tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post8094891080323276525..comments2023-10-11T05:46:26.432-05:00Comments on Where: Notes about the Future of Urban Journalism, Part 3Brendan Crainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528698033763911972noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-70339227022884762712008-12-19T16:32:00.000-06:002008-12-19T16:32:00.000-06:00I work for a local new media non-profit that would...I work for a local new media non-profit that would seem to fit your description. We do almost everything online, but work with a variety of different formats and medias. We are entirely funded by donors, which we like to think frees us to provide a little more depth and research than outlets that are under constant pressure to get hits and ad revenue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389181255786430083.post-72755184737592650892008-12-19T13:50:00.000-06:002008-12-19T13:50:00.000-06:00The difficulty is that, for 200 years or so, the s...The difficulty is that, for 200 years or so, the same technology that was best for delivering news was also best for delivering commercial information, and that is no longer true. The harsh reality is that journalism isn't a business model, but we've all been lulled into thinking it is. So, as you point out, we need to look for new funding sources to support the journalism product.<BR/><BR/>Smart newspaper organizations are figuring out that news delivery doesn't have to be on paper (the fixed investments in printing equipment, plus the ink, newsprint and delivery costs, are some of the things that really weigh down a newspaper's P&L), which is why you're seeing more urban newspapers cut back on printing days, home delivery, etc., and substituting digital delivery.<BR/><BR/>On the business side, there are many ways besides print advertising to connect businesses with local customers -- paid local search, video, email and text, and lead generation, to name a few -- but very few organizations are really maximizing those. The crisis is immediate: either they figure out right away how to take back this part of their business from the out-of-town interlopers like Google, Yelp!, etc., or they're done.<BR/><BR/>We are a research/leadership development organization that has spent the last two years focused on exactly these questions. You can see our work at www.newspapernext.org. We're not done by any means, but the resources there are the start of a way forward for newspapers, if they want to take advantage of it. If not, it's pretty clear they won't be the ones involved in future business models to support journalism.eclishamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15353946043926240428noreply@blogger.com