Content Wise

Ad Execs to Supervise Editors--a Really Bad Idea

2009-12-04T11:10:33-08:00

Here's a scary juxtaposition of articles about the upheaval in the publishing industry--or maybe it's a useful warning sign.

In today's New York Times, just beneath the coverage of National Geographic's decision to end regular publication of Adventure magazine (the latest victim of the pandemic of dwindling advertising) is a story about a bizarre management change at the Dallas Morning News. The News has decided that some of its editors should report to advertising sales executives.

Media ethicist professor Loren Ghiglione (my first boss in journalism) told the Times that while the need to sell ads has always helped shape news coverage to some extent, "this does seem to me to take it to a slightly different level."

Slightly?

Assuming that the ad folks aren't actually dictating editorial coverage (we can hope, can't we?), there is still the critical issue of perception, as Ghiglione points out. No matter what the details of this new structure really are, it just looks like a sell-out. Editors are being managed by the people who sell advertising. How could that not undercut the perceived independence, credibility, and value of the newspaper's articles among its readers?

As newspapers and magazines go through the agonizing process of reinvention, we are all scrambling to survive. But let's not shoot ourselves in the foot, people. Anyway you look at it, this is a bad idea.

Agree, disagree? Please chime in.

Notable Links: October 8, 2009

2009-10-08T09:55:49-07:00

Publishers are building an online store for magazines: Time Inc., Condé Nast, and Hearst are reported to be collaborating on an iTunes-style plan. (FT.com)

The Time Inc./Condé Supergroup Conundrum: How many platforms and formats will consumers play with? (Foliomag.com)

New Amazon Kindle to download books beyond the U.S.: New version of the Kindle can wirelessly download books both in the United States as well as in more than 100 other countries. (NYTimes.com)

Simon & Schuster creating "hybrid books," video included. (NYTimes.com) Demo at vook.com.

Disney announces online subscription service for kids' E-books. (NYTimes.com) Demo at Disney Digital Books.

Goodbye, Gourmet

2009-10-06T09:02:30-07:00

Despite all the leaked reports about 25 percent across-the-board budget cuts and dire times ahead, it's still a shock. Condé Nast yesterday announced the closing of Gourmet magazine, that 68-year-old institution of food and luxury lifestyle, along with three other titles: parenting magazine Cookie and the wedding books Elegant Bride and Modern Bride.

According to today's New York Times' appreciation, the move signals a dominance of middle-class appetites over those of the elite. Translation: Mass-market food advertising is not hurting as badly as the deluxe category. (Chief executive Charles Townsend explained the company's thinking in more detail to the Times' Media Decoder blog.)

This is a dramatic confirmation of the reality we can't escape. At least in this economy, publications that emphasize practical, servicey coverage will have a better survival rate than the inspirational, aspirational, good-read magazines.

Think Every Day With Rachel Ray, a quick-cooking guide. And Condé's own recipe-heavy Bon Appétit--which survived this latest round of grim reaping.

Notable Links: July 10, 2009

2009-07-10T09:29:42-07:00

NYTimes.com: European Publishers Call on E.U. to Protect Copyright - They want better control of—and the chance to generate online revenue from—search engines’ and aggregators’ use of their content.

Poynter.org: YouTube Launches Reporters' Center to Foster Citizen Journalism - and to facilitate collaboration between citizen video journalists and mainstream news organizations.

MediaPost.com: Mag Bag: 279 Mags Fold In First Half of '09

Manolith.com: The Story (so far) of Twitter - An illustrated history of Twitter; it stops short of the recent Iranian demonstrations, but captures other milestones.

Twitter as Publishing: Tim O'Reilly's Take

2009-06-24T13:22:32-07:00

Tim O'Reilly runs a successful and innovative company that covers technology through many platforms: books in print, books online, Web sites, Webcasts, and real-world conferences. He also thinks of Twitter as a form of publishing, but not in the way that most conventional publishers might.

Rather than spewing headlines or self-promoting, O'Reilly suggests that publishers use Twitter and other social media for "curating and amplifying" the voices of the communities that they serve.

Sure, it's about aggregating and distributing content, but according to O'Reilly the driving motivation should be, as they like to say around his company, to "create more value than you capture." O'Reilly outlined his philosophy—or is it a clever business strategy?—at the recent 140 Characters Conference.

