The End-User: In media, we distrust
By Victoria Shannon
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/25/business/ptend26.php
PARIS: Happy World Intellectual Property Day! Yes, it's that time of year again, April 26, when we all pause to give silent thanks for the rules and regulations over the creative branches of human activity.
You mean you have yet to raise your voice today in praise of copyrights, patents and trademarks? You aren't alone. Professionals in the arts, entertainment and media businesses, whose livelihood intellectual property rights are designed in part to protect, aren't exactly celebrating, either.
They have little to be happy about, with those rules and regulations being flouted around the world - when their music, films, writings, design innovations and original software are being digitized, replicated and poured freely into the open arms of the Internet or sold cheaply on the street.
Recent studies suggest that the media and entertainment industries have only themselves to blame. Asked to rank their level of trust in a dozen industries ranging from insurance to health care, respondents around the world invariably put media and entertainment dead last, according to Edelman, the U.S. public relations and consulting company that conducted the surveys.
The technology industry, meanwhile, comes out consistently at No. 1 or No. 2.
In follow-up studies in Britain and France of consumers under 35 years old, the world's first generation of "digital natives," the company found that many say they will not buy an entertainment company's products because they don't believe they are getting good value for their money. Four out of 10 in Britain said that, while more than half did so in France.
In a world where pirated material can be had free or for next to nothing, "value for money" takes on a new dimension: What value is a record company giving me when I pay full price for a CD, for instance, compared with when it's free?
Gail Becker, head of Edelman's digital entertainment practice in Los Angeles, acknowledged that the message from young adults about value was not a particular surprise. The lesson for companies that want to change that perception is not to emphasize the "money" side but the "value" side, she said.
"They need to communicate the message that their products, bought legitimately, don't give the family computers any viruses," she said, "that the sound quality is better, that you can get extras like the music video with it."
For me, the biggest revelation out of Edelman's "trust" survey was the high ranking of the technology industry around the world, where it is almost without exception ranked as the most trusted on the list.
Becker said Edelman attributed that result to three causes: Technology is a "clean" industry that is not perceived as particularly scandalous or bad for society; it is seen as making our lives better, or at least more productive; and, for investors, tech companies are seen as sources of financial rewards.
What perplexes me is how those factors overcome the fact that technology companies also continuously promise more than they deliver; that their products often seem designed for engineers rather than end-users; and that many of them are practically entertainment companies themselves - Yahoo, Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. - which should earn them a poor trust rating.
Despite the gloom of this World Intellectual Property Day, Becker sees some signs of encouragement for the entertainment industry. For instance, 59 percent of survey respondents in France and 69 percent in Britain said they trusted entertainment companies to make content widely and legally available online.
"The message about legal availability is coming through," she said. "When I think about how recently the complaint was that they were making it hard to find legal music for sale online, this is really progress."
The next step is making a dent in the industry's trustworthiness problem, she said.
"The industry can build trust by leading, or being seen as leading, the revolution in entertainment distribution by leading the change in business models," Becker said.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
James Brady On Media
James Brady On Media
Bimbos Or Sweet 16?
BY James Brady
http://www.forbes.com/home/opinions/2007/04/25/james-brady-teens-oped-cx_jb_0426brady.html
What kind of teen magazine do we want our daughters reading? An innocent and rather refreshing True Girl with its devoted but minuscule circulation, curtly dismissed to me by Hearst Magazines' Cathie Black "because Madison Avenue has no interest in 'tweens"? The smart and sexy Cosmo Girl? The longtime No. 1 book, Seventeen? Or, heaven forfend, Teen Vogue, once snidely derided as "for rich white girls"?
For 61 years, the teen category leader in advertising page sales was Seventeen magazine (now a Hearst book), followed in 2005 by an oddly sized little (because it slips conveniently into backpacks) Conde Nast trifle called Teen Vogue. At that point only two years old, it came along to stun Seventeen by a razor-thin advantage of 26 ad pages. Within a year, Teen Vogue had a solid grip on the category, leading by 287 ad pages.
In a dismal season business-wise for many magazines--Life, Child, Premiere and Elle Girl all went under, and even the red-hot celebrity books were scrambling--Teen Vogue is again running miles ahead of its previous year's circulation and is modestly ahead in ad performance, up 4% in ad pages through May. What's the formula? I asked founding Teen Vogue publisher Gina Sanders over lunch at La Grenouille, the day before she and her family took off for a Jamaica holiday.
Sanders begins with the magazine's slogan, "Fashion starts here," and fleshes it out with names and stats. "Neiman Marcus uses our magazine because they want to cultivate a younger audience. Other stores want to gain cachet." Although girls begin reading Teen Vogue at about 16, "there are grown women who subscribe." Which is understandable when you check out the roster of what Sanders calls "our exclusive advertisers within the teen set"--such prestigious labels as Armani Exchange, Burberry, Chloe, D&G, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Sephora. Plus multi-page ads from The Gap and other major advertisers. Sanders notes that not only is Teen Vogue beating its rival kid books in ad sales, it's also selling "more pages than many women's magazines."
When it launched in 2003, Conde Nast set the guaranteed rate base at 450,000 copies. Last October, the rate base doubled, to 900,000. But circ was rising so fast Teen Vogue was already offering advertisers a bonus of another 100,000. Right now, its audited total circulation is just over 1 million, with newsstand sales trending upward as well. Another vigorous plus: what Teen Vogue calls "the It Girls," its online reader panel of more than 100,000 active members.
You can be sure Hearst's Black isn't simply tossing in the towel on Seventeen. She's already shaken up the masthead and will be doing more. But she'll be going up against a formidable Conde Nast team as she and Seventeen attempt to recapture category leadership.
There's Vogue's editor in chief Anna Wintour, who exercises oversight as editorial director of Teen Vogue; deft editor Amy Astley; and the redoubtable publisher Sanders herself--a trim mother of two, married to a member of the Newhouse family (which doesn't hurt). She graduated from Tufts, where at college and into her 20s she was a distance track athlete running 100 miles a week. Before joining Conde Nast in 1988 as an account manager for House & Garden, Sanders worked in Boston and Madison Avenue ad agencies for six years.
She made her way up the corporate ladder from ad director of Details magazine to publisher, then Gourmet publisher until about five years ago, when the company asked her to create and launch Conde Nast's first-ever teen publication.
In recent years, girls' magazines have changed, with more stories about sex, abortion and drugs, and with glamorous "bimbos" as their cover-girl "role models." Teen Vogue seems to suggest maybe, without being didactic about it, the teen books ought to clean up their acts. Its March issue cover lines featured "Sweet 16 parties," "Should your school day start later?" and "Romantic white dresses," as well as how to earn a summer internship. April's issue includes a report on how more schools are cracking down on "dirty dancing" at the prom, and a cautionary feature on "Big spenders: Are you a shopaholic?" plus another titled, "I saw my friend die," about "drunk driving's deadly toll."
Is squeaky-clean what kids want? Maybe they do. Teen Vogue's circulation figures seem to say so. As do their ad sales. I'm anxiously awaiting my granddaughter's definitive take. So far, she thinks Sanders' magazine is "cool." And when I interviewed 16-year-old actress Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts' niece, who's on the cover of Teen Vogue and plays the title role in a new flick, Nancy Drew, young Emma said the mag is her fave.
Bimbos Or Sweet 16?
BY James Brady
http://www.forbes.com/home/opinions/2007/04/25/james-brady-teens-oped-cx_jb_0426brady.html
What kind of teen magazine do we want our daughters reading? An innocent and rather refreshing True Girl with its devoted but minuscule circulation, curtly dismissed to me by Hearst Magazines' Cathie Black "because Madison Avenue has no interest in 'tweens"? The smart and sexy Cosmo Girl? The longtime No. 1 book, Seventeen? Or, heaven forfend, Teen Vogue, once snidely derided as "for rich white girls"?
For 61 years, the teen category leader in advertising page sales was Seventeen magazine (now a Hearst book), followed in 2005 by an oddly sized little (because it slips conveniently into backpacks) Conde Nast trifle called Teen Vogue. At that point only two years old, it came along to stun Seventeen by a razor-thin advantage of 26 ad pages. Within a year, Teen Vogue had a solid grip on the category, leading by 287 ad pages.
In a dismal season business-wise for many magazines--Life, Child, Premiere and Elle Girl all went under, and even the red-hot celebrity books were scrambling--Teen Vogue is again running miles ahead of its previous year's circulation and is modestly ahead in ad performance, up 4% in ad pages through May. What's the formula? I asked founding Teen Vogue publisher Gina Sanders over lunch at La Grenouille, the day before she and her family took off for a Jamaica holiday.
Sanders begins with the magazine's slogan, "Fashion starts here," and fleshes it out with names and stats. "Neiman Marcus uses our magazine because they want to cultivate a younger audience. Other stores want to gain cachet." Although girls begin reading Teen Vogue at about 16, "there are grown women who subscribe." Which is understandable when you check out the roster of what Sanders calls "our exclusive advertisers within the teen set"--such prestigious labels as Armani Exchange, Burberry, Chloe, D&G, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Sephora. Plus multi-page ads from The Gap and other major advertisers. Sanders notes that not only is Teen Vogue beating its rival kid books in ad sales, it's also selling "more pages than many women's magazines."
When it launched in 2003, Conde Nast set the guaranteed rate base at 450,000 copies. Last October, the rate base doubled, to 900,000. But circ was rising so fast Teen Vogue was already offering advertisers a bonus of another 100,000. Right now, its audited total circulation is just over 1 million, with newsstand sales trending upward as well. Another vigorous plus: what Teen Vogue calls "the It Girls," its online reader panel of more than 100,000 active members.
You can be sure Hearst's Black isn't simply tossing in the towel on Seventeen. She's already shaken up the masthead and will be doing more. But she'll be going up against a formidable Conde Nast team as she and Seventeen attempt to recapture category leadership.
There's Vogue's editor in chief Anna Wintour, who exercises oversight as editorial director of Teen Vogue; deft editor Amy Astley; and the redoubtable publisher Sanders herself--a trim mother of two, married to a member of the Newhouse family (which doesn't hurt). She graduated from Tufts, where at college and into her 20s she was a distance track athlete running 100 miles a week. Before joining Conde Nast in 1988 as an account manager for House & Garden, Sanders worked in Boston and Madison Avenue ad agencies for six years.
She made her way up the corporate ladder from ad director of Details magazine to publisher, then Gourmet publisher until about five years ago, when the company asked her to create and launch Conde Nast's first-ever teen publication.
In recent years, girls' magazines have changed, with more stories about sex, abortion and drugs, and with glamorous "bimbos" as their cover-girl "role models." Teen Vogue seems to suggest maybe, without being didactic about it, the teen books ought to clean up their acts. Its March issue cover lines featured "Sweet 16 parties," "Should your school day start later?" and "Romantic white dresses," as well as how to earn a summer internship. April's issue includes a report on how more schools are cracking down on "dirty dancing" at the prom, and a cautionary feature on "Big spenders: Are you a shopaholic?" plus another titled, "I saw my friend die," about "drunk driving's deadly toll."
Is squeaky-clean what kids want? Maybe they do. Teen Vogue's circulation figures seem to say so. As do their ad sales. I'm anxiously awaiting my granddaughter's definitive take. So far, she thinks Sanders' magazine is "cool." And when I interviewed 16-year-old actress Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts' niece, who's on the cover of Teen Vogue and plays the title role in a new flick, Nancy Drew, young Emma said the mag is her fave.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Mr. Magazine Blogs Blu
BLU Magazine
By Samir Husni
http://mrmagazine.wordpress.com/
Lately we have been reading about magazines folding shop in print and claiming to stay alive on cyber space. FHM, Teen People, Shock, Info World and Elle Girl, to name a few, decided to cease the ink on paper editions and concentrate on pixels on the screen. Kimberly Toms spotted this trend and decided to do the opposite.
Rather than publishing her new magazine BLU (a magazine for single men and women) in print first and face all the problems of a new launch such as the cost of printing and production, no advertising, low sale through numbers and a lot of waste, Toms opted for the pixels on the screen.
She said that the "Magazine BLU is in digital format for the first five bimonthlies (through the December 07 edition) for brand-building and working out of the design/inclusion kinks, then monthly and in hard copy (with distribution already lined up) as of January 2008. The next issue is June/July 07 with a major launch event in Philly in July."
To say that Kimberly is having a love affair with this magazine concept will be an understatement. Kimberly told me that, "This has been the concept that would not die, no matter how much I wanted it to some days!! It has been the most difficult, yet most rewarding journey, and I look forward to every day it presents as Magazine BLU." I only wished that the passion that Kimberly has for the magazine and the magazine busniess is evident in her first issue.
A digital magazine with all the type and design that BLU offers makes it hard to read and enjoy, but I am sure that Kimberly knows that since she mentioned the ongoing work on the design kinks in the magazine. A digital magazine should not be a replica of the print magazine or an imitation of it. It does not even need the space for a UPC.
The screen viewers are not the same as the page viewers. To view the first issue of BLU magazine click here,and to see a great example of a digital magazine click here to read Felix Dennis's magazine Monkey click here.
Magazine BLU is not the first magazine to publish via the web first and turn to print next, and it will not be the last. I continue to believe that, in this day and age, if you are really going to survive and make a profit, you have to pay your dues in ink on paper. If you think the competition to establish yourself in print is tough, then you do not know how big is the competition in the virtual space out there. It is good to dream big . . . but one day you have to wake up (and smell the ink . . .)
By Samir Husni
http://mrmagazine.wordpress.com/
Lately we have been reading about magazines folding shop in print and claiming to stay alive on cyber space. FHM, Teen People, Shock, Info World and Elle Girl, to name a few, decided to cease the ink on paper editions and concentrate on pixels on the screen. Kimberly Toms spotted this trend and decided to do the opposite.
Rather than publishing her new magazine BLU (a magazine for single men and women) in print first and face all the problems of a new launch such as the cost of printing and production, no advertising, low sale through numbers and a lot of waste, Toms opted for the pixels on the screen.
She said that the "Magazine BLU is in digital format for the first five bimonthlies (through the December 07 edition) for brand-building and working out of the design/inclusion kinks, then monthly and in hard copy (with distribution already lined up) as of January 2008. The next issue is June/July 07 with a major launch event in Philly in July."
To say that Kimberly is having a love affair with this magazine concept will be an understatement. Kimberly told me that, "This has been the concept that would not die, no matter how much I wanted it to some days!! It has been the most difficult, yet most rewarding journey, and I look forward to every day it presents as Magazine BLU." I only wished that the passion that Kimberly has for the magazine and the magazine busniess is evident in her first issue.
A digital magazine with all the type and design that BLU offers makes it hard to read and enjoy, but I am sure that Kimberly knows that since she mentioned the ongoing work on the design kinks in the magazine. A digital magazine should not be a replica of the print magazine or an imitation of it. It does not even need the space for a UPC.
The screen viewers are not the same as the page viewers. To view the first issue of BLU magazine click here,and to see a great example of a digital magazine click here to read Felix Dennis's magazine Monkey click here.
Magazine BLU is not the first magazine to publish via the web first and turn to print next, and it will not be the last. I continue to believe that, in this day and age, if you are really going to survive and make a profit, you have to pay your dues in ink on paper. If you think the competition to establish yourself in print is tough, then you do not know how big is the competition in the virtual space out there. It is good to dream big . . . but one day you have to wake up (and smell the ink . . .)
In a Troubled Time, a New Business Magazine
In a Troubled Time, a New Business Magazine
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Joanne Lipman, the editor of Portfolio, the new business magazine from Condé Nast, tapped gently last Monday on the door of David Carey, the publisher, and then burst into his bright Midtown corner office.
“It’s here!” she said, grinning and handing him a copy of the much-anticipated debut issue of Portfolio. Lush, photo-rich and thick with ads (185 ad pages in a 332-page issue), it’s an unmistakable stablemate of Condé Nast’s Vogue and Vanity Fair.
The cover photograph isn’t of John F. Welch Jr. or Bill Gates but a rooftop view of Manhattan, golden lights glowing in anonymous office cubicles — a homage to Berenice Abbott, who documented New York’s changing cityscape in the 1930s.
Mr. Carey beamed back. He then reached over to a side table and picked up a recent issue of Fortune, one of Portfolio’s chief competitors. The Fortune cover was particularly busy, with a crowd of anonymous Google workers in casual dress and a cover line announcing “The 100 Best Companies to Work For.” He held them side by side. His glow said no contest.
“We’re not giving you peas and carrots,” he said. “We want to capture the glamour.”
Between all those ad pages, readers will find business executives treated like celebrities and the kind of matching of writer and subject they might find in Vanity Fair: Tom Wolfe on hedge funds (with photographs by Annie Leibovitz); Betsey Morris on the Ford family; and Michael Lewis on “jock exchanges,” which trade in athletes.
Sheelah Kolhatkar writes about the handful of women who actually do private equity deals. Gabriel Sherman interviews Bruce Sherman, the reclusive Florida money manager who has invested heavily in newspapers.
“Business is about power,” Ms. Lipman writes in her first editor’s letter. “And guts. And passion. Business coverage should be too.”
Business is also about brains, and Condé Nast’s were certainly questioned when the company announced in September 2005 that it was putting out a business magazine — its biggest single investment in a start-up — at a time when many others were foundering.
Readers were still reeling from the bursting of the Internet bubble and corporate scandals, and investors were looking at constantly updated Web sites — not biweekly glossies — for an edge. And some sizable advertisers, like the Detroit automakers, were mired in slumps of their own.
Some of the big magazines remain troubled: ad pages for the first three months of this year were down for BusinessWeek (3 percent), Forbes (9 percent) and Fortune (13 percent), compared with the same period a year ago, according to Publishers Information Bureau. Circulation at the big three has been flat or falling for the last few years, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
But Portfolio would not be the first business magazine introduced during trying times. Henry Luce founded Fortune just months after the Wall Street crash of 1929, for example.
S. I. Newhouse, chairman of Condé Nast, said in an interview that he had no patience with Portfolio skeptics.
“Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to trample on Forbes or Fortune. I think we’re going to help the whole field. We’re going to bring excitement to it, and we’re going to bring luxury and fashion advertisers into it.”
Mr. Newhouse said that Portfolio had been inspired by a positive response to business articles in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, although he could not recall precisely which ones. He also said he had not made the final decision to proceed until Ms. Lipman agreed in August 2005 to leave The Wall Street Journal, where she had overseen its Weekend Journal and Personal Journal sections and its Saturday paper.
