HUMANS DISRUPTING DIGITAL? Expect More Regulation, Fact-Checking and Curation
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A POSITIVE OUTLOOK America East News Summit CRITICAL THINKING Kentucky New Era celebrates 150 years, Set for March 30-April 1 Should journalists take part in political new office and new editor...... p. 8 This year’s show will combine popular movements?...... p. 15 elements of three conferences. . . p. 26 STRICKEN DATA PAGE McClatchy reporters investigate rising Humans Disrupting Digital? Facebook and disinformation in 2020, cancer rates in military veterans. . .p. 9 Expect more regulation, reasons for listening to spoken word audio, fact-checking and curation. . . . p. 32 newsrooms and artificial intelligence, who pays for news?...... p. 18 A NEW FOCUS Fresno Bee launches Conquering Roadblocks Education Lab ...... p. 10 Data continues to bulldoze through PRODUCTION advertising hurdles ...... p. 38 Are TMC products a value or unnecessary expense in today’s A DIVIDED COMMUNITY newspaper environment?. . . . . p. 28 Newsday investigation finds evidence of unequal treatment among house buyers ...... p. 11 NEWSPEOPLE New hires, promotions and relocations across the industry...... p. 45 APPETITE FOR NEWS KPCC finds success with Feeding the Conversation engagement series .. . p. 14 SHOPTALK Why mistaking invention for innovation could be hurting your business. . p. 50 PHOTO OF THE MONTH Jim Weber/Daily Memphian...... p. 16
Columns INDUSTRY INSIGHT BUSINESS OF NEWS DIGITAL PUBLISHING Are you meeting the information needs Are readers losing interest because we’re Membership programs are just the of your community?...... p. 20 uninteresting?...... p. 22 beginning of the relationship. . . p. 24
editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 3 editorial
The Future is Now PUBLISHER Mike Blinder, 406-445-0000 Ext. 1 [email protected]
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nu Yang, 406-445-0000 Ext. 2 [email protected]
MANAGING EDITOR Keeping It REAL in 2020! Evelyn Mateos, 406-445-0000 Ext. 8 [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Make REAL Sales using REAL Data in REAL Time! Rob Tornoe, Tim Gallagher Matt DeRienzo, Jerry Simpkins
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Audiences are checking DESIGN2PRO • Your Ad Rep can create an Email Blast to their target customer The same can be said about the news social (83 percent), search (73 percent), and www.design2pro.com groups for immediate impact. Imagine your team having the industry. As we reflected on this past decade, news sites and apps (77 percent) at least once ability to instantly launch new Promotions, One-Day Sales and Howard Barbanel Category Specific Special Editions right from their phone or one hard lesson we had to learn was that we or multiple times daily, according to a CNN 516-860-7440 continue to still be behind. While many of the Bespoke Brand Perception Study. [email protected] tablet! larger media organizations like the New York And how do we make sure these audiences Times and Washington Post are already taking come to us first? Again, we create the content steps toward video, virtual reality, and digital they want to see. Ad Managers platforms, many old legacy companies are So, my piece of advice to the industry for BUSINESS MAILING ADDRESS still trying to catch-up to the habits of today’s 2020 and beyond is this: Don’t hold back. If Editor & Publisher Magazine • Increase Sales, Boost Ad Rep Performance and Improve #322 Accountability. consumers. you want to experiment with virtual reality and 23110 State Road 54 For instance, seven out of every 10 digital artificial intelligence, do it. If you want to create Lutz, FL 33548 • Monitor, Coach & Coordinate your Sales Team with ease. minutes is spent on mobile, and nine out of more video, more podcasts, do that too. If you every 10 mobile minutes are spent in an app, want to report the facts and truth, even if it’s EDITORIAL MAILING ADDRESS Editor & Publisher Magazine • Reduce the need and frequency of sales meetings and increase Mobile Marketing magazine editor David going to ruffle some feathers, definitely do that. 5811 McFadden Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92649 face to face selling time! Murphy said in a recent INMA webinar. Not everything will stick (remember QR www.editorandpublisher.com “If you get your app downloaded, the next codes?) but we have to operate as though we’re 406-445-0000 • Monitor Productivity of your Sales Team with Sales Call and step is to make it so useful that the consumer living in the future because before we know it, Editor & Publisher is printed in the U.S.A. Activity Tracking. will continue to use it. The percentage of users we will already be living in the past. that stick with an app after 30 days is very low, • Make Real Sales Goals & Forecasts using Real Data in Real Time. in the single digits,” he added. Nu Yang is editor-in-chief America’s Oldest Journal And how do we make sure these consumers of Editor and Publisher. Covering the Newspaper Industry stay around? We create the content they want She has been with the to see. publication since 2011. With which have been merged: The Journalist, established March 22, 1884; Newspaperdom, March Tini Sevak, video president of audiences 1892; The Fourth Estate, March 1, 1894; Editor & and data at CNN International Commercial, Publisher, June 29, 1901; Advertising, June 22, 1925. wrote in “Why Trust, Reliability and Relevance 518.434.2193 | sales @vdata.com | www.vdata.com
4 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com Keeping It REAL in 2020! Make REAL Sales using REAL Data in REAL Time!
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print and online and go online for additional information without fear of being flooded with robo calls…junk email that steals their time, and annoying ads for products they long ago purchased, often for the exact product they selected. Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” We can change our future by changing that flaw. JOHN M. WYLIE II Submitted on editorandpublisher.com
New Law Hurts Writers, Readers As a small newspaper (circ. 3,400) publisher in Northern California, AB5 very directly impacts the coverage I provide my readers. (“Critical Thinking: A New California Bill Puts a 35-Content Submission Limit on Freelancers, Causing Publishers to Cut Ties with Them. Was That the Correct Response?” December 2019) Specifically, the half-dozen Sending community columnists reporting from small a Message communities throughout the county who will News publishers create their in 2020 find their column frequency reduced own identities through powerful from weekly to twice-monthly to get under marketing campaigns the arbitrary 35-submission limit. My readers ING and E&P get less, and my columnists will see their pay TEAM UP TO HONOR cut in half. At least we can always count on OPERATIONS ALL-STARS the California Legislature to make a mess of things. Fortunately, my circulation guy was A PREVIEW OF already an hourly employee, so that job wasn’t #2020MEGACONF impacted. JANUARY 2020 | EDITORANDPUBLISHER.COM $8.95 WAYNE AGNER Publisher A Bold Step ‘Resist the Lure’ of Digital Trinity Journal Kudos to E&P and the new publisher, Mike Overall, a very good analysis but with one Weaverville. Calif. Blinder. Just got your new January issue flaw: Online distribution of news in this age Submitted on editorandpublisher.com and have to say you are definitely “sending of speed, newspapers must resist the lure of a message!” Full-size, glossy, well designed, joining forces with internet service providers Working with Students Can Work and packed with great stories. So glad to see whose price includes undue access to, sales It would be worth compiling examples of someone believes in the industry enough to take of and intrusion into the lives of those who existing collaborations between newsrooms this bold step! use the newspaper website—including their and student journalism programs. (“Industry GORDON BORRELL specific history of what kinds of information Insight: Why News Orgs Should Be CEO they gather. (“Editorial: New Year, New You,” Collaborating with Student Journalists,” Borrell Associates January 2020) We produce a syndicated December 2019) At AP, we distribute the feature that just completed its silver work of statehouse news bureaus at University A Fan of the New E&P anniversary year, evolving from an NIE tool of Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth and I received my January 2020 edition of to a way to restore newspapers to a center of University of Florida and are looking for E&P today and literally couldn’t believe my family conversations. Founded as “For the Kid more. We also have worked with University of eyes. Terrific makeover—you’ve reinvented in You,” it now has the subtitle “Unlock Your Maryland’s investigative journalism program my go-to pub and made it more relevant than Inner Child,” with a header atop each feature on their Death Behind Bars project and do ever. E&P indeed is “Sending a Message” (black and white or color versions) asking, some work with ASU as well. Compiling as proudly proclaimed on your front cover. “What can you learn from your newspaper examples would give other interested It should serve as a real wake-up call for all today?” We include citations for additional newsrooms a model. publishers for what’s possible with some fresh readings but have to be very careful about even LISA GIBBS and vibrant new packaging/design and ideas links to newspapers so that we don’t expose Associated Press for their publications. Everyday visionary and young children or adult readers to abusive web Submitted on editorandpublisher.com imaginative thinking like that will surely go a providers. If our industry hopes to regain both long way towards giving our industry a much- the trust and enthusiasm of our current and Send us your comments needed boost. Readers and advertisers do notice. potential audience, we must break ties with [email protected] I can’t wait to see what’s next. Congratulations those who are rapidly damaging the credibility to your team and continued success! and consumer trust in all internet sites…and “Comments,” Editor & Publisher, DAVID SLAVIN develop a system based on integrity, honesty 5811 McFadden Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 Senior Associate and transparency. Readers and advertisers Please include your name, title, city and state, and email address. Letters may be edited for all the usual reasons. Grimes, McGovern & Associates will benefit. Readers can shop ads both in
6 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com D NEWS-GAZETTE MEDIA V M HAS SOLD & A
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editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 7 the A section
VOLUME 153 FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2020 ISSUE 2
A Positive Outlook Kentucky New Era celebrates 150 years, new office and new editor
The new office is an old J.C. Penny building redesigned to include a front reception desk; a newsroom with a view of Main Street; offices for the editor and publisher, IT and advertising; a conference room; and restrooms. There is also a break room that doubles as a workspace. The news space includes a 100-plus-year-old exposed brick wall that will be used as a backdrop for video productions. Helping Cox lead the New Era through these changes is editor Zirconia Alleyne, who started her current position in January 2019. Alleyne, who had previously served as features editor, may be the first black female editor of a daily newspaper in the state. Both the New Era and the Kentucky Press Association agree that they can’t find anyone else, although records are incomplete. When Alleyne was informed of this fact, she said, “I felt an added layer of responsibility to make sure the unique stories of the minority } Hopkinsville businessman Hal McCoy (left) along with New Era editor Zirconia Alleyne and publisher Brandon Cox announce the future location of the Kentucky New Era in downtown Hopkinsville. (Photo provided) community are included in the fabric of all of our reporting.” henever a publication would cover the event and share the content As the New Era enters 2020, Cox said is acquired by a new owner, with the other publications. he would like to see “one (sales) rep selling there is a level of uncertainty A year after the acquisition, the New Era multiple publications to cover more ground within the staff. But for the celebrated an important milestone: its 150th with the same staff.” Additionally, he WKentucky New Era in Hopkinsville, Ky., since anniversary was on Nov. 16, 2019. The New plans to have his papers continue to work being purchased by Paxton Media Group, there Era published a special edition that included collaboratively. have been only been positive steps forward. a section about the newspaper’s history. The “Change is never easy…But, we believe that In 2018, Paxton Media Group, a family- staff had also hoped to move into their new the changes over the last year position this owned community newspaper group based downtown office by the anniversary date, institution for the long-term in Hopkinsville in Paducah, Ky., acquired the New Era and but construction delayed the grand opening. and the surrounding region,” Cox said. “The four smaller newspapers in the surrounding Instead, the open house was rescheduled to moves that we’ve made allow our team to focus communities (Dawson Springs Progress, January 2020. on what we do best—reporting the news.”—EM Princeton Times Leader, Providence Journal- Enterprise and Oak Grove Eagle Post). Shortly after the acquisition, Brandon Cox stepped into the role of publisher for the New Era. “When I got here, we had a whole bunch of standalone properties all within 30 to 45 minutes of each other operating independently, and we’ve really tried to turn it into a collaborative atmosphere,” Cox said. In addition, the newspapers cut back on wire service reporting in favor of local headlines. Instead of sending multiple reporters from each paper to cover the same event—as was done in the past—one reporter } Kentucky New Era’s layout of the new building (Image provided)
8 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com the A section Stricken McClatchy reporters investigate rising cancer rates in military veterans
} More than 40 military veterans were interviewed for McClatchy’s Stricken report.
