Newspaper Execs Shift From Risk Averse To Risky Business

Or, as David Lieberman puts it in a very good look at the changing nature of today’s newspaper industry, “media’s sleeping giant is waking up.” I’m not so sure I agree with him that the API’s $2.25 million initiative to create a new business plan is a sign of the changes; I’ve seen too many of these big idea projects come and go. But newspapers across the country are showing a willingness to take chances with new media even as they cut traditional corners. The initiatives Lieberman finds gaining traction: hyperlocal news, platform agnosticism, “mini-dailies.”

One example: E.W. Scripps’ Naples Daily News with a 20-person new media staff and a six-person new media ad sales force. ohn Fish, president and publisher, says the profit margins for new media are higher that print, adding “it’s just going to grow in the future. And if we don’t provide the services, someone else will come up under us.” During a visit to the site, I noticed some evidence of Scripps’ cross-company commitment — a line at the bottom of the front page that reads “Comparison shop for Sports Equipment and Women’s Clothing at Shopzilla and BizRate.”

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