Building a new newspaper

There was a guy about five years ago who bought the rights to the name "The Cleveland Press." He was going to start it up, looking to market to seniors and publish weekly. He even managed to squeeze out a couple of issues and, to be honest, it was horrible. I later found out he tried to start this venture with no resources at all, to the point where the paper only had $700 in its bank account from the very start. He tried to recruit a bunch of people to write for free to give them something they could use in a resume, clips and such. Needless to say, if I were going to start a paper he is the very last person on Earth I would want to emulate. Does anyone around Cleveland remember this?

 

One thing with Roanoke is that I'd be willing to guess that broadband penetration is hit or miss (a big hit in Blacksburg, a big miss in the Southside and mountains). And because of economics and logistics, it may be some time before that changes. So I'm not sure if I'd go too multimedia on the web site, because it may not take very well.

One notable exception, and I think this is where you trot out the pay content model: Virginia Tech sports. There's a large regional fanbase and, depending on how good the football team is, a reasonable national base. If possible, have two VT beaters, one primarily print, one who provides support for print but loads up on online-exclusive content -- recruiting, expanded notes, perhaps rumor mill stuff. Then see if people (be they in Roanoke, Richmond or Rochester) are willing to pony up for it.

I'd probably pare the circulation area a little, maybe cut parts of the Southside out (I can't imagine they get much out of, say, Martinsville, and that money could be put to better use).

More to come as it occurs to me ...

 

Pete, when you hit the lottery and do that let me know.

 

I'd use print to narrow the focus with multiple pubs for advertisers to target readers.
A weekly local sports tab with results, features and previews.
A weekly lifestyle and entertainment guide with festival and local event previews, movie reviews, cooking and gardening tips, etc.
A weekly hard news publication with a bit from the others, but focusing on features, in-depth analysis, a rundown of the events of the week and local and national opinion.

A fully integrated web site.

 

This is still very true in the Internet era. Look at certain chains' Web pages. They use a template across the board. Not only should Web design be just as flexible as page design, but different markets have different needs and therefore shouldn't look the same.

Using a template is cheap and it means each paper doesn't have to hire a specific Web designer, but it doesn't make it good. I understand that in journalism's current state it's hard to pay for both page and Web designers, but hiring someone to give the site a quality presentation should be high priority for a Web only publication.

 

Gannett led the charge, didn't it?

 

Franklin became a newspaper publisher at 16. Leadership needs to be a young man's (or woman's) game if this is to survive. The business is in the very same shape as the old, bent and discolored hands at the controls.

 

I'm telling you, when newspapers go all Internet it's a chance for spurned stellar reporters to get even. Let's say the Tucson Citizen guys decide to put out their own sports page on the Internet. It would kick ass.

 

You make me dizzy with your two counteracting arguments. Newspapers shouldn't be on the Internet because nobody can sell ads on it, but if newspaper ex-pats went on the Internet, they would rule the world. How does that work?

 

in fredrick's world that doesn't matter as long as they rid the world of those evil 10 a.m. meetings.