As you can see, Online is the least staffed of the Banner-Herald’s editorial departments. In light of current and anticipated trends in the way audiences choose to receive their news, this is not an advantageous staffing strategy on the newspaper’s part. In 2008, eMarketer, a leading internet market research firm, estimates that 64.7 percent of the U.S. population, age three and above, will be internet users. It also estimates that 56.3 percent of all U.S. households will have broadband internet – a high-speed connection format that enables users to receive updates online almost instantaneously. And, regardless of what old-line newspapermen may wish to believe, people are taking advantage of the technology to find out what is going on in their communities and the world. The category of websites that people visit most on the internet is multi-service portals (ex. MSN, Yahoo and AOL), based on TNS Media Intelligence 2005 ad revenue figures. These sites consist heavily of aggregated news from newspapers, broadcasters and news services. Their advantage is that they also are a gateway to the World Wide Web for many users, serving as consumers’ homepages oftentimes. The second most visited category is news and current events. Also in the top ten web site categories are business, entertainment, sports, local news and health – all generators of traditional newspaper beat stories. From these statistics, I have concluded that multi-service portals are quickly becoming substitutes for newspapers online by using the very sources’ content against them. Their graphics are better, their aggregating skills are advanced and their ability to adapt to individual users’ needs is superior. However, newspaper websites can still beat multi-service portals on the basic content – which is news – if they sufficiently invest in quality journalism for the internet, which requires more staffing. This is an immediate issue that I would address as soon as Consolidated bought the company. Below is an organizational chart that shows the changes I would make:
[Online Department Organizational Structure] Created by DeShaun Maria Harris
First, I would continue to have the online director report directly to me, the publisher, because online is a separate function from the print product and should be recognized and treated as such. However, I would also keep the news director, who Jason Winders, the executive editor, said serves as a liaison between the print and online staffs. I would do so because the two departments are still connected and need to communicate efficiently, as they are both news products under the Banner-Herald name and should complement each other, not compete. Next, I would get rid of the assistant online editor position and create two new ones in its place: online sports editor and topic editor. I would then create a rich media editor position and give them two multimedia reporters who must be skilled in photography, videography and traditional reporting. I could not compromise on the required skill set. Online users are largely not the traditional newspaper readers, demographically and in terms of their needs. They want basic highlights and in-depth coverage presented in a multitude of ways; the written word alone will no longer suffice, and any new staff member I would hire would have to be able to navigate the new media sea (see Sample Job Post). I explain my reasons for all of these changes in the Online Potential section of this report.
Latest jobs on Journalism.co.uk
Date posted:
31/10/07 Closing date: 30/11/07
Job title: Multimedia journalist
Full details: A startup English-language newspaper based in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates, is looking for multimedia
journalists for its new media team to write, edit and update online articles,
moderate and manage online communities, and publish content on a wide variety
of new media platforms. Both entry-level positions and senior
positions are available within the team.
Led by Martin Newland, former editor of London’s The Daily Telegraph, the new
newspaper includes staff from some of the most prominent news organizations in
North America and Europe, including the New York Times, the National Post of
Canada and the Daily Telegraph.
Applicants must have several years’ of experience working on the web, be able to work across text, audio and video formats and have a strong
grasp of journalistic style. Knowledge
of the Middle East and foreign languages are a plus.
Applicants must be willing to relocate to the UAE.
Please email your CV and a covering letter, under the subject heading:
multimedia journalist.
Please quote journalism.co.uk when applying for this position.
Apply to:
Email: abudhabipaper@yahoo.com
[Sample Job Post]
Job post taken from www.journalism.co.uk
In addition to large changes in the Online department, I would shift around a few positions in the Newsroom to accommodate the eventual creation of three news bureaus in the Retail Trading Zone, which I discuss at length in the Zoning and Expansion section of this report. To sum up the human resource needs in this area, however: I would get rid of the metro editor and assistant editor positions within 6 months; hire a Jackson County editor within that time, as well; hire two additional reporters to cover Oconee and Jackson counties within a year; hire a Madison County editor and two reporters within two years; and hire an additional copy editor to account for the additional stories that will surely follow the creation of news bureaus.