Mr. Newhouse said that his reported commitment to the magazine of more than $100 million over the next five years was “something of a myth” because “we’re going to stay with Portfolio.”
Portfolio has hired more than 75 editorial people for the magazine, 40 for its Web site, www.portfolio.com, and more than 45 on the business side.
The business side, under Mr. Carey, the former publisher of The New Yorker, has been working Madison Avenue hard. After all, he has a reputation to uphold. During his tenure at The New Yorker, between 1998 and 2005, advertising revenue almost doubled and the magazine broke the 1 million mark in circulation. In 1996, Mr. Carey brought 210 ad pages to the first issue of the restarted House and Garden, one of the highest levels ever for a new magazine.
Portfolio’s first issue has drawn 53 business advertisers, 30 of which had rarely if ever advertised in a Condé Nast publication. The newcomers include Barclays and Pitney Bowes.
“Job No. 1 was to deepen the company’s penetration in the business advertising category, which the May issue achieved,” Mr. Carey said. Bringing more business advertisers in the door could get them interested in advertising in some of the company’s other magazines; at the same time, Portfolio provides a new outlet, and another affluent readership, for advertisers who already appear in those other magazines.
Portfolio was nearly two years in the making, a long time for journalists to go without ink. At least one who was hired has already left, sowing rumors of sagging morale. During the start-up period, competing publications have written articles that were rumored to be appearing in Portfolio, trying to steal its thunder, and articles at Portfolio were commissioned and killed.
Mr. Wolfe added some drama of his own, sweeping through Portfolio’s hushed glassy offices with a black cape over his white suit. His narrative was supposed to run 2,500 words but he submitted 11,000, since honed to 7,500 words. His is the longest piece in the magazine.
One of Portfolio’s most celebrated hires, Kurt Eichenwald, a former reporter for The New York Times, was to have been featured in the premiere issue. But his article, on terrorism, was held, according to people involved with the magazine, because Mr. Eichenwald deluged the magazine’s fact-checking department with thousands of pages of documents just before the article was to go to press last month. It is expected to appear in a later issue.
Holding it, these people said, was unrelated to a controversy involving Mr. Eichenwald that emerged earlier in March: the revelation that in 2005, while at The Times, he had sent $2,000 to someone who later became the subject of an article. (Mr. Eichenwald, who has said the money was repaid long before the article appeared, declined to comment for this article.)
Ms. Lipman declined to discuss the article but called Mr. Eichenwald “one of the finest investigative reporters there is.”
James Impoco, deputy editor at the magazine and a former Sunday Business editor at The New York Times, said that Ms. Lipman had “exacting standards.”
He said that “she knows what she wants and is pretty strong-willed.”
Mr. Impoco added: “I have to admit that I was a little worried after she saw ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and told me she sympathized with the Meryl Streep character. But she turned out to be a pretty thoughtful boss.”
Ms. Lipman was almost giddy last week as she showed off a display of the magazine’s pages on the walls of a secured room. Portfolio’s goal, she said, was to “connect the dots” between life inside the boardroom and out.
“I love this kind of story,” she said, gesturing to a profile of Boone Pickens, the Texas oil tycoon whose son pleaded guilty last year to securities fraud. “It’s a great ‘King Lear’ tale,” she said. “He’s in his second act and his family’s disintegrating.”
The magazine is priced at $4.99 on the newsstand and is testing subscription prices from $12 to $22 for 12 issues. Its next issue is scheduled for late August, and it will appear monthly after that.
The magazine’s Web site, which will be free, will contain all the articles in the magazine and report breaking news, much of it by Portfolio writers. Chris Jones, the site’s managing editor, said its bloggers would post three and five times a day. The site has elaborately produced videos and various interactive features.
In conjunction with Condé Nast Traveler, the Web site will also tell readers things like the best place to make a deal in various cities, and which company’s employees like to stay in which hotels (in San Francisco, Yahoo likes the Clift, Mr. Jones said). For those readers headed to jail, portfolio.com offers prison advice: get dental work done in advance and don’t talk to the press.
Still, the magazine is at the heart of the Portfolio enterprise and while some skeptics remain, they acknowledge that Portfolio is well positioned.
“I don’t think they would make the same decision to launch a business magazine now because the climate has changed since they announced,” said Martin Walker, a magazine consultant.
But, he added, “you’re talking about a powerhouse publishing company, and they have a terrific database to get subscribers, they have all kinds of ad connections and they are spending enormous amounts of money.”
And there are signs of life elsewhere in business magazines. Fortune is putting out a redesign of its venerable Fortune 500 issue today with heavier paper stock (not as heavy as Portfolio’s) and may redesign the whole magazine. Forbes is planning a new business magazine, geared toward women. Portfolio has been raiding business publications for writers and editors, setting off an intense competition for marquee names.
Robert Safian, former executive editor of Fortune and now editor and managing director of Fast Company (circulation 755,000), said the entire business category was undergoing a reinvention.
“Business remains at the heart of our culture, nationally and globally,” he said. “The traditional business magazines have had trouble capturing and expressing that excitement in recent years, and the ad market has reflected that, but I think the tide is turning.”
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Joanne Lipman, the editor of Portfolio, the new business magazine from Condé Nast, tapped gently last Monday on the door of David Carey, the publisher, and then burst into his bright Midtown corner office.
“It’s here!” she said, grinning and handing him a copy of the much-anticipated debut issue of Portfolio. Lush, photo-rich and thick with ads (185 ad pages in a 332-page issue), it’s an unmistakable stablemate of Condé Nast’s Vogue and Vanity Fair.
The cover photograph isn’t of John F. Welch Jr. or Bill Gates but a rooftop view of Manhattan, golden lights glowing in anonymous office cubicles — a homage to Berenice Abbott, who documented New York’s changing cityscape in the 1930s.
Mr. Carey beamed back. He then reached over to a side table and picked up a recent issue of Fortune, one of Portfolio’s chief competitors. The Fortune cover was particularly busy, with a crowd of anonymous Google workers in casual dress and a cover line announcing “The 100 Best Companies to Work For.” He held them side by side. His glow said no contest.
“We’re not giving you peas and carrots,” he said. “We want to capture the glamour.”
Between all those ad pages, readers will find business executives treated like celebrities and the kind of matching of writer and subject they might find in Vanity Fair: Tom Wolfe on hedge funds (with photographs by Annie Leibovitz); Betsey Morris on the Ford family; and Michael Lewis on “jock exchanges,” which trade in athletes.
Sheelah Kolhatkar writes about the handful of women who actually do private equity deals. Gabriel Sherman interviews Bruce Sherman, the reclusive Florida money manager who has invested heavily in newspapers.
“Business is about power,” Ms. Lipman writes in her first editor’s letter. “And guts. And passion. Business coverage should be too.”
Business is also about brains, and Condé Nast’s were certainly questioned when the company announced in September 2005 that it was putting out a business magazine — its biggest single investment in a start-up — at a time when many others were foundering.
Readers were still reeling from the bursting of the Internet bubble and corporate scandals, and investors were looking at constantly updated Web sites — not biweekly glossies — for an edge. And some sizable advertisers, like the Detroit automakers, were mired in slumps of their own.
Some of the big magazines remain troubled: ad pages for the first three months of this year were down for BusinessWeek (3 percent), Forbes (9 percent) and Fortune (13 percent), compared with the same period a year ago, according to Publishers Information Bureau. Circulation at the big three has been flat or falling for the last few years, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
But Portfolio would not be the first business magazine introduced during trying times. Henry Luce founded Fortune just months after the Wall Street crash of 1929, for example.
S. I. Newhouse, chairman of Condé Nast, said in an interview that he had no patience with Portfolio skeptics.
“Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to trample on Forbes or Fortune. I think we’re going to help the whole field. We’re going to bring excitement to it, and we’re going to bring luxury and fashion advertisers into it.”
Mr. Newhouse said that Portfolio had been inspired by a positive response to business articles in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, although he could not recall precisely which ones. He also said he had not made the final decision to proceed until Ms. Lipman agreed in August 2005 to leave The Wall Street Journal, where she had overseen its Weekend Journal and Personal Journal sections and its Saturday paper.
Mr. Newhouse said that his reported commitment to the magazine of more than $100 million over the next five years was “something of a myth” because “we’re going to stay with Portfolio.”
Portfolio has hired more than 75 editorial people for the magazine, 40 for its Web site, www.portfolio.com, and more than 45 on the business side.
The business side, under Mr. Carey, the former publisher of The New Yorker, has been working Madison Avenue hard. After all, he has a reputation to uphold. During his tenure at The New Yorker, between 1998 and 2005, advertising revenue almost doubled and the magazine broke the 1 million mark in circulation. In 1996, Mr. Carey brought 210 ad pages to the first issue of the restarted House and Garden, one of the highest levels ever for a new magazine.
Portfolio’s first issue has drawn 53 business advertisers, 30 of which had rarely if ever advertised in a Condé Nast publication. The newcomers include Barclays and Pitney Bowes.
“Job No. 1 was to deepen the company’s penetration in the business advertising category, which the May issue achieved,” Mr. Carey said. Bringing more business advertisers in the door could get them interested in advertising in some of the company’s other magazines; at the same time, Portfolio provides a new outlet, and another affluent readership, for advertisers who already appear in those other magazines.
Portfolio was nearly two years in the making, a long time for journalists to go without ink. At least one who was hired has already left, sowing rumors of sagging morale. During the start-up period, competing publications have written articles that were rumored to be appearing in Portfolio, trying to steal its thunder, and articles at Portfolio were commissioned and killed.
Mr. Wolfe added some drama of his own, sweeping through Portfolio’s hushed glassy offices with a black cape over his white suit. His narrative was supposed to run 2,500 words but he submitted 11,000, since honed to 7,500 words. His is the longest piece in the magazine.
One of Portfolio’s most celebrated hires, Kurt Eichenwald, a former reporter for The New York Times, was to have been featured in the premiere issue. But his article, on terrorism, was held, according to people involved with the magazine, because Mr. Eichenwald deluged the magazine’s fact-checking department with thousands of pages of documents just before the article was to go to press last month. It is expected to appear in a later issue.
Holding it, these people said, was unrelated to a controversy involving Mr. Eichenwald that emerged earlier in March: the revelation that in 2005, while at The Times, he had sent $2,000 to someone who later became the subject of an article. (Mr. Eichenwald, who has said the money was repaid long before the article appeared, declined to comment for this article.)
Ms. Lipman declined to discuss the article but called Mr. Eichenwald “one of the finest investigative reporters there is.”
James Impoco, deputy editor at the magazine and a former Sunday Business editor at The New York Times, said that Ms. Lipman had “exacting standards.”
He said that “she knows what she wants and is pretty strong-willed.”
Mr. Impoco added: “I have to admit that I was a little worried after she saw ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and told me she sympathized with the Meryl Streep character. But she turned out to be a pretty thoughtful boss.”
Ms. Lipman was almost giddy last week as she showed off a display of the magazine’s pages on the walls of a secured room. Portfolio’s goal, she said, was to “connect the dots” between life inside the boardroom and out.
“I love this kind of story,” she said, gesturing to a profile of Boone Pickens, the Texas oil tycoon whose son pleaded guilty last year to securities fraud. “It’s a great ‘King Lear’ tale,” she said. “He’s in his second act and his family’s disintegrating.”
The magazine is priced at $4.99 on the newsstand and is testing subscription prices from $12 to $22 for 12 issues. Its next issue is scheduled for late August, and it will appear monthly after that.
The magazine’s Web site, which will be free, will contain all the articles in the magazine and report breaking news, much of it by Portfolio writers. Chris Jones, the site’s managing editor, said its bloggers would post three and five times a day. The site has elaborately produced videos and various interactive features.
In conjunction with Condé Nast Traveler, the Web site will also tell readers things like the best place to make a deal in various cities, and which company’s employees like to stay in which hotels (in San Francisco, Yahoo likes the Clift, Mr. Jones said). For those readers headed to jail, portfolio.com offers prison advice: get dental work done in advance and don’t talk to the press.
Still, the magazine is at the heart of the Portfolio enterprise and while some skeptics remain, they acknowledge that Portfolio is well positioned.
“I don’t think they would make the same decision to launch a business magazine now because the climate has changed since they announced,” said Martin Walker, a magazine consultant.
But, he added, “you’re talking about a powerhouse publishing company, and they have a terrific database to get subscribers, they have all kinds of ad connections and they are spending enormous amounts of money.”
And there are signs of life elsewhere in business magazines. Fortune is putting out a redesign of its venerable Fortune 500 issue today with heavier paper stock (not as heavy as Portfolio’s) and may redesign the whole magazine. Forbes is planning a new business magazine, geared toward women. Portfolio has been raiding business publications for writers and editors, setting off an intense competition for marquee names.
Robert Safian, former executive editor of Fortune and now editor and managing director of Fast Company (circulation 755,000), said the entire business category was undergoing a reinvention.
“Business remains at the heart of our culture, nationally and globally,” he said. “The traditional business magazines have had trouble capturing and expressing that excitement in recent years, and the ad market has reflected that, but I think the tide is turning.”
Mutual Suspicion
OFF MESSAGE
Mutual Suspicion
By William Powers, National Journal
http://nationaljournal.com/powers.htm#
I was at one of my usual stopping places online, Arts & Letters Daily, when I noticed a headline mentioning Stephen Greenblatt, the Harvard professor who wrote Will in the World, a strange and wonderful biography of Shakespeare from a few years back. I'm a Greenblatt fan, so I clicked.
The link took me to The New York Review of Books and a Greenblatt essay called "Shakespeare and the Uses of Power," which opens with a high-grade anecdote about Bill Clinton and Macbeth. I was cruising along nicely when, about 10 paragraphs in, I felt an urge I always get with longer pieces on the Web -- a desperate craving for paper. I hunted around for the hard copy of the review but discovered that we'd let our subscription lapse, so I went back to the screen and printed the piece out.
A few days later, Greenblatt was on Open Source, the nationally syndicated public-radio show hosted by Christopher Lydon, to talk about the essay, and I tuned in. I've been on that show myself more than once, so maybe I'm biased, but I think Lydon is a marvel. I e-mailed him the next day to say that I'd loved the conversation, and he wrote back that there was follow-up stuff on the show's blog. I went there and read it.
Now think about the way this little media journey unfolded: from a Web-only media site, to the online version of an old paper periodical, to paper itself, to radio, and then back to the Web.
The standard view of the media today is of two separate, warring kingdoms. Bloggers and their ilk want to take down the uppity mainstream media, the "MSM" that they despise -- traditional newspapers, magazines, and such. And the MSM curse the day that the digital barbarians stormed the castle and spoiled everything.
It's a great story line. And if you reflect on it for about one second, you realize that it's not true. Old and new media have a symbiotic relationship. Without The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, and the other media ancients, bloggers who cover news and politics would have nothing to talk about. Meanwhile, the mainstreamers have their own Web sites, and they adore the traffic they get from bloggers linking to them.
I've written about this dynamic before, as have others. But there's one aspect of the symbiosis that is rarely mentioned: the way it helps us consumers by serving as a two-way filter. New and old media vet one another's work, each helping us to unclutter and winnow the content from the other side. When a major print outlet shines its light on a particular Web site or podcaster, I sit up and notice. Why? Because there are millions of bloggers and podcasters out there, so the establishment media can afford to be very choosy. A blog has to clear a high bar to win that kind of attention.
Thus, when I noticed that The Wall Street Journal (hard copy) was praising an architecture blog I'd never seen called BLDGBLOG, I opened my screen and typed it right in -- it was a winner. After seeing a BusinessWeek (again, the paper version) story about a podcaster known as Grammar Girl, I told my 9-year-old about her and now we listen to her together.
Likewise, the online media don't link to just anything in the mainstream. Because many digital types are constitutionally suspicious of that world, when they praise something that appeared in print, it's noteworthy. And when they mock old-media content or call it an outrage, well, that's interesting, too. As I wrote this column, the news tab at Technorati.com was reporting that tons of bloggers were linking to a Time magazine story titled "An Administration's Epic Collapse." I don't know why -- I haven't even glanced at Time this week. Now I will.
The filters aren't foolproof, but sometimes they work in spite of themselves. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a front-page teaser for an article (subscription) about "relevant" Web sites for 2008 campaign coverage. I flipped directly to the piece and thought it was a big yawn. The Web fare that it touted sounded so dull that I didn't even go online to check it out. Happiness is knowing what to ignore.
-- William Powers is a columnist for National Journal magazine
Mutual Suspicion
By William Powers, National Journal
http://nationaljournal.com/powers.htm#
I was at one of my usual stopping places online, Arts & Letters Daily, when I noticed a headline mentioning Stephen Greenblatt, the Harvard professor who wrote Will in the World, a strange and wonderful biography of Shakespeare from a few years back. I'm a Greenblatt fan, so I clicked.
The link took me to The New York Review of Books and a Greenblatt essay called "Shakespeare and the Uses of Power," which opens with a high-grade anecdote about Bill Clinton and Macbeth. I was cruising along nicely when, about 10 paragraphs in, I felt an urge I always get with longer pieces on the Web -- a desperate craving for paper. I hunted around for the hard copy of the review but discovered that we'd let our subscription lapse, so I went back to the screen and printed the piece out.
A few days later, Greenblatt was on Open Source, the nationally syndicated public-radio show hosted by Christopher Lydon, to talk about the essay, and I tuned in. I've been on that show myself more than once, so maybe I'm biased, but I think Lydon is a marvel. I e-mailed him the next day to say that I'd loved the conversation, and he wrote back that there was follow-up stuff on the show's blog. I went there and read it.
Now think about the way this little media journey unfolded: from a Web-only media site, to the online version of an old paper periodical, to paper itself, to radio, and then back to the Web.
The standard view of the media today is of two separate, warring kingdoms. Bloggers and their ilk want to take down the uppity mainstream media, the "MSM" that they despise -- traditional newspapers, magazines, and such. And the MSM curse the day that the digital barbarians stormed the castle and spoiled everything.
It's a great story line. And if you reflect on it for about one second, you realize that it's not true. Old and new media have a symbiotic relationship. Without The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS News, and the other media ancients, bloggers who cover news and politics would have nothing to talk about. Meanwhile, the mainstreamers have their own Web sites, and they adore the traffic they get from bloggers linking to them.
