SF Chronicle updates e-edition with Tecnavia

Posted by Nestor Bailly on October 14, 2009 at 1:15 PM

In following with a trend of failing newspapers rapidly innovating and going online, the San Francisco Chronicle recently announced a new e-edition of its paper with Tecnavia, just like USA Today's new digital edition.

The e-edition will be an exact replica of the print edition, viewable on nearly all digital formats such as the iPhone or the Kindle, and archives of the past 30 days will be viewable to e-edition subscribers. Text translation, audio recordings of articles, advanced searches and in-article links are among some of the features of Tecnavia's service.

The new digital edition will be distributed for free among some 25,000 bay area students and teachers, supported by corporate donations, in an effort to increase circulation, local interest, and appeal for newspapers in the digital age.

The Chronicle is estimated to be losing around $1 million a week, and owner Hearst has threatened to close the paper if it does not shore up its loses. Accordingly, it has been making staff and cost cuts over the past months, and as mentioned at the end of this post with cuts often comes innovation and new directions, usually in the digital sector.

Whether the growing trend towards e-editions is part of an attempt to save the print edition or a precursor to a migration to online-only is a matter of speculation. But it is certain that cost cuts alone will not revitalize the newspaper industry.

Source: San Francisco Business Times