Surviving the e-reader
 Nov. 20: As the e-reader revolution makes its way into the digital present, the existence of magazines as we know them becomes hazy. As we look toward the future, will the glossy, perfect-bound magazine still occupy an aisle at the grocery store and continue to grace doctors’ offices everywhere?
“So long as printosaurs are around, we’ll want magazines to thumb through in doctors’ and dentists’ offices,” said Carol Schwalbe in an e-mail interview. A self-proclaimed “printosaur,” the Arizona State University professor of magazine journalism said she is hopeful that magazines will always be around. “I like the tactile experience of holding a magazine and not having to look at it on a computer screen because I spend so much of my day tied to electronic devices.”
Over the past several months, a slew of e-readers and other print-based technologies have popped up. Most people know the Kindle, but recently, Barnes & Noble debuted the Nook, which unlike its rival, features a color multi-touch screen. According to Wired, Nook consumers can access an online bookstore featuring books, newspapers and magazines. Then there is magazine publisher Condé Nast, which announced recently that it was partnering up with Adobe Systems to launch a digital edition of Wired magazine for e-reading devices. According to the Wall Street Journal, it will be available by mid-2010, and the publisher will eventually create editions for all of its magazine titles including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker. Other e-readers already in the market or launching include the Plastic Logic Que, the Sony Reader and California-based Spring Design’s Alex, which reportedly features a dual screen.
According to an article at EContent, John Horrigan, associate director for research at the PEW Internet & American Life Project, said the potential market for e-readers is only about 8 percent, and those are people who are digitally inclined. “These are folks who are willing to put the Kindle in their bag along with the iPhone, or iPod and cell phone, and maybe another device. They are passionate enough about it to be willing to add another electronic device to their growing pile of devices,” he told EContent. An article in Editor & Publisher reported that Forrester Research estimated that at the end of 2008, Amazon and Sony together had only sold 1 million e-readers. Eventually, Horrigan said that the market will gravitate to an all-in-one digital device.
“Online publishing and digital magazines are certainly changing the landscape of our industry, but I don’t think they will destroy the traditional print product,” Jennifer Rowe, associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, said in an e-mail interview. “Digital magazines provide a more similar reading experience for consumers as you can see layout and designs as you would with print. The e-readers don’t begin to replicate that experience with their limited formats.” Rowe also noted that while e-readers will most certainly find a place in the market, she believes that the magazines being e-read will be the ones lacking in design and presentation. While e-readers may not have the design components now, the WSJ reported Condé Nast executives believe that by the time the e-reader edition of Wired is ready, a new generation of hardware will be available providing readers with all that missing color and design.
Meanwhile, other magazine-based technologies have been popping up like Esquire’s experimental December issue featuring augmented reality. By downloading the application on the Esquire Web site and holding an issue Esquire in front of your video-cam, people featured in the magazine come to life on the screen. Also on the radar is Maggwire’s new launch, which is being marketed as the “iTunes of magazines.” It works by pulling in online articles from hundreds of magazines. Magazines enthusiasts can then go to the site and hand-pick articles by subject matter, paying for individual articles instead of buying entire issues. “Maggwire is trying to succeed where others have failed: getting people to pay for news content online. Yet, even in its beta form, Maggwire seems to be a quick and easy way to find some pretty interesting stories,” wrote Indianapolis Star reporter Daniel Lee in his blog, Insider Action.
Whatever the result of new technology and publishing gimmicks, Rowe said she believes that magazines will always exist in stores, newsstands and waiting rooms. “It’s difficult to replicate the convenience and ease of flipping through a magazine,” she said.
-- Katrina M. Mendolera
Another community steps up
 Nov.16: Melanie Mazur was shocked when her friends from the Grocery Store in the small town of Bayfield, Colo., ran a subscription drive and were able to raise more than $2,000.
Until about three weeks ago, Mazur was sure the weekly newspaper she owns, the Pine River Times – which serves the community of Bayfield and is located in La Plata County, near the four corners of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah – was headed for imminent closure. But just when they were on the brink of shutting down, community members interested in buying or investing in the paper swooped in. Meanwhile, an anonymous donor paid two weeks’ worth of the paper’s printing bill, amounting to more than $1,900. For the time being, the paper that has a history spanning 24 years remains open. “We are printing, but basically on a week-to-week basis,” she said. “I’m selling half-priced subscriptions; we’re referring to them as our ‘leap of faith’ special.” According to the Durango Herald, the 1,800-circulation newspaper has received other donations including $150 toward the paper’s electric bill. Advertisers have also stepped up to the plate by purchasing half pages for $400. “So I’m hanging in there for now while talking with some potential buyers and investors,” she said.