I've written about this dynamic before, as have others. But there's one aspect of the symbiosis that is rarely mentioned: the way it helps us consumers by serving as a two-way filter. New and old media vet one another's work, each helping us to unclutter and winnow the content from the other side. When a major print outlet shines its light on a particular Web site or podcaster, I sit up and notice. Why? Because there are millions of bloggers and podcasters out there, so the establishment media can afford to be very choosy. A blog has to clear a high bar to win that kind of attention.
Thus, when I noticed that The Wall Street Journal (hard copy) was praising an architecture blog I'd never seen called BLDGBLOG, I opened my screen and typed it right in -- it was a winner. After seeing a BusinessWeek (again, the paper version) story about a podcaster known as Grammar Girl, I told my 9-year-old about her and now we listen to her together.
Likewise, the online media don't link to just anything in the mainstream. Because many digital types are constitutionally suspicious of that world, when they praise something that appeared in print, it's noteworthy. And when they mock old-media content or call it an outrage, well, that's interesting, too. As I wrote this column, the news tab at Technorati.com was reporting that tons of bloggers were linking to a Time magazine story titled "An Administration's Epic Collapse." I don't know why -- I haven't even glanced at Time this week. Now I will.
The filters aren't foolproof, but sometimes they work in spite of themselves. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a front-page teaser for an article (subscription) about "relevant" Web sites for 2008 campaign coverage. I flipped directly to the piece and thought it was a big yawn. The Web fare that it touted sounded so dull that I didn't even go online to check it out. Happiness is knowing what to ignore.
-- William Powers is a columnist for National Journal magazine
A Soft Sell With Cold, Hard Cash in Mind
A Soft Sell With Cold, Hard Cash in Mind
By RICHARD SIKLOS
I JUST spent a languorous afternoon watching a new form of video entertainment, sponsored by advertisers like Budweiser and General Electric on Web sites they have created. Unlike other forms of branded entertainment in which products are embedded in the story line, this genre of programming makes no mention of the products at all.
My first reaction, after sitting through a few clips and episodes, each running a few minutes? Hey, some of it isn’t bad. Among other things, I chuckled at “Truly Famous,” a Bud.tv show about a fake celebrity and his fake entourage trying to scam perks in Hollywood. And I was amused by a silly Japanese-style cartoon called “Samurai” on www.ge.com/imaginationtheater.
On the other hand, I came away from the experience not particularly thirsty for a Bud or yearning for a G.E. stove. That’s slightly unfair, of course: marketing is a complex and mysterious science, and the real test is how a person feels when buying choices are actually made — say, on the bar stool or when buying a house
Generally, as I clicked my way through the afternoon, I went from impressed to entertained to indifferent to bored. In other words, it was just like watching TV. And I did appreciate that the shows themselves were devoid of the relentless product plugs that are ruining a lot of prime-time television and the movies. Yet, knowing how and why this programming came into being, I wondered if it was crossing an unseen line between commercial message and content where consumers ought not to go.
Can material spawned in such a way be anywhere near as effective as traditional advertising, or as good as conventional programming that is born by creative inspiration rather than to help sell something? After all, Samuel Goldwyn once observed (in a slightly different context): “Pictures are for entertainment. Messages should be delivered by Western Union.”
Of course, that great movie mogul never lived to see Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken,” the video Web gag from two years ago that helped increase sales of a new chicken sandwich. That presaged a flood of marketer-created programming alongside the more common homemade videos à la YouTube and the video being pumped online by traditional media players like television networks, newspapers and radio stations.
While just about everything concerning online video is an experiment at this point, there is immense interest in figuring out whether this kind of “advertainment” — it begs for a better term — represents a possible new business model for media in a digital world. It is yet another attempt at eliminating the middleman and having a direct relationship with the consumer. TV network executives like to call the Internet a “cable bypass” for their shows, but in this new configuration the advertiser is bypassing the networks.
The idea is to gather the audience you want to reach — basically, inviting them into a marketer’s virtual living room — and to give them a comfy sofa and something to do. (One thing I did not feel inspired or obligated to do was click on those parts of the sites that were more clearly marketing — for example, a G.E. video on solar power, or a couple of funny Budweiser ads.)
It is the ultimate “soft sell,” which is often the most effective form of advertising, says Rich Rosenthal, who runs a new corner of Warner Brothers called Studio 2.0 that was set up to make this kind of programming and is creating a show for bud.tv.
Analogies have been drawn to the early days of television, when shows like “Texaco Star Theater” spurred the medium out of its infancy. But to me, it’s something different: an evolved form of marketing blurred with media. In fact, this type of marketing already has a huge presence in print media in what is known as custom publishing — a business that doesn’t get much attention because it’s not the domain of the cool kids.
Media giants like Time Inc., the News Corporation and Dow Jones are all in some way involved in custom publishing, putting out all kinds of specialized magazines and newsletters for marketers like airlines, hotel chains and industry organizations. As you can imagine, these are rarely celebrated as “hot books,” and their editors don’t make the list of luminaries spotted at Michael’s.
But according to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, an investment bank that focuses on media, more money was spent on custom publishing in 2005 than on the entire United States consumer magazine business: $28.6 billion versus $23.5 billion. What’s more, the category is growing 15.3 percent a year — better than any other so-called traditional medium — and expected to total more than $58 billion in 2010. That, by the way, would be more than double the size of the slow-growing consumer magazine business.
Granted, there is a lot of cringe-worthy dreck in custom-published magazines by the standards of what most people think of as journalism. Yet there are also some fairly interesting postmodern examples of the form. For instance, the argument could be made that Time Inc.’s All You is one, given that it is distributed principally in Wal-Mart Stores. The same goes for Benetton’s well-regarded Colors or even Departures, the travel magazine sent only to American Express cardholders.
In video, bud.tv is probably the most ambitious effort of this kind so far. And it is not off to an auspicious start: its traffic fell 40 percent in its second month, according to ComScore Media Metrix, and it is quickly rolling out a revamped site.
THOUGH less of a gamble for its corporate owners, “G.E. Imagination Theater” is an equally interesting case study. It was created as a way to convey the megaconglomerate’s new slogan, “Imagination at Work,” but it was done separately from NBC Universal, the big media company that is part of G.E.
Rather, it was conceived and executed by G.E.’s ad agency, BBDO. G.E.’s global head of advertising, Judy L. Hu, told me that the inspiration was the TV variety show from the 1950s called “G.E. Theater” (with Ronald Reagan as host).
“It was a way to explore a new medium and tell a new story,” she explained. The only tie-in to NBC was that G.E. advertised the Web site on the network, which is where I first caught a glimpse of “Samurai.” “That’s always what you want to do as a marketer: Take the old and make it new again,” Ms. Hu said. “You don’t want to walk away from your heritage.”
Unless, of course, you are dashing into a world where old distinctions between media and marketing are becoming increasingly — and at times disturbingly — blurry.
By RICHARD SIKLOS
I JUST spent a languorous afternoon watching a new form of video entertainment, sponsored by advertisers like Budweiser and General Electric on Web sites they have created. Unlike other forms of branded entertainment in which products are embedded in the story line, this genre of programming makes no mention of the products at all.
My first reaction, after sitting through a few clips and episodes, each running a few minutes? Hey, some of it isn’t bad. Among other things, I chuckled at “Truly Famous,” a Bud.tv show about a fake celebrity and his fake entourage trying to scam perks in Hollywood. And I was amused by a silly Japanese-style cartoon called “Samurai” on www.ge.com/imaginationtheater.
On the other hand, I came away from the experience not particularly thirsty for a Bud or yearning for a G.E. stove. That’s slightly unfair, of course: marketing is a complex and mysterious science, and the real test is how a person feels when buying choices are actually made — say, on the bar stool or when buying a house
Generally, as I clicked my way through the afternoon, I went from impressed to entertained to indifferent to bored. In other words, it was just like watching TV. And I did appreciate that the shows themselves were devoid of the relentless product plugs that are ruining a lot of prime-time television and the movies. Yet, knowing how and why this programming came into being, I wondered if it was crossing an unseen line between commercial message and content where consumers ought not to go.
Can material spawned in such a way be anywhere near as effective as traditional advertising, or as good as conventional programming that is born by creative inspiration rather than to help sell something? After all, Samuel Goldwyn once observed (in a slightly different context): “Pictures are for entertainment. Messages should be delivered by Western Union.”
Of course, that great movie mogul never lived to see Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken,” the video Web gag from two years ago that helped increase sales of a new chicken sandwich. That presaged a flood of marketer-created programming alongside the more common homemade videos à la YouTube and the video being pumped online by traditional media players like television networks, newspapers and radio stations.
While just about everything concerning online video is an experiment at this point, there is immense interest in figuring out whether this kind of “advertainment” — it begs for a better term — represents a possible new business model for media in a digital world. It is yet another attempt at eliminating the middleman and having a direct relationship with the consumer. TV network executives like to call the Internet a “cable bypass” for their shows, but in this new configuration the advertiser is bypassing the networks.
The idea is to gather the audience you want to reach — basically, inviting them into a marketer’s virtual living room — and to give them a comfy sofa and something to do. (One thing I did not feel inspired or obligated to do was click on those parts of the sites that were more clearly marketing — for example, a G.E. video on solar power, or a couple of funny Budweiser ads.)
It is the ultimate “soft sell,” which is often the most effective form of advertising, says Rich Rosenthal, who runs a new corner of Warner Brothers called Studio 2.0 that was set up to make this kind of programming and is creating a show for bud.tv.
Analogies have been drawn to the early days of television, when shows like “Texaco Star Theater” spurred the medium out of its infancy. But to me, it’s something different: an evolved form of marketing blurred with media. In fact, this type of marketing already has a huge presence in print media in what is known as custom publishing — a business that doesn’t get much attention because it’s not the domain of the cool kids.
Media giants like Time Inc., the News Corporation and Dow Jones are all in some way involved in custom publishing, putting out all kinds of specialized magazines and newsletters for marketers like airlines, hotel chains and industry organizations. As you can imagine, these are rarely celebrated as “hot books,” and their editors don’t make the list of luminaries spotted at Michael’s.
But according to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, an investment bank that focuses on media, more money was spent on custom publishing in 2005 than on the entire United States consumer magazine business: $28.6 billion versus $23.5 billion. What’s more, the category is growing 15.3 percent a year — better than any other so-called traditional medium — and expected to total more than $58 billion in 2010. That, by the way, would be more than double the size of the slow-growing consumer magazine business.
Granted, there is a lot of cringe-worthy dreck in custom-published magazines by the standards of what most people think of as journalism. Yet there are also some fairly interesting postmodern examples of the form. For instance, the argument could be made that Time Inc.’s All You is one, given that it is distributed principally in Wal-Mart Stores. The same goes for Benetton’s well-regarded Colors or even Departures, the travel magazine sent only to American Express cardholders.
In video, bud.tv is probably the most ambitious effort of this kind so far. And it is not off to an auspicious start: its traffic fell 40 percent in its second month, according to ComScore Media Metrix, and it is quickly rolling out a revamped site.
THOUGH less of a gamble for its corporate owners, “G.E. Imagination Theater” is an equally interesting case study. It was created as a way to convey the megaconglomerate’s new slogan, “Imagination at Work,” but it was done separately from NBC Universal, the big media company that is part of G.E.
Rather, it was conceived and executed by G.E.’s ad agency, BBDO. G.E.’s global head of advertising, Judy L. Hu, told me that the inspiration was the TV variety show from the 1950s called “G.E. Theater” (with Ronald Reagan as host).
“It was a way to explore a new medium and tell a new story,” she explained. The only tie-in to NBC was that G.E. advertised the Web site on the network, which is where I first caught a glimpse of “Samurai.” “That’s always what you want to do as a marketer: Take the old and make it new again,” Ms. Hu said. “You don’t want to walk away from your heritage.”
Unless, of course, you are dashing into a world where old distinctions between media and marketing are becoming increasingly — and at times disturbingly — blurry.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Niche Savvy
Niche Savvy
Ink Tank
Posted by Melissa Meyer
http://wjcblog.typepad.com/ink_tank/2007/04/niche_savvy.html
A Reuters article published Wednesday, March 21st illustrated the growing trend of the niche publication, and how special interest magazines are finding their place in an Internet savvy society.
Rodale, Inc. which publishes Runner's World magazine, seems to have found their place among runners, judging by their rising circulation, according to the article written by Robert MacMillan.
In the second half of 2006, the magazine's circulation rose over five percent, despite seeing a decline in the number of newsstand sales. Since 2000, circulation has increased nearly 40 percent.
An expert in the field discussed the draw of consumers to niche publications and how increased popularity to a sport/activity brings increased sales, at least for Runner's World.
"This is pure service journalism," said Samir Husni, a magazine expert and chairman of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi. "You're a subscriber for life. Until you stop running or die, you are getting the magazine."
There were 29.2 million U.S. runners in 2005, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, up 28 percent from 2001. As novices start running, they pick up the magazine, said Mary Wittenberg, race director for the New York City Marathon.
"Runner's World is often a key initial hook," she said.
In a single issue, the magazine offers recipes, training tips, shoe advice, ads for the coolest new gadgets, and inspirational stories from real runners, both professional and non.
The rise in ad revenue, which was $66.6 million in 2006, a 250 percent jump from 2001, is in part because of all the gadgets runners in this technology based world think they need, like i-pods and heart rate monitors. Technical clothing with wicking fabric along with reflective gear round out today's runner ensemble.
Also the market for footwear has increased. In 2005, it was $5 billion compared to just $1.5 billion just a decade prior according to NPD a market research firm.
Runner's World has also begun to incorporate blogs into its online site. It offers blogs from marathoner Kristin Armstrong, and keeps "marathon diaries from professional athetes Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. The site also has chats for top songs to run to and nutrition.
Rodale recently acquired Running Times, essentially its only real competitor, in February, allowing it to move beyond the recreational runner, and reach the pros, which the Times catered to. The article did not disclose its source, but said the acquisition price was less than $5 million.
Other niche publications hope to fare as well. Primedia Inc. wants to sell a division of its company, Enthusiast Media, which includes titles like Motor Trend and Hot Rod. They posted $524.8 million in revenue for 2006. They could get more than $1 billion for the sale.
An acquisition like Running Times works for Rodale because it is a narrow, focused segment of a loyal audience.
"There are niches of niches today because the interests of Americans with their leisure time is so diverse," said media banker Reed Phillips.
Runner's World is one of several magazine published by Rodale, Inc. including Men's Health, Bicycling, Best Life, and Backpacker, all of which earned 2007 National Magazine Award nominations from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Other magazines from Rodale, like Prevention and Women's Health, which are also doing remarkably well. Prevention saw a 65 percent increase in sales during the 1990s. Their ad pages also doubled according to an article by Media Central.
So what is the implication for aspiring journalists? Well, have no fear, the niche publication is here! Although newspapers have seen declining sales and readership due to increased online news, magazines are here to stay. If magazines like Runner's World continue to effectively target their readers through online chats and blogs, the industry is sure maintain its status.
According to mediabistro.com, the average pay in the local/regional magazine industry is $30,000, with only 25 percent earning less than that. Throughout the country, according to this site, magazine journalists consistently earn more than newspaper journalists, and those in the online industry earn even higher wages. Also, with the number of niche publications rising, it seems that job security in the magazine world should be a waning problem. And according to the article's stats on advertising sales, it seems like that would be a safe career bet as well.
Ink Tank
Posted by Melissa Meyer
http://wjcblog.typepad.com/ink_tank/2007/04/niche_savvy.html
A Reuters article published Wednesday, March 21st illustrated the growing trend of the niche publication, and how special interest magazines are finding their place in an Internet savvy society.
Rodale, Inc. which publishes Runner's World magazine, seems to have found their place among runners, judging by their rising circulation, according to the article written by Robert MacMillan.
In the second half of 2006, the magazine's circulation rose over five percent, despite seeing a decline in the number of newsstand sales. Since 2000, circulation has increased nearly 40 percent.
An expert in the field discussed the draw of consumers to niche publications and how increased popularity to a sport/activity brings increased sales, at least for Runner's World.
"This is pure service journalism," said Samir Husni, a magazine expert and chairman of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi. "You're a subscriber for life. Until you stop running or die, you are getting the magazine."
There were 29.2 million U.S. runners in 2005, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, up 28 percent from 2001. As novices start running, they pick up the magazine, said Mary Wittenberg, race director for the New York City Marathon.
"Runner's World is often a key initial hook," she said.
In a single issue, the magazine offers recipes, training tips, shoe advice, ads for the coolest new gadgets, and inspirational stories from real runners, both professional and non.
The rise in ad revenue, which was $66.6 million in 2006, a 250 percent jump from 2001, is in part because of all the gadgets runners in this technology based world think they need, like i-pods and heart rate monitors. Technical clothing with wicking fabric along with reflective gear round out today's runner ensemble.
Also the market for footwear has increased. In 2005, it was $5 billion compared to just $1.5 billion just a decade prior according to NPD a market research firm.
Runner's World has also begun to incorporate blogs into its online site. It offers blogs from marathoner Kristin Armstrong, and keeps "marathon diaries from professional athetes Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor. The site also has chats for top songs to run to and nutrition.
Rodale recently acquired Running Times, essentially its only real competitor, in February, allowing it to move beyond the recreational runner, and reach the pros, which the Times catered to. The article did not disclose its source, but said the acquisition price was less than $5 million.
Other niche publications hope to fare as well. Primedia Inc. wants to sell a division of its company, Enthusiast Media, which includes titles like Motor Trend and Hot Rod. They posted $524.8 million in revenue for 2006. They could get more than $1 billion for the sale.
An acquisition like Running Times works for Rodale because it is a narrow, focused segment of a loyal audience.
"There are niches of niches today because the interests of Americans with their leisure time is so diverse," said media banker Reed Phillips.
Runner's World is one of several magazine published by Rodale, Inc. including Men's Health, Bicycling, Best Life, and Backpacker, all of which earned 2007 National Magazine Award nominations from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Other magazines from Rodale, like Prevention and Women's Health, which are also doing remarkably well. Prevention saw a 65 percent increase in sales during the 1990s. Their ad pages also doubled according to an article by Media Central.
So what is the implication for aspiring journalists? Well, have no fear, the niche publication is here! Although newspapers have seen declining sales and readership due to increased online news, magazines are here to stay. If magazines like Runner's World continue to effectively target their readers through online chats and blogs, the industry is sure maintain its status.
