Norwegian newspaper on mobile video game gadget

Posted by John Burke on June 6, 2006 at 8:05 AM

The Norwegian daily Dagbladet became the first paper in the world to distribute its content by Playstation Portable, a mobile video game / movie player device. Editor Esten O. Saether traveled to Moscow to explain his paper’s efforts to attract young readers and tell delegates at the 13th World Editors Forum “How to play more than video games with the readers.”

Admitting that for youth, video games are a more attractive medium than newspaper content, Saether said that newspapers in today’s technologically driven media world need to distribute news, information and entertainment through any means possible.

But when it comes down to it, it’s not about technology nor distribution; it’s about “changing the way we are telling our stories in order to reach a broader audience.”

Although Dagbladet’s paper product is losing paid-for print circulation, Saefer said the paper has thrived with its online strategies, claiming 3.8 online readers for every print equivalent. He then made some suggestions for editors in the room:

1.   Be a news portal – not a newspaper
2.   Embrace the culture of the Net
3.   Always help the readers
4.   Listen to the people
5.   Make a clear difference between your traditional and new media channels

Saether closed his speech by emphasizing the last point. By distinguishing between print, mobile and online content, the “free generation” keeps coming back to Dagbladet’s news.

See questions and answers for Convergence II: Multimedia is now ready for print

More news from the 59th World Newspaper Congress

And our video blog with Robb Montgomery and Visual Editors

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