Here's the video of his 15-minute talk. (You might want to duck out for a cup of coffee during the 1 minute and 50 seconds of intro.) The O'Reilly Radar blog also has a written transcript.

Stanford Writers Workshop for Book Authors and Magazine Journalists

2009-06-16T17:41:04-07:00

Magazine writers and book authors: Wouldn't you like to spend two days this summer honing your craft, learning some business tips, and getting smart about digital tools that can help you become more visible online? How about hanging out on a gorgeous university campus here in Northern California?

If that sounds tempting, please join me at the very first Writers Workshop presented by the Stanford Publishing Courses. I'll be teaching some of the magazine writing and new media sessions, and the book sections will be led by two real stars in the field. Alan Rinzler, executive editor at Jossey-Bass, the West coast imprint of John Wiley & Sons, will be covering books for adults, both non-fiction and fiction. Deborah Brodie, who spent 22 years at Viking and cofounded Roaring Brook Press, will spearhead the program on books for children and young adults.

Alan, Deborah, and I will be joined by an impressive roster of additional speakers and panelists--accomplished authors, editors, publishers, and agents. We will cover everything from pitching to writing to video to blogging and, yes, Twittering.

Friday & Saturday, July 31 & August 1, 2009, at Stanford University
See the full schedule of sessions.
Read about the workshop leaders and speakers.
Visit the workshop's social network.
Register here.

See you on campus?

Notable Links: June 12, 2009

2009-06-12T09:00:00-07:00

NYTimes.com: Magazine Researchers Explore New Ways to Weigh Ad Impact - Much needed--but only incremental--improvements. It's still a black art.

WSJ.com:True/Slant Tests Another Model Of Web Journalism - Journalists paid to act like publishers? Advertisers creating content? Hard times breed novel schemes at this online news site.

MediaPost.com: Digital Newspapers Increase Reach, Politico, 'USA Today' - Politico joins QuadrantOne newspaper ad network, which now has 45 million unique users. USA Today readies paid e-edition for August 3 debut.

Social Media & Site Redesign: Get Your MagsU Slides Here

2009-06-05T14:32:15-07:00

I had a great time chewing over various aspects of Web publishing with all the smart, friendly folks at the MagsU magazine conference in Toronto on Monday. Thanks to everyone who took part in the sessions.

As promised, I've posted download-able copies of my presentations, "Tapping the Power of Social Media" and "10 Steps to a Successful Web Site Redesign." Help yourself.

And if any of those tips lead you in interesting directions, please jot down a comment here so we can all keep learning from each other.

Magazine for Newspapers Quits Print;One on Luxury Guitars Starts Up

2009-05-27T09:50:50-07:00

Presstime, the magazine of the Newspaper Association of America, has just published its last issue in print. Beginning in June, Presstime will cover its industry—including the painfully relevant story of how hard it is for publications to survive as hard-copy products—in a digital format only, on the association's Web site. The New York Times has details.

While the perceived value of newspapers continues to swoon, the magazine company Future US believes there's a substantial pool of potential readers out there who value pricey guitars—and cars, watches, wine, and "the deluxe life," in general. The company has just launched Guitar Aficionado.

This looks like a smart business move. Coverage of celebrities, investments, high-end lifestyle, and big-ticket travel is probably a magnet for advertising.

We take any launch these days as a hopeful sign. And we wish Guitar Aficionado well. Still, we can't help wishing there were room in this economy not only for a magazine that serves up guitar porn and luxury but also for one that serves the people who put out the nation's newspapers.

What do you think?

Portfolio Magazine: R.I.P.

2009-05-15T19:55:40-07:00

Just catching up on a little Grim Reaper bookkeeping... We hereby add Condé Nast's Portfolio to our list of deceased magazines.

The closing of the two-year-old business glossy and its Web site was announced late last month. Portfolio was the victim of the same severe advertising downturn that has been threatening the entire industry—as well as, perhaps, a touch of mega-media-company hubris. David Carr of the New York Times reported:

Most of the $100 million pledged toward the start-up is gone, sunk into the very expensive printing, paper, marketing and editorial costs that go with creating a magazine, especially one published by Condé Nast.

Carr also noted that Portfolio apparently kept to its extravagant ways until near the very end. To dress up a November 2008 story about JP Morgan Chase entitled "The $58 Trillion Elephant in the Room," the magazine hired a real elephant for the photo shoot. Cost: $30,000.

Jon Fine at BusinessWeek.com posted a thoughtful postmortem.