AOL is hiring

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=144334

 

Just to give you a sense of where AOL is going:

Newspapers have started using AOL original copy the way they once used AP.

And AOL FanHouse just became the first digital only media to be credentialed by Wimbledon. If you've ever dealt with the folks at Wimbledon, you know this is more difficult than organizing tea with the queen. It's a big, big deal, and should open doors for other digital media. (Kudos to Greg Couch, former Chicago Sun Times columnist, for making this happen.)

 

I remember hearing a story about Dan Wetzel being denied a credential for some event because he wasn't print or broadcast, but this was several years ago. I want to say it was for The Masters, but I'm not positive.

I always thought it was interesting that CBS Sportsline, Fox Sports and ESPN.com and SI.com never had any trouble getting their writers credentialed, but AOL, Yahoo, Rivals and some other sites have had a much tougher battle.

 

I read that story and felt good. Read the comments and felt bad.

So why would readers be upset that AOL is spending money to hire journalists? Not like it's going to cost them anything. UGH!

 

Moddy:

Are you hearing any rumblings at your shop about how this prospective hiring boom might affect FanHouse, if at all?

 

In the get what you pay for dept. ... Bleacher Report?

 

Here's what I didn't read: Where is AOL getting the money for this?

I applaud the ambition. But will the ad revenue really be there to support such a push long-term? I doubt anyone else really knows.

 

I don't think AOL is short on cash, wicked, just on future revenue. The company's at a point where it needs a new business plan if it wants to be around in 5-10 years, and it would seem that its plan is to double down on digital content. I don't think it's a bad plan, if they can pull it off.

I have to assume they believe there's going to be ad revenue in some form to support this, or else they wouldn't be doing it. I don't know the exact economics of it, though.

 

Perhaps they should merge with another media company to raise cash.

/Ducks

 

Maybe they should start a print edition. That's where the real money is.

 

I happened to catch the end of an interview on CNN with Steve Case and the guy who's currently in charge. The interviewer (Ali Velshi??) actually did a good job of drilling down and trying to get them to answer the question of how AOL expects to survive now.

My ears perked up when the answer was "content."