Chicago web writers become first to unionize
Broadcasting & Cable reports that the Writers Guild of America East has signed its first Web-only writers and producers. Four webbies from Chicago’s CBS affiliate, WBBM-TV, joined the union. B&C notes that the WGAE will likely have to organize Web writers shop by shop. From the WGAE release: “This victory for web writers demonstrates that [...]
Conflict of interest: paper tells Craigslist to stop adult ads
The Boston Globe is running an editorial today asking Craigslist to stop running its “adult services” ads. This strikes me as a terrible conflict of interest and a bad decision by a paper whose business model is being decimated by Craigslist. Say what you want about the ads, but for a paper to write this [...]
AJR writes about ‘The Hazards of Hyperlocal’
I’m not sure I agree with the headline (or some of the assertions therein) but I recommend reading AJR’s essay on “The Hazards of Hyperlocal.” Barb Palser, the director of digital media for McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Co., wrote it. Her main point is that it’s hard to make money off a hyperlocal site. I agree it’s [...]
Partnering for Better Journalism
This week’s episode of PBS’s “Frontline” was striking for two reasons. First, because of the outstanding reporting that went into its heartbreaking story of police behavior during and after Hurricane Katrina. But second, because Frontline didn’t go it alone. The episode, “Law & Disorder,” was a partnership of Frontline, ProPublica and The Times-Picayune of New [...]
Skip-ipedia
Arguably the most profound result of the growth of the internet, and by extension, that of on-line journalism, is our ability to immediately connect to any “whats” or “whos” that we seek. And more and more often, the availability all of this information comes courtesy of collaborations, such as Crowdsourcing. Jeff Howe apparently coined that [...]
A look at Miami Herald’s hyperlocal approach
The Miami Herald is one of the five newspapers part of J-Lab’s Networked Journalism Project, and compared to the other papers, the Herald is taking a different approach to community coverage with West Kendall Today. The site is hosted on MiamiHerald.com as part of its community news network, and it’s authored by Ana Acle-Menendez, who [...]
Trying to distinguish hyperlocal from local
I sent a snarky tweet earlier this week about my frustration with the increasing trend of journalists labeling everything local with the term “hyperlocal.” Hyperlocal is certainly more hip than “local” these days and perhaps more “bankable” as well, so that explains a lot of it. But what’s the real difference between the two? Instead [...]
Yahoo preparing local content efforts
Update: Yahoo is looking to hire local editors in San Jose, Chicago and Dallas — in addition to San Francisco and New York, reports PaidContent. Even MORE competition in local news? It looks like it. Fresh off its acquisition of Associated Content, Yahoo is reaching out to find “writers living in or near the San [...]
Reach Media Group goes Out-of-Home with Cardinal Health and Everwell
Reach Media Group continues to position itself as one of the top companies in the digital out-of-home media sector. In addition to expanding its DOOH footprint via strategic acquisitions, the Kleiner Perkins backed startup is forging lucrative advertising partnerships with network operators in key vertical markets. The company just cemented two national advertising sales relationships with major networks in the healthcare [...]
Borrell predicts strong local advertising growth
Borrell Associates has published its online advertising forecast for 2011, and as you might expect, it predicts continued strong growth in local. “The fastest-growing segments of online advertising are the local sector, anything targeted, and everything involving social media,” Borrell explains, pinning the local growth at 18 percent next year, to $16.1 billion. “The big [...]
Will local TV adopt animated news?
You know that media company in Taiwan that produces the animated versions of current news? The one that made the version of the Tiger/Ellin fight and Steven Slater’s slide ride off that Jet Blue plane? It turns out it’s backed by a billionaire, has 200 employees and can turn around a clip in just 2-3 [...]
PaperG signs more local media partners
The local self-serve platform PaperG, which features a virtual bulletin board ad unit called “Flyerboard,” has signed on a bunch more local media partners: Los Angeles Times, MediaNews Group, Lee Enterprises, and the Sun Times Media Group. That puts PaperG on over 100 sites and a rather steep growth curve. Reports TechCrunch: “The Houston Chronicle, [...]
Apple’s upcoming iTV and local television
Under the headline, “Why the Apple iTV will change everything,” Digg’s Kevin Rose posted a glowing forecast of the next-generation Apple TV device, which is due out as early as next month. Rose said it will likely have an app store that’s similar to the iPhone/iPad, which means you could punch up your ABC app [...]
Seattle Times speeds coverage using new tools
There’s an excellent report at Poynter Online that looks at how the Seattle Times is using tools like Twitter and Qik to provide faster, more comprehensive coverage. The article points out that the Times used these tools in its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of four police being shot to death last year. Tiffany Campbell, lead producer [...]
Philadelphia bloggers required to pay $300
If you’re a blogger in Philadelphia and your site brings in any revenue, the city wants $300 from you. Philadelphia has a number of local taxes on businesses and it apparently considers a blog that brings in any gross revenue a business. If you make a net profit (even so much as one blogger’s $11) [...]
Foursquare preps new features, links coming?
Now that Facebook Places has launched, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley is getting bombarded by questions asking if he’s going to get, well, “crushed.” The answer (which is “no,” of course) reveals hints about upcoming Foursquare features, some of which are rolling out in a new app version in the next couple weeks. Reports Mashable: Crowley [...]
Gannett to roll out hyperlocal sports pages
Earlier this year, Gannett announced a deal with Datasphere to launch neighborhood blog networks in ten of its local markets. Now the media company says it’s expanding its hyperlocal push with plans to roll out “co-branded high school sports microsites across its network of more than 100 local media web sites.” “We are combining the [...]
Facebook unveils local ‘Places’ feature
Updated: After many months of work, Facebook announced its “Places” functionality at a press conference this evening. The feature will begin to roll out immediately with a new iPhone app and Touch.Facebook.com for advanced mobile browsers. At the core of the new product, users can check into locations represented by new “place pages” on Facebook. [...]
