Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
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August 2, 2012 Business models adapt to sell valuable content T read – "For The Star and its readers, changes ahead in changing times." Karen Crotchfelt, president he headline on Page 2 in the July 29 issue of The Indianapolis Star and publisher of Star Media, alerted readers to upcoming limits on free access to news consumed through the com- pany's website and smart- phone and tablet apps. Effective Sept. 1, nonsub- scribers will be able to read up to 20 articles a month at IndyStar.com before needing to subscribe. I get a lot of questions News Biz By Greg Morris choices and similar issues facing newspapers today in an increasingly digital world. But know this: I can't tell every year and at some point will no doubt overtake the printed newspaper. Also, I don't believe our business is print or digital. It's print and digital. The successful business from folks asking me about the future of newspapers. I suspect you all field the same ones. Are there going to be news- papers five years from now? Can newspapers survive and stay in business? Is journal- ism going to disappear, and will we be fed information through blogs, social media and other unreliable sources? And the list goes on. I'm also aware that as newspaper professionals our perspectives depend on what size city or town we're in and what type of publication we print. For smaller community papers, life is still pretty good. If you are a large daily in a big city, your challenges are urgent. And there are many publications some- where in between both ends of the spectrum. If you're a large operation, you've been immersed in the online publishing world for more than a decade. If you're a smaller newspaper and the only game in town, you may have been just dancing around the edges of online publishing. As a result, it's difficult to send a "one size fits all" message to our entire mem- bership regarding paywall you exactly when it will hap- pen, but the new world order in the digital age will eventu- ally land at your front door, no matter how insulated you think you are. I thought our operation was pretty insulated until reality finally set in four or five years ago. We woke up in a hurry. And, as 2013 approaches, I think my experience is far enough along the curve to offer some perspective. Back to the questions I get asked a lot. This is what I believe and the way I explain where IBJ Media is in this digital meta- morphosis: I think our com- pany is a small microcosm of the entire industry. I no longer view our organization as a newspaper company. We are no longer a weekly news- paper. Rather, we are a news and model today blends the two platforms and delivers news and information to readers in the manner they want to receive it. The key is to enrich the online experience and not just paste newspaper content into a website. Scholars on this topic can articulate strategies better than I can, so I'll get back to The Indianapolis Star's new metered business model. I think that strategy is a good one for today. People want everything online to be free. Of course, we all know it News in brief ers have been awarded one of journalism's most prestigious honors for the Muncie newspaper's series of articles about child abuse. National journalism organization Sigma Delta Chi awarded Douglas Walker and Keith Roys- don first place in the orga- nization's Public Service Journalism category for publications with a daily circulation of less than 50,000. Their series, "For a costs a lot of money to pro- duce great journalistic news and information. It doesn't cost much for great unique content that is of true value to you, you're going to have to pay some- thing for it. The Indianapolis Star's information company that distributes our unique local business content via newspa- pers, e-newsletters, websites, smartphones and tablet devic- es, and we stand ready to look at new forms of distribution as new formats develop. We're not 24/7 in our cov- erage yet, but we're getting there. We break news online seven days a week. Yes, our printed newspaper is still the most important form of distribution of our information. But digital platforms grow unique content has value. I believe the Indianapolis Business Journal's unique business content has value. And I believe all HSPA member publications have unique content that is valu- able to readers. The metered online busi- someone to sit down at a com- puter and blog an opinion. As a reader, if you want Child's Sake: The Epi- demic of Child Abuse," appeared in The Star Press over a four-week period in spring 2011. Roysdon and Walker received the award at a recent Sigma Delta Chi ceremony at the National Press Club in Washing- ton, D.C. The judges in the con- Abuse series earns more honors Two Star Press report- test called their work "a powerful series of stories to highlight the lifelong effects on abused children" and "a game changer." The series also won first place awards in Indiana