The AP is changing because they want to make the news cycle more efficient. Kennedy says “The new generation of consumers has completely different habits,” and they need to keep up with those habits.

The AP is expanding its multimedia packages for entertainment, business and sports reports. The company is also moving toward an all-digital platform that it calls the “Digital Cooperative.”

The regional hubs were created to reduce editing gridlock at its major filing desks, including that in New York. The regional hubs will handle coverage in their areas, and the New York desk will focus on “the stories that are the tip top of the day,”said Kathleen Carroll, The A.P.’s executive editor.

Another focus was to increase content by getting editors in those regional bureaus back into reporting and to reduce the number of people who work on an article during a news cycle.

The AP staff, which has expanded over the last few years to nearly 4,100 employees, has certainly been worried about what the changes will mean for them, but are assured that no layoffs have been planned. However, Carroll does say, “I think anybody who’s in an editing job now is probably looking at some kind of change to their work.”

Kennedy explained that they needed to make the changes because they are depending on income for their survival and they are looking for more income, especially through advertising.

Source: New York Times through I Want Media
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