JRC shuts down 16 Ct. papers

I'm speaking from the perspective of a group of investors starting a business, not that of a small-minded reporter grasping for a lifeline as you seem to imply.

It obviously requires the raising of start-up capital and a sound business plan. Most reporters have neither business acumen nor the access to the requisite financial resources but I have little doubt that smart people in the right markets could make these types of projects work.

 

The key point you're missing is the audience. For the most part, those interested in local news aren't looking for it online---yet. It's not like a tech pub which can send out RSS feeds and blog and Twitter and bring in traffic from multiple directions, and do webcasts, offer podcasts. My grandma ain't setting up a Google feed for mylocalpaper.com's feed on my hometown. I think it's generational. There are many solid business plans for distributing news online; i don't think the consumers of local news are ready for online.

 

I disagree 100 percent. Every day that local newspapers or core groups from local newspapers aren't delivering news online, they're losing potential audience. You need to build a product and a brand, which takes some time and money. You're going to lose money in the first several years, like many start-up businesses, but you're going to make money in the long run. It's about investing time and money.

My original point is that core groups of reporters are in many respects in better position to make this happen than their newspapers, which are collapsing under their own weight because they have all of the associated cost burdens of the old model from which to transition. Better to lose the old management, find investors and start fresh.

 

Let's say I respectfully disagree with you. How are you going to bring traffic to your site? How do you monetize it? Banner ads? Please. Sponsors are NOT into buying branding ads on the Web. They want sales leads. They want names and contact info. Your initial dollars need to be spent on marketing, bringing people to the site, making them register for content and compile lists you can sell to advertisers, narrow lists of consumers who show an interest in a particular something. The content has to be good, but you have to build an audience first. Trust me. Those leads become GOLD. Very expensive gold.

 

That 16 papers go down and only 21 reporters and editors lose their gigs says all you need to know about the company. My best wishes to those affected.

 

And I hope most of those are young ones who can bounce back, move in with mom and dad, and don't have a family and a house to worry about.

 

I fear that Internet advertising, even on reputable news sites, is still lumped, in people's minds, into the category of spam. They perceive the Internet as a venue for Viagra ads and irritating flashing banners telling you that you are the 1 millionth visitor, not as a place to try to sell cars or paint or tires.

And I can't help but worry that as browsers other than Internet Exploiter become more and more popular, the use of ad-blocking technology is only going to increase.

 

The assumption is, however, that if you have registered for a site and signed up for regular updates via newsletter, RSS or marketing email-types of updates, then you understand there's an amount of legitimacy to what is in your inbox. Do you just delete Amazon promotional emails when they arrive? Probably not.
Everyone has a spam blocker of some type, browsers won't block legitimate sites. It's not their job.

 

The "I can't make money on the Web" argument is so 1998.

 

As the company I worked for then found out the hard way...