9:47AM – "If the news is important, it finds me."
Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Carl Winfield.
Dig, Facebook, RSS feeds are audience centric. So, instead of people finding news, they become open to news that comes through to them online. Say, popups. Ewwww.
But seriously, the newsroom model must evolve into a network model, such as that used by Glam.com.
The network model is collaborative. The network model brings us to a critical mass quickly and cheaply. So, good news for entrepreneurs, you can build a network from scratch.
Jarvis says that we have to plan for this new world. “There’s no ‘white knight.”
Nobody’s got the money to support journalism: It has to become a sustainable business enterprise.
New revenue models are necessary, but they’ve got to come from journalists.
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9:45AM – What is the future of the article?
Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Carl Winfield.
Jarvis says that the article is part of the old model. We’re past that. The new model includes:
Blogs
Wikis
Links
All are distributed widely. Hence a “decentralized” model for the future of journalism.
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9:42AM Creating Community
Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Carl Winfield.
Jarvis champions role of curiosity in the new model.
“One of our greatest skills is not to say what we know, but to say what we don’t know. And that’s what makes networks possible.”
So, in Jarvis’ view, the discussion is the end of the product: We get commentary. We get blogs. And we create a community.
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9:36 – Introducing Jeff Jarvis
Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Carl Winfield.
David Cohn gets applause for starting this.
“The point of today is not to come up with “silver bullets” but to come out with new models and figure out where to go.”
The real point is to come out of the groups with work products, new revenues and new structures. The interesting thing is that everyone has to come back and discuss their findings to earn their wine and cheese.
We, as the press, see ourselves in a different way, particularly the content vs. link economy.
We had control of the content economy. But the link economy requires us to be open and sociable.
The link model is clever: “Do what you do best and link to the rest.”
AP didn’t buy this. Unfortunately.
Another consideration is that of product vs. process.
News is to be considered a product in the old model and perfection was our standard. In the new world, the process is the product.
It’s a different worldview. And it demands that we become transparent.
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9:31AM – Morning address from Steve Shepard, Dean of CUNY GSJ
Posted on 23. Oct, 2008 by Carl Winfield.
Thanks to the MacArthur Foundation, the McCormick Foundation and the Town Foundation: All devoted to the convergence of different media in the service of journalism.
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Working Groups for New Business Models for News
Posted on 13. Oct, 2008 by David Cohn.
Every participant at the New Business Models for News Summit will be part of a working group in the second half of the day where they will discuss topics from the morning in depth. Jeff Jarvis has already described the specific charges to each group.
We’ve tried to create diverse groups that allow play participants known strengths and interests.
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Charges to the groups
Posted on 13. Oct, 2008 by Jeff Jarvis.
After presentations on network models and new structures for news companies plus a lightening round of presentation by entrepreneurs and executives who are executing new models, we will form into Aspen-Institute-like groups (without the sylvan scenery) to tackle five assignments in the afternoon. Their rappateurs and leaders will report back to the entire group with discussion (before our reception). These assignments may overlap – e.g., a network could be intertwined with a new newsroom structure and a new corporate structure with new ad models. Here are the assignments; please leave comments to amend, correct, amplify, redirect….
* Networks – Define network models that would work today: Who is in them, what kind of relationships the members have, what value and benefit each party recognizes, how they are supported….
What kinds of networks: ad, content, promotional, national, hyperlocal, niche?
How can networks protect journalism? More important, how can they expand the reach of journalism even as journalistic organizations shrink?
Networks alone are not the salvation of journalism – there is, of course, no single salvation. But we contend that the network model has not been explored and experimented with enough. Glam (whose CEO, Samir Arora will present in the morning) gives us one example. Forbes, also in attendance, has started blog ad networks. What are more aggressive network models? Perhaps the group would like to take one or two examples and build them out. For example, how could a collaborative and curated network of contributers form a local news and advertising network? How could a niche network about, say, the environment be organized to maximize quality and revenue?
* Newsrooms – Create a model for a new (and smaller and more efficient) newsroom: size, functions, job descriptions, relationships with the community, financial relationships, cost.
This task can start with finding new efficiencies (are there any TV critics left?).
But it should go beyond that to re-envision the newsroom and its role. What is the value of the newsroom in the future? What are the core functions of a newsroom? What new roles are there – curation, education, organization? How does it operate? Is there still a room (and why?)? What is produced by staff vs. freelancers vs. members of a network vs. outsiders (e.g., bloggers)?
There are a few ways to tackle and present this. Perhaps the group might want to produce a spreadsheet laying out a hypothetical newsroom staff today and tomorrow, with job descriptions and numbers. Perhaps the group might also want to map coverage and look at who would be doing what in a new newsroom structure.
Our belief is that too often, newsroom managers are stuck with quick decisions to make cuts as budgets worsen without the opportunity to plan the future of the newsroom, training staff for new tasks and skills, finding and creating relationships with outsiders to collaborate, redefining the product and the newsroom with it. The group should act as if it has that opportunity to think strategically.