According to mediabistro.com, the average pay in the local/regional magazine industry is $30,000, with only 25 percent earning less than that. Throughout the country, according to this site, magazine journalists consistently earn more than newspaper journalists, and those in the online industry earn even higher wages. Also, with the number of niche publications rising, it seems that job security in the magazine world should be a waning problem. And according to the article's stats on advertising sales, it seems like that would be a safe career bet as well.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Why Google will never conquer Madison Avenue
Why Google will never conquer Madison Avenue
By Dave Pasternack, Did-it.com
April 10th, 2007
Every new inroad that Google makes into non-search media creates more anxiety on Madison Avenue. This past week, when Google announced it would begin using its auction-based ad platform to sell television ads on Echostar’s DISH Network, a satellite-based network with 13.1 million subscribers, you could almost smell the panic.
Ad agencies have a lot to be concerned about, including audience fragmentation, consumer rebellion against intrusive ads, clutter, a failure to embrace technology, plus the overall secular shift of ad dollars from traditional untargeted media to targeted media. But any panic over Google is, in my view, unjustified, and so I offer this piece as a reality check.
Everybody agrees that Google rules Search. The question is whether Google can apply those same things that made them dominant in Search to non-Search media such as radio, television and newspapers. If it can, Madison Avenue, and the whole old media establishment, may be doomed.
There are, however, several fundamental reasons why Google may just as likely fail, or at least stumble along the way. Here are three of them:
1. The self-serve model only works with media that are not creative-dependent
Google has more than 400,000 advertisers using its Adwords system, but the text-based advertising they’re doing is a far cry from the way most advertising is created, especially in terms of the need for creative excellence to differentiate the messaging. No one needs an ad agency to write 40 characters of text using Google’s self-serve platform.
With non-search media, however, creative excellence makes the difference between campaign success and failure. For example, you can take the same exact script for a TV or radio spot, hand them to two different director/cinematographer/talent teams, and wind up with two completely different experiences, one wonderful, the other horrible. This is where talent, insight and experience count (and this is why talented, insightful, experienced producers will continue to make the big bucks). Google has yet to demonstrate any core competency in the creative area, nor has it expressed any interest in terms of getting into this field. For this reason alone, ad agencies can breathe a sigh of relief.
2. The mechanics of media buying doesn’t create interest in the medium: the audience does!
Sure, Google’s Adwords platform makes it easy to buy media. But few advertisers have been kept out of any media because they’ve found it too hard to buy. The mere fact that Google can make media buying easier doesn’t make the media in question any more attractive, in fact I’d argue that it makes it far easier for media neophytes to make serious, money-wasting mistakes.
There’s an even bigger problem with automated, auction-based media buying systems such as the one that Google is touting. While auctions may introduce efficiencies into the buying process, they also introduce uncertainty. How can any advertiser plan a multichannel marketing campaign when there’s always a chance that somebody, somewhere, will outbid them for a key campaign component?
It’s true that advertisers at the bottom rungs of the food chain may be attracted to the marginal discounts that auction-based ad buying may deliver to them. But price is rarely a big concern at the start of any advertising campaign: what matters are results. If results are good, then spending can be re-upped, and price discounts can be negotiated at a later stage.
Google (and its shareholders) may expect that providing a more automated, more efficient way of buying media will convince many of its 400,000 Adwords clients to take the plunge into non-search media, but in fact provides no compelling reasons to do so, and this is why the general response to its forays into non-Search media have been lukewarm.
3. Google only thrives where media is measurable
Google became a multibillion dollar powerhouse because those little text ads it matches to search queries are surprisingly effective, and this effectiveness can be precisely measured in real time. But broadcast television, radio and print are inherently unmeasurable media. Google can make such media easier to buy, and perhaps even a bit cheaper to buy, but can’t make these media any more measurable or transparent by itself. There are no real advantages to using Google to buy your media for you, beyond the marginal discounts and ease-of-buying issues discussed above.
The exception to this proposition exists in cable TV, where today’s generation of smart set-top boxes provide both measurability and the ability to provide targeted messaging to very narrow audience segments whose characteristics have been mined from network subscription databases. This is why the Echostar deal is important for Google: because it is the one area where it can actually add value, both for advertisers (who will be able to see highly granular, usage-based stats about how and whether viewers are consuming their messages), and subscribers (who will see fewer irrelevant ads).
Addressable advertising with a high degree of transparency and accountability is undoubtedly the wave of the future. But the Google-Echostar test is small, invitation-only, and it remains to be seen whether major advertisers, especially those seeking the kind of scale that one can only get from broadcast media, will get on board anytime soon. Furthermore, Google is certainly not the only player in this space, which is crowded with technology companies that have been working on the problem of making advertising more accountable and relevant for longer than Google has even been a company.
David Pasternack is president and co-founder of Did-it.com,
By Dave Pasternack, Did-it.com
April 10th, 2007
Every new inroad that Google makes into non-search media creates more anxiety on Madison Avenue. This past week, when Google announced it would begin using its auction-based ad platform to sell television ads on Echostar’s DISH Network, a satellite-based network with 13.1 million subscribers, you could almost smell the panic.
Ad agencies have a lot to be concerned about, including audience fragmentation, consumer rebellion against intrusive ads, clutter, a failure to embrace technology, plus the overall secular shift of ad dollars from traditional untargeted media to targeted media. But any panic over Google is, in my view, unjustified, and so I offer this piece as a reality check.
Everybody agrees that Google rules Search. The question is whether Google can apply those same things that made them dominant in Search to non-Search media such as radio, television and newspapers. If it can, Madison Avenue, and the whole old media establishment, may be doomed.
There are, however, several fundamental reasons why Google may just as likely fail, or at least stumble along the way. Here are three of them:
1. The self-serve model only works with media that are not creative-dependent
Google has more than 400,000 advertisers using its Adwords system, but the text-based advertising they’re doing is a far cry from the way most advertising is created, especially in terms of the need for creative excellence to differentiate the messaging. No one needs an ad agency to write 40 characters of text using Google’s self-serve platform.
With non-search media, however, creative excellence makes the difference between campaign success and failure. For example, you can take the same exact script for a TV or radio spot, hand them to two different director/cinematographer/talent teams, and wind up with two completely different experiences, one wonderful, the other horrible. This is where talent, insight and experience count (and this is why talented, insightful, experienced producers will continue to make the big bucks). Google has yet to demonstrate any core competency in the creative area, nor has it expressed any interest in terms of getting into this field. For this reason alone, ad agencies can breathe a sigh of relief.
2. The mechanics of media buying doesn’t create interest in the medium: the audience does!
Sure, Google’s Adwords platform makes it easy to buy media. But few advertisers have been kept out of any media because they’ve found it too hard to buy. The mere fact that Google can make media buying easier doesn’t make the media in question any more attractive, in fact I’d argue that it makes it far easier for media neophytes to make serious, money-wasting mistakes.
There’s an even bigger problem with automated, auction-based media buying systems such as the one that Google is touting. While auctions may introduce efficiencies into the buying process, they also introduce uncertainty. How can any advertiser plan a multichannel marketing campaign when there’s always a chance that somebody, somewhere, will outbid them for a key campaign component?
It’s true that advertisers at the bottom rungs of the food chain may be attracted to the marginal discounts that auction-based ad buying may deliver to them. But price is rarely a big concern at the start of any advertising campaign: what matters are results. If results are good, then spending can be re-upped, and price discounts can be negotiated at a later stage.
Google (and its shareholders) may expect that providing a more automated, more efficient way of buying media will convince many of its 400,000 Adwords clients to take the plunge into non-search media, but in fact provides no compelling reasons to do so, and this is why the general response to its forays into non-Search media have been lukewarm.
3. Google only thrives where media is measurable
Google became a multibillion dollar powerhouse because those little text ads it matches to search queries are surprisingly effective, and this effectiveness can be precisely measured in real time. But broadcast television, radio and print are inherently unmeasurable media. Google can make such media easier to buy, and perhaps even a bit cheaper to buy, but can’t make these media any more measurable or transparent by itself. There are no real advantages to using Google to buy your media for you, beyond the marginal discounts and ease-of-buying issues discussed above.
The exception to this proposition exists in cable TV, where today’s generation of smart set-top boxes provide both measurability and the ability to provide targeted messaging to very narrow audience segments whose characteristics have been mined from network subscription databases. This is why the Echostar deal is important for Google: because it is the one area where it can actually add value, both for advertisers (who will be able to see highly granular, usage-based stats about how and whether viewers are consuming their messages), and subscribers (who will see fewer irrelevant ads).
Addressable advertising with a high degree of transparency and accountability is undoubtedly the wave of the future. But the Google-Echostar test is small, invitation-only, and it remains to be seen whether major advertisers, especially those seeking the kind of scale that one can only get from broadcast media, will get on board anytime soon. Furthermore, Google is certainly not the only player in this space, which is crowded with technology companies that have been working on the problem of making advertising more accountable and relevant for longer than Google has even been a company.
David Pasternack is president and co-founder of Did-it.com,
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Experts: Newspapers Won't Be as Profitable
Newspapers will never be as profitable as they once were, experts say, but can still do well
The writing on the screen
BY THOMAS MAIER
thomas.maier@newsday.com
April 10, 2007
They don't feel like part of the traditional newspaper thrown on your doorstep - online chats, podcasts, video and audio feeds, plus searchable databases to aid in the hunt for a new home, used wheels or the best pizza on Long Island.
But increasingly they are important parts of the modern newspaper, an ever-evolving format for news and information that is making a not-so-subtle, sometimes wrenching, shift from ink-stained newsprint to computer screens in the Internet age.
Last week's decision by Newsday's parent, Tribune Co., to become a private enterprise, away from the financial demands of Wall Street, will provide only a little breathing room for a media company in the throes of change, experts say.
"It's too early to tell, but there's a sense that companies looking at quarterly reports are more afraid to experiment and innovate," explains Randy Bennett, vice president of audience and business development for the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group based in Arlington, Va.
In a sense, the move by Tribune to go private is a throwback to an earlier time, when newspapers were owned by families such as the Hearsts and the Pulitzers. In recent decades, most major media have been publicly traded, yielding rich profits for investors until recently, when Wall Street began punishing newspaper stocks because of declining circulation.
No longer the only 'road'
But whether they are publicly held, controlled by private owners or even operated through a nonprofit foundation, America's newspapers face unprecedented challenges for advertising dollars and the public's attention.
"Newspapers will never go back to their historical level of profitability," said Philip Meyer, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Newspapers, he notes, used to have "a near-monopoly in the market, and the newspaper owner owned the road on which information flowed."
Meyer's 2004 book on the industry, "The Vanishing Newspaper," explained how perhaps the strongest mass medium the United States has ever seen for presenting vast amounts of information has steadily lost readers during the past few decades because of technological changes, particularly competition from the Internet.
Despite a host of worries, including substantial recent drops in national and classified advertising, Meyer said, "You can still make an investment case for newspapers." He said the strength of traditional newspapers to break news and "influence" society won't go away soon if their owners learn to adapt.
Meyer said that by moving steadily onto the Internet, newspapers can make a substantial dent in the costs of newsprint and transporting papers, costs that now account for as much as 17 percent of a newspaper's total expenditures. "The new model can be built on information, as the leading trustworthy provider of information," Meyer said. "But now is the time to do it."
While taking a newspaper company private might seem a good idea, it means little in the long run if no investment is made in a long-term strategic plan to improve its financial picture, said former newspaper editor Alan D. Mutter, now managing partner of Tapit Partners, a Silicon Valley investment firm specializing in new media.
Slow to adapt
Mutter, who writes a blog, or Web log, about the newspaper industry, pointed to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which went into private hands last year after the break-up of the publicly held Knight-Ridder chain, as an example of the difficulties facing newly privatized papers. Layoffs began in January, and 71 newsroom employees - about 17 percent of the editorial staff - departed. Mutter notes that, after taking on sizeable debt to fund the purchase, "There was little extra cash to put into the product."
Overall, he said, newspapers have been slow to adapt to technological change, often publishing stories based upon the "personal predilections" of editors and reporters - articles that may win journalism prizes but fall outside the interests and needs of most readers. "In a market that has changed dramatically," he said, "it's a huge problem."
Despite these challenges, Mutter said newspapers remain a "unique and powerful brand with a high degree of credibility," provided by staff who usually know more about local government, schools and social activities than any competing medium, including television, cable and radio.
Online ads surge
Bennett, the trade association executive, said newspaper companies are making substantial inroads with online advertising, which has been growing at a brisk 30 percent annual rate, though last year it still accounted for only $2.7 billion of the $49.3 billion total spent on newspaper advertising. Local retail and classified ads accounted for almost 80 percent of last year's spending on newspaper advertising, the association's records show.
Print-ad revenues have been flat or declining in the past year for "cyclical" reasons, Bennett said, reflecting the slowdown in real estate. Revenue from online ads, meanwhile, is still far short of replacing what print ads generate, he said.
To grab more of the hard-to-reach younger-than-35 audience, Bennett said, newspapers are investing in numerous online ventures. As an example, he pointed to newspaper companies joining with Internet search engines such as Yahoo in an effort to maximize advertising potential.
Hearst, MediaNews and other companies representing a total of 150 newspapers recently announced a deal with Yahoo for online classified advertising, aimed initially at job recruitment. "In an age of many media platforms, newspapers have to think of what is the right way to reach a certain audience," Bennett said.
More modest margins
Even veteran industry observers like Meyer said they've changed their expectations for newspapers. No longer will publishers enjoy 20 percent to 40 percent profits. Today, large urban newspapers often produce profit margins in the teens - considered very good for most industries - though Wall Street investors have not been satisfied.
Meyer said newspapers will have to learn anew how to compete, as they did after World War II amid growth in television, FM radio and direct-mail advertising.
Meyer said he's surprised what the advent of Internet competition has meant for his own life. Rather than buy a newspaper ad to rent a property he owns, Meyer said, he used craigslist, a mostly free online service that has sapped considerable paid classified advertising from newspapers in recent years.
"I felt so guilty," he said, "but it was faster and cheaper."
Increase in newspaper ad spending from 2003 to 2006:
Print
4%
Online
119%
Amount spent last year:
Print
$46.6 billion
Online
$2.7 billion
SOURCE: NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATING OF AMERICA
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
The writing on the screen
BY THOMAS MAIER
thomas.maier@newsday.com
April 10, 2007
They don't feel like part of the traditional newspaper thrown on your doorstep - online chats, podcasts, video and audio feeds, plus searchable databases to aid in the hunt for a new home, used wheels or the best pizza on Long Island.
But increasingly they are important parts of the modern newspaper, an ever-evolving format for news and information that is making a not-so-subtle, sometimes wrenching, shift from ink-stained newsprint to computer screens in the Internet age.
Last week's decision by Newsday's parent, Tribune Co., to become a private enterprise, away from the financial demands of Wall Street, will provide only a little breathing room for a media company in the throes of change, experts say.
"It's too early to tell, but there's a sense that companies looking at quarterly reports are more afraid to experiment and innovate," explains Randy Bennett, vice president of audience and business development for the Newspaper Association of America, a trade group based in Arlington, Va.
In a sense, the move by Tribune to go private is a throwback to an earlier time, when newspapers were owned by families such as the Hearsts and the Pulitzers. In recent decades, most major media have been publicly traded, yielding rich profits for investors until recently, when Wall Street began punishing newspaper stocks because of declining circulation.
No longer the only 'road'
But whether they are publicly held, controlled by private owners or even operated through a nonprofit foundation, America's newspapers face unprecedented challenges for advertising dollars and the public's attention.
"Newspapers will never go back to their historical level of profitability," said Philip Meyer, a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Newspapers, he notes, used to have "a near-monopoly in the market, and the newspaper owner owned the road on which information flowed."
Meyer's 2004 book on the industry, "The Vanishing Newspaper," explained how perhaps the strongest mass medium the United States has ever seen for presenting vast amounts of information has steadily lost readers during the past few decades because of technological changes, particularly competition from the Internet.
Despite a host of worries, including substantial recent drops in national and classified advertising, Meyer said, "You can still make an investment case for newspapers." He said the strength of traditional newspapers to break news and "influence" society won't go away soon if their owners learn to adapt.
Meyer said that by moving steadily onto the Internet, newspapers can make a substantial dent in the costs of newsprint and transporting papers, costs that now account for as much as 17 percent of a newspaper's total expenditures. "The new model can be built on information, as the leading trustworthy provider of information," Meyer said. "But now is the time to do it."
While taking a newspaper company private might seem a good idea, it means little in the long run if no investment is made in a long-term strategic plan to improve its financial picture, said former newspaper editor Alan D. Mutter, now managing partner of Tapit Partners, a Silicon Valley investment firm specializing in new media.
Slow to adapt
Mutter, who writes a blog, or Web log, about the newspaper industry, pointed to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which went into private hands last year after the break-up of the publicly held Knight-Ridder chain, as an example of the difficulties facing newly privatized papers. Layoffs began in January, and 71 newsroom employees - about 17 percent of the editorial staff - departed. Mutter notes that, after taking on sizeable debt to fund the purchase, "There was little extra cash to put into the product."
Overall, he said, newspapers have been slow to adapt to technological change, often publishing stories based upon the "personal predilections" of editors and reporters - articles that may win journalism prizes but fall outside the interests and needs of most readers. "In a market that has changed dramatically," he said, "it's a huge problem."
Despite these challenges, Mutter said newspapers remain a "unique and powerful brand with a high degree of credibility," provided by staff who usually know more about local government, schools and social activities than any competing medium, including television, cable and radio.
Online ads surge
Bennett, the trade association executive, said newspaper companies are making substantial inroads with online advertising, which has been growing at a brisk 30 percent annual rate, though last year it still accounted for only $2.7 billion of the $49.3 billion total spent on newspaper advertising. Local retail and classified ads accounted for almost 80 percent of last year's spending on newspaper advertising, the association's records show.
Print-ad revenues have been flat or declining in the past year for "cyclical" reasons, Bennett said, reflecting the slowdown in real estate. Revenue from online ads, meanwhile, is still far short of replacing what print ads generate, he said.
To grab more of the hard-to-reach younger-than-35 audience, Bennett said, newspapers are investing in numerous online ventures. As an example, he pointed to newspaper companies joining with Internet search engines such as Yahoo in an effort to maximize advertising potential.