This tale is reminiscent of another paper that was saved on the back of its community: the Birmingham Eccentric. Six months after the paper was slated for closure, it is still printing. According to a recent article in the Eccentric, the paper has generated 2,500 new subscribers since May and has boosted advertising. Despite this increase, the paper is still asking for more subscribers at a rate of $1.00 a week. “We want to continue serving you for at least another 131 years,” staff wrote.
While the Eccentric’s continual place in the world seems likely, the Pine River Times’ destiny is unsure. Yet if the paper were to follow the path of the Birmingham community, then perhaps another paper will see another tomorrow. “We just had too many people say we couldn’t close,” Mazur told readers in a recent article. “So I’m asking for those readers and companies who want to keep a local paper to consider helping us pay for it.”
--Katrina M. Mendolera
Magazines now on sale
 Nov.13: Several magazine brands have found themselves on the buyout catwalk, trying to look their best for possible investors.
The most recent rumor supplied by Bloomberg, is that Playboy is in discussions to sell the magazine to Iconix Brand Group Inc., which owns Candie’s and London Fog clothing. Reuters reports that the iconic magazine is also in talks with Jim Griffiths, who is a former entertainment president at Playboy, and Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm. Other news alleges that Nielsen’s Business Media division is selling several titles including The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Backstage, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Editor & Publisher. The Wrap reported that former Advancestar Holdings and ALM media director Jim Finkelstein is the supposed buyer.
Gossip that Time Warner would sell off its entire magazine division recently abounded. But as Crains New York Business reported, Time Warner chief executive Jeffrey Bewkes debunked the story last month.
Magazines that have been sold include Media General’s Virginia Business magazine to Virginia Business Publications. In late October, Gulfstream Communications bought Grand Strand Magazine, while Connecticut-based Cottages & Gardens Publications was sold to Dolce Domum LLC; the sale included Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, Palm Beach Cottages & Gardens, Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, and Westchester Cottages & Gardens. No matter what their fate, odds are these publications will share the experience of impending layoffs. Take regional titles Lake Erie Living and Over the Back Fence for instance. Both publications were recently sold to Great Lakes Publishing by LongPoint Media. Folio reported that president Lute Harmon Jr. said only half of its five full-time staffers would be retained, while the others would work as freelancers.
For public relations professionals, sales and shakeups can be frustrating, said Amy Lyons, managing director at Shift Communications. “Forming relationships with the press is part of what PR professionals do every day, so when your ‘go-to’ contact at a publication is suddenly gone, it can be harder in that you need to work through some new contacts again,” she said in an e-mail interview. “There also situations where you may have had a story in development for months with a particular reporter and now you need to start over. But at the end of the day, it’s about the story you are telling. I can have a great relationship with a reporter, but if the story isn’t strong, that relationship doesn’t matter.”
Meanwhile, BusinessWeek’s new parent has been busy. MediaWeek recently reported that Bloomberg executives plan to make the magazine “bigger, glossier and more international.” Other plans include charging for select Web content, increasing the number of pages in the magazine, providing more stories, upgrading the paper and adding Bloomberg’s name to the magazine.
Although two major business news providers share a metaphorical roof, Lyons said the biggest challenge for getting a story out there has less to do with the size or the profile of the outlet and more with the challenge of a shrinking media audience and fewer reporters. “If there’s been an editorial shakeup, see it as an opportunity. New reporters to a beat will need news sources, and becoming a dependable and reliable resource for them is a surefire way to keeping your foot in the door at the publication,” she said. “You also need to understand that that the transition is hard on the reporters as well – anything you can do to make their job easier by bringing additional sources to the table or supporting facts, all will go a long way.”
--Katrina M. Mendolera
Rebecca Bredholt contributed to this report.
Some papers keeping business coverage alive
 Nov.11: Two years ago, the Florida Times-Union’s full-time business columnist left the paper. Until now, that position was never filled.
This month, blogger and banking executive Abel Harding joins the ranks of the paper’s business desk as its new full-time business columnist. “The publisher and the editor, as well as others here value business coverage and see it as an opportunity to retain and grow readership,” said Times-Union business editor Wayne Ezell in an e-mail interview.
Along with staff, distribution and content, many major papers cut their standalone business section as well as business coverage in the beginning of 2009. Metros that cast aside their daily standalone business sections included the Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Los Angeles Times, Kansas City Star and the Denver Post. “Traditional business news tends to be read by a more narrow slice of readers than local news or many features in the paper. So reducing or eliminating the section was met with less resistance than eliminating other parts of the paper,” said Ezell.
