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Executive Editor of PBS's MediaShift Mark Glaser offered a "Guide to Alternative Models for Newspapers" in response to all the problems currently "plaguing" the business of daily newspapers in America.  He offers a selection of solutions: some which are already being used, some brand new.

First come blog networks, which aggregate blogs written by staffers, freelancers and readers.   Glaser cites LATimes.com as a site which has used blogs to help it drive more traffic, which could of course lead to more advertising revenue. 

Next is classified networks; Glaser explains that free online services such as Craigslist have usurped much of newspapers' classified ad businesses.  In order to entice people back, he thinks they will need to "super-charge listings and add extras galore."

A California daily has formed "The Oakland Press Institute for Citizen Journalism," in response to the "changing face" of the industry, according to an editor.

The Oakland Press is looking to its readers to help "tell stories better, quicker and more completely," according to executive editor Glenn Gilbert, by offering instruction in news writing, videography, basics of reporting for news and sports, and still photography.

Instances of citizen journalism are increasing throughout the industry and around the world, from small local news additions to large-scale updates on such instances as the Mumbai terror attacks, which used social media, fueled by citizen journalists, to help cover the events.

Yesterday, sports daily L'Equipe announced that it has partnered with French developer, F4 to launch the first ever large-scale, multi-player videogame on their website. 

The game titled, "Empire of Sport" that can be downloaded for free on the paper's website and users can pick between seven sports they would like to play.

The Evening Standard has partnered with LynkU.com to launch a fashion shopping channel for the paper's website, thisislondon.co.uk.

According to Robert Gorton, chief executive of LynkU.com, "We are looking forward to providing the readers of ThisisLondon with a one-stop portal of fashion with the greatest range of fashion shops and designers from the high street and online."  They are also planning on offering "exclusive promotions" up until Christmas.

The washingtonpost.com launched On Leadership, a section offering "inspiration and practical advice on how to be an effective, successful leader in a political, financial and technological environment that is rapidly changing."

The section features a video series with interviews from top executives and leadership experts hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning Post Columnist Steven Pearlstein and Former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee.

De Telegraaf, one of the Netherlands' leading newspapers, is aggressively moving ahead with its multi-platform publication strategy with the launch of a new Java application on 15 December and a new real-time stock quote service.

Lara Ankersmitt, Telegraaf.nl's Publisher, contacted the Editors Weblog to talk about De Telegraaf's new offering, charging for content, and attracting female users in The Netherlands.

Java application - building on growth

De Telegraaf has seen approximately 40% growth in the number of users accessing its mobile content over the past year since it redesigned its mobile site. Ankersmitt firmly believes that improving the user experience on the mobile platform is crucial to its success: "At the beginning of this year we redesigned the whole mobile site to get a better user experience and that has really worked. After the redesign we saw a growth in users and the time they spent on the site. People were reading more and more."  To maintain this momentum, De Telegraaf is launching a new Java application - after several months of testing - to improve the user experience on mobile and expand on the content provided.

What is also assisting this rapid growth in mobile take-up is mobile operators' introduction of a flat-fee subscription for the Internet on mobiles, costing approximately €10 a month. This reduction in cost has democratised the consumption of mobile content, moving it away from being a tool for just business people. "A few years ago most of the mobile traffic accessed financial news and came from Blackberries and that kind of device. However, since the mobile flat fee was introduced we have seen more normal phone traffic - such as Samsung and Nokia - and more traffic to our entertainment and news sections. The user group is expanding... Finance is still the most important user group, but this is changing."

The Java application will undoubtedly improve the user experience as it will make reading De Telegraaf content on a mobile similar to the user experience on the Internet. With this new application, people will be able to surf and navigate rather than simply scroll. It will contain all the same content as the Internet and digital version of the daily newspaper itself without cost (barring internet and an initial one-off cost).

However, there are legitimate concerns about how consumers will react to this new application. Users will have to request an SMS from De Telegraaf in order to download Java before they can access the new Java platform, furthermore they will have to a pay for the SMS on top of the usual cost of Internet access. These may seem like small issues, but they could prove to be significant. The Internet platform has been popular because it makes getting your daily news fix very easy. Consumers may find downloading Java too fiddly or time consuming for something that they can already get on their laptop or PC. Ankersmitt is aware of this, and it is part of the reason that after the initial one-off cost, the service will be free.

Gaining the technological knowledge

De Telegraaf works with an outside mobile consultancy company - Service2Media - and Ankersmitt believes that this is vital. Service2Media built the site, hosts it, and gives the newspaper knowledge on mobile. She reports, "We of course know everything about bringing people the news and we know what our readers like and dislike, and (Surface2Media) brings the technical expertise and shows us what is ahead for mobile. They help us with the strategy: when we should launch and when a technology will move into the mainstream" This relationship helps De Telegraaf plan strategically for the future and plan what its next move for its mobile platform will be. "Working with them helped us see the possibilities of mobile."

How do users consume mobile news?

De Telegraaf has been analysing user activity of its mobile platform, and has noticed significant differences between its mobile and website. The mobile platform usage peaks during the evening and is relatively flat and consistent during the day. On the website usage peaks during the day and declines during the evening. This study into user activity resulted in De Telegraaf keeping its website not only continually updated during the day, but also well into the evening.

