The rapidly-intensifying competition in the local and hyperlocal news space will doom newspapers’ chances to charge for their content, argues Alan Mutter on his blog Newsosaur. This is a fact of life here in Seattle, where hyperlocal and local news efforts grow on trees — I can’t imagine any of the major news sites charging for coverage. But less competitive markets are suddenly finding themselves on Patch’s radar, with Yahoo rolling out their own effort as well. Writes Mutter:
“Even the juiciest scoop published by a paper in print or online will not remain exclusive for long. It will take only minutes for a heads-up local news venture to match any story appearing in the local newspaper. The ‘QuickRead’ technique developed by the Huffington Post is but one example of the how easily content can be cribbed.”
Well, beyond that, many neighborhood blogs are out-covering newspapers in their own neighborhoods, in large part due to thriving online communities that keep the stories flowing. Even if you wonder if any of these larger hyperlocal efforts will succeed — which is still an open question — you can’t argue that the short-term competition will play a major role in the economics of charging for content.
Adds Outside.in CEO Mark Josephson in comments: “That’s why they should jump in head first and partner with the local neighborhood blogs and other content creators, rather than try to compete with them. Think the same of Patch. There is a chance to create a new sustainable ecosystem if the parties play nicely together.”
