In the old model, free papers had to have circulations of about 400,000 to work, City AM has shown that it can be done with about 100,000. The question is whether you can do it with 25,000?
Mused former Daily Express editor and Financial Times executive Richard Addis
You could have a couple of local columnists and lots of content from pressure groups or local people who have got something to say. You get your customers working for you. They are your journalists and you have a couple of people editing it
Is the hyper-local news model the solution for future news organizations? Many news organizations and executives, alongside Addis, believe so. Johnston Press launched about 50 community newsletters last year; publishing group Archant’s regional papers have launched even smaller papers.
I see newsletters and amateur-published 'parish mags with ads' all over. They work ok for a certain generation. But the print solution can only be a short term plaster.
What the consumer wants in going hyper-local is reaching an ultra-niche community. That may be people who all live in close proximity, it may be people who share an interest and who don't live in close proximity.
I suspect the needs of these groups are similar. And whether the newsletter is hyper-local or national - it's still broadcast (though I appreciate there could be a huge UGC element in it - think a student union newspaper, for example).
But it's still slow with the news. Generation C won't want this, they'll want a micro-niche, socially-networked, UGC enabled mobile internet site. Not a bit of (literally) out-of-date newsprint. :D
Posted by: David Cushman | January 23, 2007 at 10:44 AM
David,
We are on the same ahem... "digital" page. Its fascinating to see newsprint in a mephisto waltz to obsolesence.
Thanks for posting
Alan
Posted by: alan moore | January 23, 2007 at 07:31 PM