s a national military and veterans cancer treatment rates increased 96 percent and correspondent for McClatchy for the last prostate cancer treatment rates increased 23 percent.” two decades, Tara Copp has written about However, the VA disagrees with McClatchy’s many aspects of the military, but over the findings. Reporters originally reached out to the lastA few years, she began to notice a disturbing trend: VA during the investigation process seeking help to the rising cancer rates among veterans. understand the numbers, but the VA neither provided “I found that it has crossed every single kind of an expert nor answered McClatchy’s questions, service member from your youngest infantry to senior according to Copp. officers in both special forces and conventional arms,” “They would just send these kinds of blanket Copp said. “So, we started to look for the data to get the responses, like ‘The premise of your story is false,’” she numbers behind all of the concerns we were hearing.” said. “It makes you question and look at your findings The result was a report called Stricken, an in-depth that much harder when you have a government agency look at veterans living with cancer and where they saying that what you’re reporting is false, but we stood might have contracted the deadly disease in their line of by what we found.” work. Stricken includes video, photographs, charts and Sorting through any data always requires patience a peek behind their reporting. In addition, journalists } Tara Copp and a sharp eye. For Copp and Dasgupta, the process produced several follow up reports. In October 2019, was made more difficult because the World Health the report ran across all 30 McClatchy websites and in several Sunday Organization switched its coding system in 2015. That led to Copp and print editions. Dasgupta sorting through two sets of data which required them to spend Copp worked with reporter Ben Wieder, data fellow Shirsho Dasgupta about two weeks merging the data together. and a video team which included Reshma Kirpalani, Meta Viers and When merging was completed, Dasgupta spent about two months Patrick Gleason to complete the report. evaluating, analyzing and calculating the rates. Once a rhythm was To begin their work, data was pulled from the Veterans Health established, Copp started interviewing veterans. She found them by Administration records. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, reaching out to advocacy groups like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of McClatchy collected information from 2000 to 2018. The investigation America and Wounded Warrior Project. Copp estimates she spoke to found that in the studied time period, “the rate of cancer treatments for about 40 veterans for the report. veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs health care centers increased “The main goal was to get some actual numbers behind all of these 61 percent for urinary cancers—which include bladder, kidney and ureter personal anecdotes because a lot of these communities are not getting cancers. The rate of blood cancer treatments—lymphoma, myeloma the information they need from either the VA or DOD,” Copp said. “We and leukemia—rose 18 percent in the same period. Liver and pancreatic wanted to know if there (was) something really to this.” —EM editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 9 the A section A New Focus Fresno Bee launches Education Lab
ducation is an essential beat for any Lab. The first year is fully funded and fundraising for the newspaper. For the Fresno Bee, the second year is in the works. As of press time, the Lab has California paper took it one step further received $340,000 out of its goal of $600,000. with the launch of their Education Lab. Hiring the team of reporters was also a critical part of EThe paper recently hired four journalists who will launching the Lab, but they found them in Rob Parsons, dive deep into covering education in the central San editor; Isabel Sophia Dieppa, engagement reporter; Joaquin Valley through stories, videos and a weekly Monica Velez, K-12 education reporter; and an incoming newsletter. higher education reporter. “The main goal of the Lab is to create great With this team, the Bee hopes to access parts of the journalism and also shine a light on the issues of market where education coverage could be stronger, such educational attainment and potential solutions,” said as the Spanish-speaking community. Both Dieppa and editor Joe Kieta. “If you look at where Fresno and Velez have Spanish language skills which will help the Bee the San Joaquin Valley are in relationship with the translate the Lab’s content in order to reach those readers. rest of California, we continue to be behind in many “(The Lab) is certainly not something that the Fresno areas.” Bee dreamed up in a room and then went public with } Joe Kieta Kieta said they drew inspiration from the Seattle a week later,” Lauren Gustus, McClatchy’s West region Times’ Education Lab, which launched in 2013. To get their own editor and director of community funding initiatives, said. “Joe and Education Lab off the ground, the Bee had to learn the language of his team listened to key stakeholders, to folks who are engaged in the philanthropy. Assisting them is Joaquin Alvarado, who runs Studiotobe education space in Fresno and leaned on the data in previous reporting to (a content development and production studio) and who helped determine what direction to take this Lab.” pioneer Times’ Education Lab. With Alvarado, the Bee connected According to Gustus, the Bee’s Lab helped inspire McClatchy’s with organizations like the Central Valley Community Foundation, an company-wide effort to launch 10 community-funded journalism labs organization that helps advance effective philanthropy. this year. She will help lead the launch with the help of Tim Ritchey, As a result of that relationship, the Bee created the Impact Media president and publisher of the Fresno Bee, Modesto Bee, Merced Sun-Star Fund, where public, private and philanthropic sources can donate to the and San Luis Obispo Tribune.—EM
10 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com the A section A Divided Community Newsday investigation finds evidence of unequal treatment among house buyers
} Pictured clockwise are the Long Island Divided team: Arthur Browne, Olivia Winslow, Keith Herbert and Ann Choi. (Photo provided)
three-year Newsday with a partner with an equal profile—the same presented the same information. If a test varied investigation recently brought gender, age, income and credit scores. slightly, it was thrown out. to light that real estate agents “It was very important that they be as The reporters also evaluated the agent’s level on Long Island were guilty of comparable as possible so that it would tend of service with the help of two consultants: Fred discriminatingA against house buyers due to to eliminate all other factors beyond race or Freiberg, who co-founded the Fair Housing their ethnicity. ethnicity,” Browne said. “We also used Zillow to Justice Center in 2004, and Robert Schwemm, Called Long Island Divided, the 13-part tell us how many homes were available in the the Everett H. Metcalf Jr. Professor of Law at series was released in November 2019, but it test zone on the dates of a test so that we could the University of Kentucky College of Law. all started in 2016 when Newsday reporters be sure that the market was similar.” No one at Newsday anticipated this project were looking into census figures and discovered The tests took place from April 2016 to August to take three years. Aside from the investigation consistent segregation patterns throughout the 2017. The testers began their day by memorizing process, reaching out to agencies took up region. In addition, Newsday owner, Patrick a profile and calling an agency that Newsday time as well. Newsday contacted every agency Dolan, had heard from community members wanted to test. In preparation, testers also involved and explained what had transpired in that the real estate industry was not meeting participated in a day-long training session where the recordings. Each one was given a chance to fair housing standards. they learned how to be fair housing testers. view the footage and provide a comment, but Newsday decided to investigate by sending Testers were equipped with either a body camera only 13 agents and 21 corporate representatives 25 testers into local real estate agencies. The or a camera attached to a purse. According to the chose to respond. investigation team was large, but reporters report, New York is a one-party state, so only one Ultimately, the investigation uncovered that Ann Choi, Keith Herbert, Olivia Winslow and party has to consent to a recording. black testers experienced disparate treatment project editor Arthur Browne led the way. Over the course of the investigation, Newsday 49 percent of the time, Hispanics 39 percent of The testers consisted of actors and completed 86 tests with 93 agents and 5,763 the time and Asians 19 percent of the time. volunteers: 10 were white, nine black, five house listings. It resulted in 240 hours of Since the series was published, Newsday Hispanic and three Asian. Their ages varied as secretly recorded footage. plans to monitor what happens legislatively well, from a 20-year-old college student to an The lead reporters spent months reviewing and what real estate agencies intend to change established 60-year-old. Each tester was paired the footage, making sure that the testers about the disparate treatment. —EM editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 11 the A section
OF THE MONTH AUDIO REPORTING The Pulitzer Board announced this new category for the 2020 prize cycle, stating, “The renaissance of audio journalism in recent years has given rise to an extraordinary array of non-fiction storytelling. To recognize the best of that work, the Pulitzer Board is launching an experimental category to honor it.” TheLos Angeles Times is blending the old with the new with a new Instagram account featuring images from its library of archival photos. The paper reported that the @latimesarchives account will showcase photos from the West and From the Archive from around the world. “An estimated 4 million L.A. Times images dating from around 1918 to 1990 are stored at the UCLA Special Collections Library, which will be used to populate the account, along with tens of thousands of our own digitized photos, many not published or seen by the public for decades,” wrote Adriana Lacy, audience engagement editor. These images include the opening of Dodger Stadium, the aftermath of the Watts riots, Disneyland, and photos of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. It will also showcase the work of Times photographers over the years who have documented important historical local events like the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and Vietnam War protests. According to Lacy, archival content was consistently among their most engaging content on the paper’s main Instagram account, which is they chose to expand into the new standalone account. It was a wise choice—since launching in October 2019, the @latimesarchives account has gained more than 5,000 followers. —EM First copies off the six-unit press installed at the St. Paul (Minn.) Dispatch-Pioneer Press are inspected by publisher Daniel. H. Ridder (left) and A.E. Rosene, mechanical superintendent. The press and auxiliary equipment represented an investment of $1 million dollars. This pho- to originally appeared in the Nov. 10, 1956 issue of E&P.
12 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com the A section
Tornoe’s Corner
LEGAL BRIEFS Kansas Lawmaker Ordered to Pay Legal Fees to Kansas City Star As reported by the Kansas City Star, Kansas Senate Republican Leader Jim Denning was ordered to pay nearly $39,000 in legal fees to the Star after a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. The lawsuit, which was filed in January 2019, claimed that contributing columnist Steve Rose falsely attributed statements to Denning in a column regarding his 2019 WORD opposition to Medicaid expansion. The lawsuit was thrown out in July by a Johnson County judge under the Kansas Public Speech OF THE YEAR Protection Act, and consequently, Denning become responsible for the legal fees of the Star and Rose. In October, Denning paid $24,250 to settle Rose’s fees. In all, the lawsuit could cost Denning ACCORDING TO… more than $63,000. He can choose to appeal the ruling in court. American Dialect Society (my) pronouns: recognized for its use as an introduction for sharing one’s set of personal USA TODAY Faces Lawsuit from Fired Employee for pronouns (as in “pronouns: she/her”) Pregnancy Discrimination CNN recently reported that Serena Bhaduri, a former USA Dictionary.com TODAY digital sales director, has sued parent company, Gannett, as Existential: of or relating to existence; well as sales executives Estee Cross and Anna Riddle for allegedly concerned with the nature of human discriminating and retaliating against her after she disclosed she existence as determined by the individual’s was pregnant in August. Bhaduri filed her lawsuit in November. In freely made choices the lawsuit, Bhaduri claims Riddle said her termination was based on a negative attitude and that she did not take direction well, but Merriam-Webster a human resources representative “confirmed that Ms. Bhaduri’s termination was not related to performance.” However, Bhaduri’s They:the nonbinary pronoun sense of lawyer, Jeanne Christensen, told CNN that after revealing she “they” was added in September 2019 was pregnant, Bhaduri was terminated within days. In addition, the lawsuit stated that Bhaduri was suffering from the loss of Oxford Dictionary her two-month old baby from earlier that year. “During her Climate emergency: situation in which bereavement leave, Ms. Bhaduri learned that she was pregnant urgent action is required to reduce or again,” said the lawsuit, and upon return, she claims to have been halt climate change and avoid potentially met with heightened criticism. Bhaduri is looking to be awarded irreversible environmental damage resulting for damages to be determined at trial, including compensation for from it “emotional distress.” editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 13 the A section Appetite for News KPCC finds success with Feeding the Conversation engagement series
othing brings people together like food as Southern California Public Radio (89.3 KPCC) in Pasadena, Calif. Ndiscovered with their Feeding the Conversation series. To date, KPCC has hosted about a dozen of these events with positive results. The series invites community members to join journalists from the radio station for lunch or dinner and discuss topics ranging from current events to how KPCC can better serve the area. According to Ashley Alvarado, director of community engagement, the idea started in 2015 when KPCC wanted to cover Common Core, a set of academic standards for grades K-12, but parents in the area weren’t responding } Ashley Alvarado to invitations. “They just weren’t coming together as sources,” Alvarado said. “So, I said, ‘Why don’t I invite some people over for lunch?’” Using the American Public Media’s public insight network (a database of community members across the country who volunteer to be news sources), Alvarado found about a dozen parents in the database and invited them to lunch. From this one event, the organization found itself with an abundance of story ideas. Not only did the newsroom realize this was something they could do successfully, but Alvarado said she realized community members also saw value in being seen and heard by journalists. After this event, KPCC decided to try an event with their radio show Take Two, who wanted to expand their coverage on the Asian American community. That resulted in KPCC’s second Feeding the Conversation event in 2015. About 50 members of the community } An early Feeding the Conversation lunch that brought together members of LA’s Asian American community with Take Two producers and other KPCC journalists. (Photos by Quincy Surasmith / KPCC) turned up, but that ended being too large for the organization’s liking due to the noise level Typically, an event lasts about 90 minutes, conversations and threads into what they do and resources. Since then, KPCC has settled on and begins with food and socializing. Alvarado at the station. inviting up to 25 people for events. welcomes the audience, and from there, the “When we first started, there was this really Feeding the Conversation events usually room will break into groups of four or five, clear…need (to engage with the community),” take five weeks to plan. KPCC will choose a where a journalist will lead the discussion. At Alvarado said. “With Feeding the Conversation, topic and which journalists to participate, the end, everyone returns to the larger group we’re hearing directly from community who to invite, and select a caterer and time to share highlights. members about what they need—not only when and day for the event, which are usually held According to Alvarado, the newsroom it comes to information needs but also to feel at KPCC. wants to find more ways to center those authentically reflected in our journalism.”—EM
14 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com critical thinking If you have a question you would like to J-school students and industry vets see addressed, please send it to [email protected]. tackle the tough questions
Several newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer have written editorials calling for the impeachment of President Trump. Should journalists take part in political movements?
One of the It depends what foundational tenets you mean by A:of journalism is A:taking part in a to report objectively, which is political movement. Credible often conflated with reporting journalists abide by ethics apolitically. But when it is also policies that prohibit activities journalists’ role to be the first like running for elective witnesses to history, the line office, donating to political between covering political campaigns or participating movements and participating in public demonstrations in them is blurry. for one cause or another. When papers across Journalists volunteer to give the country issued edicts up those activities to help telling their reporters to not them and their newspapers participate in the Women’s avoid the appearance of bias Keith Magill, 58 March in 2017, I viewed this Anna Zarra Aldrich, 22 or favoritism. senior, University of Connecticut, executive editor, The Courier and Daily as an affront to journalists’ Storrs, Conn. But if you define an Comet, Houma and Thibodaux, La. rights as American citizens. editorial or opinion column Zarra Aldrich is the editor-in-chief An award-winning columnist and Media outlets should adopt a of the Daily Campus. She is triple as taking part in a political editorial writer, Magill has spent most more appropriate policy so that majoring in journalism, English and movement, then my answer is of his career at the Courier and Daily journalists may participate in political science. She has also worked a qualified yes. Most readers Comet. He was named GateHouse Media Editor of the Year among political movements, but they for EL Gazette in London as an understand that one of our editorial intern. similar-size newspapers for 2017. cannot be the one to report roles is to offer informed on them. To absolutely bar guidance on important issues journalists from expressing their concern and passion for issues that that affect their communities. affect them personally erases their individuality and identities, which At small newspapers like mine, editorials and columns have the should be valued in the newsroom. biggest impact when they focus on local issues. We’re much more apt The current political climate, which goads outright hostility toward to influence, or at least spark substantive debate on a local mayor’s the media on, does nothing to help journalists navigate the situation. race than the latest tax bill winding through Congress. And when we One particularly contentious media tool is the editorial. Editorials are do share opinions about state, national or world affairs, we’d better intended to represent the views of the paper. But oftentimes it only make it absolutely clear how the issue impacts the people who read represents the views of the editorial board. Organizations including our newspapers. the Los Angeles Times and New York Times published editorials Strong opinion writing starts with strong reporting. It’s impossible supporting the impeachment of President Trump. Even as New to have an informed opinion unless you’re, well, informed. It’s York Times prompted the editorial with the careful disclaimer: “It is what elevates a great editorial or column above uninformed or separate from the newsroom,” it can be hard for readers to separate misinformed opinions you might find on social media. Persistent the opinion of the paper and the facts it reports. This only encourages layoffs and cuts to reporting staffs erode newspapers’ ability to cynicism for legitimate reporting by those looking for a reason to maintain their position as opinion leaders in their communities. distrust reputable sources. In some cases, editorial pages have been shrunk or eliminated Editorials are tools that should be wielded more carefully than altogether. That, too, is lamentable, as it scraps one of the they are now. An editorial defending the paper’s journalistic practices newspaper’s most valuable functions: to have a conversation with its in the face of baseless criticism is an entirely appropriate use of this readers and its community at large. Social media gives journalists power. Calling for impeachment is less salient, especially for papers a great opportunity to do that. But something is missing from a whose locations are far from DC. newspaper that never offers a well-reasoned editorial or an essay Journalists should be allowed to participate in political from the heart. movements, especially ones that affect them personally. But media In short, journalists do and should give up some of their rights to organizations should take a closer look at the message their editorial engage in political movements, but publishing meaningful opinions pages are sending to readers about their coverage. is not one of them. editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 15 photo of the month Send us your photos! E&P welcomes reader submissions for our Photo of the Month. [email protected].
