Reports of the Death of Newspapers Greatly Exaggerated
- Posted by Maria Marcotte on February 21st, 2008
filed in Advertising, Media Buying |
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Newspaper Next 2.0 is a research project sponsored by the American Press Institute. They have released a broad vision for the revitalization and re-purposing of newspapers. Read the report at www.newspapernext.org. This report urges newspapers to go beyond the original premise that newspapers needed to add products for niche markets. This report encourages newspapers to aim higher and to actually rethink their view of themselves as “newspaper companies”. The report advises newspapers to consider themselves a “local information and connection utility”. This bold vision goes beyond adding products for niche markets, and challenges newspapers to broaden their offerings rather than narrowing them. They ask newspapers to go beyond just providing news and information, to go to becoming the first choice for customers and non-customers to learn whatever it takes to live here. To do that, newspapers must access a broad base of communication tools, such as social networking, databases, “knowledge repositories”, localized wikipedias and more. The goal is for newspapers to become the premise that the newspaper is the source “to help me connect with anyone who lives here, in the most effective way possible.” As newspapers step up to the challenge, we will be able to gauge their success. In two words: advertising revenue.
What do you think? Will newspapers revision themselves? Personally, I think it is a bold challenge and will be boldly met. Newspapers are filled with smart people, people with energy and devoted to the premise of communicating and connecting with their readers. This vision is smart and I, for one, think newspapers are up to the challenge.