Email newsletter Thrillist heading to the iPhone
It just so happens that both of my posts today are about media companies extending their content to the iPhone. In both cases, mobile supports each organization’s focus on providing top-tier content and information to its users at the right time and place. Thrillist, is one of the hottest email newsletters amongst the young, affluent male set. The [...]
TargetCast Networks going mobile with iPhone app
TCN Media, the sales and marketing solutions division of TargetCast Networks, announced that it’s launching the company’s first iPhone application to support its expanding reach across the digital out-of-home media sector. As an operator of digital place-based media networks in major casual dining and fast casual restaurant chains across the country, TargetCast has the footprint [...]
Journalism startups ‘face tall odds’
With the explosion of local journalism startups, how many will survive? That’s a good question, and Alan D. Mutter over at Newsosaur has a harsh, but realistic assessment: While I applaud these brave and commendable efforts, I fear a good many journalistic entrepreneurs are doomed to fail…. After talking to one enterprising journalist after another, [...]
iPhone 4 could be powerful multimedia production tool
The ability to report and publish anywhere, anytime got a boost from a likely source today as Apple introduced the iPhone 4. While video calls, HD video and a new OS are grabbing headlines, the new device could be a powerful multimedia production suite all by itself, according to Alfred Hermida, an online journalism pioneer [...]
New iPhone 4 to fuel live video explosion
For years now, we’ve talked about that mythical day when the crowd, armed with live video cameras, can broadcast live from just about anywhere. Where live video is just part of the ethos of human communication — like picking up a phone. After watching today’s unveiling of the new iPhone 4 and Facetime (video), I [...]
Helen Thomas retires following anti-Semitic remarks
In the wake of her controversial remarks about Israel, Hearst columnist Helen Thomas is retiring effective immediately. Thomas, 89, drew condemnation after saying that Jews should “Go back to Poland or Germany” and that Israel should “get the hell out of Palestine.” A rabbi with two students asked her thoughts on Israel at a White [...]
Austin paper experiments with Gowalla
The Austin American-Statesman is giving Gowalla a try. Gowalla (like Foursquare) enables people to check in from their locations, and the paper wants people to use the service when they visit notable places. The prizes are simple virtual badges and pins. (It doesn’t hurt that Gowalla is based in Austin.) The American-Statesman is also providing [...]
Sports media company launches 20 local sites in 20 days
SB Nation, an online sports media company, is going local. The company is going to be launching 20 sites in 20 days in major cities. The first six go up today in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, Detroit and Phoenix. From the press release: “Unlike traditional media organizations SB Nation reports from the fan [...]
Little media reaction to Helen Thomas anti-Semitic statement
Longtime White House press correspondent Helen Thomas has offered an opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian situation that is, well, deeply offensive. Thomas was recently asked at a White House Jewish Heritage Celebration what her thoughts were on Israel. “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine,” said the near-90-year-old as she laughed. “Remember, these people [...]
Google set to open image recognition technology via APIs
Google is bullish on image recognition. Google envisions a world in which a person’s camera phone will serve as an image-based gateway to digital information. In December, the company launched “Google Goggles,” an Android application that matches camera phone pictures to a back-end image library (think of Google’s vast image library) to access information about the item [...]
Newsdesk building peer-to-peer news network
News organizations continue to take new forms and shapes in the digital world. Some new enterprises merely attempt to replicate traditional structures online, but the most exciting new ventures break the mold and try to do something completely different. Newsdesk.org is one of those. Recently, the site was awarded with a prestigious SPJ Sigma Delta [...]
How to be a newspaper for free – or darn near close to it
(This essay originally appeared on the RTDNA website.) How would you like to reach a brand new audience of two million people and counting? That’s what I thought. The development and production of the iPad gives TV, radio and websites a whole new way to publish their material. You can now be a newspaper or [...]
Why I’m Bullish on Fwix
Many startups are trying to aggregate hyperlocal news and blogs in order to capture the long tail of local advertising revenue. Fwix stands out as a company that continues to launch new products and initiatives to push the hyperlocal media sector forward. The company has been successful in securing top-tier partners (The New York Times) [...]
How not to save the news
We seem to be making an exception for our editorial rule here: no more discussions on saving the news. The topic is exhausted and nobody really knows the answer. Still, LR Pal Jeff Jarvis made it all the way to the Op-Ed pages of the New York Post with his piece, “How Not To Save [...]
Lost Remote on web radio show
WebMasterRadio.FM was gracious enough to have me on its show, “Cover Story” Wednesday. The discussion was based around an article I wrote for LR – “How to be a good web person – or client.” Here is the show. Our message is simple and eternal: know what we cover and speak English, not business-speak.
‘Edgy’ Newzglobe mixes business and lifestyle content
While we don’t discuss international media startups often here on LR, even though we know there are interesting things happening outside of our own borders, it’s good to take a look once in a while. Today I’d like to introduce you to Newzglobe.com. Newzglobe launched in Sweden 2005, so it has been around for a [...]
Can Steve Jobs and Google “save” journalism?
At LR, we don’t actually believe journalism is dying. However, the numbers don’t lie — demand for newspapers and TV newscasts is dwindling. We want our news unbundled. Some surprising sources agree that there is a healthy future in paid, professional journalism. Apple CEO Steve Jobs, speaking at the All Things Digital conference Tuesday, gave [...]
Main Street Connect gets $4 million in funding
Main Street Connect, the local/hyperlocal news publishing company, has just raised nearly $4 million in funding. Based in Connecticut, Main Street provides the technology and support for publishers looking to get into community news. PaidContent writes that the company hopes to have sites in 3,000 towns and neighborhoods by 2013. Several investors chipped in for [...]