Overall, the net human resource changes I would implement would require nine new employees over two years. Though the industry trend for the past few years has been to downsize newspaper staffs, I think the Banner-Herald could successfully support the additional costs (i.e. salary, benefits, etc.) because of the additional revenue my other product ideas and changes would create.
Zoning and Expansion
As I mentioned in my first report on the Banner-Herald’s market conditions, the metro area’s population is shifting from the Athens’ commercial core and into the surrounding RTZ counties. Dirk Howell, a residential realtor at Upchurch Realty in Athens said, and U.S. Census information confirmed, that the fastest growing counties in the retail trading zone are Jackson (34.1 percent growth from 2000 to 2006) and Oconee (17.7 percent growth from 2000 to 2006). Jackson County’s growth can be attributed to its proximity to Interstate 85, which is an accessible commuter route for Atlanta workers. Oconee County, on the other hand, has proven attractive because of its demographic exclusivity – houses there do not sale for less than $300,000 – and superior public school system. Madison County is also beginning to grow at a noticeable rate (8 percent growth from 2000 to 2006) and has plans to strengthen its retail structure, in hopes that doing so will stimulate residential growth.
Because of these combined findings, I think it would be in the newspaper’s best financial and editorial interests to create news bureaus for zoned editions in these counties within the next two years. The following are my proposals for each operation, including timelines for key implementations and contingency plans.
Oconee County News Bureau
Location: Watkinsville, Ga.
Staff: Editors – one Reporters
– two Photographers – one
Coverage Area: Bogart,
Bishop, High Shoals, Watkinsville
Specialized
Content Coverage: county government, city government, Oconee County
Schools, Warrior high school sports, Titan high school sports
Specialized
Content Focus: home improvement, fine dining, domestic travel, golfing,
hunting, financial investing
(Based on zip code analysis by the Environmental
Systems Research Institute Community Tapestry.)
Ideal
Local Advertisers: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Harry Bissetts Bayou Grill,
DePalma’s Italian Café, Lane Creek Golf Club, The Georgia Club, Miller’s
Sporting Goods
Realization/Contingency Plan:
- January 2008: Consolidated Communications purchases Banner-Herald Co. Begin search for news bureau location and lease building. Put metro editor and assistant metro editor on notice about the reorganization.
- February 2008: Move Oconee editor and reporter into the news bureau building. A staff photographer will work out of this bureau part-time, as well, until the acquisition of the Oconee Enterprise can be negotiated and a photographer from that staff integrated into the news bureau staff (acquisition information later in Zoning and Expansion section of this report). Discontinue the Oconee Living Section of the main newspaper edition. Start zoned edition publication.
- June 2008: Evaluate the progress of the zoned edition. Look at marginal advertising revenue, reader susceptiveness based on a conducted focus group and reader response. If findings are positive, begin search for an additional reporter to better cover the area and hire them. If findings are negative, abandon bureau.
- December 2008: Reevaluate the progress of the zoned edition. Make staffing decisions (hire, dismiss, remain the same). Find out if any special projects or features need to be included.
- June 2009: Revaluate the progress of the zoned edition. Determine if it is projected to turn a marginal profit by December, if not, abandon bureau.
- December 2009: Reevaluate the progress of the zoned edition. Write an executive report of the bureau’s progress and offer suggestions that can bolster the chances of a Madison County zoned edition reaching profitability.
Jackson County News Bureau
Location: Jefferson, Ga.
Staff: Editors – one Reporters
– two Photographers – one
Coverage Area: Commerce,
Hoschton, Jefferson, Maysville, Nicholson, Arcade
Specialized
Content Coverage: county government, city government, Jackson County
Schools, Commerce City Schools, Jefferson City Schools, Tiger high school
sports, Dragon high school sports, Panther high school sports, Eagles high
school sports
Specialized
Content Focus: home improvement, gardening, hunting, fishing, sporting
events, religious activities, parenting, country music
(Based on zip code analysis by the Environmental
Systems Research Institute Community Tapestry.)