A MOTHER’S LOSS Jim Weber/Daily Memphian Jaleta Clark, mother of 20-year-old Brandon Webber who was shot June 12, 2019 by U.S. Marshals in Memphis, Tenn., remembers her son during a vigil. Wiping her tears is her son, Blake Webber. Hundreds of neighborhood residents gathered with Webber’s family in Frayser, a community in north Memphis, to denounce the shooting and the violence that ensued afterward. data page
Facebook and Disinformation in 2020
Avaaz, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, recently collected the most viral Facebook posts over a 10-month period, between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2019 and analyzed the top 100 fake news stories about U.S. politics. Those stories were shared more than 2.3 million times on Facebook.
Number of Accounts in Each Category that Shared Disinformation
Individual 39%
Political Page 35%
Facebook Alt-Media 19% Facebook
Politician 6%
Mainstream Media 1%
Types of Facebook Accounts That Targeted Each Political Party with Disinformation
Against Democrats/Liberals Against Republications/Conservatives Pro-Republicans/Conservatives
Political Page 37% Individual 62% Political Page 67%
Individual 31% Political Page 21% Individual 22%
Alt-Media 26% Alt-Media 10% Alt-Media 11%
Politician 6% Mainstream Media 3% Mainstream Media N/A
Mainstream Media N/A Politician 3% Politician N/A
Source: “U.S. 2020: Another Facebook Disinformation Election?” report, Avaaz, November 2019
Reasons for Listening to Spoken Word Audio Based on 3,013 online interviews of adults ages 18 and older
% of monthly spoken word listeners agreeing…
To stay up-to-date with the latest topics 53% 47% 24% To be entertained 53% 61% 61%
To learn new things 48% 61% 39%
To relax 35% 45% 51%
To feel inspired 26% 38% 30%
To escape 24% 36% 45%
Companionship 18% 19% 22%
Spoken-Word Radio Podcasts Audiobooks
Source: “The Spoken Audio Report,” NPR and Edison Research, November 2019
18 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com Newsrooms and Artificial Intelligence
Based on a survey of 71 news organizations from 32 different countries
Why have you started adopting AI technologies? Did your organization have a strategy for AI?
To improve Have business an AI efficiency 20% strategy To make Don’t 37% journalists’ have 68% work more an AI 63% 45% efficient strategy To deliver more relevant content to users
What department of your newsroom led on AI strategy?
A dedicated cross-functional team was designed to focus specifically on AI strategy 19% 30% Strategy led by innovation/digital teams 13% Strategy led by data teams 16% 22% Strategy led by tech/IT departments
Strategy led by other departments, incl. product, business, editorial
Source: “New Powers, New Responsibilities: A Global Survey of Journalism and Artificial Intelligence” report, November 2019
Who Pays for News?
Based on a survey of 1,302 Gallup panel members
Which of the following payment methods have you ever used to access the news?
18-34 years 35-54 years 55+ years NEWS
67% 55% 47% 37% 28% 28% 10% 8% 20% 22% 18% 6% 3% 3% 4%
Subscriptions Donations Memberships Micropayments Day pass
Source: Knight Foundation/Gallup survey conducted Aug. 19-Sept. 3, 2019 “No answer” responses not shown editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 19 industry insight
Something for Everyone Are you meeting the information needs of your community?
By Matt DeRienzo
here are news knowledge about how that money someone will show up if there’s a enough savings or income from deserts within the core is spent. Operation of the public murder, or fatal car accident, or a spouse to take the plunge), coverage areas of daily schools, priorities around public bizarre or funny crime of some some are lucky enough to have a newspapers in the U.S. infrastructure such as roads, kind. But that’s it. homegrown local online news site TAdmitting it is the first step toward sewers, public health and safety. Increasingly, they’re not served spring up to fill the gaps. solutions that could include digital The state of the local economy, by a weekly newspaper, either, in But there are few options subscription models and a broader and the health of the business some cases because the chain that for bedroom communities that view of how to meet a community’s community. owns the daily long ago acquired lack a retail base that could information needs. There are small to mid- all of the local weeklies in the support something like that, or What should be considered a sized towns in many regional area, merged or squeezed news for towns that are too rural or “news desert?” newspaper markets that have operations and sales staffs, then neighborhoods too urban to be Well, there are some basic no journalist covering town shut them down as the business deemed attractive in the eyes of elements to a citizen’s relationship government, or the schools, or declined. newspaper publishers. to their community. Paying taxes stewardship of taxpayer dollars. If the right circumstances exist I’m not sure publishers think and having access to some basic Public safety is covered in that (i.e., a laid-off journalist with as much anymore about how
20 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com adequately they’re serving newsletters from local school in a community could provide local newspaper that can’t or won’t individual communities vs. overall districts, soccer parents spreading a news source dwarfing the provide that baseline of coverage. survival metrics. word to each other via social comprehensiveness of traditional It’s not impossible. It will That might have to change media about a hearing on budget beat reporting, while teeing up just look different and require soon, because of a shift to digital cuts, or controversy over the new the most important story leads for different roles and skill sets than subscription revenue that school calendar. editors and staff reporters. have been traditional in legacy presents both a problem and Communities need a What would a P&L for that newsrooms. Start with admitting opportunity. journalistic layer on top of kind of effort look like? How your shortcomings in a single The problem, in both towns this digital commons. Local many digital subscriptions from community. Listen to the people that are only covered when newspapers can provide it, but these communities would you there. Try building something that there’s a murder and a range not in these communities, with need to staff it? serves their needs. of communities that are their traditional beat reporting There’s a strong case to be made underserved: Why would I model and measures of return. that “being everything about pay for a monthly subscription Instead, what if a publisher something”—comprehensive in Matt DeRienzo has worked in for regional coverage, and the examined the information needs a particular area of coverage—is journalism as a occasional salacious, usually of a community like this, heard exponentially more effective reporter, editor, negative, story about my own residents’ biggest frustrations, in selling digital subscriptions publisher, corporate town, when day-to-day news that and built an information and than a flow of stories that feels director of affects me as a citizen, taxpayer community news resource center scattershot. news for 25 years, including most and parent goes uncovered? (and newsletter, social media Some readers could be sold on recently as vice president of news The opportunity is that and text messaging service) that coverage of a subject matter that and digital content at Hearst’s Connecticut newspapers, and individual communities are incorporated available sources they’re passionate about—high previously serving as the first addressing their own information and identified gaps and filled school sports or state politics, full-time executive director of LION needs without newspapers. It’s them? for examples. But pretty much Publishers, a national nonprofit happening in neighborhood Hiring community managers to everyone cares about the basics of that supports the publishers of local independent online news Facebook groups, town surface information and data and local news in the community where organizations. government websites, email amplify or facilitate conversations they live, and they won’t trust a
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editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 21 business of news
Get Them Talking Are readers losing interest because we’re uninteresting?
By Tim Gallagher
he economy, delivery, bundling and technology. themselves, “Are we reporting the Internet Security and “ stupid,” was James Those are crucial questions. news that is most interesting to Privacy: Particularly how it Carville’s celebrated But whatever those decisions our readers, or are we following relates to children. Any reader advice to simplify are, it’s the content we deliver the formula we’ve followed for with children or grandchildren old Tthe presidential campaign that determines whether local decades?” enough to operate a smartphone of Bill Clinton in 1992. journalism thrives. When I talk to “real people” is vitally interested in keeping “Local news, editor” would It’s very simple. People want to (those not involved in journalism children safe while using the be an appropriate mantra for read news that’s interesting. News classify as “real people”) these are internet or apps. They are always newsrooms in 2020. that relates to the important some of the issues on their minds concerned about predators, but Our industry’s mind space topics in their lives. that I believe newsrooms scarcely beyond that, companies are is occupied by questions about Journalist must regularly ask report on: collecting data about our children
22 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com and marketing products to them young people, the dream of home 60-something syndicated personal Why not cover these? In my in subtle and dangerous ways. ownership is merely a fantasy. finance columnist. This is where community there is a rumor that This is a story easily localized by How do young people make it the “OK, Boomer” memes might a former mental hospital was the examining school district policies when the gap between salaries have started. Advice about catalyst for The Eagles “Hotel on technology usage and whether and rents is huge? In addition, the pensions and debate over Social California.” It’s not. But the stories it is actually followed on campuses homeless problem often relates Security mean little to young about what’s legend and what’s or sloughed off. Ask whether your to the lack of affordable building readers. Finance for them is about truth in your community will local Boys and Girls Club is more decisions made by local agencies. getting value for what they spend. snare readers. vigilant about this than the school. Employment: There is Consumerism: Do you know The worst sin of newspapering This is an opportunity to substantial debate over how what most people are experts is boring your readers to death. engage readers by holding online many times a person will change at? Giving advice and opinions. The way to stay alive is to report forums with local experts and jobs, but there is no question Ask one. They can tell you the stories that will have them then repurposing those forums that employment is less secure best streaming service. The best talking. into advice columns. in an age when companies place or worst dentist. The best place Generation Envy: The “investor returns” as their top for craft beer. Whether the latest question that guarantees priority. Yet, our local job markets iPhone is worth all that money. Tim Gallagher is president employment for economists and seem to get coverage only when There are news stories in the best of The 20/20 sociologists is this—Will this there is a substantial layoff or and worst in our communities Network, generation be worse off than the new employer moving to the (and please do not leave this up a public previous one? This is a local story area. Employment is more subtle. to cunning locals who will stuff relations and strategic that can be examined through Wages and working conditions the ballot box in the annual “Best communications firm. these lenses. are readable stories for everyone Of” poll that isn’t nearly a poll. Do He is a former Pulitzer Prize- Housing: In so many coastal considering a new job—and isn’t some real reporting.) winning editor and publisher states and in large cities, the that most readers? Local Myths and Facts: at The Albuquerque Tribune and the Ventura County Star cost of housing well exceeds Finance: It’s wrong-headed Every community has local newspapers. Reach him at the recommended 30 percent for many news organizations legends repeated so often you [email protected]. of income guideline. For many to turn this coverage over to a would swear they are true.
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editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 23 digital publishing
Choosing an Experience Membership programs are just the beginning of the relationship
By Rob Tornoe
ember with a goal of adding a million joining and participating because member, it’s just the beginning of supported news? more, most of it driven by simple they believe in your mission. the relationship.” It doesn’t seem requests for readers to support “We see membership as In 2018, the Membership that far-fetched. the paper’s journalism added to programs that treat readers Puzzle Project launched its MAfter all, local public radio stations the bottom of news stories. The much more than an ATM,” said membership in news fund, which have been relying on donations success has helped pushed the Ariel Zirulnick, fund director at Zirulnick said was designed to from listeners like you since well Guardian into profitability after the Membership Puzzle Project, provide coaching, knowledge before I was born. So why have losses for forecast to exceed £80 a public research project based sharing and a financial runway so many news publishers rallied million a year. out of New York University to news organizations around the around erecting paywalls instead Sign me up, right? Not so fast. that’s working to fund and guide world to green light promising of simply asking readers to chip in For starters, a successful news organizations interested in experiments centered around to support the news? membership project isn’t just a pursuing a membership strategy. membership models. In the U.K., the Guardian subscription by another name— “There are a lot of people One of the project’s success has been the poster child of it’s an editorial mindset that who, when they first begin to stories is halfway across the generating revenue simply by values a strong relationship with try membership, see it as a world in Cape Town, South asking readers to donate. Since readers, not just the one-way conversion funnel…once someone Africa. There, a digital-only news 2016, the newspaper has grown street most news organizations starts paying, it’s the end of the outlet called the Daily Maverick from 12,000 members to north of remain accustomed to. Think journey, we’ve achieved what has swelled to 7,000 members 655,000 monthly supporters today about it like this—subscribers we need to achieve,” Zirulnick who support the organization’s (and another 300,000 who made pay to access your newsroom’s said. “We see membership as the commitment to quality, long-form one-time contributions last year), content, while members are moment (a reader) converts to a analysis and opinion.
