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Yahoo! News is changing the way they approach news production. Instead of aggregating sources the way it has been since it launched, it is adopting a Newsy-esque model of combining news with analysis. Editorial choices are made with an eye towards ‘audience insights’ – looking at the stories users are searching for, as well as how users respond to a story, which ones they open and ‘like,’ ‘tweet’ and ‘share.’
Like Newsy, Yahoo is using algorithm-driven search results as a variable in deciding what to cover, and how to cover it. In recent interviews with WebNewser and All Things D, Yahoo! VP of Media Jay Pitaro was asked about the role of search results in the editorial mix.
The question posed to Pitaro was one I’ve posed here. Will this new ‘democratic’ method ultimately lead to homogenized news coverage? Pitaro responds beautifully. For both Yahoo and Newsy, considering what stories people are searching for is only one variable in its editorial equation.
For Newsy, audience insight is important for determining what to cover and the use of different sources in our videos complicates the mix. It adds more traditionally editorial voices to the conversation. Furthermore, ‘linking out’ to the sources used situates the news consumer into the broader conversation on the topic.
The use of search has the effect of including the news consumer in the editorial process – what is ‘newsworthy ‘ is no longer decided by the fourth estate. Users tell us what they want, and we give it to them in easy to consume nuggets. Just the way they like it.
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It seems like smart phones can do just about anything, but can they save newspapers? Newsonomics blogger Ken Doctor thinks so - in this article, Doctor describes how location-based mobile advertising could revive the old advertising-based business model of news media.
Doctor points to companies like Verve Wireless, which serves over 400 news sites. Verve focuses their local efforts on training old media professionals how to sell on mobile platforms. Most importantly, they are working to set CPM price floors, eroding the myth that advertising revenue is no longer a viable source of funding for news content.
These efforts get to the heart of what traditional media needs most - to adapt. There’s no shortage of articles about how newspapers are dying - how the web/bloggers/YouTube kittens are stealing away audiences. Verve and companies like it are amongst the first to recognize that people are willing to pay for news the same way they always have - through subscriptions and ad impressions. Only now subscriptions are bought in app stores and ads follow you wherever you go.
“What’s apparent is how early we are in local mobile selling - and how far away it is today from adding appreciably to news site revenues,” explains Doctor, further reinforcing that it isn’t just news organizations that need to adapt. Local vendors, consumers and advertisers have to evolve in tandem.
Newsy is at the forefront of this desperately needed revolution. With a full range of mobile apps - and dynamic and unique content - we are poised to incubate this updated revenue model and welcome news media to the brave new world of mobile.
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Newsy.com was nominated for the We Media Game Changer Awards - voting closes tomorrow night! Please vote; no registration required: http://wemedia.com/awards/2010-community-choice-finalists/
Our nomination is another affirmation that Newsy.com is in the right space at the right time. Newsy.com is creating the content and designing the experience for the next wave of consumer devices that deliver news stories.
The We Media Game Changer conference in March will discuss whether incumbent publishers and broadcasters can lead us into the future world of media or whether a new class of developers and designers will replace them. Newsy has a lot to say on that topic, for sure!
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In an article for the fall edition of Nieman Reports, ‘Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media’, RJI Fellow Michael Skoler questions the notion that the Internet is to blame for journalism’s lost business model. He asserts that journalism began losing its value when it started to become less relevant a few decades ago. The connection journalists had to their communities diminished once news conglomerates took over local papers and stations and cut on-the-ground reporters.
Skoler believes discussions about saving the future of journalism should not be about finding a new business model - the focus should be on how to make news more valuable. After all, people only pay for what has obvious value to them - as Skoler puts it - “every good business plan starts by explaining how it creates value for the customer.”
The Economist and The Week are two of today’s more successful media outlets. The value these magazines offer is not only in the smart analysis of everything they consider worth knowing – but also in the smart packaging. Smart analysis and smart packaging overlap very closely with Newsy’s vision and goals.
Newsy offers value to consumers by providing analysis on a variety of sources and perspectives in short video clips - we blend context with convenience.