And yet, as the year gets closer to its end, several papers like the Times-Union are going against what has become the norm by ramping up business coverage.
Recently, the Richmond Times-Dispatch touted their continually expanding business division, in coverage and staff. They restyled the Sunday Business section under the new moniker Moneywise and added staff including David Ress, who joined the team as a primary economic reporter, and Tammie Smith, who is covering the business of the health industry, making for a total of 10 people on their business desk.
On the same day, The Dallas Morning News posted an article announcing that they had formed a partnership with the Financial Planning Association of Dallas-Fort Worth. Via the paper’s Expert Financial Advice blog, readers can submit questions that go to a financial expert. “For years, we have answered readers’ financial questions in the Business section. Now we’ve taken the service much further, thanks to a network of local financial planners,” said business editor Dennis Fulton in a Morning News article. “The service is free of charge for qualifying readers.”
According to a Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, once the economy started to improve, general financial media coverage dwindled even more. Yet the economy was at its worst when metro dailies first started slicing into their business coverage.
In a Talking Biz News article, William Holstein, former editor in chief of Chief Executive Magazine and a former editor of BusinessWeek, wrote that less business coverage can result in fewer chances for a CEO to get their story into the media and display their company’s strategy. In addition, he claimed that the worst effects were that “corporate leaders now have few opportunities to learn from one another’s experience or even to know what’s going on in their regions and industries.”
Expressing the same sentiment, Ezell noted that local communities know less about what is happening in the business world. “The diminished space, staffing and expertise in this area will dilute the watchdog role that newspapers are able to play, paving the way for more mischief making in business and the preying on consumers,” he said.
As for other publications restoring what they have cut once the economy turns around, Ezell said it probably won’t happen since the business staff and news is shifting more online. “Our readers are online, for the most part, so we will continue to gravitate there to meet their needs as well as to take advantage of the expanded opportunities that digital media offers us,” he said.
Despite the relative health of the paper’s business section, Ezell said they have not been immune to cuts and eliminated a couple of positions in the last two years. They now have 3.5 reporters and one columnist as well as a health writer who contributes business stories related to the health care community. Regardless, Ezell said that he believes that if newspapers are tuned into their reader’s needs and wants, then business coverage will have a bright future. “That future will continue to shift away from print to online, of course, but I think as long as the printed product is delivered to doorsteps and newsstands, readers of newsprint will welcome and pay for an appropriate mix of business and financial news,” he said.
-- Katrina M. Mendolera
Black, white and glossy all over
 Nov.5: Redesigns are in the air, the latest being the San Francisco Chronicle, which announced it would introduce a shiny new format. Come Monday, the Chronicle is going glossy.
According to the Associated Press, the paper’s front page, section fronts and some inside pages will be printed on high-gloss paper throughout the week. Although, it won’t be the same glossy paper seen in magazines reports Editor & Publisher. Instead, it will be a “groundwood-grade sheet that is smoother than ordinary newsprint but only somewhat glossier.” The main news section and features will go semi-glossy on Sunday’s publication as well. “I think it’s a direct response to advertiser preference – they must have some advertiser lined up that will pay some premium price for that kind of placement,” said Ken Doctor, media analyst and blogger for Content Bridges. “On the reader’s angle, I don’t think it makes much difference.” The paper is also introducing a tabloid-format arts section called “Ovation,” that will contain stories and reviews on future events including concerts, dances and shows.
But does it make sense? “Bloomberg TV lays off 100 producers but builds a new $4 million set. Condé Nast lays off hundreds and closes Gourmet Magazine but launches a new Gourmet TV series. San Francisco Chronicle lays off reporters and editors but invests in a glossy format,” said media economist Jack Myers in an e-mail interview. “They are throwing spaghetti against the wall hoping something sticks, but they really don’t have any long-term vision for rebuilding their brands and developing new business models.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post debuted its new design late last month featuring a larger, but thinner font, which resulted in complaints from older readers who say the print is now much harder to read. “I am in my late 70s and still enjoy The Post the old-fashioned way – by reading the paper edition. I was very surprised to find that to read the paper comfortably while enjoying my coffee, I will have to use a magnifying glass. If reading the paper becomes more of a daily chore than a pleasure, I will have to read you online,” wrote a reader in a letter to the editor. The paper also replaced some of its sections and expanded others like the opinion section’s newest installment, Washington Forum which features issues happening in the nation’s capital.
