Reflections of a Newsosaur offers some of the wisest observations on the evolution of the news industry. Newspaper/online veteran Alan Mutter is agnostic in taking the business to task, in that he spares no critique for any quarter.
His
latest post identifies some of the failing factors as journalists launch start-ups as fledgling entrepreneurs. His most potent point: "Instead of trying to build a business, they are trying to give themselves the job they always wanted."
Mutter talked to three start-ups, kept their identities secret, and found common problems in their strategies seeking success. Mostly, they just didn't act like business people. They spent hours chasing stories and tweaking their sites but had no energy left to chase their audience or an income.
Instead, the journalists are busy being journalists and hoping their artistic success will create commercial success.
"Unless they invest as much deliberate effort in building audience and revenues as they do into chasing stories, the journalists run the very real risk of going broke and/or wearing themselves out before they achieve the critical mass necessary to ensure the long-term viability of their ventures," he surmises.
Industry veteran Alan Mutter emerges from the cone of confidentiality agreements to discuss on his Reflections of a Newsosaur blog what he told the newspaper publishers in Chicago last week about the business models.
Essentially he brought them ViewPass, a platform proposal for an industry cooperative of content providers that would build user data and develop a stronger economic base for targeted advertising online.
In the same way PayPal became a substitute for cash, ViewPass would a recognized brand that would standardize content delivery and access for registered users.
The longer it's in place, the more ViewPass would collect data on users and target richer content and tailored advertising their way.
Mutter is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with a newspaper industry background.
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