24 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com How did they do it? By to contribute on your Facebook of the city, but truly loves Dallas hopes to form new relationships designing a membership program page. It’s another thing to allow for its arts and culture, this now with nonprofits, civic groups, around the cause of keeping the them to publish on your website opens up a new avenue for you.” neighborhood associations and website’s quality journalism free alongside your reporters.” More than 1,000 miles represent the city’s diversity in a country where tremendous In this case, the Morning News northeast of Dallas in Akron, across a range of demographics. income inequality means many is making the bet that losing Ohio is an arts and culture “A co-op just creates more can’t afford a news subscription. revenue in the short term is worth magazine called The Devil Strip. opportunities for people to engage Among the perks are ad-free it to create a stronger bond with The publication is attempting to with us,’ Horne told Baker. “And web browsing, a members-only a segment of its audience. It’s make the jump from a traditional hopefully engaging with The Devil newsletter, invitations to events also an opportunity to create a advertising-based business Strip is the first step to engaging and the ability to engage directly relationship with a different type model to a community-owned the civic life in Akron.” with the website’s journalists. of reader than the newspaper cooperative, where readers and “Outside of the few global is currently reaching with its reporters will have an equal stake players winning in the traditional reporting. in the news organization’s future. Rob Tornoe is a cartoonist subscription space, the news “Those who are coming to the Like The Daily Maverick, part and columnist publications that seem to be Dallas Morning News primarily of the goal at The Devil Strip is for Editor and carving out a sustainable model, for the civic coverage of meetings, to keep its content free to anyone Publisher, and not reliant on a single type local election, etc., are probably who wants to read it. But Chris where he of funding, are those embracing quite happy to pay a subscription Horne, founder and publisher, writes about the membership model,” Styli price just to receive that excellent told the Lenfest Institute’s trends in digital media. He is also a digital editor and writer for the Charalambous, the co-founder reporting,” Zirulnick said. “But Brianna Baker that the co-op Philadelphia Inquirer. Reach him and CEO of The Daily Maverick, if you’re somebody who feels model wasn’t designed to just at [email protected]. wrote in an essay for Nieman Lab. disconnected from the civic life get existing readers involved—he “Not only can membership save journalism, but it will do so by helping it evolve.” In The Daily Maverick’s case, its membership program exists to eliminate the need for a paywall. But that doesn’t mean subscription-based news organizations need to re-invent themselves completely in order to experiment with membership programs. Take the Dallas Morning News for example. The 134-year-old newspaper has had a digital paywall in place for years but approached the Membership Puzzle Project to develop a membership plan because they felt operating with only a subscriber model didn’t reflect how they felt about their readers. What they came up with was Experience Dallas, a project that allows subscribers to contribute their own reviews of restaurants, bars and entertainment options in exchange for a credit towards their subscription. Basically, readers chose an experience, review it, submit their receipt and receive up to 97 percent toward their renewal price. “The idea is it drastically lowers the cost of a subscription for somebody who’s participating in the program. But more importantly, it signals to this person, ‘We value your contributions,’ Zirulnick said. “It’s one thing to invite people editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 25 America East News Summit Set for March 30-April 1 This year’s show will combine popular elements of three conferences
By Nu Yang
he America East News Summit is set to return March 30 to April 1 in Hershey, Pa. at the Hershey Lodge and Convention TCenter. Administered by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA), more than 150 people are expected to attend. PNA president Brad Simpson said they anticipate a 50 percent increase in general attendance, most likely due to one big change in programming this year. “The 2020 America East News Summit (will) combine the most popular elements of America East, PNA Advertising Conference and Publishers’ Convention to minimize your time away from the office and maximize your access to high-quality education, recognition ceremonies, discovery of new partners and networking opportunities,” explained Mary Firestone, PNA manager of meetings and member services. This year’s } America East will take place at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. keynote speaker will be Ryan Dohrn, teams. Just as first responders need to be Google News Initiative Subscriptions Lab, founder of media aware of the effects their work on the front working intensively with ten daily newspapers strategy firm Brain line brings to them as individuals, so must the to help them achieve meaningful reader Swell Media and journalists who report on stressful and tragic revenue growth. In this exclusive workshop, the creator of situations. This session will provide essential Williams shares key lessons from the Lab, what the 360 Ad Sales tips for reporters to ensure your own physical they mean for your publication, and how to put System. With a and emotional well-being as it relates to your organization on a path to outsize success. 28-year career in performing the duties of your job. It will include In addition, the America East Vendor media sales and } Ryan Dohrn, Brain Swell information about mental health, and provide Solutions Center (VSC) will be packed with marketing., Dohrn Media founder, is this year’s coping strategies as well as details about activity, Simpson said. “The keynote luncheon, keynote speaker. works with more support groups, both externally and within your all of the receptions, the annual publishers’ than 70 newspapers and media companies. own media organization. dinner, and most other meals (including the “Ryan will be sharing 20 ideas from his Crime Reporting—Increase Reader celebrated return of Taco Tuesday) will be global adventures working with over 400 Engagement by Digging Deeper taking place in the VSC.” The VSC will also media companies and over 15,000 media sales Everyday: Reporting on crime is not new, host E&P’s 25 Under 35 award winners at a reps. Every idea is working today in media but how you do so may be. This session will reception on Monday, March 30. companies large and small. All ideas are challenge the way reporters and editors With so many exciting changes this year, proven and are bringing in revenue,” Simpson approach and develop crime-related stories. Firestone said, “(America East) will be an event said. “In addition, Ryan will be speaking on The manpower and structure that was once of reinvention and rebirth as the show grows how to find, train, and retain high-quality sales reserved for extensive investigative journalism and develops while still holding the honored professionals that will help attendees achieve pieces may now be applicable to everyday traditions of being the go-to destination for top- their financial goals.” articles. Providing more in-depth and notch education brought to you by experienced America East will also include single day meaningful perspective on crimes will help and renowned speakers, networking and tracks for advertising, editorial, production differentiate your team and position them as recognition events to celebrate the best and and management. Firestone highlighted a few topical experts. brightest individuals in the industry, and the below: Digital Subscriptions Workshop— place to learn about the best products and Effectively Managing the Trauma Accelerating Business Transformation services from new and current news media that Comes from Reporting on Trauma: Through Reader Revenue Growth: For partners in the Vendor Solutions Center.” Reporting on traumatic events has become the past year, Local Media Association chief For more information, visit panewsmedia. an all too familiar responsibility for editorial strategy officer Jed Williams has co-led the org/event/americaeast.
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COVERING YOUR MARKET Are TMC products a value or unnecessary expense in today’s newspaper environment?
28 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com otal Market There’s always the exception to the rule and perhaps Coverage (TMC) you have a powerful sales team that can make the magic products are happen. regarded by many Managing Operational Expenses. With the Tas a mixed blessing. Virtually shortfall in ROP, most of our newspapers are reliant all our properties have at one on preprints alone supporting our TMC efforts. The time or another had a TMC. bad news is some of our properties have seen a decline Due to declines in preprints in preprints. Coming from someone who still strongly and increasing expense, a believes in print, I believe this is limited throughout our } By Jerry Simpkins few have shut them down. industry and I’m even hopeful for a reversal of this trend Some see a need for a TMC from both an advertising as advertisers rediscover the power of print advertising. and production standpoint, and others see TMC’s as In order to cover operational expenses, we must a declining segment of their operation that has lost its choose carefully and be mindful of what type of jacket usefulness. we need to support preprints. Every market is different, and I don’t believe there is Pages/Size of Your TMC. If you’ve ever spent any one size fits all approach to decide whether a TMC any time discussing this subject with your mailroom, fits into your overall plan or not. Like we do in so many you know exactly what I’m talking about. Ask your parts of our operation, you’ll need to carefully evaluate mailroom manager if a four-page newsprint broadsheet your TMC to determine the right fit for your franchise. will support the 10 inserts you have, and I can predict What’s the “function” of your TMC? Do you look the answer you’ll get. Jackets need body to hold a slew at your TMC as an unnecessary expense or a revenue of preprints, and the smaller the jacket gets (page wise), opportunity? When coupled with your core publication, the tougher and more expensive the job of inserting does your TMC provide advertisers with one-stop becomes for your mailroom. Productivity suffers, the coverage to reach subscribers and non-subscribers alike? If you stopped your TMC, would the advertisers find alternatives and perhaps take their core Being able to assure your advertisers preprints with them? 100 percent that you’re delivering to Lots of questions not easily answered, but here are some points to consider. every non-subscriber is a critical part Use of a Jacket. From an operations standpoint, most of our properties realize of maintaining their confidence and the requirement for a TMC as a jacket/ building your advertising sales. wrap for preprints. While needing a jacket to support all those preprints is a nice problem to have it also adds to your expense line. Layout, printing and inserting are costs bundles look terrible, and in the end, the expense that come with every product we send out the door and you save running a thinner product is offset by the a TMC is, of course, no exception. However, realistically additional mailroom labor. It’s a bad idea to ignore the we often don’t have a lot of choice. advice of a good operator when it comes to jacket value. Led primarily by grocery stores, a TMC can offer Listen to your people. preprint advertisers additional reach when partnered The same goes for paper stock. There’s a huge with core products. If you’re one of the lucky ones difference trying to insert multiple preprints into a whose preprint advertisers still see the value of 27.6 pound four-page product verses a 30 pound six- reaching non-subscribers and believe in your product page product. Productivity soars when you take this over Red Plum or one of the other direct mail options, a step further and use even a heavier stock. Sure, it you may consider this a solid revenue stream more adds to the cost of printing the product, but you can so than an expense. In that case, a TMC may make save this and more through increased productivity perfect sense to your property regardless of expenses in on the production side of the operation, and your the operations area. advertisers may even see more value in the additional COVERING If your TMC passes this first test, you now will need quality and content. to look at several other areas as advertising, news and The Value of Our Products. What’s the true value operations crossover. of your TMC? Do readers see it as a free news product ROP Sales. The first word that comes to my mind or do they as we often do, see it as just a carrier for is “anemic,” followed closely by “nonexistent”. If you’re preprints? like most of the newspaper companies today, advertisers The news content we fill our TMCs with is normally YOUR MARKET don’t have enough confidence or desire in our TMC picked up from previous core publications. After all, products to place ROP advertising. If you’re counting the TMC isn’t somewhere we want to or can afford to Are TMC products a value or unnecessary expense on ROP supporting your TMC, it simply isn’t going to add a dedicated staff to. We usually have someone in happen. I’m not painting this with a broad-brush but in the newsroom or a graphic artist/ad clerk throw some in today’s newspaper environment? my experience, I haven’t seen many TMCs with a strong stories on the pages for fill. Then, we wonder why ROP and supportive ROP advertising base. support for our TMCs is dead or dying.
editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 29 оperations
While this process can be a means to an end for putting together a jacket that is used to carry preprints, do we ever stop to think what impression the quality of this product might leave on our non-subscribers? Is this really the picture we want to paint for non-subscribers and advertisers? Recycled articles from the past week that are being used just to fill space? Or do we want to tease non-subscribers with a weekly feature or TMC specific story designed to drive them to our core products and show the value of our publications to let them know what they’re really missing? Again, I’m not suggesting we have a dedicated news staffer for our TMCs, but I am suggesting we need to figure out a way to make jackets (aka our TMC) more appealing or just consider a simple heavy stock wrap without news content. It appears to me that in most cases, we’ve abandoned marketing of our paid products through use of our TMCs. How Does Your Management Team } Mailroom personnel load hoppers with preprints to assemble final TMC packages for distribution. Look at TMCs? It’s important as well to In the forefront, a completed pallet of wrapped TMCs awaits pick-up and distribution to non-subscribers. At most newspapers, TMC products continue to provide a steady revenue stream, functioning as a jacket evaluate how this free publication may be for preprints. (Photo by Jerry Simpkins) affecting your paid circulation base. There are non-subscribers who will not pay for our core bill and paying for a newspaper, and guess non-subscribers who are content getting a publication no matter what we do. Some have what wins? print publication dropped in their driveway an ax to grind and don’t like the paper. For Then, there’s what I’d call the target group. without paying? The answer is yes, we are. others, the editorial stance is too liberal, too Non-subscribers who are content to read I sometimes question what value we put conservative, too much to the left, too much on whatever free news is placed into our TMCs on our own products. We need to carefully the right—you get the idea. There are others and reap the benefits of our sale circulars consider if the current carrier of preprints we who simply can’t afford a subscription. It’s a at absolutely no cost to the reader. Are we use is the right vehicle or not. Are we better challenging world for many folks and when it supporting their free news and advertising fix off not offering a free news product and comes to deciding between paying the electric at our expense? Are we developing a group of instead using a 55-pound single broadsheet wrap? What about selling the wrap to an advertiser at a discounted rate and making non-subscribers pay for news? Will this encourage non-subscribers to pay for the news and advertising preprints they’re missing? Circulation/Distribution. The decisions we’ve made that have brought us to this point now fall on making a choice between mailing a TMC (very expensive) or using and existing or dedicated carrier force. I hate to say it, but I see this as the weak link in our TMC processes. Many years ago, there was a TV show in which a magician exposed to the audience the trade’s biggest secrets; no big surprise that he fell out of favor with his comrades quickly. I’m not going to take that approach with an industry that has supported me over the years any further than saying, reliable delivery is only as good as the people you have working for you and put your trust in to complete that delivery. All the labor and expense on the front-end can be moot if TMCs don’t get to its final destination. Many of our TMCs used to be mailed. The cost of postage has made this prohibitive for most properties. Most of us have shifted over to carrier delivery and use our existing carriers. } Completed TMCs wait to be picked-up by carriers. These products are often divided by specific zones and delivered to non-subscribers either by regular contract carriers or a third-party vendor. We’re running the same routes and driving (Photo by Jerry Simpkins) by the homes of non-subscribers anyway, so
30 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com why not use our own carrier force? It’s an In the end, it’s up to you to figure inexpensive alternative to mailing. out if your TMC is doing what it’s THE LATEST FROM The other side of this is advertisers designed to do. Looking at a spreadsheet Viafoura trust the mail and don’t not always trust and determining if you’ll break even, us, leading many advertisers to stray and profitable or fighting a losing battle many to even start independently mailing is the simple part. Determining the their own preprints. If you’re going to use value to your advertisers and readers your carrier force or an outside resource and how that value translates to your for deliveries, make certain to monitor sustainability in the market can be the their activity and be confident that delivery real challenge. is taking place as expected. Being able to assure your advertisers 100 percent that Jerry Simpkins has more than 30 years How did you’re delivering to every non-subscriber is a of experience in printing and operations Viafoura critical part of maintaining their confidence in the newspaper industry. Contact him on and building your advertising sales. LinkedIn.com or at [email protected]. transform its products to help news publishers build a community among readers? The Latest From ING The traditional way of engaging audiences on publisher sites has been to simply put comments at the bottom of articles. While this does generate he International some engagement, this is not a way to cultivate a Newspaper real community. Community requires connections TGroup and E&P to be built between users and to facilitate genuine recently announced their relationships between them. collaboration on the first Viafoura has been actively working on ways annual ING/E&P Operations of turning comments on articles into thriving All-Star Excellence Awards to communities, and there are a few ways that we are be handed out at this year’s approaching this. First, we level up where the community lives. ING Leadership Networking If the community can only exist in the comments, Summit in September. In it is hard for users to form connections and to preparation of that, we will continue to engage with each other once the share the latest news from article has fallen off the homepage of your site. ING every month. We provide a site-wide notification feed that This month, we spoke can act as the “home-base” for the community, with ING president Mark allowing them to be aware of social interactions Hall about the partnership on the site without having to find their way back and what it takes to be an to articles they previously commented on. } Mark Hall operations all-star. We turn comments into real-time conversations. Our new real-time conversation tool takes What is your opinion of what volunteer. Find a good mentor to guide comments to the next level allowing real-time, makes a true “operations all-star” you that has your interests at heart. chat-like conversations to happen on articles. in our industry? We allow users to connect. By permitting users Mark Hall: A person who consistently What advice would you give to follow other users or authors, you can then steps up to improve operational efficiency, someone currently in our industry notify them in their personalized feed about when projects, and assists and coaches others to to become an All-Star this year? their friends are posting so they can join them meet goals. Hall: If you have stepped up and helped within the community. improve your operation improve (as Additionally, we make community inclusive. Based on your experience, what previously mentioned), you deserve to be Our community tools are backed by our personal attributes do you believe recognized not only by your company but automated moderation system that allows real- make someone successful in by the industry in general. time audience conversations to occur in a safe and operations today? inclusive way that keeps trolls away and allows for Hall: A great attitude, good principals, Any other ING news you’d like to more of your audience to feel safe participating. confidence, humility, perseverance, patience, share? flexibility and willingness to help others. Mark Hall: Attend ING to Dan Seaman has built his digital publishing career network with industry peers and over the last 18 years and has held key strategy What advice would you give to other likeminded industry achievers and leadership roles managing consumer products someone coming into our industry will change your perception on how across enterprise divisions for large Canadian media on the operations side? to handle challenges and improve groups like St. Joseph Media, Quebecor, TC Media, Hall: Learn as much as you can as motivation and success in any changing and the Globe and Mail. quickly as you can. Don’t be afraid to industry.—JS editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 31 32 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com HUMANS DISRUPTING DIGITAL? Expect more regulation, fact-checking and curation
s news publishing enters a new decade, digital will continue to be a disruptor among us. The good thing is that the industry has learned how to harness its power and use Athe platform effectively in newsrooms and advertising departments. Digital can be a powerful tool (when used right), but on the other hand, digital can be our worst own enemy. We’ve seen sales numbers decline, readers jump ship and misinformation spread like wildfire, thanks to digital. Despite this, news publishers should always be prepared. No one can predict where digital will take us in 2020, but we compiled a list of trends to watch in this new year. From rules and regulation to the rise of fact-checking and artificial intelligence, } By Evelyn Mateos digital will undoubtedly disrupt us as it has before, but the time has come for us to turn the tables.
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Data Regulation Across the U.S. The Move to First-Party Cookies At the start of this year, the California Consumer Privacy Act With the recent rise of anti-tracking features (browsers, (CCPA) went into effect. As explained by CNET, the law gives extensions, policies, etc.) from the likes of Apple, Mozilla California residents the right to know what kind of data companies and Google, as well as new regulations like the General Data have collected about them, the right to ask they not sell their data and Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the CCPA, publishers are the right to request their data be deleted. This data can include any increasingly making the switch from the third-party cookie source such as the internet or even paper forms. to the first-party cookie. According to Fortune magazine, there are several big companies, News Corp, the Washington Post and Insider Inc. are such as Microsoft, that are voluntarily complying in all 50 states to a few of the publishers Digiday recently reported that are create goodwill, and even some smaller companies, like Boston-based attempting to make the switch as they can no longer rely on internet service provider Starry. Aside from goodwill, it makes sense to the third-party cookie. provide these services to all 50 states as several are already following News Corp (parent company of the Wall Street Journal, California’s lead. and the Times and Sun in the U.K.) developed a news ID CNET reported that Nevada recently passed its own privacy law for individual readers so that they can be identified without which went into effect in October, however, it only applies to data third-party cookies—the feature tracks readers across its collected from consumers through the internet. Maine passed its multiple sites. own law in June, which requires internet providers in the state get Similarly, Insider Inc. developed reader IDs, which isn’t customers permission before selling or sharing data with a third party. personally identifiable but can provide insight into “reader In addition, Washington considered a law last year although it was not behaviors, interests and intents, in order to create effective passed. CNET suggests the bill could be reintroduced this year. targeting segments for marketers.” An impact assessment prepared for the California Department The Post developed Zeus Insights, a first-party ad of Justice estimates that the CCPA could cost companies with 20 targeting tool that offers contextual targeting capabilities employees $50,000 in initial costs to comply with the law. A larger along with user-intent predictions for marketers, according company with more than 500 employees could incur, on average, an to Digiday. initial cost of $2 million. As consumers continue to demand rights over their data, At this rate, companies might be willing to allow other states the we should see more publishers and companies alike rely on same rights as Californians before they pass their own laws with new first-party cookies. rules and regulations. Story continues on page 36 editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 33 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DIGITAL
Public Interest in Antitrust Grows
Media monitoring firm Meltwater measured 223,000 stories containing both “tech” and “antitrust” globally in 2019, up threefold from 2015.
News articles containing “technology” and “antitrust”
2015 73,000
2016 90,000
2017 129,000
2018 183,000
2019 223,000
Source: Recode/Meltwater *Part of the growth has to do with an increased amount of content produced and measured but Meltwater says this trend far outpaces content growth
How Many People Use the Internet? Active mobile Active social media 3.660 internet users 4.479 The global online penetration rate is users
57 percent, with North America and In Northern Europe both ranking first with a millions 95 percent internet penetration rate among the population. North Korea with only 3.725 0.08 percent online usage penetration among 4.070 the population, ranks last worldwide. Active social media users Unique mobile Source: Statista, October 2019 internet users
34 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com Internet Becomes Biggest Employment Sector in Media
U.S. Internet Media Employment, 2009 vs. 2019
Year Internet media Internet media share of media jobs 2009 83,600 11% 2019 277,000 36%
Share of U.S. Media Jobs by Medium, 2009 vs. 2019
2009 11% 2019 11% Newspaper Internet media 12% 11% TV* 35% TV* 36% Magazine Newspaper 16% 17% Radio Magazine Internet media 26% Radio 25%
* TV includes broadcast and cable
Source: AdAge Datacenter analysis of data from Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS “Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals” classification. October 2019 vs. June 2009
TikTok’s Popularity How to Prepare an AI Continues to Rise Strategy for Your News Organization TikTok hit 1 billion downloads in February 2019, taking just under nine months to Assess your stage and state of AI readiness. generate a further 500 million installs. It is the 1. third most non-gaming app in the world. 2. Understand and categorize the kind of AI technologies you are considering. 3. Decide how AI might relate to your brand and general strategy, the problems it might solve, or the needs it could meet. 4. Evaluate what areas of your organization might use AI and why. 707.4 5. Identify key obstacles: resources, skills, 636.2 million 614 587 culture, management, etc. and plan how to installs million million million address them in a systematic way. installs installs installs 376.2 6. Assign roles and responsibilities and create million a communications structure across the installs organization to include all stakeholders. 7. Establishing systems of monitoring and reviewing performance and priorities. WhatsApp Messenger TikTok Facebook Instagram 8. Create a role for external relations with partners, clients, and wider AI resources TikTok users spend $175 million worldwide across the App Store and with a mission to investigate and Google Play. Chinese users have spent $84.5 million (48.3 percent), incorporate AI innovation. U.S. users account for $62.4 million (35.7 percent), while Great Britain came in at number three with $6.9 million (3.9 percent). Source: “New Powers, New Responsibilities A Global Survey of Journalism and Artificial Source: Sensor TowerStore Intelligence Intelligence,” report, November 2019 editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 35 HUMANS DISRUPTING DIGITAL?
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Story continued from page 33 It’s also important to point out that should artificial intelligence (AI) be democratized as so The Tech Battle Against Misinformation many 2020 predictions foresee, this will pose Will Continue another hurdle for social media. As we enter 2020, the coverage of the U.S According to the Verge, research conducted presidential election will certainly ramp up. by scientists from Stanford University, the Max So will the spread of misinformation on social Planck Institute for Informatics, Princeton media. University and Adobe Research proved “It’s likely that there will be a high volume deepfakes are becoming easier every day. of misinformation and disinformation pegged Imagine the kind of deepfakes that could be to the 2020 election, with the majority of created with technology like Google Duplex, it being generated right here in the United which uses realistic synthetic speech to make States, as opposed to coming from overseas,” automated calls to restaurants or stores, or Paul Barrett, deputy director of New York Adobe’s VoCo software that lets users edit University’s Stern Center for Business and recordings of speech as easily as Photoshopping Human Rights, told Politico. a picture. In its report, Politico makes a valid point: While these technologies aren’t yet Policing domestic content is tricky. Social perfected—or in Adobe’s case—released to the media is a readily available tool for Americans public, in a prediction piece for Enterprise to use to partake in their democracy and their } Social media will continue to struggle with Project, Max Lytvyn, head of revenue and co- stopping misinformation from spreading. posts won’t “leave obvious markers such as ads founder of Grammarly, said, “More and more written in broken English.” The organization To make matters worse, social media has advanced technologies are available with little also points out that bad actors are learning. also struggled with how to handle political to no overhead cost or time commitment and For example, they can now better avoid campaigns. We’ve seen Twitter ban political algorithms can be effective with progressively automatic detection despite big tech pouring campaigns, Facebook openly say they will not smaller data sets. This trend democratizes AI money into resources to dismantle fake fact-check them and Google restrict how the innovation and also enables smaller and more accounts. campaigns can target users online. niche AI tools to be created.”
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Human Curation Over Algorithms As 2019 ended, tech companies and media groups set out to rely less on algorithms and more on human curation to shine a light on original, professional journalism. Facebook, one of media’s biggest disruptors, announced last summer it would launch a News Tab, a new section inside its mobile application that would utilize journalists to curate the day’s top stories although most other stories would still be algorithmically sorted and ranked. While Facebook’s News Tab feature just launched in October, Apple, on the other hand, has been using this same approach since 2015 when it replaced its Newsstand with News, a free app that matches users with their preferred publications and allows them to curate feeds they enjoy. According to the New York Times, the announcement attracted little } Expect to see more more media companies steer away fanfare when it launched, but shortly after, from algorithms and use more human curation instead. Apple announced that humans would start selecting the app’s top stories. Even Google has taken professional Users see more trusted, original reports, and This could be a step in the right direction journalism into account by making changes to as a result, these stories get more traffic. In as human curators may reduce the amount their search rater guidelines to help original addition, Big Tech could help stop the spread of of misinformation that spreads online. In the reporting surface more prominently in their misinformation and disinformation that they Times article, Lauren Kern, Apple News’ editor- search engines and ensure it stays in search have come under fire. If this formula succeeds, in-chief, explained that she values “accuracy results longer. it will be interesting to watch how human over speed” which has moved the platform away While none of these companies have totally curation is either incorporated into these from spreading stories filled with false claims steered away from algorithms, this shift companies, and whether or not there will be a several times. seems to be better for everyone involved. ripple effect that will reach news publishers.
36 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com HUMANS DISRUPTING DIGITAL?