Hearst, MediaNews and other companies representing a total of 150 newspapers recently announced a deal with Yahoo for online classified advertising, aimed initially at job recruitment. "In an age of many media platforms, newspapers have to think of what is the right way to reach a certain audience," Bennett said.
More modest margins
Even veteran industry observers like Meyer said they've changed their expectations for newspapers. No longer will publishers enjoy 20 percent to 40 percent profits. Today, large urban newspapers often produce profit margins in the teens - considered very good for most industries - though Wall Street investors have not been satisfied.
Meyer said newspapers will have to learn anew how to compete, as they did after World War II amid growth in television, FM radio and direct-mail advertising.
Meyer said he's surprised what the advent of Internet competition has meant for his own life. Rather than buy a newspaper ad to rent a property he owns, Meyer said, he used craigslist, a mostly free online service that has sapped considerable paid classified advertising from newspapers in recent years.
"I felt so guilty," he said, "but it was faster and cheaper."
Increase in newspaper ad spending from 2003 to 2006:
4%
Online
119%
Amount spent last year:
$46.6 billion
Online
$2.7 billion
SOURCE: NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATING OF AMERICA
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Martha Stewart Targets Russia's Middle Class for Magazines, TV
Martha Stewart Targets Russia's Middle Class for Magazines, TV
By James Brooke
April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Martha Stewart, the self-styled American authority on taste, plans to bring her books, magazines and television shows to Russia, tapping into an expanding middle class as incomes surge in the former Soviet republic.
``It's a very, very opportune time,'' Stewart, the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., said in an interview today in Moscow during a week-long Russian visit.
Translated into Russian, Stewart's publications about cooking, entertaining and gardening may be on sale at kiosks in Moscow by next spring. She'll start with Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food and Blueprint, a new magazine aimed at women aged 25 to 45. The media rollout will be followed home furnishings including sheets and towels, possibly through an alliance with a local retailer, she said.
Stewart arrives in Russia as income from the country's oil exports filters down to consumers. Retail sales rose 14 percent in February from a year earlier, while construction surged 24 percent in the last quarter of 2006.
``There is a middle class that is rapidly emerging,'' said Kim S. Iskyan, co-head of research at Uralsib Capital in Moscow.
Russians' disposable income has increased about fivefold in the last five years, bringing about 20 percent of the country's 141 million people into the middle class, he said.
``Everywhere you look, someone's fixing up their apartment,'' he said. ``And as soon as people have the discretionary income to upgrade their immediate surroundings, you can bet they are going to throw out the hand-me-down china.''
Stewart said she's noticed a gap between U.S. perceptions of Russia and the reality.
`Wild West'
``The new Russia -- people are just imagining it's the Wild West, a bunch of cowboys making lots of money, oligarchs just running around like crazy,'' she said. ``But in fact Moscow is a very sophisticated city.''
Stewart's mission will be to reverse setbacks in taste imposed by seven decades of Soviet rule, she said.
``All the things that happened during that time were very bad for the middle classes, for good taste,'' said Stewart, recalling her studies of Russian history as a student at Barnard College. ``Now people are scrambling to learn, scrambling to develop a lifestyle they can call their own. And I think that is all very exciting.''
To contact the reporter on this story: James Brooke in Moscow at jbrooke2@bloomberg.net .
By James Brooke
April 10 (Bloomberg) -- Martha Stewart, the self-styled American authority on taste, plans to bring her books, magazines and television shows to Russia, tapping into an expanding middle class as incomes surge in the former Soviet republic.
``It's a very, very opportune time,'' Stewart, the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., said in an interview today in Moscow during a week-long Russian visit.
Translated into Russian, Stewart's publications about cooking, entertaining and gardening may be on sale at kiosks in Moscow by next spring. She'll start with Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food and Blueprint, a new magazine aimed at women aged 25 to 45. The media rollout will be followed home furnishings including sheets and towels, possibly through an alliance with a local retailer, she said.
Stewart arrives in Russia as income from the country's oil exports filters down to consumers. Retail sales rose 14 percent in February from a year earlier, while construction surged 24 percent in the last quarter of 2006.
``There is a middle class that is rapidly emerging,'' said Kim S. Iskyan, co-head of research at Uralsib Capital in Moscow.
Russians' disposable income has increased about fivefold in the last five years, bringing about 20 percent of the country's 141 million people into the middle class, he said.
``Everywhere you look, someone's fixing up their apartment,'' he said. ``And as soon as people have the discretionary income to upgrade their immediate surroundings, you can bet they are going to throw out the hand-me-down china.''
Stewart said she's noticed a gap between U.S. perceptions of Russia and the reality.
`Wild West'
``The new Russia -- people are just imagining it's the Wild West, a bunch of cowboys making lots of money, oligarchs just running around like crazy,'' she said. ``But in fact Moscow is a very sophisticated city.''
Stewart's mission will be to reverse setbacks in taste imposed by seven decades of Soviet rule, she said.
``All the things that happened during that time were very bad for the middle classes, for good taste,'' said Stewart, recalling her studies of Russian history as a student at Barnard College. ``Now people are scrambling to learn, scrambling to develop a lifestyle they can call their own. And I think that is all very exciting.''
To contact the reporter on this story: James Brooke in Moscow at jbrooke2@bloomberg.net .
Journalism Education Stuck in Same Oldthink Mode as Big Media
Journalism Education Stuck in Same Oldthink Mode as Big Media
by Mark GlaseR
When I visited the campus of Ball State University recently, I was struck by the number of innovative programs the school had carried out, from a live interactive TV local broadcast to its converged newsroom. Ball State is also home to the well endowed Center for Media Design , which conducted one of the most comprehensive (and expensive) usage studies, the Middletown Media Studies , in which researchers literally watched and recorded their subjects’ media usage during all their waking hours. And the Ball State campus itself is aggressively wired with WiFi Internet access, and is filled with gleaming buildings and high-tech trappings.
But the problem, particularly with Ball State’s journalism and communications study programs, is that the school’s philosophy remains mired in a legacy media mindset. You can learn about advertising or PR or newspapers or broadcast or magazines. And the goal of those programs is to get placed into positions as they have been defined for decades: the big PR agency, The New York Times, ABC News, Newsweek.
I went to speak in front of a class of students learning about advertising sales. I was happy to hear some of them were working on a project related to ads on cell phones. I was horrified to hear that there was no class related to online advertising. None, nada, zip. That’s unbelievable, when you look at the growth of online advertising — up about 34% in 2006 alone — compared to the stagnation of legacy media’s ad business. How can students be prepared to go into media ad sales without knowing about the online realm? My only advice to students was to learn it on their own, check out the blogs and websites dedicated to the topic and soak up what they could.
I don’t think for a minute that this is a problem only at Ball State. Almost every interaction I’ve had with journalism schools and their faculty reaffirms that these institutions have a long way to go before they can evolve from the oldthink mindset. There might be pockets of resistance or some innovative projects here and there, but overall the focus of students is to follow in the same footsteps as their professors: Start your career at a podunk daily newspaper and work your way up to the big metro papers, and end up in academia.
Nowhere do students get the inkling that the metro paper might not exist by the time they get there — at least in its current ink-stained format. Nowhere do they learn the ins and outs of being a freelancer, even though they are living in a free agent nation, almost assured of being downsized out of a job at some point. Nowhere do they learn what it takes to moderate an online community, to do outreach into a community and work with citizen journalists and bloggers. The blog, in academia, is looked at by faculty as something to disdain, a lazy way out of doing real journalism; and by students, it is looked at as a leisure time activity, pointless and fun.
From what I learned from Ball State’s administration, there are three groups of professors: those that understand the shift that is happening and are happy to figure it out; those that refuse to change their curriculum that has been set in stone for years; and those that are on the fence. The hope of administration is that the oldthink types can be moved along the path to retirement, while the middle group can be convinced to join the vanguard.
Meanwhile, the students present an interesting conundrum. I figured that they would be chomping at the bit to work in new media, as they are the digital generation born with a laptop and cell phone in their hands. David Studinski, a Ball State senior who is editor of the student newspaper, explained to me over lunch why students were as slow to embrace change as their professors.
“They use the technology all the time, they all have cell phones and they text message,” he said. “But they don’t take it seriously as a work thing. They think of blogging as gossip and MySpace is for fun with their friends. They don’t think they could work in that type of environment as a journalist.”
So what is a university to do? It could start a program for students to learn networked journalism or online journalism. Or it could start to require all journalism students to learn the basics of multimedia production and storytelling, online moderation of communities, and the skill of writing for the web and on blogs. Newspaper students would learn about making — and being on camera for — online video reports. Magazine students would learn the basics of doing an audio podcast. Broadcast students would learn how to write for the web. And advertising students would learn about behavioral and interstitial advertising online.
Freelance writer Greg Lindsay gave an amazing virtual commencement speech to 2005 j-school graduates on mediabistro, noting the same problem with academia. His main point:
You thought you were buying [with your tuition] a set of skills, credentials, and quality time with the placement office. And you did. But your professors also sold you a mindset, a worldview, an ideology — one in which newspapers are God’s work, bloggers are pagans, and your career trajectory is a long, steep, but ultimately meritocratic climb to a heavenly desk at The New York Times or ‘60 Minutes.’ Accepting any of this as gospel truth will almost certainly cause permanent damage to your budding careers…
Is there a way to fix this? Maybe, if your professors are willing to admit that they’re evangelizing as well as teaching, and that where they see a decline and fall going on in the media landscape, you might just find opportunities helping tear it down. But who wants to say that?
Who, indeed? What’s your experience in academia? Are administrations ready to shift their teaching along with the times? Are students still focused on legacy media and what will it take to change their mindset? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to be proven wrong with examples of widespread change.
by Mark GlaseR
When I visited the campus of Ball State University recently, I was struck by the number of innovative programs the school had carried out, from a live interactive TV local broadcast to its converged newsroom. Ball State is also home to the well endowed Center for Media Design , which conducted one of the most comprehensive (and expensive) usage studies, the Middletown Media Studies , in which researchers literally watched and recorded their subjects’ media usage during all their waking hours. And the Ball State campus itself is aggressively wired with WiFi Internet access, and is filled with gleaming buildings and high-tech trappings.
But the problem, particularly with Ball State’s journalism and communications study programs, is that the school’s philosophy remains mired in a legacy media mindset. You can learn about advertising or PR or newspapers or broadcast or magazines. And the goal of those programs is to get placed into positions as they have been defined for decades: the big PR agency, The New York Times, ABC News, Newsweek.
I went to speak in front of a class of students learning about advertising sales. I was happy to hear some of them were working on a project related to ads on cell phones. I was horrified to hear that there was no class related to online advertising. None, nada, zip. That’s unbelievable, when you look at the growth of online advertising — up about 34% in 2006 alone — compared to the stagnation of legacy media’s ad business. How can students be prepared to go into media ad sales without knowing about the online realm? My only advice to students was to learn it on their own, check out the blogs and websites dedicated to the topic and soak up what they could.
I don’t think for a minute that this is a problem only at Ball State. Almost every interaction I’ve had with journalism schools and their faculty reaffirms that these institutions have a long way to go before they can evolve from the oldthink mindset. There might be pockets of resistance or some innovative projects here and there, but overall the focus of students is to follow in the same footsteps as their professors: Start your career at a podunk daily newspaper and work your way up to the big metro papers, and end up in academia.
Nowhere do students get the inkling that the metro paper might not exist by the time they get there — at least in its current ink-stained format. Nowhere do they learn the ins and outs of being a freelancer, even though they are living in a free agent nation, almost assured of being downsized out of a job at some point. Nowhere do they learn what it takes to moderate an online community, to do outreach into a community and work with citizen journalists and bloggers. The blog, in academia, is looked at by faculty as something to disdain, a lazy way out of doing real journalism; and by students, it is looked at as a leisure time activity, pointless and fun.
From what I learned from Ball State’s administration, there are three groups of professors: those that understand the shift that is happening and are happy to figure it out; those that refuse to change their curriculum that has been set in stone for years; and those that are on the fence. The hope of administration is that the oldthink types can be moved along the path to retirement, while the middle group can be convinced to join the vanguard.
Meanwhile, the students present an interesting conundrum. I figured that they would be chomping at the bit to work in new media, as they are the digital generation born with a laptop and cell phone in their hands. David Studinski, a Ball State senior who is editor of the student newspaper, explained to me over lunch why students were as slow to embrace change as their professors.
“They use the technology all the time, they all have cell phones and they text message,” he said. “But they don’t take it seriously as a work thing. They think of blogging as gossip and MySpace is for fun with their friends. They don’t think they could work in that type of environment as a journalist.”
So what is a university to do? It could start a program for students to learn networked journalism or online journalism. Or it could start to require all journalism students to learn the basics of multimedia production and storytelling, online moderation of communities, and the skill of writing for the web and on blogs. Newspaper students would learn about making — and being on camera for — online video reports. Magazine students would learn the basics of doing an audio podcast. Broadcast students would learn how to write for the web. And advertising students would learn about behavioral and interstitial advertising online.
Freelance writer Greg Lindsay gave an amazing virtual commencement speech to 2005 j-school graduates on mediabistro, noting the same problem with academia. His main point:
You thought you were buying [with your tuition] a set of skills, credentials, and quality time with the placement office. And you did. But your professors also sold you a mindset, a worldview, an ideology — one in which newspapers are God’s work, bloggers are pagans, and your career trajectory is a long, steep, but ultimately meritocratic climb to a heavenly desk at The New York Times or ‘60 Minutes.’ Accepting any of this as gospel truth will almost certainly cause permanent damage to your budding careers…
Is there a way to fix this? Maybe, if your professors are willing to admit that they’re evangelizing as well as teaching, and that where they see a decline and fall going on in the media landscape, you might just find opportunities helping tear it down. But who wants to say that?
Who, indeed? What’s your experience in academia? Are administrations ready to shift their teaching along with the times? Are students still focused on legacy media and what will it take to change their mindset? Share your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to be proven wrong with examples of widespread change.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Hearst to Turn Magazines Into Webisodes, TV Series
Coming Soon to TV: Your Favorite Mags
Hearst Inks Development Deal With Fox to Turn Popular Titles Into Series
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Fox Television Studios and Hearst Magazines are joining forces to create series for broadband and eventually network TV based on popular magazine titles. |
The development deal includes two initial webisode projects inspired by CosmoGirl and Popular Mechanics. |
The development deal includes two initial webisode projects inspired by CosmoGirl and Popular Mechanics. The online series feature an undetermined number of two- to three-minute episodes that will launch on the magazines' websites. The companies also plan to pitch the content to web portals such as Yahoo and AOL.
The CosmoGirl project is a serialized soap, with fans contributing to the narrative by submitting suggestions for what should happen next in the story. The details of the Popular Mechanics webisodes have not yet been determined, nor has a timeline for launching either project.
50-50 split for Fox, Hearst
The deal marks the first union between Fox and Hearst, with the companies agreeing to a 50-50 split of any advertising revenue. If successful, they hope to create further content for both broadband and network TV. "This is an innovative partnership that marries Fox TV Studios' creative ideas with Hearst's successful brands and content," said Angela Shapiro-Mathes, president of Fox Television Studios.
The webisodes will be the first foray into broadband for Fox Studios, which has long been known primarily for reality and documentary content.
This week, the Fox team will seek to score two more credits when it begins shopping two projects from "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, whom it signed to a development deal last year. The studio is keeping quiet on the details, but Ms. Shapiro-Mathes is optimistic this summer will be a watershed. "This is a nice place to be in a comparatively short period of time," she said.
~ ~ ~
Mr. Hibberd is a reporter with TelevisionWeek.
See what's free at AOL.com.
Survey Gives Good Reviews to Online Product Reviews
Survey Gives Good Reviews to Online Product Reviews
By Todd WassermanNEW YORK -- When it comes to influencing online purchases, positive reviews in Amazon may trump online ads, per a new survey.
One in three Internet users report their purchase decisions are influenced by sites with social content, Amazon being the most influential, according to a report from iProspect and JupiterResearch being released this week.
The study, based on a poll of 2,223 respondents in January, sought to measure how consumers use social networking sites. Though Amazon isn't usually thought of as such a site, the survey defined a social networking location as one that lets users post their own content. In Amazon's case, that means reviews.
Robert Murray, president of iProspect, Boston, said it's unclear whether a positive review in Amazon is more effective than an ad, but: "It's human nature. People trust people."
Among other findings in the survey:
• Search engines get more visitors than social networking sites. Forty percent of adults surveyed visit Yahoo! on a daily basis versus 12% for MySpace.
• YouTube appears to skew male. Twenty-eight percent of men visit the site at least once a month compared to 12% for women.
• The younger the user, the more likely they are to visit and interact with a social networking site. Sixty-eight percent of 18-24-year-olds surveyed visited MySpace over the past month versus 65% for YouTube and 42% for Facebook.
Murray said the data also shows that up to 90% of visitors to social networking sites don't post. That, in part, showed the gap between hype for such social media and the reality, he said. "It's like when blogs first came out a few years ago and all you heard about was how blogs were changing everything," he said. "We tend to overstate the importance of new technologies."
Still, Murray said the item marketers should take away from the survey is that the brands that exploit the two-way communication potential of Web 2.0 will gain an edge over competitors. "You want to find a way to engage with the community in a dialogue," said Murray.
See what's free at AOL.com.
'Relish' Success, Husni Names It Launch Of The Year
'Relish' Success, Husni Names It Launch Of The Year
by Erik Sass, Monday, Apr 9, 2007 8:15 AM ET
Relish, a magazine delivered via newspaper with a circulation of almost 9 million, was awarded the new magazine "Launch of the Year" by Samir Husni, a professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi, better known as "Mr. Magazine." Every year, Husni--widely acknowledged as a guru of all things magazine--holds a one-man awards ceremony to honor standouts that carry status in the industry.
Asked what distinguished Relish from the other 900 launches of 2006, Husni listed several key accomplishments. Foremost, the magazine's circulation rose from 6 million to 9 million in its first year, partly through the use of an unconventional distribution channel.
"While everyone is complaining about distribution and how bad the single-copy distribution channels are, and how expensive the direct-mail subscriptions channels are, Relish went a different way: the newspaper route." That method guaranteed a strong distribution channel, and it ensured the "timely and cheap delivery of the magazine to its intended audience."
