Comments on: Why media company revenue flounders online http://www.thepomoblog.com/archive/why-media-company-revenue-flounders-online/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:08:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Randy Hoffman http://www.thepomoblog.com/archive/why-media-company-revenue-flounders-online/#comment-183231 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:43:02 +0000 http://www.thepomoblog.com/archive/why-media-company-revenue-flounders-online/#comment-183231 It was interesting to read that news folks at RTNDA have some interest in the "business side" of the operation. I believe news & sales operations need a new combined focus. What if a media outlet created teams within their organization made up of sales folks, a reporter and a tech/graphic artist? That team would be responsible for the local dining/entertainment content site. The reporter produces daily content combining picture/video and text. This site has search capability. And the tech member of team is tasked with testing new technologies to keep the site relevant and accessible. Now, perhaps, there could be four or five such teams. Those content sites would be created to tap into good, local revenue pools so sales folks focus on a specific ad category and become experts at selling and delivering results for those advertisers. Would that mean that a news department could not cover "breaking news?" Yep! Would that mean that covering "general news" would go away? Yep! At some point you need to ask yourself if 5 television stations, a newspaper and couple radio stations all covering "breaking news" is a long-term business model. Would it kill the local news folks not to cover a shooting at their local college? Yes. But on a day-in, day-out basis more people are interested in finding good, local dining/entertainment. It does not create the same adrenaline rush as covering the breaking news story, but long-term it makes more money. It was interesting to read that news folks at RTNDA have some interest in the “business side” of the operation. I believe news & sales operations need a new combined focus. What if a media outlet created teams within their organization made up of sales folks, a reporter and a tech/graphic artist? That team would be responsible for the local dining/entertainment content site. The reporter produces daily content combining picture/video and text. This site has search capability. And the tech member of team is tasked with testing new technologies to keep the site relevant and accessible. Now, perhaps, there could be four or five such teams. Those content sites would be created to tap into good, local revenue pools so sales folks focus on a specific ad category and become experts at selling and delivering results for those advertisers.

Would that mean that a news department could not cover “breaking news?” Yep! Would that mean that covering “general news” would go away? Yep! At some point you need to ask yourself if 5 television stations, a newspaper and couple radio stations all covering “breaking news” is a long-term business model. Would it kill the local news folks not to cover a shooting at their local college? Yes. But on a day-in, day-out basis more people are interested in finding good, local dining/entertainment. It does not create the same adrenaline rush as covering the breaking news story, but long-term it makes more money.

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