Ideal
Local Advertisers: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Shirley’s Feed & Seed Inc.,
Miller’s Sporting Goods, First Baptist Church, UGA Athletics Association, Pro
Cheer Inc.
Realization/Contingency Plan:
- January 2008: Consolidated Communications purchases Banner-Herald Co. Begin search for news bureau location and lease building. Put metro editor and assistant metro editor on notice about the reorganization. Relieve Jackson/Barrow counties reporter of their Barrow County beat, because the county is not in the RTZ. If newsworthy events happen there, send the general reporter to cover them. Begin search for a bureau editor and hire.
- February 2008: Move new Jackson County editor and reporter into the news bureau building. A staff photographer will work out of this bureau part-time, as well, until the acquisition of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. can be negotiated and a photographer from that staff integrated into the news bureau staff (acquisition information later in Zoning and Expansion section of this report). Start zoned edition publication.
- June 2008 – December 2009: Same as the Realization Plan for an Oconee County news bureau.
Madison County News Bureau
Location: Danielsville, Ga.
Staff: Editors – one Reporters
– two Photographers – one
Coverage Area: Ila,
Danielsville, Comer, Colbert, Carlton, Hull
Specialized
Content Coverage: county government, city government, Madison County
Schools, Red Raider high school sports
Specialized
Content Focus: home improvement, fishing, hunting, gardening, auto racing,
sporting events, farming
(Based on zip code analysis by the Environmental
Systems Research Institute Community Tapestry.)
Ideal
Local Advertisers: Home Depot, Lowe’s, Miller’s Sporting Goods, Shirley’s
Feed & Seed Inc., Georgia Mountain Roots & Music Festival
Realization/Contingency Plan:
- December 2008: Begin search for news bureau location and lease building. Begin search for a bureau editor and two reporters and hire.
- February 2009: Move new Madison editor and reporters into the news bureau building. The staff photographer for the weekly publication acquired from MainStreet Newspapers Inc. would also serve as a photographer for the bureau. Discontinue the Madison Living section of the main newspaper edition. Start zoned edition publication.
- June 2009 – December 2010: Evaluate the progress of the zoned edition every six months during this period. Look at marginal advertising revenue, reader susceptiveness based on a conducted focus group and reader response. If findings are positive, continue zoned edition and manning of the bureau. If findings are negative, abandon bureau.
In addition to safeguarding the Banner-Herald by creating zoned editions, I would further protect the newspaper’s market dominance through diversification – by acquiring a weekly in each of the RTZ counties.
As I mentioned in my second report on the newspaper’s competition, I project that MainStreet Newspapers Inc. is perfectly positioned to compete directly with the Banner-Herald for reader time and advertising dollars (on the weekend) in two of the counties that are contiguous to Athens-Clarke County. The company has three newspapers in Jackson County: the Jackson Herald, Commerce News and Braselton News. Each weekly delivers unique content that is hiperlocal; for instance, the Herald boasts that it is the “legal organ of Jackson County”. MainStreet Newspapers Inc. also owns the Madison County Journal and the Banks County News. In an acquisition of this company, I would first divest the Banks County News operation because its reader base is outside of the Banner-Herald’s RTZ and it could not easily be integrated into the newspaper’s advertising strategy, as its readers would not be attractive to many local advertisers. Initially, I would monitor and evaluate the current organizational structures and staffing of each weekly to determine if changes needed to be made. I would also move operations into the Jackson and Madison counties news bureaus, as outlined in the realization/contingency plans previously discussed in this section of the report. Consolidating operations would decrease unnecessary overhead costs and allow for creative and resource collaboration between the main newspaper and the subsidiary news products.