Husni also praised the magazine for giving a boost to the newspaper business --a medium desperately in need of help. "I have spoken with a few newspaper publishers who credited Relish with giving their paper a boost every time it is inserted." In fact, he notes, most papers advertise the arrival of Relish a week before the magazine is out.
Relish and American Profile, both produced by the Publishing Group of America, use the same distribution model as magazine inserts like USA Today and Parade, but they target a previously unfilled niche: "B" and "D" counties usually comprised of small towns and rural areas. The magazines' success is notable--especially in light of the recent closing of Life, which was also distributed via newspapers, but in competition with USA Today and Parade in "A" and "B" counties.
by Erik Sass, Monday, Apr 9, 2007 8:15 AM ET
Relish, a magazine delivered via newspaper with a circulation of almost 9 million, was awarded the new magazine "Launch of the Year" by Samir Husni, a professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi, better known as "Mr. Magazine." Every year, Husni--widely acknowledged as a guru of all things magazine--holds a one-man awards ceremony to honor standouts that carry status in the industry.
Asked what distinguished Relish from the other 900 launches of 2006, Husni listed several key accomplishments. Foremost, the magazine's circulation rose from 6 million to 9 million in its first year, partly through the use of an unconventional distribution channel.
"While everyone is complaining about distribution and how bad the single-copy distribution channels are, and how expensive the direct-mail subscriptions channels are, Relish went a different way: the newspaper route." That method guaranteed a strong distribution channel, and it ensured the "timely and cheap delivery of the magazine to its intended audience."
Husni also praised the magazine for giving a boost to the newspaper business --a medium desperately in need of help. "I have spoken with a few newspaper publishers who credited Relish with giving their paper a boost every time it is inserted." In fact, he notes, most papers advertise the arrival of Relish a week before the magazine is out.
Relish and American Profile, both produced by the Publishing Group of America, use the same distribution model as magazine inserts like USA Today and Parade, but they target a previously unfilled niche: "B" and "D" counties usually comprised of small towns and rural areas. The magazines' success is notable--especially in light of the recent closing of Life, which was also distributed via newspapers, but in competition with USA Today and Parade in "A" and "B" counties.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Breaking News . . . Journalism Doomed!
Breaking News… Journalism Doomed!
http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=editorials&xfile=April2007_mediawatch_standard187&child=mediawatch
While it is very well to say that the task of the media is to inform and educate the public, only entertainment is increasingly being given top priority to promote sales
Writing in ‘The Hindu’ (March 7), Jeff Jarvis, a professor of Journalism at the City University of New York, raised what he called two important questions. He said: “First, why teach journalism? Aren’t newspapers and news doomed? Why ensnare young people in a dying profession? And second: how should you teach journalism today?” To the first question his answer was: “Journalism is evolving – at long last – and actually growing and that’s what makes this an exciting time to get into the news business”. As for the second question, his answer was that he was taking students through audio, video, slideshows, blogs, wikis, web pages google maps, photos, interactive forums and data bases”. Fair enough answers. But there is some truth in what he said about newspapers becoming a dying profession.
Ignorant public
But that is mostly in the United States and in recent times in Britain as well. According to one responsible source, students in the United States no longer read news. Indeed, according to a report by an Indian journalist just returned from the States the situation is truly bad. Writing in ‘The Hindu’ again, Sevanti Ninan says: “Walk into a relative’s home in Atlanta and you discover that they don’t take newspapers any more on week days…. Go around in a graduate class in Philadelphia and ask how many read newspapers and two out of 15 hands go up”. And a friend reported to her that the number of graduate students at the Columbia School of Journalism reading newspapers were zero! Sadly, US newspapers are winding up their bureaus abroad because they have ceased to be ‘cost-effective’. For an American newspaper it costs about $250,000 to maintain a newspaper bureau abroad. In the 1980s, American TV networks each maintained about 15 foreign bureaus; presently, they have six or fewer. So American people are getting to know less and less about more and more countries which is a dangerous development. An ignorant public can easily be manipulated by a vicious government which has its own agenda.
Luckily, the situation is just the reverse in India. In India more and more newspapers are selling and ‘The Times of India’ claims it has the largest circulation in the world! The Chandigarh-based ‘The Tribune’ (March 15) has announced that “responding to the demand of its readers for better coverage of the hill state”, it is launching its Himachal Pradesh edition. According to a report seen in a website, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as recently as October 2005, some 23 publishers and CEOs from the German Magazine Publishers Association has toured India to explore potential joint ventures and alliances with Indian publishers. Even journals like ‘Newsweek, Fortune, Time Out, Men’s Health’ etc. are setting up Indian operations. ‘The Independent’ of Britain has tied up with ‘Dainik Jagran’ which is a leading Hindi paper. Fancy that! Then again it is not just the English media that is thriving. The Indian language papers too are doing well. ‘The Times of India’ is reportedly planning to have a Kannada paper in Karnataka. The point is that as more and more Indians become literate, their desire to know is growing by leaps and bounds.
Most of the neo-literates can’t afford to have computers but they are sophisticated enough to realize that information on what is going on around them, in their own country and abroad, is important for their own future. Technology, on the one hand, is making information more easily acceptable to people. At the same time it is turning otherwise intelligent people into morons. We have come to a point where plenty of information is available but knowledge is on the decrease. The fashion is “to break news”, not to explain news. Becoming aware of ‘facts’ has become more important than to analyse what those ‘facts’ portray. The public is being inundated with information, but not with knowledge. It is a very unhealthy development that must be resisted. Currently, the fashion is to bring up tabloids on the grounds that they are easy to carry around, unlike broadsheets and hence easier to read. Readers are lured to buy tabloids because they are dazzled by the page designs, the colour and glamour. One whole page can be given to one news item without enlightening the reader as to the significance of the event reported. The reader hardly realizes that he is being taken for a ride. It suits government because no one goes to analyse news and go to the roots of the matter.
Iraq was damned for stocking weapons of mass destruction. No one was ever told that what the US wants is a pliable government in Baghdad that gives easy accesses to find our who supplied Iraq with poison gas and other such weapons to attack Iran for nine long years. Currently Iran is being targeted for allegedly manufacturing nuclear weapons. The truth is different. The United States and other western powers in the developed world wants to have total access to Iranian oil and gas, considering that both may get depleted elsewhere in the next two to three decades leading to a steep fall in living standards. The West, notably the United States, wants to control Iranian oil and gas stocks. Nowhere is this discussed. Iran is condemned as a war-mongering state, forgetting that for more than nine years the western powers were instigating Iraq to demolish Iran. Iraq failed and is now paying for that failure.
An important task
The electronic media does not deal with these matters and even when it does, the retaining power of news in the average listener is low. He sees, he listens and he forgets. It is the print media on the table that helps memory to last. The tragedy is that even the print media in India is more engaged in making money than in educating the people of the land. The point is made that while it is very well to say that the task of the media is to inform, and educate the public, entertaining the reader is also essential, only entertainment is increasingly being given top priority to promote sales. The excuse behind this explanation is that nearly half the population of India today is under 25 and that youth wants to be entertained, not educated. A sad reflection on out times, but one that has to be faced and corrective measures suggested. And that is the task of educationists, politicians and social reformers
http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=editorials&xfile=April2007_mediawatch_standard187&child=mediawatch
While it is very well to say that the task of the media is to inform and educate the public, only entertainment is increasingly being given top priority to promote sales
Writing in ‘The Hindu’ (March 7), Jeff Jarvis, a professor of Journalism at the City University of New York, raised what he called two important questions. He said: “First, why teach journalism? Aren’t newspapers and news doomed? Why ensnare young people in a dying profession? And second: how should you teach journalism today?” To the first question his answer was: “Journalism is evolving – at long last – and actually growing and that’s what makes this an exciting time to get into the news business”. As for the second question, his answer was that he was taking students through audio, video, slideshows, blogs, wikis, web pages google maps, photos, interactive forums and data bases”. Fair enough answers. But there is some truth in what he said about newspapers becoming a dying profession.
Ignorant public
But that is mostly in the United States and in recent times in Britain as well. According to one responsible source, students in the United States no longer read news. Indeed, according to a report by an Indian journalist just returned from the States the situation is truly bad. Writing in ‘The Hindu’ again, Sevanti Ninan says: “Walk into a relative’s home in Atlanta and you discover that they don’t take newspapers any more on week days…. Go around in a graduate class in Philadelphia and ask how many read newspapers and two out of 15 hands go up”. And a friend reported to her that the number of graduate students at the Columbia School of Journalism reading newspapers were zero! Sadly, US newspapers are winding up their bureaus abroad because they have ceased to be ‘cost-effective’. For an American newspaper it costs about $250,000 to maintain a newspaper bureau abroad. In the 1980s, American TV networks each maintained about 15 foreign bureaus; presently, they have six or fewer. So American people are getting to know less and less about more and more countries which is a dangerous development. An ignorant public can easily be manipulated by a vicious government which has its own agenda.
Luckily, the situation is just the reverse in India. In India more and more newspapers are selling and ‘The Times of India’ claims it has the largest circulation in the world! The Chandigarh-based ‘The Tribune’ (March 15) has announced that “responding to the demand of its readers for better coverage of the hill state”, it is launching its Himachal Pradesh edition. According to a report seen in a website, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, as recently as October 2005, some 23 publishers and CEOs from the German Magazine Publishers Association has toured India to explore potential joint ventures and alliances with Indian publishers. Even journals like ‘Newsweek, Fortune, Time Out, Men’s Health’ etc. are setting up Indian operations. ‘The Independent’ of Britain has tied up with ‘Dainik Jagran’ which is a leading Hindi paper. Fancy that! Then again it is not just the English media that is thriving. The Indian language papers too are doing well. ‘The Times of India’ is reportedly planning to have a Kannada paper in Karnataka. The point is that as more and more Indians become literate, their desire to know is growing by leaps and bounds.
Most of the neo-literates can’t afford to have computers but they are sophisticated enough to realize that information on what is going on around them, in their own country and abroad, is important for their own future. Technology, on the one hand, is making information more easily acceptable to people. At the same time it is turning otherwise intelligent people into morons. We have come to a point where plenty of information is available but knowledge is on the decrease. The fashion is “to break news”, not to explain news. Becoming aware of ‘facts’ has become more important than to analyse what those ‘facts’ portray. The public is being inundated with information, but not with knowledge. It is a very unhealthy development that must be resisted. Currently, the fashion is to bring up tabloids on the grounds that they are easy to carry around, unlike broadsheets and hence easier to read. Readers are lured to buy tabloids because they are dazzled by the page designs, the colour and glamour. One whole page can be given to one news item without enlightening the reader as to the significance of the event reported. The reader hardly realizes that he is being taken for a ride. It suits government because no one goes to analyse news and go to the roots of the matter.
Iraq was damned for stocking weapons of mass destruction. No one was ever told that what the US wants is a pliable government in Baghdad that gives easy accesses to find our who supplied Iraq with poison gas and other such weapons to attack Iran for nine long years. Currently Iran is being targeted for allegedly manufacturing nuclear weapons. The truth is different. The United States and other western powers in the developed world wants to have total access to Iranian oil and gas, considering that both may get depleted elsewhere in the next two to three decades leading to a steep fall in living standards. The West, notably the United States, wants to control Iranian oil and gas stocks. Nowhere is this discussed. Iran is condemned as a war-mongering state, forgetting that for more than nine years the western powers were instigating Iraq to demolish Iran. Iraq failed and is now paying for that failure.
An important task
The electronic media does not deal with these matters and even when it does, the retaining power of news in the average listener is low. He sees, he listens and he forgets. It is the print media on the table that helps memory to last. The tragedy is that even the print media in India is more engaged in making money than in educating the people of the land. The point is made that while it is very well to say that the task of the media is to inform, and educate the public, entertaining the reader is also essential, only entertainment is increasingly being given top priority to promote sales. The excuse behind this explanation is that nearly half the population of India today is under 25 and that youth wants to be entertained, not educated. A sad reflection on out times, but one that has to be faced and corrective measures suggested. And that is the task of educationists, politicians and social reformers
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Mag Bag: The Greening Of The Week
Mag Bag: The Greening Of The Week
by Erik Sass, Friday, Apr 6, 2007 7:45 AM ET
The Week Goes Green
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=58321
The Week, the popular compendium of the best of various media in magazine form, is showing a green side. It's publishing a special bonus issue on the Web, sponsored by Lexus, which is devoted to the environment. The online-only issue will become available April 20 to regular subscribers and include all the magazine's regular features. The Lexus sponsorship serves to highlight the company's line of "luxury hybrid" vehicles, such as the RX 400h luxury utility vehicle, the GS 450h performance sedan and the LS 600h L flagship sedan.
Justin Smith, president of The Week, said: "In partnership with Lexus, we are able to bring our readers an online issue with all of The Week's regular editorial features, but with a reduced impact upon the environment." Smith says the pub is finding new ways for readers to "interact with the magazine's weekly content."
Lexus Vice President of Marketing Deborah Meyer says the sponsorship "demonstrates the company's commitment to the environment and heightens awareness of Earth Day and the issues that surround it." As part of the arrangement, The Week's special online issue will drive readers to the Lexus site, as well as content concerning the environment and conservation.
Star Cuts Circ
Star, the popular celebrity weekly published by American Media, is cutting its guaranteed circulation by 150,000 to 1.35 million, according to a report in Ad Age. The 10% cut follows a failure to meet its rate-base figures in eight out of 11 issues this year. Although it showed strong subscription growth, in the latest FAS-FAX report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Star's newsstand sales fell 13.9% to 743,349. Newsstand sales now account for about half of its total circulation.
Inc. Invites 5,000 of Its Closest Friends
There'd better be plenty of room at the Downtown Chicago Hilton, because Inc. has invited reps from all 5,000 companies in its list of America's fastest-growing private companies to the Inc. 500 Conference and Awards on September 6-8. The ceremony will recognize the 500 fastest-growing enterprises--which, over the past 25 years, have included Domino's Pizza, Microsoft and Timberland. Edward Sussman, president of Mansueto Digital, the publisher of Inc.com, noted: "With more companies participating in the event, the opportunity for entrepreneurs to network and learn will increase substantially." The deadline for entry in the 5,000 list is April 15.
TV Guide Names Bautz Online EIC
Gemstar-TV Guide International has named Mark Bautz as editor in chief of TV Guide Online, where he will direct all editorial and broadband video content for the publication's online properties, including www.TVGuide.com. In this role, he will work closely with Ian Birch, the chief content officer and editor-in-chief of the print publication. Previously, Bautz served as editor-in-chief of Time Inc.'s People.com. He also held an editorial position at EW.com.
Penton Media Names Sweeney EIC of Business Finance
Penton Media has appointed John Sweeney editor in chief of Business Finance magazine. In this role, Sweeney will direct all editorial content for both the print and online editions of the publication. Business Finance targets senior finance executives with content covering key finance issues, strategies, trends and technologies. Prior to the hire, Sweeney served as editor-in-chief of Kennedy Information's Magazine Media Group.
by Erik Sass, Friday, Apr 6, 2007 7:45 AM ET
The Week Goes Green
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=58321
The Week, the popular compendium of the best of various media in magazine form, is showing a green side. It's publishing a special bonus issue on the Web, sponsored by Lexus, which is devoted to the environment. The online-only issue will become available April 20 to regular subscribers and include all the magazine's regular features. The Lexus sponsorship serves to highlight the company's line of "luxury hybrid" vehicles, such as the RX 400h luxury utility vehicle, the GS 450h performance sedan and the LS 600h L flagship sedan.
Justin Smith, president of The Week, said: "In partnership with Lexus, we are able to bring our readers an online issue with all of The Week's regular editorial features, but with a reduced impact upon the environment." Smith says the pub is finding new ways for readers to "interact with the magazine's weekly content."
Lexus Vice President of Marketing Deborah Meyer says the sponsorship "demonstrates the company's commitment to the environment and heightens awareness of Earth Day and the issues that surround it." As part of the arrangement, The Week's special online issue will drive readers to the Lexus site, as well as content concerning the environment and conservation.
Star Cuts Circ
Star, the popular celebrity weekly published by American Media, is cutting its guaranteed circulation by 150,000 to 1.35 million, according to a report in Ad Age. The 10% cut follows a failure to meet its rate-base figures in eight out of 11 issues this year. Although it showed strong subscription growth, in the latest FAS-FAX report from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Star's newsstand sales fell 13.9% to 743,349. Newsstand sales now account for about half of its total circulation.
Inc. Invites 5,000 of Its Closest Friends
There'd better be plenty of room at the Downtown Chicago Hilton, because Inc. has invited reps from all 5,000 companies in its list of America's fastest-growing private companies to the Inc. 500 Conference and Awards on September 6-8. The ceremony will recognize the 500 fastest-growing enterprises--which, over the past 25 years, have included Domino's Pizza, Microsoft and Timberland. Edward Sussman, president of Mansueto Digital, the publisher of Inc.com, noted: "With more companies participating in the event, the opportunity for entrepreneurs to network and learn will increase substantially." The deadline for entry in the 5,000 list is April 15.
TV Guide Names Bautz Online EIC
Gemstar-TV Guide International has named Mark Bautz as editor in chief of TV Guide Online, where he will direct all editorial and broadband video content for the publication's online properties, including www.TVGuide.com. In this role, he will work closely with Ian Birch, the chief content officer and editor-in-chief of the print publication. Previously, Bautz served as editor-in-chief of Time Inc.'s People.com. He also held an editorial position at EW.com.
Penton Media Names Sweeney EIC of Business Finance
Penton Media has appointed John Sweeney editor in chief of Business Finance magazine. In this role, Sweeney will direct all editorial content for both the print and online editions of the publication. Business Finance targets senior finance executives with content covering key finance issues, strategies, trends and technologies. Prior to the hire, Sweeney served as editor-in-chief of Kennedy Information's Magazine Media Group.
Rodale may focus on men's homes
Rodale may focus on men's homes
It's considering a Men's Health magazine spinoff giving house-related advice.
By Kurt Blumenau Of The Morning Call
Emmaus publisher Rodale has done well talking to men about their health. Now, it's going to tell them a few things about their living rooms and bathrooms, as well.The company is considering a spin-off title of its Men's Health magazine, to be called Men's Health Living. The new publication would focus on home improvements and home-related advice.