* News organizations – Present one or more new models for a news company. Where is its value? What are its key functions? What are its relationships with other functions (e.g., distribution, ad sales, marketing)? Is it even a company or is it a network or a consortium or a cooperative?
Edward Roussel and Dave Morgan will present their proposals in the morning. Perhaps the group would like to jump off those and put flesh on their skeletons, or perhaps it will want to create entirely new models. It would be wonderful for the group to return with some prospective structures for news organizations – both reworked versions of incumbents and entirely new, from-scratch news organizations.
Note that we do not intend this to be a replay of the discussion we often have about funding and ownership and their impact – that is, the impact of the public market, the hopes put in the idea of private ownership (well, until recently) or charitable support. Let’s put that to the side and instead act as if we own or are starting a news organization and can structure it however we like to maximize sustainability.
* Revenue – Define best prospects for revenue to pursue as companies, networks, or the industry as a whole and what is needed to do that.
This, of course, is the most important task, the one upon which all others hang. Unfortunately, we bring the least suggestions to the task. If any of us had the key to unlock this secret, we’d be on the other side of that door already, eh?
The group may want to define where the value is in news today. It may want to define and explore new opportunities for revenue. It may want to seek ways to maximize value and look at what is needed to accomplish that – e.g., new measurements, new models.
What are new models for advertising? How can networks bring greater value? Is there any scarcity anymore? Are there side-door revenue opportunities other than advertising (e.g., sales of data on knowledge of constituents)?
* Public support – Define the best opportunities for public support (from readers and foundations). Be realistic.
As our funder for this conference will be quick to remind participants, foundations are not the salvation of journalism. There isn’t enough money. It’s not sustainable. Frankly, we debated having a session on this topic at the summit just because too many hopes are hung on wishes for white knights who’ll never come. But we decided that there are opportunities for the public to support certain functions of journalism and there are new models to do that – e.g., Spot.us and NewAssignment.net – and so we are convening a group on the topic. But we will urge that group to be harshly pragmatic.
The group may want to start asking what elements of journalism would be the most likely for public support – investigative, beat, collaborative projects.
We suggest the group look at the cost of creating such journalism today. And how much should it cost?
What sources of funding might there be? So far, most foundation support is national. How could local journalism be aided?
What should the relationship of public v. private journalism be – that is, how should a for-profit newspaper in a town relate to not-for-profit efforts?
Perhaps the group may want to suggest pilot projects in this area.
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Setting the table
Posted on 12. Oct, 2008 by Jeff Jarvis.
Here is a first draft of a presentation I plan to give at the start of the conference to set context. Fear not, I don’t go through it line-by-line; I added more detail because I’m posting it here. The slides at the end are the assignments for the groups, which I’ll also flesh out more in posts here on the blog. Please leave lots of comments, corrections, questions, arguments.
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Welcome to the NewBizNews Summit
Posted on 09. Oct, 2008 by Jeff Jarvis.
Welcome to the New Business Models for News Summit at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, held on Oct. 23, 2008 and funded by the MacArthur Foundation with followup work funded by the McCormick Foundation.
We at CUNY believe that finding, sharing, and creating new business for news is an urgent need in journalism – perhaps our most urgent need. We have called this summit to begin doing just that, bringing a diverse group of editorial and business executives, entrepreneurs, and academics to the school.
The day begins with informational and perhaps inspirational talks from people who are creating and implementing new models. Samir Arora of Glam and Tom Evslin of Fractals of Change will talk about new network models for media and business in the connected internet. Edward Roussel of the Telegraph and Dave Morgan of Tennis (and founder of Tacoda) will explore new structures for news companies – e.g., spinning off or outsourcing what once were core tasks but are now costs burdens, such as distribution, production, and even sales.
We will have two lightning rounds of presentations by entrepreneurs and executives who are executing new models. We will list those on the agenda.
In the afternoon, we will move into Aspen-Institute-like sessions in five groups, each charged with coming back with specific models, suggestions, and needs:
* Network models for news
* New structures for news organizations
* New structures for news operations (newsrooms), including new efficiencies and new focus leading to new job descriptions.
* New revenue models for news – advertising and more and what is needed to support these new models
* Public support for journalism – there are no white knights but can the public (in the form of foundations, corporations, and individual contributions) help support elements of journalism?
The groups’ leaders and rappateurs will return to a closing plenary session to share their work. And then we break out the well-deserved wine.
There will be ample time at lunch and breaks to talk, followup with entrepreneurs and executives who have presentations, and network.
We at CUNY will also ask for a charge from the group for the continuing work of the New Business Models for News Project.
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Participants for the Second Networked Journalism Summit
Posted on 13. Sep, 2008 by David Cohn.
It was a year ago that we organized the first Networked Journalism Summit at City University of New York’s Journalism School. This year’s summit will focus on business models and the future of journalism.
For the latest list of participants and their assignments please click here.