In Oconee County there is the Oconee Enterprise. It has been around for a long time and seems to have a strong brand reputation. Because of this, I would definitely not seek to make major changes in it initially. Once again, I would only move operations to the established news bureau. In Oglethorpe County there is the Oglethorpe Echo, which I would also purchase but change the delivering media. Because I do not think the advertising support would initially exist for a publication in this county, I would make it an online product. By doing this, I could garner more advertising revenue on the content because of the differing digital ad rate structure.
Editorial Content
Quality and Structure
Because I provided you with a detailed editorial analysis of the Banner-Herald in its current state in my first report, I will not waste your time by stating it all again. The highlights, however, are as follows:
- Issue: Insufficient
National and International News Coverage
- Solution: Publisher
conveys to the Executive Editor the importance of solid news judgment.
Executive Editor, in turn, makes better decisions on balancing local
content with national stories with local angles with national trends
(conveying this down the chain to the entire news staff).
- Issue: Insufficient Youth Market
Coverage/Appeal
- Solution:
Standalone print product and connected website (see New Product
Potential and “Disruptive Innovation” section)
- Issue:
Marginally Sufficient Female Market Coverage/Appeal
- Solution:
Standalone print product, website columnist and special event series (see
New Product Potential and “Disruptive Innovation” section)
- Issue:
Marginally Sufficient Business Market Coverage/Appeal
- Solution:
Standalone print product and special event (see New Product Potential
and “Disruptive Innovation” section)
As you can see, I would create niche products to close the gaps in the newspaper’s present community coverage. Still, these changes are not good enough. From my observations, I have concluded that the newspaper carries a few “deadweight” sections in its pages and online. These areas must either be revised or eliminated to streamline the editorial content and quality of the newspaper and www.onlineathens.com. The main print section I would revamp is Marquee, the Banner-Herald’s arts and entertainment offering. Right now it is amazingly predictable and not interactive at all. I would request a redesign of the print section and create an online discussion forum for readers and users to explore their arts and entertainment desires with each other (further information in on this in Online section of report). The other Banner-Herald offering I would change would be www.athensmusic.com. It has a stagnant design and little original content that a savy web user would find entertaining. I would eliminate this website and replace it with another product, which I discuss in the New Product Potential and “Disruptive Innovation” section of this report.
New Product Potential
and “Disruptive Innovation”
In conversation with James E. Smith, vice president of Research & Development for Morris Communications – the present owner of the Banner-Herald – I learned about “disruptive innovation” and the product and circulation strategies Morris Communications is testing across its holdings. “Disruptive innovation” is a phrase used greatly by Newspaper Next – a business model development project by the American Press Institute – that means a technological innovation, product or service that eventually overturns the existing dominant technology or status quo product in the market. In photography, this is the digital camera taking the place of low resolution film cameras. In classified advertising, this is websites like www.Craigslist.com taking the place of newspaper classified ads as the premier source for local job and trade postings. The disruption occurs in one of two ways: (1) a low-end, perhaps low-quality product enters the market and satisfies the needs of consumers who can not afford or do not desire a high-end, high quality product in the same category (see Disruptive Innovation) or (2) a superior product enters the market and satisfies unmet or unknown needs of consumers.
[Disruptive
Innovation] Graph
from www.wikipedia.com, “Disruptive
Technology” webpage
My plans for new products under the Banner-Herald brand include both kinds of “disruptive innovators”. I would seek to meet the news and entertainment needs of everyone in the Athens metro area, not with the same products but with niche offerings. The following are the products I would like to create within the first two years of Consolidated Communications taking over the company. For each of the products, I would conduct consumer and field research to constantly monitor the progressive growth or decline in advertising revenue and consumer interest. Upon each evaluation, I would create “bail out” points; if the enterprise were not showing signs of reaching profitability after an estimated time, based on similar product life cycle findings, I would abandon the undertaking.