Attracting female readers in a difficult market

Newspapers in The Netherlands do not traditionally tailor content for female readers, but De Telegraaf last year launched a magazine called "Woman" and following this launched a section on its Website dedicated to female readers. Other news providers who have launched this Java application are attracting approximately a 5% female readership, but De Telegraaf is already attracting up to 30%. This data reflects that De Telegraaf is rapidly moving towards attracting the same demographic split on its Mobile site as on its Website and print edition (approximately 54% male readership and 46% female readership). This female content will also be made available this week on the mobile platform.

Real-time news service

Alongside the introduction of the Java application, De Telegraaf is launching a real-time financial news service, whereby bond and share prices and graphics will be updated in real-time from all bourses.  This information will be available on the mobile site in the first quarter of next year, but it was launched last week on the website. Reuters is providing this information to De Financial Telegraaf (DFT).

The future - can news providers charge for content?

The big question facing all news organisations is how to monetise these new platforms. At this stage it does not look like advertising revenue will generate enough income to support the operation of running a newsroom: so what can newspapers do? De Telegraaf is considering testing the charging-for-content waters early next year. "We are thinking of launching some iPhone applications and maybe we will charge for these if we see success on the Java application. The user experience at the moment is OK. It's not brilliant because mobile is so small and there is a lot of scrolling for the user. There are two things: we want to get as many people as possible to download the Java application and we want to see if, and how, people are using it so w can learn from this. We will then use this knowledge to introduce something further down the line for the iPhone." Ankersmitt reports. Ankersmitt feels that there is scope for charging on the mobile platform if the user experience is good enough, but De Telegraaf has no plans for charging for its website content. Ankersmitt says on the issue, "I don't think it is realistic to charge people for the Website news because news they can get everywhere for free. So it is no use to us to charge people for reading our news. We have to make money from advertising."

Lesson learned

De Telegraaf moved into the mobile arena back in 2001, the whole process has been a steep learning curve for the broadsheet but it has so far navigated these uncharted waters successfully. To other newspapers considering entering the mobile arena, Ankersmitt says, "Think of how you can extend your brand with this new platform and find a good partner who can serve you for all the technical needs. It is vital to have a good and knowledgeable technical partner, we have one person focusing on the mobile platform, but our partner had 40 people focusing on it. They are always ahead of us technically speaking. Really think what you want to bring to this platform and what kind of news you want to present."

The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging is the new book describing how "the two worlds" of new media and traditional media are joining together and "bringing out the best in each other" by Arianna Huffington.

The two realms are mixing, Huffington said in an interview with Reuters, with traditional journalists blogging, and bloggers gaining "credibility and stature" in traditional media.

Online search engine Yahoo! is now offering Virgin Mobile's 4.4 customers mobile search possibilities through the Virgin Media Portal, strengthening its mobile presence.

Photos are doctored, enhanced or manipulated by news organizations on a regular basis - and not necessarily maliciously.  Sometimes a photo needs to be "enhanced;" for example, a journalist makes tonal adjustments or noise filters to more accurately reflect the environment in which a photo was shot.

Photographer Mark Hamilton offers a new way to describe "enhanced" photos that gives a reader a clear idea of what's been done.  Adopting a system that readers understand, "in terms they understand," is the next step toward "transparency" for journalism, establishing a level of honesty about process and allowing readers to "judge veracity."

The Huffington Post is set to expand its news offering, moving into local news in the US and investigative reporting, according to The Times.

The confirmation of this expansion into investigative reporting comes after speculation last week following a panel discussion featuring Adriana Huffington. This scheduled increase in coverage has been enabled by $15 million in third round funding courtesy of Oak Investment Partners. The funding round has yet to be finalised.

Souce: CNET

Beginning November 16, Le Journal du Dimache has "refreshed" its layout, offering a more "modern" look.

Complete with new sections, JDD will have more investigative reporting, and has "strengthened" its editorial for readers.

Content will focus on "original insights" to exclusive information, reports, and surveys.  New sections include "encounters" and "portraits," among others.

JDD will "set the tone" for the week, according to managing editor Christian de Villeneuve.

Source:  Publicitas

For over 100 years, The New York Times has set the standard for print publications in the US and all over the world.  In an article on Monday, Scholars and Rogues, a blog offering commentary and analysis on breaking news, said that the legacy could be close to its end, because the Times has "significant debt coming due, and insignificant cash on hand."

Scholars and Rogues comments that the Times did not accept the Internet as an "effective colleague" to distribute news and information, regarding it as "ineffective."  This has now proven "costly," as the numbers indicate.

The Associated Press has announced it is launching two "youth-oriented mobile websites" through Virgin Mobile.

AP Entertainment and CUBI ("Can You Believe It?") will be the two sites accessible on Virgin Mobile USA devices, offering the "latest film, TV, and music news," while CUBI will focus on "off-the-beaten-path news from around the world."

According to an AP statement, the sites are "gateways" into its more mainstream Mobile News Network, which in September received more than 26 million page views through readers' mobile devices.  

Source:  Media Bistro

Barely a day goes by at the moment without a raft of stories on the financial crisis, the US