5 A SELECTION OF AI As Big Tech Struggles, APPLICATIONS BEING Digital Advertising May Fall USED IN THE NEWSROOM Due to data privacy concerns and 1 The Wall Street Journal’s dynamic regulation laws, Big Tech may suffer a setback paywall in advertising sales. } YouTube will be now restricted on running Machine learning-informed subscription Last year it became clear that confidence in targeted ads on children’s videos due to a decisions “to show different visitors, who Big Tech was plummeting quickly. For example settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. have different likelihoods of subscribing, Pew Research Center released a study in June consumers in a positive way. So, if we see a different levels of access to its site.” that showed only 50 percent of Americans demographic shift occur in the platform, if we thought tech companies had a positive impact see reach change, if we see efficiencies shift, 2 The Washington Post’s Heliograf on the country, down 21 percent from 2015 those are things that give us direct pause to A robo-reporting tool successfully adopted, when 71 percent held this view. say ‘Hey, we’re not so sure about this as the for example, in reporting on the 2016 Thus, online users might be more inclined primary mechanism of advertising.’” summer Olympics and congressional races to utilize their new rights via the GDPR and If other advertisers share the same on Election Day. the CCPA (see point number one). If enough thoughts as Rhoten, then digital advertising 3 The Press Association’s RADAR users make this request, targeted ads would is in trouble. An automated news service set up by the be less effective, which could lead to this It’s not just Facebook. Recently, major Press Association and Urbs Media setback for big tech. changes to YouTube went into effect that may “to write local news stories at a frequency In addition, eMarketer discusses how impact the platform’s advertising revenue. and precision impossible otherwise.” internet users are concerned about how The Verge reported that due to a settlement Facebook uses their data which leads the with the Federal Trade Commission over 4 The Times of London’s JAMES company to expect usage of the social network the alleged violations of the Children’s Acronym for ‘Journey Automated Messaging to decrease in 2020. Facebook expects usage Online Privacy Act, targeted ads will now be for higher Engagement through Self- to go down from 38 minutes daily in 2019 to restricted from running on children’s videos. Learning,’ it “uses data to get to know the 37 minutes in 2020. Losing a minute may In addition, the Washington Post reported habits, interests and preferences of readers, not seem like a big difference, but when time the Justice Department had taken interest in acting as a digital butler.” spent is currency, those sixty seconds will end opening a federal antitrust investigation into Bloomberg’s Cyborg up being costly. Google. In September, news came that half of 5 An automated system that uses AI and One advertiser, Brandon Rhoten, CMO of the nation’s state attorneys general were also extraction to identify key data points in Potbelly Sandwich Works, told eMarketer, readying an investigation to identify potential earnings reports for thousands of companies “We’re there to reach and hopefully influence antitrust violations. and publish headlines and articles in seconds.
6 6 ByteDance’s Toutiao Chinese mobile app using AI-powered AI Investment Will Grow… software, to begin automating quarterly personalization engines “to source and but For How Long? earnings reports and generating minor league curate daily news and articles for users via A new report by Charlie Beckett, a and college game stories. its 4,000 partner sites.” professor at the London School of Economics The biggest challenges cited for adopting and Political Science “New Powers, New AI are lack of resources, knowledge or skills, 7 DeepL A company that builds deep learning- Responsibilities: A Global Survey of and the fear of human workers losing jobs to powered tools to understand and Journalism and Artificial Intelligence,” AI. But respondents in the Beckett’s report automatically translate texts. revealed that many of the newsrooms they claim that AI will create labor as well as spoke with are already AI-active. reduce it. 8 The New York Time’s Project Feels The report, based on 71 news organizations The “Future of Work Survey Report” “A project to understand and predict the from 32 different countries, said nearly (a survey of 1,500 employed adult Americans) emotional impact of Times articles,” and half of the respondents were already using by Sykes showed that 67 percent of Americans then serve personalized ads accordingly. AI. Examples include robot journalism, think of tools, machines or software that personalization of newsfeeds, predictive could assist them with tasks and make their 9 Texty’s Leprosy of the Land analytics, speech-to-text services, photo job more efficient when they hear the words A piece of investigative journalism made tagging and even spell check. “automation technologies” or “robots.” possible by a “machine learning model” At the New York Times, Project Feels uses The idea of AI as a useful resource is to find traces of illegal amber mining in reader insights and machine learning to becoming more accepted in workplaces Ukraine. determine what its articles make readers feel. as leaders invest in resources and training 10 Yle’s Voitto Last year, Guardian Australia announced for their employees. When asked if their A smart news assistant that “ensures that the publication of their first automated news employer was providing training and/or you don’t miss the news you want to read” by story as well, utilizing an automated system resources to help keep up with changes in giving “smart news recommendations using called ReporterMate. The Associated Press technology, 44 percent answered “Yes, some” notifications on your lock screen.” was an early adopter of AI. In 2014, the news and 13 percent answered “Yes, a lot.” organization partnered with Automated With this growing acceptance, expect more Source: “New Powers, New Responsibilities Insights, a technology company that players to enter the AI game, but in the end, A Global Survey of Journalism and Artificial specializes in natural language generation will the human touch win out? Intelligence” report, November 2019
editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 37 CONQUERING ROADBLOCKS Data continues to bulldoze through advertising hurdles By Gretchen A. Peck
38 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com or news organizations, selling the whole waterfall and set up multiple auctions advertising has become a notoriously going on at the same time. It leveled the playing field complicated endeavor as media companies, for programmatic advertising, so instead of Google tech businesses, and platforms compete having this tremendous advantage and pushing so Ffor a share of the revenue. Though there is still a much stuff through its own ad server, all of the sudden remarkable amount of money spent on advertising in everyone can compete.” the U.S.—billions in digital display and programmatic Dunaway estimates that most larger news ads last year alone—the competition for ad dollars organizations are already capitalizing on among print, digital and broadcast media is fast, fierce their newfound header bidding power, but he and sometimes unforgiving. acknowledged that it may be a much more formidable One example is the television industry. Lucas Shaw, challenge for smaller, mid-market and community entertainment and media reporter for Bloomberg, businesses. painted a somber picture in a recent article. “Setting this up is not easy,” Dunaway warned. “Global TV advertising sales fell almost 4 (percent) “Companies have teams just dedicated to their header in 2019, the steepest drop since the depths of the setups, and that’s why certain companies like Index economic recession in 2009, in the latest sign that Exchange, Rubicon Project, PubMatic and others can advertisers are following viewers to the internet,” make publishers’ lives easier—especially those relying he wrote. on that revenue.” Thanks to presidential election coverage and the Video showed great promise for news publishers. upcoming Olympics, 2020 may see a little rebound, It’s inherently an engaging way to communicate Shaw predicted, but marketing information, and readers appeared spends will likely follow the trend responsive to video, but video is proving to digital moving forward. a more complicated advertising strategy. “The TV industry isn’t the Sight, sound, “Advertisers all want video,” Dunaway only one suffering,” Shaw wrote. and motion said. “Sight, sound, and motion really “Technology companies Google rules, but getting people to press play is and Facebook Inc. have siphoned really rules, also a bane.” advertising dollars away from but getting One of the barriers to video appears print publications and radio in people to to be a fundamental disconnect between recent years. Online companies what users like and what advertisers garnered more than half of global press play is want to produce. Dunaway offered the advertising sales in 2019 for the also a bane. six-second creative trend as an example. first time, accounting for $306 – Gavin Dunaway “We heard from publishers that it was billion of the $695 billion spent better for overall user experience, and it globally.” was better in terms of video completion If news publishers hope to viably rates and positive responses from users, battle for advertising revenue, data may be the most but the advertisers didn’t like it because it’s hard to important weapon in their arsenal, and we’re only fit a message into six seconds,” he shared. “Engaging now learning how to wield it. advertising has been a huge struggle…getting people to sit for a 30-second commercial, a 30-second pre- Trending in Digital Advertising roll? Oh man!” One of the areas that’s seen some rapid Where video advertising is showing the most technological evolution is in the areas of promise is in the social media realm, where “it’s easier programmatic advertising and header bidding, to do more interesting creative, while also quickly according to Gavin Dunaway, editorial director at engaging a user,” Dunaway said. AdMonsters, a globally read digital resource on “You also see a big push toward podcasting. Audio unique digital content and digital advertising. advertising is something that still incites emotion, “The move to programmatic advertising has, but doesn’t require as much user attention,” he added. frankly, caused a lot of pain for publishers, because “With audio, it’s okay if you’re a bit distracted. We agencies were … cherry-picking high-quality know the messaging still sinks in, and the advertisers inventory,” Dunaway said. “They were picking HTML are okay with that.” cookies that represented certain audience groups. For news organizations with digital and digital Most publishers were using Google’s Ad Server, which broadcast audiences, Dunaway suggested leveraging used to be called DoubleClick for Publishers, and it a third-party to help glean information from data was rebranded as Google Ad Manager in 2018. that can help sales teams sell advertising. Though he “There was a waterfall, with Google’s own inventory acknowledged that publishers have a difficult time getting (preferential placement), and then it would demonstrating the ultimate ROI of an ad campaign— open up the opportunity to whoever the publisher that it prompted an actual buying behavior—other designated next. Amazon might be in there. And it data can prove the value proposition. would sort of go down the list, so if nothing came back “There is a ton of interesting data that can be picked from Google’s ad exchange, it would start an exchange up off the page…but it’s really about having the right in the next ad server…Header bidding basically voided people in place to study it,” he said. editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 39 CONQUERING ROADBLOCKS
} Dustin Tetley, senior director, consulting services, } Gavin Dunaway, editorial director, AdMonsters } Sean J. Sams, general manager, Radio One Mather Economics
Build vs. Buy Approach “Advertising technology is a complex industry Connecting Data Pieces At the Washington Post, header bidding that is ever changing, and often times, it’s the Sales performance data is a common way is already a digitally driven revenue source. last thing a media organization wants to invest for sales managers to inform, incentivize and Vice president of commercial technology in. This is why the landscape for ‘ad tech’ and provide selling guideposts to sales teams. But and development Jarrod Dicker explained, ‘mar tech’ is so expansive and, in fact, polluted,” data can also be leveraged during the sales “Header bidding has been a strategy for (our) Dicker said. “At the Post, we’ve invested process—the actual conversations with the programmatic group for quite some time. In in creating a team that focuses on making clients—to compel them, to prove a news fact, we’ve leveraged its evolution in the media the advertising delivery process seamless organization’s audience reach and value space, to develop an offering that helps deliver and lucrative for partners, with publisher proposition, and to measure the effectiveness programmatic technology like header bidders, knowledge and point of view. Revenue drives of ad campaigns and the overall relationship for sites across the web, in a more seamless and the web, especially advertising revenue today, between marketer and media channel. lucrative way. and the tools and functionality sites have at As senior director, consulting services with “Three years ago, we began taking a their disposal are limiting. We’re looking to Mather Economics, Dustin Tetley’s business is build versus buy approach when it comes to change that.” to know what ails the firm’s news publishing advertising technology,” Dicker continued. “We clientele, including the struggles they’re noticed that there was no standard advertising having in multi-platform advertising sales framework or rendering engine that had both Sales performance and operations. Technologies, or technological the publisher’s and its partners’ best interests at partners, that capture and parse data are heart. Web consumers were demanding speed data is a common way becoming increasingly important to the and optimal user experience, and unfortunately, for sales managers publisher-marketer relationship, he said. outside of the big tech platforms, that behavior to inform, incentivize One could argue data is foundational to the was non-existent, so we began investing in the sales process, and access to it is what marketers Zeus technology suite.” and provide selling expect. Tetley offered “price sensitivity” as an The Zeus Prime suite comprises integrated guideposts to sales example. In other words, at what price points tools that—simply put—enable marketing are advertising clients more likely to buy into partners to more easily and smartly deploy their teams. the value proposition? digital ads. “One of the challenges we have with the ad- “Zeus Performance is an advertising sales space is that our clients don’t often have rendering framework that helps partners How do they plan on doing that? great data on the interaction their sales reps have integrate easily within publisher sites Dicker said, “We are currently investing in throughout the negotiation. If we’re lucky, they and execute advertisements fast, to cookie-less targeting capabilities and functions may enter into their CRM system, like Salesforce, achieve optimal viewability,” Dicker said. like session-based targeting, which will allow us the pricing they started with, and we get the “A component of that software is a client- to drive personal, valuable brand experiences, data on the end result, but we don’t have much side wrapper, which acts as a deliverer of the while making sure to respect consumer privacy. of a story about the negotiations that occurred header bidders.” It’s something we are doubling down on and in between,” Tetley said. “All we really see is a Asked how complicated it is for publishers bringing to market beyond the Washington successful sale…It differs a bit from when we to deploy header bidding, Dicker admitted it Post, to help continue to drive a strong work with clients on subscriptions because that is decidedly so and subjected to variables like advertiser-publisher ecosystem and contribute data is usually pretty easy for us to get, but on the bandwidth, education, and resources. to building a better web for all.” ad-sales side, that’s a big roadblock for us.”