City Vibes
Target Audience: College
students and young professionals (under 30)
Content: Athens bar-scene
lifestyle, entertainment (clubs and music) and fashion
Format: glossy magazine and
website
Frequency: monthly (with frequent updates online)
Newsstand
Price/Subscription/Online Price: free/to be determined/free
Ideal Advertisers: Shokitini
sushi restaurant, Level 131, The Reserve, Encore, Helix
Distribution: Newsstands,
“trendy” boutiques and coffee shops in Athens-Clarke County (downtown, UGA
campus, Five Points); internet
Competition: Flagpole
magazine, The Red & Black, Myspace.com, Facebook.com
City Vibes would be a slick lifestyle magazine targeted at Athens’ large young adult population. Stories would mainly focus on nightlife and entertainment for this audience. The print publication would feature local band profiles, multiple columns, or “voices” from the target audience and fashion trend pieces. Online, City Vibes would host a local music blog, video podcast and direct links to band websites. Another feature would be live online interviews with bands the day before or the day of a scheduled performance in Athens. A staff reporter would moderate interviews; however users would ask the majority of the questions – creating an interactive, Web 2.0 experience. There would also be a fashion blog, written by an owner of a boutique clothing shop in downtown Athens.
In order to remain authentic and true to its audience, the majority of the staff of City Vibes would have to be under 30. To satisfy this staffing need, the Banner-Herald could utilize a great resource they have less than two miles away from the current office – UGA students, specifically from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The newspaper could offer an internship program for aspiring journalists (newspaper, magazine, broadcast and telecommunications) and music aficionados who want to share their experiences in Athens with their peers.
Peachy-Keen Magazine
Target Audience: 35 to 55
year old women who are home and garden enthusiasts
Content: Interior decorating,
landscaping, gardening, cooking, civic life, Southern lifestyle
Format: newsprint tabloid
Frequency: bi-monthly
Newsstand Price/Subscription:
free/to be determined
Ideal Advertisers: Goodness
Grows Inc., Big City Bread, Hogan Builders Inc., Slippers
Distribution: Total market
coverage
Additional Product Features: Special
event series and www.onlineathens.com
column
Competition: Athena magazine
As the name implies, Peachy-Keen Magazine would take a decidedly optimistic and positive view towards every subject it would cover. It would be an uplifting supplement to the hard news found on the pages of the Banner-Herald. This new product would be heavily integrated into the newspaper’s current offerings, as it would collaborate with the Living section on a special event series and a Peachy-Keen Magazine writer would have their own column on the newspaper’s website.
The special event series would focus on three areas: home improvement, self improvement and community improvement. Local business owners and managers would team up with Peachy-Keen Magazine and the Banner-Herald Living section to offer area women workshops on topics like “Remodeling the backyard on a budget,” “How to Deal with Menopause” and “Fundraising for Non-Profits”. While demand for a product like this would be highest in distinct parts of Oconee, Jackson and Madison counties mainly, I would position it as a free TMC publication to draw in women of the widest demographic segments available – women who would probably like a light-hearted magazine targeted at them, but who do not see their lifestyles reflected on the more upscale pages of Athens magazine, Southern Distinction and Lake Oconee Living. Special event series, however, would not be free. There would be an entrance fee for readers and business owners and managers who would like to share their expertise would have to help sponsor the events.
Closing Bell Quarterly
Target Audience: Households
with yearly incomes $50,000 or more in the RTZ
Content: business news, finance,
investing, trade, local commerce
Format: low-gloss digest
Frequency: quarterly
Newsstand Price/Subscription: to be
determined/to be determined
Ideal Advertisers: local business
owners, Athens First Bank & Trust: Synovus Securities
Distribution: direct mail, financial
institutions, chambers of commerce, major businesses
Additional Product Features: Reader’s
Choice Awards Gala
Competition: not available
As I mentioned in my first report to you, the Banner-Herald has positioned itself as almost a polar opposite to the largest neighboring newspaper – the Atlanta Journal Constitution (which has a satisfactory business section for Athens-Clarke County metro area readers). In the case of covering extremely local content this is good for the Banner-Herald; however, in the case of business news I think the newspaper needs to reposition itself to protect its professional and higher-income readership. Filling this niche is where Closing Bell Quarterly would come into the picture. It would be a digest-size publication that offers local readers a summary and analysis-style profile of major securities and bonds traded in Northeast Georgia for that fiscal quarter. It would also tell the stories of local businessmen and business; give advice on portfolio diversification and the like – from a local investment banker; and provide more technical and “high-brow” business news than would ever reach the pages of the general audience newspaper.