competitions overseen by the Society of Professional Journalists, Hoosier State Press Association Founda- tion and Associated Press Managing Editors. In the series, Walker Page 3 and Roysdon looked at the problem of child abuse – including the 2,000 allega- tions of child abuse annu- ally in Delaware County – as well as examining the problem from the per- spective of police inves- tigators, social workers, victims and abusers. As part of that series, Walker wrote a first- person column recalling the abuse he experienced as a child. is putting its Downtown building up for sale. Star President and Publisher Karen Crotch- felt announced that the company will look for new office space that fits with The Star's changing needs. ness model is a good solution to receive compensation for creating value for readers. Have a great August. See you next month. Greg Morris, HSPA board of directors president, is presi dent of IBJ Media and publisher of Indianapolis Business Journal. His column appears in the first issue of each month. Record number of papers enter advertising contest D only once did the number of entries break 800 – and then just slightly. Flash forward. In the 2012 contest, judges ating back to the 2008 HSPA Foundation advertising contest, "They tried changes in the fee structure and personal contact to encourage partici- pation." The HSPA Foundation reviewed 966 entries from 44 newspapers, breaking records in both ads and participants. Since 2008 no more than Believin' – has an '80s vibe. Seeing more participation 30 papers entered the contest in a given year. After trying for years to increase numbers in both areas, the Indiana News- paper Advertising Executives Association Board and the HSPA Foundation finally saw results this year. "The INAEA board voted to change to a digital format the first year we discussed the option," said Foundation Director Karen T. Braeckel. board continued to empha- size its desire to see more papers compete, Braeckel said. Everyone benefits from sharing ideas. And recogniz- ing excellence in advertising sales and design is impor- tant. to attribute the increase to any single factor, Braeckel said the ease of entering digital tear sheets in many of the categories might influ- ence more members to get involved. The Foundation sent let- Although she hesitates in the contest is encouraging, said INAEA Board President Mark Sheridan, retail sales manager at The Star Press (Muncie). "We hope it carries over to the Advertising Conference in September," Sheridan said. "We are bringing in two nationally recognized trainers to work with manag- ers, sales reps and graphic designers." The Awards Gala follows ters with winners' names in a packet about the Advertising Conference. This year's theme – Don't Stop the training Sept. 28 at the Indianapolis Marriott North. The INAEA board voted to go back to an evening format this year. Register by Friday, Aug. 31, for early-bird rates. For more information visit www.HSPAFoundation.org/ events. Crotchfelt said the company is committed to keeping Star employ- ees downtown. There is no timeline for a sale or move from the current location at 307 N. Penn- sylvania St. Max Heath, retired vice president and executive editor of Landmark Com mun- ity News- papers and a self- des cribed "postal nerd" for the news- paper industry, is one of two recipients of the 2012 Al Smith Award for public service through communi- ty journalism by a Kentuckian. The Bluegrass Chap ter Max Heath of the Society of Profes- sional Journalists and the University of Ken- The Star will move offices The Indianapolis Star vania Street site includes two connected six-story and four-story buildings with 190,000 square feet of space, a seven-story parking garage with about 500 spaces, and a smaller building occupied by Indianapolis' News- paper Federal Credit Union. The Star moved to the location in 1907, four years after it began pub- lishing. The building also housed The Indianapolis News until 1999. The four-acre Pennsyl- Postal expert Heath wins award tucky's Institute give the award for Rural Jour- nalism and Commun ity Issues, which was co- founded by Smith, an SPJ fellow who published weeklies in Ken tucky and Tennessee. Heath remains a postal consultant to Landmark, Publishing Group of America and the National Newspaper Association. He was honored for establishing and execut- ing the editorial princi- ples that have earned Land mark national recog- nition. Heath was an editor of the Landmark paper in Tell City. key has joined the staff at The Commercial Review (Portland). Shreve, 23, graduated Reporter will cover government Mason Shreve of Red- with honors in May from Ball State University, where he received a degree in English education. He was a member of the Writer's Community and the English Educa- tion Club while at Ball State. A 2007 graduate of Jay County High School, Shreve joins The Com mercial Review as a city government/police reporter. Send promotions, announcements, staff changes and other corporate news to mtuley@hspa.com.