The Models: New News Organization

Posted on 17. Aug, 2009 by Matthew Sollars in New News Organization

This model envisions a new, metro-wide news organization serving a market of five million people that operates on a smaller scale and performs a wide variety of tasks. It will produce original unique beat and investigative reporting and it will also work collaboratively with the other members of the ecosystem and its readers to add value. Advertising will remain the key business driver, but to maximize profits the new organization will diversify its revenues. Note: all models assume the local daily newspaper has gone away.

View the New News Organization model as a Google Document here. (To make changes to this document, simply click File>>Create a copy or File>>Export.)

Or, download it as an Excel file here.

Highlights & Assumptions:

  • By year three, operating profit (EBITDA) of $9.8 million.
  • Revenue breakdown, year three: Advertising $11.7 million, other services $8.6 million.
  • Editorial staff starts at 26 and grows to 47 by year three.
  • Audience, year three: 3 million.
  • Page views per month per user, 12; CPM, $12 base.

Click here to see the other models. (The New Business Models for News Project has been funded by the Knight Foundation.)

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4 Responses to “The Models: New News Organization”

  1. Paul Bradshaw

    17. Aug, 2009

    Would love to know more about where the figures come from?

  2. New business models for journalism - CUNY provides plenty of numbers | Online Journalism Blog

    17. Aug, 2009

    [...] New News Organization [...]

  3. The Models: NNO Staffing | News Innovation

    17. Aug, 2009

    [...] — metro-wide coverage, community training , business-to-business services — the New News Organization will have a small, but diversified staff of 40 in its first year, ramping up to 54 in its third [...]

  4. Two Paid Models for Metro News | News Innovation

    30. Sep, 2009

    [...] If you’ve taken a peek at any of the other models we produced and presented to the Aspen Institute you’ll see many of the revenue and expense components are repeated here. We’ve kept our staffing assumptions roughly the same and this news organization can take advantage of some of the same revenue opportunities (like events, coupons, and a range of services to local businesses) that are open to a free metro-wide publication. [...]

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