In addition to the print product, Closing Bell Quarterly would continue and expand the Reader’s Choice Awards conducted each year by the Banner-Herald. Currently, the newspaper produces a broadsheet insert that runs in September “where the finest area businesses are chosen by our readers,” according to the Banner-Herald’s 2007 Special Section Calendar. With Closing Bell Quarterly, chambers of commerce in the RTZ would co-sponsor – with the newspaper and the digest – an awards gala for the winners. The event would be upscale, say plated dinners that cost $100 per chair. There would still be a section noting it in the general newspaper, however, higher-quality color ads could be taken out in the Closing Bell Quarterly by businesses wanting to congratulate other businesses on winning. Playing up the honor by hosting a gala would also evolve into a desired distinction among area business owners – a mark of approval.
Distribution would be through direct mail mainly. The Banner-Herald’s circulation specialists could rely on the newspaper’s current subscriber list to initially pinpoint households with incomes $50,000 and over, who would likely be investors and professionals. According to my own research, I think a publication like this would be best received in Watkinsville (Zip Code 30677), the rest of Oconee County and the southwestern corner of Jackson County. Of course, basic marketing principles hold that people also consume what they aspire to have or be, meaning that young professionals and people who wish to move up in the tax bracket would also likely be interested in purchasing the publication. Because of this, the digest would also be available at local financial institutions, doctors’ offices, chambers of commerce and high-end retailers.
Echo and Eco
Target Audience: Black and Hispanic
residents of the RTZ
Content: black and Hispanic
local community news, national trends, music and entertainment, food, lifestyle
and political issues pertinent to the audience
Format: newsprint tabloids
Frequency: weekly
Newsstand Price/Subscription:
free/unavailable
Ideal Advertisers: El Guanaco
restaurant, Wal-mart, BJ Hardy Hair Salon, Sisters of the Oasis Catalico Santa
Rafaela, Peaches Fine Foods
Distribution: Newsstands in
select zip codes of the RTZ
Additional Product Features: www.onlineathens.com webpages
Competition: Mundo Hispanico,
Zebra Magazine
Though these two demographic segments do not contribute the most to the per capita income figures for the counties within the RTZ, they do contribute significantly to the population numbers and are gaining spending power at a notable rate. Also, a lot of them are newspaper readers who desire local content. Seventy percent of African Americans in the RTZ read the Banner-Herald, according to the 2004 Athens Market Study conducted by an independent company for the Banner-Herald. This figure is above the national average for daily African American newspaper readership (national average for households making $75,000 or more: 59 percent), according to the 2004 Top 50 Market Report by Scarborough Research – not bad at all for a general audience news product. The same Top 50 Market Report also indicated that 77 percent of African American newspaper consumers read the local news, second only to the 80 percent of readers who read main news. Hispanic readers also engage in main (80 percent) and local (73 percent) news at high rates. However, nationally, Hispanics do not consume mainstream newspapers at as high a rate as blacks (national average for households making $75,000 or more: 48 percent daily readership). With Echo and Eco, this gap can be closed.
Content would focus on issues important to the audience – their civic events, their social activities, their concerns. Each publication would standalone, in recognition that the two audiences are distinct. However, they would be distributed mainly in the same zip codes because of the demographic make-ups of the areas. For example, in my first report I forecasted that Northwest Athens (Zip Code 30607) has the potential to become a truly multicultural area within the next few years, and would need multi-segmentation of the market. As it is, 30.4 percent of the population in this area is black and 22.2 percent is Hispanic. Their households are young, multi-generational family-oriented units. Though media household income is $43,963, according to the ESRI Community Tapestry zip code analysis, household penetration is only 20 percent on Monday through Friday. Another zip code with potential to reach these audiences is 30601, North Athens. The median income is low, $27,339, yet household penetration is 40 percent daily, according to the latest Audit Bureau Circulation report for the Banner-Herald. Households there are mainly comprised of young, single parents.