40 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com CONQUERING ROADBLOCKS
So much of the advertising sales process is about managing expectations. With decades Advertisers don’t want ‘faith-based of e-commerce in their wake, marketers are digitally sophisticated in a way that news advertising’ anymore. They want publishers, frankly, haven’t yet had to be. some attribution... Assuredly, advertising clients are already – Sean J. Sams using data to measure ad performance and track the media channels that are proving the best at selling their brands. By nature of the managers, content editors, and support staff. segment of business. We show up with some relationship, publishers are at a disadvantage In a dual role, Sams is also the digital sales recommendations about how they can take here. Beyond demonstrating eyeballs and click- manager, managing advertising for Radio One advantage of what’s happening out in the throughs to their advertising clients, they don’t web properties and digital publications. marketplace and what’s on the horizon.” have much insight into campaign triumphs. “Even though I’m on the sales side of the After those recommendations have been News organizations with deeper pockets house, I also work closely with traffic, with made and a campaign has been designed and and loyal, large national accounts may our promotions team, and our marketing deployed, data can also prove the success be able to bridge that chasm with clever department, as well as with on-air talent. My of the campaign, but this requires some systems integration, but it “requires a lot of hands are pretty much in everything,” Sams said. expectation management at the beginning of coordination,” Tetley said. The Radio One sales team began the new the broadcaster-advertiser relationship. Asked whether he sees data being year with a brand new “roadmap” for the “Advertisers don’t want ‘faith-based underutilized in other ways, Tetley cited the department, detailing everything from hiring advertising’ anymore,” Sams said. “They “debriefing” stage—the aftermath of an ad’s practices to onboarding, from workflow to want some attribution, and they like it when run. He explained the data disconnect: “Our technologies and data available to support the you’re able to give them an attribution chain, clients struggle with reporting the ROI to their sales process. demonstrating that the ad prompted the customers. It’s difficult for them to say, ‘These “We’ve had to invest in continuous training consumer to take a next step. We find out what are the ads you ran with us, and here’s the and make a lot of capital investments in signals a win for the client. Is it phone calls? benefit you received.’ They can demonstrate a technologies and platforms that help us Is it forms filled out on your website? Once we cost comparison against competitors, including maximize sales efforts,” Sams said. identify that, we can decide how to look at data running ads with Facebook or Google, but In radio and broadcast news, that looks a that creates the attribution chain. marketers really want to know that they are little different than it does for newspapers “Then, we can sit down with our clients at maximizing advertising ROI and being efficient and digital news publishers, but there 30 to 45 days in and say, ‘Let’s all look under with ad placement. For the publishers, it’s are parallels, and news organizations can the hood and see what the data is telling us and difficult to button down how effective the ads certainly learn lessons from their broadcast how we arrived here and what’s next.’ We have are. If our clients could find a way to better colleagues. Here, Radio One benefits from to be cognizant of the consumer’s consequential demonstrate the ROI to their customers, I think third-party data purveyors, including Nielsen behaviors—what they’re likely to do when they they’d be more successful.” TV and Scarborough Research, which help see an ad on TV or hear it on the radio. We build the company sure-up the value proposition to solutions that are mindful of that next step.” Data is Foundational advertisers. The content of the ad itself is also critical to For decades now, competition for marketing “We have both quantitative and qualitative the success of a campaign, so Radio One works monies has been fierce for radio. Just like the data that we’re able to tap into, and we curate closely with its clients to craft the ad spots so print-centric media companies of old, analog that data to be able to tell a specific story to that the messaging stands out to the listener radio has contended with a rather rapid each client,” Sams said. and is memorable, so they remember the brand evolution that saw digital technologies render In addition to the data they can glean from and any related vocabulary that allows them to analog obsolete when satellite radio came on ratings trackers, Radio One also leverages seek more information, even if just through a the scene. Then came the internet, and radio data from Research Director Inc., a firm that tangential web search. companies took to it, for communication with specializes in digital media and radio ratings. And it all starts with data. listeners, self-promotion, and as a fledgling new For advertisers who’d like to see real-time “To me, data is like ‘the new oil.’ That’s the platform for advertising. Streaming services data themselves, Radio One or Radio One’s bottom line,” Sams said. “It’s so invaluable to and podcasts changed the radio landscape once competitors, they also provide the client with everything we do.” again. From an advertising sales perspective, it limited log-in access to the system. has been a rather dynamic industry to navigate. “Our clients now have this portal, which Gretchen A. Peck Sean J. Sams is the general manager for the we enable them to log into and see up-to-the- is an independent Radio One, a Philadelphia-based subsidiary minute data on competitors. As third-party journalist who of parent company Urban One founded by data, it removes us from that part of the sales has reported entrepreneur Cathy Hughes. Urban One equation, so we’re never ‘stacking the deck’ on publishing operates businesses and brands across when we pitch,” Sams said. and journalism platforms, including print, TV, digital and Today, data informs the entire sales process, for more than two decades. radio. The company operates 53 radio stations from beginning to end. She began her alone in 16 major markets across the country. “We want to have an information-led reporting career Sams oversees four of those stations in the conversation with the client, so that means covering municipal government at a suburban Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, and that we have to dig into that data mining, Philadelphia daily and also served as an as the general manager, Sams oversees the to pull out and extract what’s going on with editor-in-chief/editorial director for a magazine management and strategic planning for the their competitors,” Sams said. “We show up publisher. She has contributed to Editor & Publisher since 2010 and can be reached at sales department—a team of 33 professionals, with competitor intelligence. We show up [email protected]. including local and national sales reps and with data relevant to their space, to their
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44 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com By Evelyn Mateos [email protected] NewsPeople
Chris Argentieri has been appointed president of California Times, parent David Meadows has been company of the Los Angeles Times and San named the new general Diego Union-Tribune. Argentieri joined manager for Central Missouri the Times in 2014 as general manager and Newspapers Inc. (CMNI). has served as chief operating officer since He will oversee the daily 2018. He will retain the title of COO in operations of the Jefferson addition to his new role. Additionally, Jeff City News Tribune, Fulton Crawford has been named chief financial Sun, California Democrat and officer of California Times. Crawford HER Magazine, along with previously worked at NantWorks, Dr. Patrick CMNI’s commercial printing Soon-Shiong’s (owner of California Times) facility. Most recently, he umbrella organization of start-ups. served as publisher for Paxton Media Group in Russellville, Aaron Snyder has been Ark. Previously, Meadows promoted to editor of also held various positions the Daily Independent with Gannett and Morris in Ashland, Ky. He Communications. previously served as the paper’s managing editor of sports. He and ethnicity team while guiding several Ginger Rough, Star senior news director, will succeeds Glenn Puit, award-winning projects. Gross will oversee serve as the paper’s interim executive editor. who resigned in late reporters on the team and collaborate closely September 2019 to with AP bureaus in Washington and beyond Adam Causey has been named news editor join the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Snyder will on race coverage. overseeing Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma also serve as group editor for the Independent’s for the Associated Press. He most recently sister newspapers in Morehead, Grayson, Olive Amy King has joined served as administrative correspondent in Hill and Greenup. He began his professional the Los Angeles Times Oklahoma for the AP and had been serving career as a part-timer at WSAZ-TV in as assistant managing as interim news editor for the three states Huntington, W.Va. and at the Independent as a editor, overseeing since July. Causey joined the AP in Phoenix sports reporter. the travel, image and in 2015 from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Saturday sections as where he was a reporter and an assistant city Thomas A. Silvestri, president and publisher well as features design. editor for breaking news and crime coverage. of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, has retired. She joins the Times Previously, he also worked as a projects His career spans five decades, of which the last from the Washington reporter for the Florida Times-Union and as 37 years were spent with the Times-Dispatch. In Post, where she served a reporter for the Times in Shreveport, La. addition to serving as president and publisher as the founder, editor of the newspaper, he was vice president of and creative director for The Lily, a publication Ingi Ólafsson has been appointed director the company’s Richmond Group. During his focused on millennial women. King also served of WAN-IFRA’s World Printers Forum. He stint with the company, Silvestri served in as the design director for the emerging news succeeds Manfred Werfel, who retired many positions including business editor and products team at the Post and was part of the earlier this year after 23 years with the eventually moving to deputy managing editor. launch team for the Washington Post Select organization. Most recently, Ólafsson He has also served at Media General, the app, the newspaper’s channel on Snapchat was responsible for managing continuing former parent company of the Times-Dispatch, Discover and By the Way, a new travel education for the graphical and publishing as president of its community newspapers. destination for the Post. King started at the Post industry in Iceland. In his new role, Ólafsson Succeeding him as publisher is Paul Farrell. He in 2013 as an art director for the arts and style will coordinate WAN-IFRA’s programs most recently served as vice president of sales section. related to its print and production initiatives. for Lee Enterprises in Iowa. BH Media Group, He will advise and serve the association’s owner of the Times-Dispatch and 29 other daily Ronnie Ramos has stepped down from his member companies in all matters related to newspapers, turned over management of its role as executive editor of the Indianapolis print and production, and will develop the newspaper and digital operations in 30 markets Star to pursue new opportunities. He joined strategic and operational research, insights to Lee Enterprises in 2008. the Star in 2013 and led the news operation and networking agenda of the World Printers since March 2018. Ramos joined the Forum. Andale Gross has organization as sports director before being been appointed as promoted to managing director and then Leisa Richardson has been named the the news editor for executive editor. Ramos was the first minority executive editor of the State Journal-Register the race and ethnicity to lead the Star’s news operation. In the past, in Springfield, Ill. Richardson worked for the beat team at the Ramos has served as the managing director Indianapolis Star in several editing roles over Associated Press. He of digital communications for NCAA, where the past 19 years, most recently as regional brings more than a he oversaw content strategies. His previous planning director, where she was responsible decade of experience roles include senior editor for the Atlanta for planning daily enterprise news coverage. having worked as Journal-Constitution, executive editor for Prior to the Star, she worked at the hoto an editor on the The Times in Shreveport, La. and managing Cincinnati Enquirer and the Commercial-
AP P central desk and race editor for The News-Press in Ft. Myers, Fla. News in Danville. Ill.
editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 45 NewsPeople
Caroline Glickman has been appointed ACQUISITIONS regional editor for the seven BH Media TheDaily Gazette has purchased the Recorder, Courier-Standard-Enterprise and daily newspapers in Fulton County Express, all based in Amsterdam, N.Y, from McClary Media. TheRecorder western Virginia. She will be based at the publishes six days a week while the other publications are produced once a week. Kevin Roanoke Times and McClary, owner of McClary Media, originally worked for the Recorder in management assume the newsroom and business. He became publisher in 2007 and purchased the company in 2014 from Port leadership role formerly held by executive Jackson Media. editor Lawrence McConnell, who has retired. She will also be responsible for dailies including Cox Enterprises has sold Cox Media Group to Apollo Global Management Inc. the Bristol Herald Courier, Charlottesville Daily The sale includes Cox’s portfolio of television and radio stations, three newspapers in the Progress, News Virginian, Danville Register & Ohio area, CoxReps, and Gamut national advertising businesses. Cox maintains a minority Bee, Martinsville Bulletin and News & Advance, stake in the new company, which will include Northwest Broadcasting. The company will where she most recently served as managing continue to operate under the name Cox Media Group. editor.
Scott Thompson, editor of the Great Falls (Mo.) Tribune, has stepped down from Bernadette DeVito Mitchell Landsberg his position to take a job as director of has been named deputy has been named senior communications and marketing at Great Falls editor-in-chief of Kings editor for enterprise College MSU. Thompson began working at the County Politics in for the Los Angeles Tribune in 2003 as a sports copy editor and Brooklyn, N.Y. In this Times. In addition, reporter. He was named editor in November role, DeVito will help he will continue to 2018. assign and edit stories. coordinate immigration In addition, she will coverage, working with The World Editors Forum (WEF) has continue to be the main immigration reporters appointed seven new members to its advisory reporter on all health and their editors in board: Jane Barrett, global editor for and mental health-related issues as well as a Washington, national, foreign and metro. Most Media News Strategy, Reuters; Catarina strong general assignment reporter. DeVito is recently, Landsberg served as the foreign/ Carvalho, editor-in- chief, Diário de Notícias, also the editor of the morning Lawmakers on national editor for the Times, where he covered Portugal; Brian McGrory, editor, Boston Globe; the Move column and the related newsletter. religion, education and national politics. Before Esther Ng, chief content officer, The Star, joining the Times, Landsberg spent 19 years at Malaysia; Pamella Sittoni, executive editor, Lauren Gustus has the Associated Press, where he was a national Nation Media Group, Kenya; Tammy Tam, been named director writer and, later, a foreign correspondent in editor-in-chief, South China Morning Post; and of community Moscow. He got his start with the AP in the David Walmsley: editor-in-chief, Globe and founding initiatives Reno bureau. He previously worked at the Mail, Canada. for McClatchy. In Ukiah (Calif.) Daily Journal and the Beverly this role, Gustus will Hills (Calif.) Independent. Madison Graham Allen has been named be responsible for the publisher for the Covington (Ga.) News. building community Kim Bates has been promoted to managing She succeeds Jackie Gutknecht, who left the support for important editor for the Toledo Blade. She succeeds Dave paper to accept a position with Oxford College local journalism Murray, who has retired after 40 years. Bates of Emory University. Most recently, Graham initiatives through grants, contributions from most recently served as assistant managing Allen served in retail advertising sales at the philanthropic organizations and individuals editor, where she oversaw newsroom hiring and Walton Tribune, a sister paper, for two years and partnerships with local stakeholders and several aspects of day-to-day operations. She where she served as both an advertising sales readers. Gustus will continue her role as West began her career with the Blade as in intern consultant and the newspaper’s advertising region editor with responsibility for newsrooms in 1992. She previously held several reporting director. in California, Washington and Idaho. positions, including the paper’s police and higher education beats. Later, she became assistant city editor and then city editor in Harriet Morris has been named news director 2007, a position she held for 10 years before for Russia and Commonwealth of Independent being named assistant managing editor. States (CIS) for the Associated Press. Morris will be responsible for driving the news report John Celestino has been in video, photos and text in Russia and the CIS. appointed publisher of She has been the senior producer for Russia the Press-Republican and the CIS since 2016 and will remain based in Plattsburgh, N.Y. He in Moscow in her new role. She joined the AP will continue his role of as a video producer in London in 2006 and has publisher of the Niagara
hoto worked in several positions as part of the global Gazette and Lockport
AP P video operation. Union-Sun & Journal. Prior to joining CNHI
46 | E & P | FEBRUARY 2020 editorandpublisher.com NewsPeople
(parent company to all three publications) in 2017, Celestino served as business development Neeraj Khemlani has been named executive manager for Brainworks Software, a company vice president and deputy group head of Hearst that supplies computer software to newspapers Newspapers. Khemlani first joined Hearst in 2009 and for advertising, circulation and content has served in various roles since then, including chief management systems. creative officer, executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication Josh Harmon has and as vice president and special assistant to the been named audience CEO for digital media. Most recently, he served as director for the Central president and group head of Hearst Entertainment Illinois Newspaper and Syndication, making and overseeing investments Group for Lee in digital businesses. In addition, to his new role, Enterprises, which Khemlani will continue to oversee many of the includes the Herald & investments he made for Hearst and serve on Review. He has worked the boards of A+E Networks, A+E EMEA, Complex in the newspaper Networks, Kobalt Music and NorthSouth Productions. industry for 25 years. Most recently, he served as executive planning director for a group of GateHouse Media Dennis DeRossett as president and CEO of the Illinois Press newspapers in Central Florida. Prior to that, has been named Association from 2010 to 2017. After he was regional audience development and executive director that, he provided consulting services operations director for the River Valley Media of the Nebraska to community newspapers and press Group in La Crosse, Wis. for Lee Enterprises. Press Association. associations. DeRossett also served as In addition, Kat Cantrell, who has served as He succeeds Allen publisher of the Beatrice (Neb.) Daily Sun interim audience director, has been named Beermann, who is from 1990 to 1996 and as a publisher for circulation operations manager for Central retiring. Previously, newspapers in Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma Illinois. DeRossett served and Illinois. WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK OUTSOURCE TO THE AWARD-WINNING ONE-STOP EFFICIENCY EXPERTS
