I was going to link to this article because of its conclusion that media site subscriptions fees (I refuse to call them “pay walls” any more) can work in today’s conditions. But the following paragraphs were more relevant TellPeoria Online Media.
According to the Pew study, efforts by media companies to own local are not working. To be sure everything from the now ancient BackFence, to tbd.com, have failed to take off. I’m underwhelmed by Patch’s potential to do real reporting. And Adrian Holavaty’s relaunched and newly social EveryBlock looks great – but in the end it’s a utility, not a news provider.
Yet the ad market is there. Online ad spending is up from 30% to 40% of the market in just one year. So who will win in local? I’m going to bet here on legacy media…if they move NOW. Public radio and local newspapers have the tools, the physical presence, the people, the brands, and the relationship with the community. Do they have the will? Will they take the risk? Will they make an investment in a down market? Will they disrupt their core businesses? For signs of hope look no further than right here in Austin where Public radio station KUT is attracting record audiences on the radio, expanding its journalism, while partnering with Texas Tribune, expanding aggressively on digital platforms and raising money in the process.
A news site is only as good as the journalism it produces. And I don’t see GateHouse Media (the owner of the Peoria Journal Star) putting any more money into local papers.
A newspaper can produce mediocre journalism because no one else in town owns a printing press. Broadcast towers are expensive, too, and better yet, the government let just anyone have a license. In other words, entry into the world of media used to be limited to those with money already in their pockets.
But anybody can afford to put up a Website and start reporting on their community. You don’t even have to pay for hosting if you are willing to be hosted on Blog*Spot (one click will also put Google Adsense on your site). You don’t even have to pay for an Internet connection, if you are willing to blog from the library or glom off free WiFi at the coffee shop.
And now that newspapers have instituted subscription fees for viewing online content, it’s possible for online competition to do that as well without being undercut by Big Media sites giving it away for free. Or, news startups can give it away for free and remain a low-cost alternative.
TellPeoria Online Media exists to help budding journalists create online news sites and then monetize them with advertising, and if they wish, use Pay Pal to create a subscription program.
