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There Be Treasure By Pat McKenna
Pity that the online newspaper industry has few Captain Kids, Blackbeards or Calico Jacks at the helm. In part, that explains why the newspaper industry has failed to discover a profitable business model for their Web sites. Pirates don't whine like bitches when their coffers are empty. They set sail, brave ugly seas and risk certain death to find their booty. The Captain from Down Under Rupert Murdoch fancies himself a modern day pirate. For years, he has unapologetically sailed the HMS News Corporation, seizing media companies like so many English frigates on the high seas. But companies aren't enough. "Captain Rupert" wants to change the economics of online news. He recently took the bold step of announcing a paid content scheme for all of his online media properties, which will be implemented by the middle of 2010. Saber in hand, the media mogul proclaimed: "We intend to charge for all our news websites," said the rogue captain. "I believe that if we are successful, we will be followed by other media...Quality journalism is not cheap. An industry that gives away its content is simply cannibalizing its ability to produce good reporting." So we're returning to the ugly sea of for-pay content to make up for the dismal revenues of NewsCorp and other media outlets. In truth, Murdoch's fiat is a recipe for mutiny by his audiences. More importantly, it misses a real revenue generating opportunity. "X" Marks the Money A newspaper is still the "Paper of Record" for a community. The history of a city, town or hamlet is enshrined in the catacombs of newspaper libraries. Thousands upon thousands of articles, untold spools of microfiche, piles of photos and, in some instances, even audio/video materials crowd the shelves. Paid staff and interns maintain the stacks with librarian like precision, and reporters are the first to acknowledge how invaluable library materials are in researching a story. That same content can be digitized and assembled as for-pay special section content that could potentially generate revenues far beyond end users shelling out subscriptions or micro payments for ephemeral news coverage. Were newspaper execs smart, they would also see that special section development is a strong addition to otherwise passive news pieces. Then and only then will there be a foundation for subscription-based models. The Gold Standard I've said for years that PBS' Frontline is the gold standard for special section presentations. It would be incredibly simple for online producers to just post recasts of past episodes, but they go further with by linking value added editorial commentary, photos, blogs, discussion opportunities, teacher's guides, exclusive interviews, timelines corresponding shows to strengthen presentations. Here are some stellar examples:
Frontline's execution is not beyond the reach of newspapers. Given that newspapers are often part of other media holdings such as television and radio stations, even video is within reach. Further, any special section can serve double duty on TV/Radio sites to beef up their coverage as well. Conclusion There's an old saying: "Where there is a sea there are pirates." It's about time that online news operations run The Jolly Roger up the flag pole and begin sailing the sea. There is indeed treasure and they don't need a map and an X to find it. Post Comment: For an outstanding collection of special section content, visit the Online News Association's Interactive Narratives section. The examples suggest a value-added model that online newspaper users may indeed pay for.
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I love swashbuckling pirates. Virtually everything about them appeals to me — from rapacious plunder and The Jolly Roger to walking the plank and buried treasure. Were I sailing the seas, circa 1700, I'd hoist the main in a heartbeat to sail fast to a king's ransom buried beneath the "X" on secret map. "Yo Ho!," sayeth Ay.