Industry magazine Advertising Age reported last month that Men's Health Living will appear in September as a special standalone issue. Rodale will consider more issues if the first one does well, Ad Age reported.Paul Reader, a Men's Health spokesman, confirmed Thursday that Rodale officials are looking at the concept. He said details are being worked out, and Rodale is not committing to a September print date.''It's kind of a work in progress,'' Reader said. ''It may happen sooner, it may happen later. It might not happen at all.''Last month, Men's Health Editor in Chief Dave Zinczenko told Ad Age the new title is ''a natural extension'' of the magazine he heads.''Just like Men's Health empowers men to seize control of their bodies, Men's Health Living will empower men to take control of their environment,'' Zinczenko said.Also, Men's Health Publisher Jack Essig told Ad Age that men are becoming more involved in the designs, colors and outfitting of the places where they live.Men's Health Living, while new to the United States, is in print elsewhere.
A magazine with the same name and concept is produced in South Africa by Touchline Media, a publishing company that also publishes international versions of Rodale titles Men's Health and Runner's World.Front-cover headlines in the most recent South African issue of Men's Health Living include ''Easy Money: How To Play The Property Market,'' ''Future-Proof Your Home'' and ''Come Clean: Your New Bathroom Is Here.''Ad Age identified only one possible U.S. rival to Men's Health Living: This Old House, a Time Inc. home-improvement publication inspired by the long-running TV show of the same name.Sarah Garvey, a spokeswoman for This Old House, said the magazine's research indicates home decisions are made by both men and women. This Old House does not specifically target either sex, she said.''We're excited for them,'' Garvey said of Rodale. ''We'll be interested to see where they fit'' into the magazine market.The new magazine would represent another effort by Rodale to extend its highly successful and award-winning Men's Health, which launched in 1986 and has been called one of the most successful rollouts in industry history.
The company unveiled a Women's Health magazine in October 2005 after publishing several trial issues. Rodale also attempted a spin-off magazine called MH18, aimed at younger readers, which is no longer published.Men's Health had paid circulation of 1.8 million copies at the end of last year, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The newer Women's Health closed the year with circulation of about 650,000.Other magazines published by Rodale include Prevention and Bicycling. The company also publishes general-interest books such as Al Gore's ''An Inconvenient Truth'' and Dr. Arthur Agatston's ''The South Beach Diet.''Rodale is privately held and employs about 730 people in the Valley, as well as about 300 in New York City.
It's considering a Men's Health magazine spinoff giving house-related advice.
By Kurt Blumenau Of The Morning Call
Emmaus publisher Rodale has done well talking to men about their health. Now, it's going to tell them a few things about their living rooms and bathrooms, as well.The company is considering a spin-off title of its Men's Health magazine, to be called Men's Health Living. The new publication would focus on home improvements and home-related advice.
Industry magazine Advertising Age reported last month that Men's Health Living will appear in September as a special standalone issue. Rodale will consider more issues if the first one does well, Ad Age reported.Paul Reader, a Men's Health spokesman, confirmed Thursday that Rodale officials are looking at the concept. He said details are being worked out, and Rodale is not committing to a September print date.''It's kind of a work in progress,'' Reader said. ''It may happen sooner, it may happen later. It might not happen at all.''Last month, Men's Health Editor in Chief Dave Zinczenko told Ad Age the new title is ''a natural extension'' of the magazine he heads.''Just like Men's Health empowers men to seize control of their bodies, Men's Health Living will empower men to take control of their environment,'' Zinczenko said.Also, Men's Health Publisher Jack Essig told Ad Age that men are becoming more involved in the designs, colors and outfitting of the places where they live.Men's Health Living, while new to the United States, is in print elsewhere.
A magazine with the same name and concept is produced in South Africa by Touchline Media, a publishing company that also publishes international versions of Rodale titles Men's Health and Runner's World.Front-cover headlines in the most recent South African issue of Men's Health Living include ''Easy Money: How To Play The Property Market,'' ''Future-Proof Your Home'' and ''Come Clean: Your New Bathroom Is Here.''Ad Age identified only one possible U.S. rival to Men's Health Living: This Old House, a Time Inc. home-improvement publication inspired by the long-running TV show of the same name.Sarah Garvey, a spokeswoman for This Old House, said the magazine's research indicates home decisions are made by both men and women. This Old House does not specifically target either sex, she said.''We're excited for them,'' Garvey said of Rodale. ''We'll be interested to see where they fit'' into the magazine market.The new magazine would represent another effort by Rodale to extend its highly successful and award-winning Men's Health, which launched in 1986 and has been called one of the most successful rollouts in industry history.
The company unveiled a Women's Health magazine in October 2005 after publishing several trial issues. Rodale also attempted a spin-off magazine called MH18, aimed at younger readers, which is no longer published.Men's Health had paid circulation of 1.8 million copies at the end of last year, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The newer Women's Health closed the year with circulation of about 650,000.Other magazines published by Rodale include Prevention and Bicycling. The company also publishes general-interest books such as Al Gore's ''An Inconvenient Truth'' and Dr. Arthur Agatston's ''The South Beach Diet.''Rodale is privately held and employs about 730 people in the Valley, as well as about 300 in New York City.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Scholastic, Target Rev Summer Reading
Scholastic, Target Rev Summer Reading
Target gets on page with Scholastic to keep kids sharp over summer
Scholastic and Target Stores are ramping up a summer reading program that rewards kids and engages teachers and parents.
The four-month program, called Scholastic Summer Reading Buzz!, breaks on May 15 with a dedicated Web site, classroom materials, and a sweepstakes awarding a family trip to Orlando.
The goal is to get millions of kids to read at least four books over the summer, to keep their reading skills sharp while school is out.
Kids register at the site, Scholastic.com/SummerReading, then log in book titles each time they finish reading one. For every four books read, Scholastic will donate one book to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), up to 50,000 books. Non-profit RIF will distribute Scholastic’s donated books to underprivileged kids.
The site also invites kids to submit reviews and “buzz” about the books they’ve enjoyed, and hosts book lists in English and Spanish, for parents and teachers. The sweepstakes runs on the site, too.
At the same time, teachers in 250,000 classrooms will get Reading Buzz materials, including book logs that kids take home to keep track of their reading offline. (Books tallied in those logs trigger donations to RIF, too). The classroom kits also include age-appropriate books, reading activities, and a $1 coupon for children’s books at Target.
Scholastic will promote Reading Buzz in materials for its in-school Book Clubs and Book Fairs as well as its Spanish-language vehicle Lectorum. Branded pencils and bookmarks will be given away at education conferences and reading events this spring and summer to raise awareness of the program.
This is the second year that Scholastic has run Reading Buzz, but Target is a new partner this year. Last year, Scholastic tapped Woman’s Day magazine to reach moms and support the program.
Target gets on page with Scholastic to keep kids sharp over summer
Scholastic and Target Stores are ramping up a summer reading program that rewards kids and engages teachers and parents.
The four-month program, called Scholastic Summer Reading Buzz!, breaks on May 15 with a dedicated Web site, classroom materials, and a sweepstakes awarding a family trip to Orlando.
The goal is to get millions of kids to read at least four books over the summer, to keep their reading skills sharp while school is out.
Kids register at the site, Scholastic.com/SummerReading, then log in book titles each time they finish reading one. For every four books read, Scholastic will donate one book to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), up to 50,000 books. Non-profit RIF will distribute Scholastic’s donated books to underprivileged kids.
The site also invites kids to submit reviews and “buzz” about the books they’ve enjoyed, and hosts book lists in English and Spanish, for parents and teachers. The sweepstakes runs on the site, too.
At the same time, teachers in 250,000 classrooms will get Reading Buzz materials, including book logs that kids take home to keep track of their reading offline. (Books tallied in those logs trigger donations to RIF, too). The classroom kits also include age-appropriate books, reading activities, and a $1 coupon for children’s books at Target.
Scholastic will promote Reading Buzz in materials for its in-school Book Clubs and Book Fairs as well as its Spanish-language vehicle Lectorum. Branded pencils and bookmarks will be given away at education conferences and reading events this spring and summer to raise awareness of the program.
This is the second year that Scholastic has run Reading Buzz, but Target is a new partner this year. Last year, Scholastic tapped Woman’s Day magazine to reach moms and support the program.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Time Warner Shares Gain on Positive View
Time Warner Shares Gain on Positive View
Tuesday April 3, 4:01 pm ET
Time Warner Shares Up After Analyst Reiterates 'Buy' Rating, Citing Strength After Spinoff
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares in media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. rose Tuesday after Citigroup said investors are undervaluing the stock after the company spun off its cable operations.
Time Warner comprises online unit AOL, Warner Bros. studios, cable networks such as HBO and CNN, and publishing properties including Sports Illustrated and Time magazines. Last month, the company broke off its cable operations, giving investors the chance to place a value on Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable operator in the country, independent of the conglomerate's other assets.
Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said Time Warner's remaining assets are "inexpensive," and predicts the stock can add about 20 percent in the next year. He rates it "Buy" and assigns a price target of $24.
Time Warner shares rose 44 cents, or 2.2 percent to close at $20.51 on the New York Stock Exchange. In the past year, the stock has ranged from $15.70 to $23.15. Before Tuesday's trading, the stock was off about 20 percent from its 52-week high.
"To our surprise, the pull back in Time Warner shares is almost exclusively tied to movements in Time Warner Cable," Bazinet wrote. "In effect, Time Warner is trading just like a cable stock."
While Time Warner still owns 85 percent of the cable company, those assets comprise just 40 percent of the company's enterprise value, which adds equity value, or market capitalization, to debt.
The analyst argued that, based on calculations of debt, equity value and free cash flow, the implied value of the company's stock is $11 per share, well below his price target.
Time Warner Cable stock closed up 20 cents, at $37.25 on the NYSE.
Tuesday April 3, 4:01 pm ET
Time Warner Shares Up After Analyst Reiterates 'Buy' Rating, Citing Strength After Spinoff
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares in media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. rose Tuesday after Citigroup said investors are undervaluing the stock after the company spun off its cable operations.
Time Warner comprises online unit AOL, Warner Bros. studios, cable networks such as HBO and CNN, and publishing properties including Sports Illustrated and Time magazines. Last month, the company broke off its cable operations, giving investors the chance to place a value on Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable operator in the country, independent of the conglomerate's other assets.
Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said Time Warner's remaining assets are "inexpensive," and predicts the stock can add about 20 percent in the next year. He rates it "Buy" and assigns a price target of $24.
Time Warner shares rose 44 cents, or 2.2 percent to close at $20.51 on the New York Stock Exchange. In the past year, the stock has ranged from $15.70 to $23.15. Before Tuesday's trading, the stock was off about 20 percent from its 52-week high.
"To our surprise, the pull back in Time Warner shares is almost exclusively tied to movements in Time Warner Cable," Bazinet wrote. "In effect, Time Warner is trading just like a cable stock."
While Time Warner still owns 85 percent of the cable company, those assets comprise just 40 percent of the company's enterprise value, which adds equity value, or market capitalization, to debt.
The analyst argued that, based on calculations of debt, equity value and free cash flow, the implied value of the company's stock is $11 per share, well below his price target.
Time Warner Cable stock closed up 20 cents, at $37.25 on the NYSE.
Sorrell: Only 50% Of Ad Money Targets Traditional Media
WPP's Sorrell: Mobile and New Media to Lead Ad Spend
By Enid Burns | April 2, 2007
“Start experimenting with mobile, test, refine, repeat,” was the advice offered by Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive at WPP, at the Mobile Entertainment and Advertising Summit held by the GSM Association.
Sorrell reported about half of WPP-owned media buying agency GroupM's business in advertising is spent on traditional media, while the other half is spent on outdoor, new media, market research and public relations. “Those other areas are growing by and large faster than those traditional media,” he said.
Newspaper is the media most threatened by new media, followed by radio and TV, though “cable and satellite give more flexibility,” he said. “Probably the least affected is outdoor and cinema, though the question is raised as to how we’re all going to consume films [in the future].”
New media, and especially emerging channels like mobile, must define standards and reporting practices. “For good or evil, clients are going to not make big decisions in media unless they have measurable data to back it,” Sir Martin said.
A forecast released by GroupM late last year places mobile ad spending in the U.K. at £30 million, or $59 million, for 2007. Mobile is becoming a priority for the larger Internet companies like Yahoo, Google and eBay. “Today there are twice as many mobile phones as Internet connections,” said Sir Martin.
He added growth will be driven by the decline of mobile data costs, adoption of mobile search, and higher data speeds enabled by 3G networks. The opportunity for marketers lies in finding ways to lower the cost of data services through advertising.
On a global scale, growth in the ad spend will come from developing countries, Sorrell said, adding that he prefers to classify the identified countries as quickly-growing markets. He said to look beyond the "BRIC" nations -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to “neo-BRIC” countries like Pakistan, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. “We’ve seen mobile developments in Africa and elsewhere,” he said. “Latin America and Africa, those two will become not just politically important, but economically important.”
By Enid Burns | April 2, 2007
“Start experimenting with mobile, test, refine, repeat,” was the advice offered by Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive at WPP, at the Mobile Entertainment and Advertising Summit held by the GSM Association.
Sorrell reported about half of WPP-owned media buying agency GroupM's business in advertising is spent on traditional media, while the other half is spent on outdoor, new media, market research and public relations. “Those other areas are growing by and large faster than those traditional media,” he said.
Newspaper is the media most threatened by new media, followed by radio and TV, though “cable and satellite give more flexibility,” he said. “Probably the least affected is outdoor and cinema, though the question is raised as to how we’re all going to consume films [in the future].”
New media, and especially emerging channels like mobile, must define standards and reporting practices. “For good or evil, clients are going to not make big decisions in media unless they have measurable data to back it,” Sir Martin said.
A forecast released by GroupM late last year places mobile ad spending in the U.K. at £30 million, or $59 million, for 2007. Mobile is becoming a priority for the larger Internet companies like Yahoo, Google and eBay. “Today there are twice as many mobile phones as Internet connections,” said Sir Martin.
He added growth will be driven by the decline of mobile data costs, adoption of mobile search, and higher data speeds enabled by 3G networks. The opportunity for marketers lies in finding ways to lower the cost of data services through advertising.
On a global scale, growth in the ad spend will come from developing countries, Sorrell said, adding that he prefers to classify the identified countries as quickly-growing markets. He said to look beyond the "BRIC" nations -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to “neo-BRIC” countries like Pakistan, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. “We’ve seen mobile developments in Africa and elsewhere,” he said. “Latin America and Africa, those two will become not just politically important, but economically important.”
News Corp., Offline, Online Content King
Start spreading the News (Corp.)
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has been the best performing media stock this year and analysts expect the Fox and MySpace owner to remain ahead of the pack.
By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com editor at large
April 2 2007: 1:09 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Some TV critics are wondering if the continued success of Sanjaya Malakar, the woefully out of tune contestant on Fox's "American Idol," will be what finally causes ratings for the hit show to tank.
Yet, investors in Fox's parent company don't seem to be too worried that "Idol's" popularity has peaked. Shares of News Corp (Charts)., which owns the Fox television and movie studios and social networking site MySpace, are up about 10 percent this year.
By way of comparison, shares of rivals Walt Disney (Charts) and Viacom (Charts) are unchanged, CBS (Charts) is down about 2 percent and Time Warner's (Charts) stock has fallen 9 percent. (Time Warner is the parent company of CNNMoney.com)
Analysts say the ratings surge at Fox, which went from fourth place in the 18-49 year-old ratings race at the end of 2006 to leading in the advertiser-coveted demographic since "Idol" rejoined Fox's primetimes schedule in January, is a key reason behind the success in News Corp.'s stock.
News Corp. now appears poised to win the 18-49 ratings crown for the third straight season. And the company's network television unit accounts for about 20 percent of total revenue.
"As long as 'American Idol' stays strong, things will continue to work fine for News Corp.," said Alan Gould, an analyst with Natexis Bleichroeder.
But there's more to News Corp. than Fox, analysts say. Gould said that under chairman Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. has been perhaps the most successful of all the major media companies in terms of embracing digital media.
News Corp. bought MySpace parent company Intermix Media in 2005 for $580 million, a price that's now considered a steal.
"Strategically, Murdoch has been ahead of everybody. He's been looking at everything from a more global perspective than anyone else in the media business," Gould said.
David Joyce, an analyst with Miller Tabak & Co., said News Corp. should see a big boost in revenue and profits in its Fox Interactive Media unit, which includes MySpace, over the next few years, as an advertising revenue sharing agreement with search engine leader Google (Charts) kicks in.
Joyce added that he's not concerned that News Corp.'s recent decision to form an online video joint venture with GE-owned NBC Universal that will compete against Google's YouTube video sharing subsidiary will derail the partnership between MySpace and Google.
Analysts also said that News Corp.'s move to get out of the U.S. satellite television business was a wise one. News Corp. agreed late last year to swap its controlling interest in DirecTV (Charts) to Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by mogul John Malone, in exchange for Liberty's approximately 16 percent stake in News Corp.
News Corp. shareholders are set to vote on this transaction on April 3 and it is widely expected that they will approve the deal.
Joseph Bonner, an analyst with Argus Research, said getting rid of DirecTV accomplishes two things for News Corp. that shareholders should like. First, it allows News Corp. to exit the cutthroat U.S. satellite and cable TV market.
DirecTV has had difficulty competing with large cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which are able to offer more services, such as Internet access and phone service, than the satellite TV providers.
News Corp. remains a big player in the global satellite TV market though, with a 39 percent stake in British Sky Broadcasting and full ownership of Sky Italia.
In addition, Bonner said Murdoch and other News Corp. executives no longer need to worry about meddling from Malone, who some feared would seek greater control over the company.
"The Liberty-DirecTV deal removes an ongoing issue about what was going to happen with News Corp. stock and control of the company. That cloud has lifted. News Corp. can move forward and not have more of management's time devoted to this," Bonner said.
Bonner added that News Corp. should also benefit from contract renegotiations with cable providers regarding its Fox News Channel. News Corp. was able to receive increased carriage fees from major cable companies due to the ratings success of Fox News Channel. Bonner said this should boost results in News Corp.'s cable programming unit, which accounts for 13 percent of overall sales and 26 percent of operating income.
Nonetheless, there are some concerns about News Corp. going forward. The company's movie business, which had a strong 2006 thanks to box office hits such as the "Borat" movie as well as sequels in the "X-Men" and "Ice Age" franchises, will face tougher comparisons this year.