Days after the redesign, The Post’s ombudsman, Andrew Alexander wrote that the new system of page numbers would be changed back due to complaints from readers. He also explained that revisions for the weather layout on the back of the Metro section were being discussed since readers complained that the map had been made too small.
The Providence Journal also introduced a redesign last week, but without all the bells and whistles. It featured what executive editor Thomas Heslin claims is a more readable font, more consistent captions, labels and headlines and standardized color throughout the pages and sections of the paper. “Months of analysis, debate, review, testing and approvals by Publisher Howard G. Sutton culminated in the work you see here today. One of the most telling aspects of the new design is that we expect the average reader will only have the sense that something is different, and better.”
In a Washingtonian blog article titled “Newspaper redesign can be ok but great reporting is still what’s important,” reporter Harry Jaffe wrote that The Post’s problem had never been its design, but its lack of advertising.
While redesigns may irritate or mean nothing to readers, they’re for the advertisers anyway. “But you can keep publishing great investigative work, regardless of typeface,” wrote Jaffe. And that’s for the readers.
Visit the Newseum’s Web site to see the most recent front pages for the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and Providence Journal.
--Katrina M. Mendolera
The path of free content
Nov.3: Last Wednesday, Newsday joined the paid content revolution by shutting articles behind locked doors.
A journey to the Web site finds summaries of articles that act as teasers, enticing a reader to take out the credit card and lay it all down – subscribe or miss out on the latest juicy story or gossip. But unless you’re a Newsday subscriber or customer of Cablevision, a cable and Internet provider and the paper’s parent, the full articles are off-limits.
 While industry heads and analysts make the case for paywalls, there is still a sect that believes free is the path to take. “We have some paid content for specific, specialized newsletters, but we don’t think that paid content is going to be a major source of revenue,” Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes magazine, told Media. “Others may succeed in doing things called micro-pricing, but, unless the information is very specialized, it’s going to be difficult to have a model that’s just based on paid content.”
On Friday, Romenesko reported that even one of Newsday’s own had decided to cut his losses. Columnist Saul Friedman announced that under the new paywall, even he can’t access his own articles and therefore would be leaving the paper.
The New York Times is admittedly hesitant about taking the step toward an online news world ruled by the coin. Nieman Journalism Lab reported that in a recent meeting with NYT’s digital team, executive editor Bill Keller told staff that he knew they were feeling a “sense of frustration” over how long it was taking to make the decision on whether or not to switch.
Others that have argued for free content include former New York Times general manager Vivian Schiller, who is currently the CEO and president of NPR. In a recent debate on What Matters, NYU adjunct professor, writer and consultant on interactive telecommunications Clay Shirky duked it out with Steven Brill, founder of Journalism Online. “First, most content isn’t necessary. It’s optional. Traffic to the New York Times’ editorials fell precipitously during the days of their subscription service, TimesSelect,” said Shirky. “People wanted to read Paul Krugman and David Brooks, but they didn’t need to.”
Meanwhile, media economist Jack Myers points out that younger people will be less likely to pay for content. “They have fewer established media loyalties. News content moving behind a firewall will not affect them. They will simply seek it elsewhere,” he said in an e-mail interview. Like others before him, Myers pointed out that the new media business model needs to support free content, while also branding content different and valuable enough that readers would be willing to pay.
Jason Falls agrees with the sentiment. Principal of Social Media Explorer, a social media and public relations consultancy, Falls said in an e-mail interview that the same information and columns can be found in other places. “They are the answer to the outlets that produce exceptional content, which is very few of them,” he said about paywalls. “When only 25 to 30 percent of most newspaper’s content is local coverage, the majority of their content is fluff, wire copy, etcetera. Consumers are willing to pay for relevant, local content which print media is generally not providing.”
Besides frustrating readers who might not be willing to shell out, paywalls can also cause some issues for the public relations industry. “When an article runs about a client, whether proactively placed or not, I need to read it as soon as possible, will probably share it in some way, and save it. When a paywall exists, it’s just one more hurdle in getting our job done. We PR people will no doubt have more subscriptions to manage” Maggie Chamberlin Holben, owner of Absolutely Public Relations, said in an e-mail interview.
While it might be a nuisance, Holben won’t let the paywall stop her, whether she has to pay for an article or not. Meanwhile, Falls said that putting content behind walls actually makes it easier for public relations professionals to pick out influential news outlets since charging for content is usually indicative that the publication’s content is valuable, at least to some. Despite this, Falls believes news should stay free. “Because access to knowledge is not a privilege in America. It is a right.”
-- Katrina M. Mendolera
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