I think there are a whole bunch of us standing on the sidelines, arms crossed giving our best 'Vince Lombardi' stares at the Magazine Publishers of America and the rest of the litany of journalism slash editorial guilds grappling with the future of news and magazine print.
By now isn't it clear that it's not about the vehicle, it's the content? I think it might just be this simple: the most essential, nuclear element of communications is the conversation between two or more people. Human beings talking. Around the fire. In the cave. On the riverbank. Under the tent. Everything else we do is or should be designed to facilitate that.
So what does this mean for the survival of your failing or flailing media company or partner? Stop talking at your subscribers and start talking with them again. Here are three ideas or 'quick fixes' for consideration:
1) Fire your columnists. Everyone has an opinion these days -- and everyone has access to the web to share it. As Color of Change is teaching FOX News, it's dangerous to build your brand around the cult of a personality anyway. Create the personality of your media brand through good, solid reporting of facts that the average reader doesn't have the time or resources to find, then listen to what they have to say about it.
2) Hire your readers. Google. YouTube. Get it? Share the wealth and ad revenue to build interest, traffic, loyalty etc. As a test, identify your top 1,000 subscribers and cut them in on a revenue sharing model to see what happens. Select some who are your most frequent viewers, some who are your most frequent contributors and some who best reflect your target demo.
3) A free press is crucial to the survival of our democracy...and your company. Don't charge for your content, charge for connectivity. I am making two points here. First, no one will pay you for what will be downloaded, copied, scanned or otherwise disaggregated and dispersed in about five seconds anyway. Second, one of the reasons the readership and loyalty to many 'newspapers' has declined I'll argue is that most publishers have forgotten their obligation to the rest of us as the Fourth Estate. Create or support media brands that publish with integrity, that fact-check, that go beyond the press release. Right now our world needs a free and honest press more than ever and will support it.
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3 comments:
I was one of those columnists.
Some interesting ideas here, but you might want to rethink your definition of "free press" -- it doesn't mean "free content," but "media that is unconstrained by political ideology or censorship."
As well, the "fourth estate" comprises the media itself.
That said, your post raises some interesting issues that bear pondering. Thanks!
So, Ciss B, what are your thoughts?
Karen, what if do you think the idea of content being 'free' freeing up the press, that is liberating the editorial staff from the ad department?
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