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Yesterday, Slate unveiled
The Slatest, a thrice-daily recap of a day’s news cycles. The new site is replacing Slate’s ‘Today’s Papers’, a once-a-day summary of national news that was one of the Web’s first aggregators.
The Slatest joins a group of other web aggregators including
Newser,
The Daily Beast and
The Stimulist. These sites claim to filter and curate the news - promising the reader that they will only consume the most important news nuggets during their busy day.
Each web aggregator describes their value proposition a bit differently. The Slatest’s describes itself as ‘The most important news and commentary to read right now,’ The Daily Beast offers ‘Curated news aggregation,’ Newser invites viewers to ‘Read less, know more,’ and The Stimulist offers ‘A daily brief for the (curious) optimist.’
None of these sites analyzes a variety of video and text reports and point out the key differences in reporting. And all of these sites are text based - not offering online video, which is increasingly what Web viewers are looking for. Only Newsy.com analyzes the news, it doesn’t just aggregate it.
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In The Atlantic Monthly, Michael Hirschorn wrote an interesting piece about The Economist download star trek dvd magazine.
Here’s the money quote:
“True, The Economist
virtually never gets scoops, and the information it does provide is available elsewhere … if you care to spend 20 hours Googling. But now that information is infinitely replicable and pervasive, original reporting will never again receive its due. The real value of The Economist lies in its smart analysis of everything it deems worth knowing - and smart packaging, which may be the last truly unique attribute in the digital age.”
While I am not sure I agree with Hirschorn on the original reporting front, I absolutely concur that “smart analysis of everything it deems worth knowing – and smart packaging” is enormously valuable and that overlaps very closely with our vision and goals here at Newsy.
Read the full article here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200907/news-magazines
Enjoy.
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Two of the sworn enemies of the media business agree on one thing: there is too much news. To even try to consume it, news needs to be “sifted,” “sorted,” “filtered” and “curated.”
Both Tina Brown and Michael Wolff use these buzzwords when they describe their news startups, The Daily Beast and Newser.com, respectively. Wolff says that the real value in a world of infinite information is sorting and filtering and Brown described her venture as curated content, typified by the interpretive scoop.
In this recent post on AlwaysOn, http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/31308 , Magnify.net’s Steve Rosenbaum quotes Wolff as saying that “There is no killer mass market news brand. No network news replacement. No trusted online paper. Nobody has yet to unlock the two key elements of general interest news — an efficient and entertaining experience — and combine them with all the new functionality of digital delivery.”
Newsy.com meets this description perfectly. Stay tuned for a new site design in the coming weeks – it’s based on our users’ feedback.
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As traffic continues to build to Newsy.com, it’s eye opening to see which stories are the most viewed on our site. Last week’s video ‘U.S. Stimulus: Legitimate Differences’ struck a chord with viewers - clearly news about economic recovery is on the minds of many.
It’s a challenge to feel well informed on issues, especially partisan issues, from watching only one news source. After all, the Gallup annual Governance poll found that less than 50% of Americans have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the mass media. And nearly half of Americans — including over 75% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats — perceive the media as biased.
The Newsy format is perfect for a story about partisan politics. in less than 3 minutes, you understand how media outlets from around the country and world are covering the story - so you can make your decision.
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According to eMarketer, ‘news/current events’ remains the number one type of online video content that US online video viewers watch monthly or more frequently. That’s good news for Newsy and another proof point that we are in the right space at the right time.
This morning’s video is about how Obama might need to cash in on his personality to tackle the country’s many challenges. A complicated topic requires multiple opinions — Newsy delivers with a wide spectrum of sources. In less than three minutes, you understand all sides of an issue - so you can form your own opinion.
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In the spirit of new beginnings, as of today, Newsy.com will be regularly updated to provide you with the latest multiperspective news.
Coverage of Obama’s inauguration dominates every media outlets worldwide. It’s a daunting task to try to understand how this historic event is covered around the world – Newsy.com is up to the task and hopes you will visit our site daily to keep yourself better informed in this increasingly networked and interconnected world. Also, please visit our sources to see how the world, not just one nation, is covering the major events of the day.
The future of journalism is delivering context conveniently so that you can form your own opinion.