In light of these findings, I would make sure advertisers understand that these audiences would readily engage in products tailored to them and would more than likely respond even better than mainstream consumers to coupons and special saving offers. I would also host webpages for each publication on www.onlineathens.com, to create a virtual sense of community for these audiences as well.
Online Potential
With the technological
possibilities growing through the internet every day, it is difficult to
properly imagine all the innovations that would make in the intermediate
future. However, below are some of the changes and additions I would make to www.onlineathens.com and the
Banner-Herald’s entire brand identity online:
Website
Redesign
At
first glance, I think the current Banner-Herald website homepage is too dark
and overcrowded. Though I am sure the color scheme has to do with the
geographic location’s spirit for the home team – UGA Bulldogs – it is not
visually appealing on its own. The black background would have to go. Also, I
don’t think the website makes optimum use of white space. As in print, the
presence of blank space is a powerful tool to move readers around a page and
give them a break from text. This should be monitored more carefully. Overall,
readers prefer shorter lines of text, but do not want to scroll down a page
excessively, according to the 2006 Research-Based Web Design and Usability
Guide published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Right now,
there is a lot scrolling necessary to get through a section of the online
Banner-Herald. To remedy this, I would conduct a workshop to review usability
for the online news staff as soon as Consolidated purchased the company. The
staff would then create a mock-up of the redesigned website and conduct
usability testing on potential users of a variety of backgrounds (ex. Senior
citizen, elementary school student, high school student, local businessman,
etc.). If results prove favorable, I would approve the new design and monitor
the change in site visits and individual page views. I would also solicit
feedback from readers and users to determine if the new design is a success and
should be maintained.
Organizing
Website into Topics
On
MediaShift, a blog hosted by the Public Broadcasting Service (www.pbs.org/mediashift), journalist
and blogger Mark Glaser predicts that the future of newspaper website
organization is in “topic hosting”. He states that blogging about neighborhoods
and niche subjects will satisfy users’ increasingly non-civic minded desires. I
think he might be on to something, which is why I would hire a topic editor to
serve under the online editor. This individual’s job would be to find staff and
community members to run small online communities within the Banner-Herald’s
website. The Business community, for instance, could be run by the business
editor – because it would include all of the business news for the newspaper –
with a regular column by a chamber of commerce member and a discussion forum
hosted by a local business person. The Health community could be run by Athens
Regional Medical Center guest staffers, with weekly hour-long live advice
sessions from an area doctor. The possibilities for topics are numerous, but
would have no problem getting advertising as long as there were sufficient
readership in the narrowly defined target audience.
Creating
more Multimedia Packages
The
largest undertaking I would like to test in this area would be a weekly high
school sports webcast, modeled after the one currently in place at the Augusta
Chronicle (www.chronicle.augusta.com/sports/highschool/blitz/).
Residents in the Athens RTZ, especially in Jackson County where there are four
public high schools and the level of sports enthusiasm is high overall, would
flock to a video production featuring their hometown heroes. Currently, no
other media outlet delivers what a webcast like the one I propose could. As I
informed you in my second report, there are no broadcast stations in the
immediate area, accept News Source 15 – a college student-produced station –
and radio cannot show live action. Potential advertisers for this would include
school parent organizations, sports equipment and apparel stores, auto dealers,
chiropractors and institutes of higher education.
In
this area, I would also request that my news director maintain constant contact
with the online director (and, in turn, the rich media editor) to think of ways
the multimedia reporters can interact with the editorial reporters to enrich
particular topic coverage online.
Utilizing
Web 2.0 Technology
Also
on Media Shift, Glaser has shared the San Jose, Ca. Mecury News’ approach to
citizen journalism. Included are the following, which I would like to
incorporate into the Banner-Herald’s online strategy. Some are already in place
under Morris Communications ownership, but I would also like to continue them
because I think they are positive for the newspaper:
- Readers can contact reporters via telephone, email and postal mail.