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care FULL-TIME OUTDOORS EDITOR: New York Outdoor News is seeking an experienced editor and journalist to Journalism. lead the production of New York Outdoor News, a biweekly newspaper focusing on hunting and fishing news The Association of Health Care Journalists, the world’s premier professional organization dedicated to and information in the Empire State. The job includes planning news coverage, researching and writing stories, improving the quality of health journalism and advocating for health journalists, is seeking its next Executive developing and then supervising a team of freelance writers and photographers, and helping to build a statewide Director to build on the organization’s strong foundation while continuing to grow its membership, programs digital audience by presenting news and information through different types of media. Candidate should be an and impact. active outdoorsperson, deadline-driven with solid reporting skills, have a strong knowledge of AP style, and top-notch organizational skills. Familiarity with InDesign a definite plus. Please send a cover letter and resume AHCJ boasts about 1,500 members, a staff of eight and an annual budget of close to $2 million. The association to [email protected]. and its educational arm, the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, are based at the world-renowned Missouri School of Journalism. The selected candidate will succeed our highly successful current Executive Director who wishes to move to a GENERAL MANAGER: Plattsburgh Republican, Plattsburgh, NY. The Press Republican seeks an innovative, part-time consulting role. ambitious newspaper executive to lead its daily publication in Northern New York. The Executive Director (ED) reports to an elected board of directors and develops the strategies required to The GM works closely with the publisher and department heads to develop and execute multi-platform implement policy for both the association and the center. The ED manages a team of staff, contributors and strategies that increase customer response. This person will effectively support, manage and train the staff, volunteers in developing and executing programs; building reporting resources and member benefits; while successfully executing marketing strategies for our print, niche and digital products. monitoring First Amendment issues; and maintaining consistent streams of revenue, including grant funding. This person must have a keen understanding of print and digital advertising, as well as audience-based selling. The new Executive Director will have significant administrative experience in a newsroom or nonprofit setting. Candidates must possess excellent organizational and communication skills, a creative approach to revenue The ideal candidate will have proven success in collaborating with diverse stakeholders, fundraising and development and a strong focus on customer service. We expect a skilled leader who can continue to challenge strategic planning. The ED is expected to travel for conferences, funder meetings and some fellowship programs. and motivate our talented sales, news, audience and production teams. The scope of the position is significant, but, depending upon the start date, the new ED will have the rare The Plattsburgh Republican is a six-day newspaper and web site with a 75% market reach in Clinton County, NY. opportunity to overlap with the current Executive Director to get up to speed on job duties, finances, grant In addition to the newspaper, we publish a weekly SMC product, a community magazine, niche publications management, training programs and university policies. The outgoing ED is willing to coach the Executive and a portfolio of digital products including www.pressrebublican.com. Director Designate through the next national conference in Spring 2020, the organization’s largest annual Plattsburgh holds many festivals throughout the year that include the Mayor’s Cup and Regatta, the Commem- event. oration of the Battle of Plattsburgh, and various small events. The city holds the largest professional bass fishing Although AHCJ is an independent nonprofit organization, it is hosted by and plays an active role in the life of tournament every year that is organized by the FLW and BASS. The City of Plattsburgh also has many museums, the School of Journalism, including employing undergraduates and graduate research assistants, offering recreation trails, fields, and beaches with access to Lake Champlain where there is great fishing and boating. training events and providing student fellowships to conferences. The school will consider a non-tenure track Just across Lake Champlain from Burlington, VT, the area is simply charming. faculty designation for a candidate with the appropriate background. The Plattsburgh Press Republican operates in a competitive media environment. But it has carved out a piece of Salary the market, which can grow with aggressive, forward-thinking leadership. This is a great opportunity for a publisher Commensurate with experience who is in a small market and looking for their next professional challenge, or a seasoned advertising director. Minimum Qualifications Required Skills and Education • Master’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least five years of • BS or BA in Business Administration, marketing, or related field. experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired. • At least 5 years of print and digital advertising experience as a department director • Experience directing staff, including setting priorities for others and coaching them toward goals. • Strong sense of digital marketing Preferred qualifications: • Demonstrated ability to communicate, present, and influence effectively at all levels of the organization. • Professional journalism experience. • Proven ability to drive the sales process from plan to close. • 10 years of management/senior leadership experience. • Strong business sense and industry expertise. • Strong financial acumen, fundraising and grant development skills. • Excellent mentoring, coaching and people management skills. • Experience in collaborative roles involving negotiation and relationship-building with diverse stakeholders. • Project management and sales tracking. • Outstanding written and oral communication, as well as effective interpersonal and technical skills. • Must be an expert at utilizing CRM and advertising software • Track record of successfully overseeing budget, revenue and expense management. Interested candidates should send their resume, a cover letter explaining why they are qualified for the position • Experience conducting, moderating or speaking at professional training events. and salary requirements to Publisher John Celestino at [email protected] • Understanding of journalism’s core values and ethics. The Press Republican is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading provider of local • Past involvement or membership in professional association or similar nonprofit. news and information, offering a wide array of print and digital products in more than 130 communities in 22 The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing states. For more information about CNHI, please visit www.cnhi.com. public understanding of health care issues. With about 1,500 members across the United States and around the globe, its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. The association and its Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism provide training, resources and MAINE’S NON-PROFIT NEWS SERVICE SEEKS SENIOR EDITOR: Job Description - The Senior Editor is a full-time numerous benefits, as well as a professional home for journalists. Its offices are based at the Missouri School of position with responsibility for the daily operation of Maine’s non-profit, non-partisan news service. The job Journalism. includes planning news coverage; researching and writing stories; supervising reporters, freelancers and Founded in 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism is the world’s oldest and leading journalism program and photographers; helping build an engaged statewide digital audience and presenting news and information has been widely recognized for excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate education and through different types of media. We’re a non-profit so you won’t get rich. Want to live by the ocean or moun- scholarship. The school offers academic education and practical training to more than 2,000 undergraduates tains? Love the outdoors? Then Maine is for you! and 300 graduate students. The School has a close and productive relationship with other academic units on Duties & Responsibilities - Oversees day-to-day editorial operations and staff; researches, writes and edits inves- campus, the media industry and the local community. It operates award-winning, community-based, tigative and enterprise stories; posts content to website and distributes content to our media partners. Also multiplatform news outlets and produces comprehensive research-based advertising and public relations produces, edits and sends our email newsletter, as well as develops and maintains a network of freelance con- campaigns for real clients. The School also houses headquarters of prominent professional organizations, tributors. including the News Leaders Association (formerly ASNE), Investigative Reporters and Editors, Pictures of the Qualifications - At least 3-5 years of editing and reporting investigative and enterprise stories. Proven track Year International, and the Association of Health Care Journalists, among others. record of team management, strong knowledge of AP Style, proven editorial independence (politically involved About Columbia or advocacy journalists need not apply). Columbia, Mo., is known as an ideal college town combining small-town comforts, community spirit and low Preferred: Experience in a newsroom leadership role. Experience with audio, video and data visualization, as cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources. It consistently ranks among the top small cities to well as knowledge of WordPress and website production. live in the nation. Located midway between St. Louis and Kansas City, MU is the flagship campus of the For additional details email Dan Dinsmore at: [email protected] or call him at 207-632-6881. University of Missouri System. Home to nationally acclaimed public schools and other colleges and educational centers, Columbia is packed with restaurants and entertainment venues and hosts more than a dozen annual cultural festivals. NEWSPAPER GROUP: Five well established weekly newspapers in Houston suburbs. Circulation from 1,000 to Benefit Eligibility 25,000. Staff, circulation, and printing department in place for new owner. Email grafi[email protected] or This position is eligible for benefits through the university. The university offers a comprehensive benefits call 713-977-2555. package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, and educational fee discounts. For additional information on university benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at http://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits PREPRESS OPERATOR: Las Vegas Review-Journal is looking for a prepress operator. This position works closely with all areas of the newspaper to ensure quality for constantly changing products/publications, while meeting Diversity Commitment daily deadlines in a fast paced team environment. Applicant must have a good working knowledge of Adobe The University of Missouri is fully committed to achieving the goal of a diverse and inclusive academic InDesign, possess good computer skills and have a solid understanding of print reproduction and print quality. community of faculty, staff and students. We seek individuals who are committed to this goal and our core Flexibility, effective communication and the ability to organize time and multiple projects with litte supervision campus values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence. are important. Must be able to work nights, weekends and/or holidays as needed. Forward resume to: Equal Employment Opportunity [email protected]. We promote a drug free work environment. EOE Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor of Human Resource Services/ Affirmative Action officer at 573-882-4256. To request ADA accommodations, please call the Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Manager at 573-884-7278. Apply at https://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/academic. Seek Job ID No. 32139
editorandpublisher.com FEBRUARY 2020 | E & P | 49 shoptalk /commentary
Why Mistaking Invention for Innovation Could be Hurting Your Business
By Scott Varho
nnovation has long been the and usually useless contraption. It has all the buzzword of the digital era. It has been markings of a clever invention, but it hardly called “the mantra of business leaders” and adds value greater than the cost or complexity “the most important and overused word of alternatives. It’s not innovation. Iin America.” According to a McKinsey study, An example of innovation is the automobile. 84 percent of executives say that innovation is The invention was the combustion engine. But important to their growth strategy. the combustion engine was not a car and a car In one sense, this is a good thing. As the is not a combustion engine. The car was a new organizations do? How do they go about Atlantic put it, “In the 17th century, ‘innovators’ way to solve the problem of transportation creating new products? When craftspeople are didn’t get accolades. They got their ears cut off.” that leveraged a new invention (here: the left to their own devices and want to explore a Modern society’s embrace of innovation has combustion engine) to power a buggy. new tool, framework, capability or technology, enabled a technology explosion that has taken Another way to think of innovation that it they embark on something I call “tinkering”. us from the telegraph to the iPhone, carriages, is the application of invention to a real world They read about it, play with it and may build to self-driving cars. problem that customers will pay for. By this a “hello world” application—something that However, in another sense, the overuse of definition, if customers don’t see enough allows them to get a feel for the new tool. They the word has led to a blurred understanding value to pay for it, then it’s not innovation. An develop a sense of the technology’s potential of what innovation actually is. Many consider automobile is valuable enough to pay for. A uses and shortcomings. it synonymous with invention. In reality, it’s combustion engine is not. Companies can encourage tinkering not. How your company defines innovation When you mistake invention for innovation, in a number of ways by making it part of can determine its prospects and success. And you could end up wasting your most precious their individual development plans, asking interchanging the two ideas can mortally resources—time, money and thought capital. individuals to keep a list of things they are undermine your company’s outlook. Consider blockchain and the Internet of interested in exploring next, setting aside time We come by the confusion honestly. Trusted Things. Both are fascinating new technologies. each week to tinker, and giving them cloud sources such as Merriam-Webster give a And, by exploring them, we can come up with environments to play in. Teams that tinker convoluted and misleading explanation of the innovative ideas to apply them. But they don’t, will share their findings and excite other difference. Merriam-Webster defines invention by themselves, generate value. Starting with a technologists about the possibilities. It also as the creation of a device or process that unique technology and then directing your best infuses the culture on the ground with a sense previously didn’t exist, and defines innovation and brightest—your “thought capital”—to “do of support for recommending fresh approaches. as “a change made to an existing product, idea something” with that technology is a misguided Tinkering gives the craftsperson just enough or field. One might say that the first telephone business strategy. information to decide if he or she thinks it was an invention, and the first smartphone an You don’t want to explore new technologies has the potential to solve the issues of the innovation.” without first having a clear understanding of organization, or whether it might have relevant This definition misses the point in a how they will add value to your firm’s business potential future uses. Tinkering + Real World fundamental way. The critical difference outcomes and how it can create value for your Business Opportunities = The Best Chance for between invention and innovation is value current and future customers. In short, you Innovation. creation. Innovation is something new or should be working backward from the value Supporting tinkering in your organization something old applied in a new way that creates to the technology, not the other way around. is cheaper and far more likely to lead to a new value. This is well-illustrated by the phrase, Not every company needs a “cool mobile app” breakthrough in value creation than directing “an innovative solution.” Invention is something or a “blockchain strategy” because not every all your resources—not just your money new that could create value, but doesn’t have to. company will actually benefit from having but your thought capital—toward “finding Another way to look at this is that innovation them. something to do” with a new technology. And usually starts with solving a need (and therefore Using this misguided approach drains that is what innovation is really about. contributing to value creation). However, thought capital and pulls your most talented invention starts with solving a technical and creative teams away from improving challenge (that doesn’t necessarily create value existing product portfolios. It also distracts Scott Varho is the senior vice president of if there is no demand for the solution). leaders, who may be charmed by a new product development with 3Pillar Global, A classic example of this difference is the technology and may not be focusing on where he leads 3Pillar’s U.S. engineering Rube Goldberg Machine, named for the whether the business really needs a blockchain and product technology strategy teams. cartoonist who frequently drew devices that strategy at all. This article was originally published at performed simple tasks in convoluted ways. The So if “innovation labs” aren’t the best way Digital Content Next. term has come to refer to an overly complicated to explore new technologies, what should
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