Modernize
• Use Web 2.0 to revamp traffic and stickiness
Modernization
Graphical Redesign
Modernization
• Tapping Your Crossover Audience
Complementing Print on the Web
• Databases of
Information
Complementing Print on the Web
• Blogs
Complementing Print on the Web
• Comments
Complementing Print on the Web
• User-Generated
Content
Complementing Print on the Web
• Flexibility of Content
• Alternative Content Views
Complementing Print on the Web
• Social Networking
• Allow users to connect with one another and their communities
Complementing Print on the Web
• Allow newspaper website to evolve beyond the print product
• Community Portal vs. online repository
The Process: Step 4
•Monetize
– Converting page views into dollars
Monetization
•RSS Feeds: A Missed
Opportunity and Growing
Trend
Monetization
• How valuable is your content?
• How unique is your content?
• What is its “expiration date?”
Monetization
• Advertising and Classifieds
The Remedy?
• There is no one-size fits all remedy for the newspaper industry.
• Each newspaper needs a unique plan.
• We are beyond the opportunity for “band-aid improvements”
Industry Status
The Facts
• Sites with more features, unique content, and better functionality to better than sites without these features.
Who’s Getting it Right?
• New York Times• Washington Post• USA Today• Houston
Chronicle• Denver Post
• Knoxville News Sentinel
• Fresno Bee• Austin American
Statesman• Tennessean• San Jose Mercury
News
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Who’s Getting it Right?
Conclusion
• The Internet, while a direct competitor, holds many opportunities for newspaper websites
• Look for new and creative ways of doing things
• Identify actual competitors and learn from them