- Readers can upload their photos to the newspaper website, vote on
their favorites and trade them. (Note:
The Banner-Herald currently uses Spotted (www.spotted.onlineathens.com),
where users can post their photos and newspaper staff photographers post
photos of community events also. While the Banner-Herald does not make
users pay for any of the service, the Augusta Chronicle has a function
where users can order prints for a fee. I would test this
revenue-generating model.)
- Create a social-networking platform that lets people share their
personal tastes, local restaurant reviews and music they like. Modeled on
Facebook.com, but more in-depth.
Circulation and Price
Structure
Historically, greatly
altering price structure for newspapers has not fared well. The Banner-Herald
currently makes about $17 million revenue on circulation, according to Jeff
Wilson, the publisher. It’s household penetration reaches about a third of RTZ
households on its best days, however this is not low relative to the industry.
Because of this, I would not seek to make any changes in circulation and
pricing structure within the first two years of Consolidated Communications
ownership.
Advertising and Ad Rate
Structure
In my
first report I gave you a news-to-ad ratio analysis and told you that the
Banner-Herald must gain a higher percentage of ads of higher quality (i.e.
double-trucks, full-page and color), if it is to continue to support itself.
This is still true. In my first six months of serving as publisher, I would
meet with my advertising director and devise a strategy with measurable
short-term goals to make this necessity into a reality. One of the possibilities
would definitely involve leveraging the redesigned website – with topic
sections – by promising and delivering advertisers the more precise, narrow
target audiences they seek.
News Cycle
Appropriateness
Since
1950, the number of evening newspapers has steadily declined because of a
national lifestyle shift. People left the factories and began to work in
offices; therefore they began to have time to read a morning newspaper over
coffee. Also, metropolitan distribution logistics made it harder to deliver newspapers
in the far-flung surburbs in afternoon rush hour traffic. All of this goes to
justify the Banner-Herald remaining a morning publication. By the afternoon
news is “cold”; a lot has happened the night before and during the day, which
makes any afternoon publication a recall and analysis rag.
I
would leave the print news cycle as is, but set a goal to update the main news
on the website at least once every hour and the other sections at least once
during the day. This would go a ways to satisfy the audiences craving for
24-hour news.
Brand and Product
Marketing
To
ease the transition of the new ownership and the changes I would make, I would
work with my marketing coordinator to create an internal and external
promotional campaign for the first year. I would want to convey two things: (1)
that the Banner-Herald and its subsidiary products combine to service each and
every person in the community – making it the most comprehensive source for
anything happening in Clarke and surrounding counties and (2) that the
newspaper is moving forward into the digital age while maintaining the strong
journalistic integrity that only it can deliver. A trial unique selling
proposition that would encompass my communication goals would be:
“We don’t define ourselves by our newsprint. We define
ourselves by our community.”
Actions in the plan would
include the following:
- January 2008: Have initial staff meeting with newsroom, online,
advertising and circulation. Convey to the staff that they know their
community best and still should be the ones covering it, however, now
along with community “journalists” – serving as guides to them. Ask for
staff suggestions for the promotional campaign; direct them to share them
with the marketing specialist.
- February 2008: Publish a center spread in the newspaper about the new
ownership and planned changes. Be transparent and ask for reader feedback.
Offer readers the chance to “Meet the Press” on a Saturday morning –
including all editors and as many reporters as possible. Operate a webpage
on www.onlineathens.com where
readers can track changes and comment on them as they take place. This
lets them feel a part of the change, and offers great primary research.
- April 2008: Evaluate success of initial actions. Gauge reader and
community response. Host a formal focus group. If the campaign is working,
continue. If not, reformulate plan and implement.
- May 2008- December 2008: Continue
with promotional campaign. Upon conclusion, evaluate success and determine
if some actions can and should be continued into the future.