This summer, News Corp. is releasing a "Fantastic Four" sequel, a fourth "Die Hard" film (and first since 1995) and the long-awaited movie based on Fox's long-running cartoon hit "The Simpsons." Gould said he's not sure if any of these films will be monster blockbusters.
News Corp. also faces a tough environment in some of its slower-growth "old media" businesses such as its newspaper and magazines divisions and HarperCollins book publishing unit.
Still, analysts said News Corp. should continue to outperform its media brethren. "They are the best of the media conglomerates," said Miller Tabak's Joyce.
Gould adds that even though the stock trades at a premium to its rivals on both a price-to-earnings and price to earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) basis, the higher valuation is justified because of MySpace's growth potential.
To be sure, MySpace and other online assets are still a small part of News Corp. The company said in February when it reported fiscal second quarter results that Fox Interactive Media posted a slight loss in the quarter even though sales rose 70 percent from a year ago.
But News Corp. president and COO Peter Chernin vowed during the call that Fox Interactive Media would not only be profitable in 2008, but that operating margins should be about 20 percent.
"The key thing to watch will be the evolution of MySpace and Fox Interactive Media and how quickly those profits ramp up," Gould said.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has been the best performing media stock this year and analysts expect the Fox and MySpace owner to remain ahead of the pack.
By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com editor at large
April 2 2007: 1:09 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Some TV critics are wondering if the continued success of Sanjaya Malakar, the woefully out of tune contestant on Fox's "American Idol," will be what finally causes ratings for the hit show to tank.
Yet, investors in Fox's parent company don't seem to be too worried that "Idol's" popularity has peaked. Shares of News Corp (Charts)., which owns the Fox television and movie studios and social networking site MySpace, are up about 10 percent this year.
By way of comparison, shares of rivals Walt Disney (Charts) and Viacom (Charts) are unchanged, CBS (Charts) is down about 2 percent and Time Warner's (Charts) stock has fallen 9 percent. (Time Warner is the parent company of CNNMoney.com)
Analysts say the ratings surge at Fox, which went from fourth place in the 18-49 year-old ratings race at the end of 2006 to leading in the advertiser-coveted demographic since "Idol" rejoined Fox's primetimes schedule in January, is a key reason behind the success in News Corp.'s stock.
News Corp. now appears poised to win the 18-49 ratings crown for the third straight season. And the company's network television unit accounts for about 20 percent of total revenue.
"As long as 'American Idol' stays strong, things will continue to work fine for News Corp.," said Alan Gould, an analyst with Natexis Bleichroeder.
But there's more to News Corp. than Fox, analysts say. Gould said that under chairman Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. has been perhaps the most successful of all the major media companies in terms of embracing digital media.
News Corp. bought MySpace parent company Intermix Media in 2005 for $580 million, a price that's now considered a steal.
"Strategically, Murdoch has been ahead of everybody. He's been looking at everything from a more global perspective than anyone else in the media business," Gould said.
David Joyce, an analyst with Miller Tabak & Co., said News Corp. should see a big boost in revenue and profits in its Fox Interactive Media unit, which includes MySpace, over the next few years, as an advertising revenue sharing agreement with search engine leader Google (Charts) kicks in.
Joyce added that he's not concerned that News Corp.'s recent decision to form an online video joint venture with GE-owned NBC Universal that will compete against Google's YouTube video sharing subsidiary will derail the partnership between MySpace and Google.
Analysts also said that News Corp.'s move to get out of the U.S. satellite television business was a wise one. News Corp. agreed late last year to swap its controlling interest in DirecTV (Charts) to Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by mogul John Malone, in exchange for Liberty's approximately 16 percent stake in News Corp.
News Corp. shareholders are set to vote on this transaction on April 3 and it is widely expected that they will approve the deal.
Joseph Bonner, an analyst with Argus Research, said getting rid of DirecTV accomplishes two things for News Corp. that shareholders should like. First, it allows News Corp. to exit the cutthroat U.S. satellite and cable TV market.
DirecTV has had difficulty competing with large cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable, which are able to offer more services, such as Internet access and phone service, than the satellite TV providers.
News Corp. remains a big player in the global satellite TV market though, with a 39 percent stake in British Sky Broadcasting and full ownership of Sky Italia.
In addition, Bonner said Murdoch and other News Corp. executives no longer need to worry about meddling from Malone, who some feared would seek greater control over the company.
"The Liberty-DirecTV deal removes an ongoing issue about what was going to happen with News Corp. stock and control of the company. That cloud has lifted. News Corp. can move forward and not have more of management's time devoted to this," Bonner said.
Bonner added that News Corp. should also benefit from contract renegotiations with cable providers regarding its Fox News Channel. News Corp. was able to receive increased carriage fees from major cable companies due to the ratings success of Fox News Channel. Bonner said this should boost results in News Corp.'s cable programming unit, which accounts for 13 percent of overall sales and 26 percent of operating income.
Nonetheless, there are some concerns about News Corp. going forward. The company's movie business, which had a strong 2006 thanks to box office hits such as the "Borat" movie as well as sequels in the "X-Men" and "Ice Age" franchises, will face tougher comparisons this year.
This summer, News Corp. is releasing a "Fantastic Four" sequel, a fourth "Die Hard" film (and first since 1995) and the long-awaited movie based on Fox's long-running cartoon hit "The Simpsons." Gould said he's not sure if any of these films will be monster blockbusters.
News Corp. also faces a tough environment in some of its slower-growth "old media" businesses such as its newspaper and magazines divisions and HarperCollins book publishing unit.
Still, analysts said News Corp. should continue to outperform its media brethren. "They are the best of the media conglomerates," said Miller Tabak's Joyce.
Gould adds that even though the stock trades at a premium to its rivals on both a price-to-earnings and price to earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) basis, the higher valuation is justified because of MySpace's growth potential.
To be sure, MySpace and other online assets are still a small part of News Corp. The company said in February when it reported fiscal second quarter results that Fox Interactive Media posted a slight loss in the quarter even though sales rose 70 percent from a year ago.
But News Corp. president and COO Peter Chernin vowed during the call that Fox Interactive Media would not only be profitable in 2008, but that operating margins should be about 20 percent.
"The key thing to watch will be the evolution of MySpace and Fox Interactive Media and how quickly those profits ramp up," Gould said.
Zillow.com Offers Do-It-Yourself 'EZ Ads'
Zillow.com Offers Do-It-Yourself 'EZ Ads'
by Judy Warner, Wednesday, Apr 4, 2007 6:00 AM ET
THE WEB SITE THAT A year ago was the buzz of cocktail parties, office meetings and cab rides will today introduce a bevy of new features intended to draw home buyers and sellers to its ad-supported site.
Zillow.com today launches "EZ Ads" among other features to attract user-generated content to its real estate site, increase visitation, and generate revenue. Zillow's do-it-yourself ad capability allows anyone to create an ad and then purchase space locally by geography or ZIP code.
Another buzz-worthy addition to the site is a question-and-answer function that allows anyone to pose a question and view answers from anyone who chooses to respond. Visitors can then rate answers as "helpful" or "not helpful," and each contribution links back to a user's profile page--telling visitors, for example, if the question was answered by a local agent, or if the contributor frequently answers questions within the Zillow community.
"Today, some of the most colorful and important information about homes and real estate is trapped inside the heads of local experts--agents, homeowners and neighbors," says Lloyd Frink, Zillow president. "By allowing people to freely ask questions and share information online about homes, we hope to unlock, for the community as a whole, a powerful vault of data, such as an agent sharing insight into a neighborhood, or a potential buyer asking the shortest commute route downtown."
The Kelsey Group's Matt Booth, an analyst who covers interactive local media and was given a preview of the site enhancements, predicts that the EZ Ad tool in particular will prove popular because it depends on "self enrollment" and will attract buyers of local ads with credit card in hand. Inexpensive and simple to use, Booth predicts the feature will take off.
"I can see someone going in right away and buying up all the really good ZIP codes. If you're selling in Beverly Hills you want to be there and in the surrounding areas."
Seattle-based Zillow was launched a year ago by former Expedia.com executives. Its "Zestimate" valuation tool allows anyone anywhere to type in an address and find out what that home is worth. So far, interest in the site has exceeded expectations. Company founders had projected 1 million unique visitors by August, and instead saw 5 million unique visitors in just three weeks.
What has made the site attractive to advertisers such as Lendingtree, Washington Mutual, Bank of America and dozens of others is the quality of its visitors: 84% own a home, most are affluent, and they're concentrated on both coasts.
Last month, according to data compiled by Hitwise, Zillow ranked No. 7 in share of market for site visits in the real estate category. Judy Warner covers financial services. She can be reached via email at jwarner@comave.org.
by Judy Warner, Wednesday, Apr 4, 2007 6:00 AM ET
THE WEB SITE THAT A year ago was the buzz of cocktail parties, office meetings and cab rides will today introduce a bevy of new features intended to draw home buyers and sellers to its ad-supported site.
Zillow.com today launches "EZ Ads" among other features to attract user-generated content to its real estate site, increase visitation, and generate revenue. Zillow's do-it-yourself ad capability allows anyone to create an ad and then purchase space locally by geography or ZIP code.
Another buzz-worthy addition to the site is a question-and-answer function that allows anyone to pose a question and view answers from anyone who chooses to respond. Visitors can then rate answers as "helpful" or "not helpful," and each contribution links back to a user's profile page--telling visitors, for example, if the question was answered by a local agent, or if the contributor frequently answers questions within the Zillow community.
"Today, some of the most colorful and important information about homes and real estate is trapped inside the heads of local experts--agents, homeowners and neighbors," says Lloyd Frink, Zillow president. "By allowing people to freely ask questions and share information online about homes, we hope to unlock, for the community as a whole, a powerful vault of data, such as an agent sharing insight into a neighborhood, or a potential buyer asking the shortest commute route downtown."
The Kelsey Group's Matt Booth, an analyst who covers interactive local media and was given a preview of the site enhancements, predicts that the EZ Ad tool in particular will prove popular because it depends on "self enrollment" and will attract buyers of local ads with credit card in hand. Inexpensive and simple to use, Booth predicts the feature will take off.
"I can see someone going in right away and buying up all the really good ZIP codes. If you're selling in Beverly Hills you want to be there and in the surrounding areas."
Seattle-based Zillow was launched a year ago by former Expedia.com executives. Its "Zestimate" valuation tool allows anyone anywhere to type in an address and find out what that home is worth. So far, interest in the site has exceeded expectations. Company founders had projected 1 million unique visitors by August, and instead saw 5 million unique visitors in just three weeks.
What has made the site attractive to advertisers such as Lendingtree, Washington Mutual, Bank of America and dozens of others is the quality of its visitors: 84% own a home, most are affluent, and they're concentrated on both coasts.
Last month, according to data compiled by Hitwise, Zillow ranked No. 7 in share of market for site visits in the real estate category. Judy Warner covers financial services. She can be reached via email at jwarner@comave.org.
Harper's Establishes Online Archive Going Back 157 Years;
Harper's Establishes Online Archive Going Back 157 Years; Prints Subs Include Access
Posted by David Kaplan
http://www.paidcontent.org/
Tue 03 Apr 2007 06:29 AM Harper’s magazine, which published its first issue in June 1850, is making articles dating back 157 years available in a new online archive, Fishbowl NY reported. So far, the archive is available only to print subscribers of the monthly magazine. Those who pay subscriptions, which start at $16.97, will be able to view PDFs of articles at no extra charge. The Harper’s online database boasts thousands of interlinked topic pages from over a quarter-million page-scans. In addition to maintaining current, non-archived articles and features free on its website, Harper’s says it is looking for a solution for bloggers wishing to link to older Harper’s content.
In gathering all past issues, Harper’s relied on the Cornell University Library, which allowed the magazine use of scans from the publication’s first 49 years.
By putting its archives online, Harper’s takes a different approach than that of the New Yorker, which released its archives on eight DVDs in late 2005. Whereas Harper’s views its archives as an incentive for subscribers, the New Yorker saw a way to increase revenues directly. It’s worth noting that on the bottom of the New Yorker’s home page, under the heading “Coming Soon,” it says the site will offer most New Yorker articles since 2001 and selected pieces from before, as well as a searchable index, with abstracts, of articles since 1925.
Posted by David Kaplan
http://www.paidcontent.org/
Tue 03 Apr 2007 06:29 AM Harper’s magazine, which published its first issue in June 1850, is making articles dating back 157 years available in a new online archive, Fishbowl NY reported. So far, the archive is available only to print subscribers of the monthly magazine. Those who pay subscriptions, which start at $16.97, will be able to view PDFs of articles at no extra charge. The Harper’s online database boasts thousands of interlinked topic pages from over a quarter-million page-scans. In addition to maintaining current, non-archived articles and features free on its website, Harper’s says it is looking for a solution for bloggers wishing to link to older Harper’s content.
In gathering all past issues, Harper’s relied on the Cornell University Library, which allowed the magazine use of scans from the publication’s first 49 years.
By putting its archives online, Harper’s takes a different approach than that of the New Yorker, which released its archives on eight DVDs in late 2005. Whereas Harper’s views its archives as an incentive for subscribers, the New Yorker saw a way to increase revenues directly. It’s worth noting that on the bottom of the New Yorker’s home page, under the heading “Coming Soon,” it says the site will offer most New Yorker articles since 2001 and selected pieces from before, as well as a searchable index, with abstracts, of articles since 1925.
Boomers Hip to Web Technology. Online for Needs, Not Entertainment
Boomers Hip to Web Technology. Online for Needs, Not Entertainment
http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/cfmr_brief.cfm?fnl=070404
According to a new study, by ThirdAge Inc. and JWT BOOM, with over 1,210 adults 40+ years of age, over 72% of ThirdAgers access the Internet from Broadband in their homes, which is significantly more than the national average across all age groups. And, over 82% of all respondents are researching or reading information Online on health and wellness for themselves and for their families.
Sharon Whiteley, CEO of ThirdAge, said "ThirdAgers (baby boomers and mid-lifers generally in their early 40's through mid 60's) are regularly stereotyped as being technophobes and slow to jump on the technology bandwagon. However... not only are they online, they're surprisingly a formidable presence on the Internet."
According to the survey, ThirdAgers spend time on the Internet are to:
Seek out information (92%)
Stay in touch with friends and family (95%)
Shop online (73%)
Browse the Web (95%)
Read articles (91%)
Research products before purchasing offline (86%)
What they're not doing is watching videos, writing blogs, playing games or downloading music, notes the report.
The report includes data that shows that
Close to 108 million people are over the age of 45, more than 40 percent of the population, with the majority of the buying power in the United States
They account for 70 percent of the U.S. net worth, controlling $9 trillion
In the next 15 years, the 50-64 age popular will grow by 50 percent and the 65-plus population will grow 32 percent
Traditionally coveted 18-40 Gen-X and Gen-Y populations will grow only 3 percent combined
Whiteley says "... many marketers... (are not) building a trusted relationship with people who are over 40... These generations have grown up in the information age; they will seek facts, data and peer input..."
Based on survey findings, over 96% share information and details about new discoveries with their family, 84% with their children, 83% with their spouses and 71% among their co-workers making this cohort one of the most active groups in the viral marketplace.
Research results also point to the fact that marketers would do well to understand the value of an integrated media plans when marketing to ThirdAgers as 92 % visit an online Web site after they've read about it in a print article. 89 % typically visit a Web site after seeing a print ad, and 83 % visit a site after seeing a television ad.
Additional topline findings about this market segment:
82% are using a desktop computer to connect online
17% are using laptops
73% are using Broadband to access the Internet from home
82% are using the Internet to seek information around health & wellness
69% get health & wellness information from doctors and medical professionals
79% would respond to promotional e-mails about products and services
92% have read about a Web site in a print article and then visited online
89% have seen a print ad and later visited the online site
83% have seen a Web site advertised on television and later visited it online
65% will visit a Web site address after hearing it on a radio
http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/cfmr_brief.cfm?fnl=070404
According to a new study, by ThirdAge Inc. and JWT BOOM, with over 1,210 adults 40+ years of age, over 72% of ThirdAgers access the Internet from Broadband in their homes, which is significantly more than the national average across all age groups. And, over 82% of all respondents are researching or reading information Online on health and wellness for themselves and for their families.
Sharon Whiteley, CEO of ThirdAge, said "ThirdAgers (baby boomers and mid-lifers generally in their early 40's through mid 60's) are regularly stereotyped as being technophobes and slow to jump on the technology bandwagon. However... not only are they online, they're surprisingly a formidable presence on the Internet."
According to the survey, ThirdAgers spend time on the Internet are to:
Seek out information (92%)
Stay in touch with friends and family (95%)
Shop online (73%)
Browse the Web (95%)
Read articles (91%)
Research products before purchasing offline (86%)
What they're not doing is watching videos, writing blogs, playing games or downloading music, notes the report.
The report includes data that shows that
Close to 108 million people are over the age of 45, more than 40 percent of the population, with the majority of the buying power in the United States
They account for 70 percent of the U.S. net worth, controlling $9 trillion
In the next 15 years, the 50-64 age popular will grow by 50 percent and the 65-plus population will grow 32 percent
Traditionally coveted 18-40 Gen-X and Gen-Y populations will grow only 3 percent combined
Whiteley says "... many marketers... (are not) building a trusted relationship with people who are over 40... These generations have grown up in the information age; they will seek facts, data and peer input..."
Based on survey findings, over 96% share information and details about new discoveries with their family, 84% with their children, 83% with their spouses and 71% among their co-workers making this cohort one of the most active groups in the viral marketplace.
Research results also point to the fact that marketers would do well to understand the value of an integrated media plans when marketing to ThirdAgers as 92 % visit an online Web site after they've read about it in a print article. 89 % typically visit a Web site after seeing a print ad, and 83 % visit a site after seeing a television ad.
Additional topline findings about this market segment:
82% are using a desktop computer to connect online
17% are using laptops
73% are using Broadband to access the Internet from home
82% are using the Internet to seek information around health & wellness
69% get health & wellness information from doctors and medical professionals
79% would respond to promotional e-mails about products and services
92% have read about a Web site in a print article and then visited online
89% have seen a print ad and later visited the online site
83% have seen a Web site advertised on television and later visited it online
65% will visit a Web site address after hearing it on a radio
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