RTDNA posts earthquake resources
Great job by the RTDNA putting together a Google Spreadsheet on resources for covering the Chilean earthquake and its potential aftermath. Check it out – not just because it has good information but also because it’s a great use of Google Docs.
San Francisco’s BayNewser shuts down
MediaBistro is shutting down its San Francisco site, BayNewser. The site, which primarily covered local media matters, was just nine months old. In a post on BayNewser, MediaBistro writes: “We just wanted to let you know that we are putting BayNewser.com on hold, but mediabistro’s commitment to San Francisco and Silicon Valley continues with the [...]
Honolulu becomes latest one-paper town
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin has agreed to purchase its rival, the Honolulu Advertiser, it announced Thursday. The papers will likely merge operations, making Honolulu the latest city to have just one newspaper. According to an article in the Star-Bulletin: “The sale will lead to layoffs when and if the papers are combined, although the number of [...]
Recognizing the local mobile real-time social web
I’ve been saying to anyone who will listen that mobile is – by definition – local. This is aimed at helping local media companies and journalists connect the dots and understand that what is happening today on iPhones and Blackberries is not frivilous (just because it’s called Foursquare or Gowalla). John Battelle sees that in [...]
Notes: WaPo ads, Digital water cooler, “Eurotrash”
Noted, while wondering what life was like before the Olympics: Display ads up 13% at WaPo, but online classifieds crashing (paidContent) Re: Olympics. Water-Cooler Effect: Internet Can Be TV’s Friend (NYT) Is “Eurotrash” an epithet you can’t use on TV? (Mediaite) LR gets some love in a BNet article about NYT/NYU joint project (BNet)
Myine’s “TiVo for radio”: A local disruptor?
(sings) I love gadgets. Gadgets gadgets gadgets. Get ‘em on my shelf… For years, we’ve used DVRs such as TiVo to watch TV and skip the ads. A new radio aims to do much the same thing. Myine Electronics’ Abbee is an FM radio that records from any station and strips out the ads. It [...]
Red Sox hold meetup: you should, too
I’m going to #SoxUp tonight at Fenway Park, a gathering of Boston social media types. The Sox are helping to put on the meetup, and I think it’s ingenious. For years, Terry Heaton and I preached the idea that stations and newspapers should hold blogger meetups. I think gathering the social media people from your [...]
The Hyperlocal-Local-Niche debate: a follow-up
Yesterday, I posted what I thought was a fairly non-controversial entry on what the LR editorial differences are between the words “Hyperlocal,” “Local” and “Niche.” Today, I have a longer form article about the topic over at the RTDNA site. What surprised me was how many comments and opinions the entry received. The debate has [...]
What you need to know about location-based services
Location-based services (LBS) still represent a wide open business opportunity, but will merely be a key feature for solid business models and be fully taken for granted in a few years. Those were some of the key takeaways from last night’s forum on LBS sponsored by the Northwest Entrepreneurial Network and held at Seattle University. [...]
The cuts at ABC: what they mean
ABC News is going to cut about a quarter of its staff in the next two months. That means about 300 to 400 people will either take buyouts or get released. According to the New York Times, the cuts are what ABC News President David Westin calls “… a ‘fundamental transformation’ for the division that [...]
Definitions: ‘local’ vs ‘hyperlocal’ vs ‘niche’
There is a difference between the terms “local,” “hyperlocal” and “niche” and I want to outline our editorial policy regarding the three. We see the three used interchangeably some times, and I think it’s important we all recognize the differences. “Hyperlocal” covers neighborhoods, while “local” covers towns and cities. We get some press releases here [...]
City Paper editor to join DC news startup
Erik Wemple, the editor of Washington City Paper, will become the editor of Allbritton’s upcoming DC news site. Wemple says former WashingtonPost.com editor Jim Brady, who’s heading up the new site, “wants the Washington City Paper voice and feel and sense of authority about local stuff.” If you haven’t heard the news over the last [...]
CBS affiliates likely to pay network for programming
If you’re a CBS affiliate, get ready for another revenue hit. It’s looking like CBS is going to start charging its affiliates a “reverse compensation” for programming. TVNewsCheck has an interview with CBS Affiliates Relations President Diana Wilkin, who says most of the affiliates have accepted this deal. Why this move? “CBS brings enormous value [...]
Spot.us makes some changes based on feedback
Crowdsourced journalism site Spot.us has listened to its audience and has tweaked its process. According to Nieman Journalism Lab, “Users can now easily follow updates on a reporter’s pitch and donate their time or expertise to a story, instead of just their money.” This is a good change, because it allows different levels of interaction. [...]
Notes, All-Olympics edition
USA hockey win over Canada (!) gives MSNBC its second-highest ratings night ever. #1 was election night ’08. (HuffPo) Opinion: NHL should be furious over NBC decision to relegate USA – Canada game to MSNBC (azcentral) Gannett says Olympics a big win for its NBC affiliates, with KUSA in Denver #1 station in the country [...]
Huffington Post introduces college edition
There’s a new edition of Huffington Post out, and it’s aimed at college kids. HuffPost College launches with more than 60 partner school newspapers. Smart. HuffPost College is run by two people – one of whom is already the site’s tech editor. Ariana Huffington writes: “HuffPost College features voices from colleges and universities all around [...]
Quality, brands and the new world of news
There’s a phrase in TV news that I heard countless times over my television career: “broadcast quality,” describing a minimum quality threshold for video that can appear on air. Everyone defined it differently, and the larger the market, theoretically, the higher the threshold. Today, the internet has redefined quality, and it’s even impacted TV — [...]
NYTimes, NYU to launch new hyperlocal site
Earlier this year, NYTimes.com partnered with City University of New York (CUNY) to power a local site in Brooklyn, serving Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents. Today, the Times announced a partnership with New York University to launch a hyperlocal site in the East Village. The Local East Village site will be developed by NYU’s journalism faculty and students, and it’s scheduled to launch later this fall. The project will tie into a new class, “The Hyperlocal Newsroom,” which in part will help teach students how to contribute. More details in the press release, which follows below…
