Why Newspapers are becoming the next broadcaster

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Beet.tv did a great job interviewing Sean Morgan, CEO of Syndicaster and John Paton, CEO at Journal Register.
IT is easy to demonstrate that while many “old media” companies have decided to give up and just wont go the extra mile to analyze the strengths and think on what is the execution for taking back the cities they are so embed into.
John Paton points, in his new blog, that it is not easy (just tell that to the people behind TBD.com ) it requires a big cultural change in teh way traditional media companies are run. I even adventure to say that it is time to bring those down and make sure they are emerging with strong strategies copying from JRC their DIGITAL FIRST plan.
here are some links to all these :

on the TND and media companies read http://jxpaton.wordpress.com

on the Video piece watch the video http://www.beet.tv/2011/02/journal-register-ce0-we-will-beat-aols-patch-and-huffington-post-.html

SEcond video on same subject : http://www.beet.tv/2011/02/jrcvideopaton.html

Video interview of Sean Morgan : http://www.beet.tv/2011/02/big-newspaper-chain-scaling-up-video-project-flow-in-the-cloud-no-final-cut-pinnacle-avid-required.html

on full disclosure I have to state that I work for John Paton for several years and I now work at JRC.

Hispanics in the US and Spanish media

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I have been analyzing lately what is happening in the Hispanic market in the US. Consumption of media in spanish seem divided by those enormous amounts of hours dedicated to watch “Telenovelas” and the very small attention to any other media. Of course a big piece of the blame is to the “serious” media that has been downgrading their content to be more like the “stupid box”.
There is today, other than some very good radio shows (ie Fernando Espuelas in Los Angeles, Tsi-Tsiki Felix in Chicago), a lack of serious discussion about the role of the hispanic immigrants in this country.
My media friends from Spain are convinced that any other content that is not entertainment coming from Televisa, lacks a purpose. IT seems that the spanish language and being latino has become a definition for a non-thinking person.
I think it is time for a serious new way of thinking, new technology access, news and information hispanic focused, in spanish, bilingual or even in english, to come up front and starts representing those that have that heritage and we are worried that we are being classified just like the TV : the stupid box !!!!
Have a great weekend.

news vs information ?

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While we were discussing if newspapers should get on the WEB or not, while we were fighting over how Craiglist took over the crown jewles of newspapers; a new phenomenon developed and is about take a larger piece of the newspapers : the separations between News and Information.

Journal Register Company (www.journalregister.com)

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The Register Citizen (registercitizen.com), Serving Torrington, CT

Business
Arturo Duran to lead digital efforts at Journal Register Company

Monday, August 9, 2010

YARDLEY, Pa. – Arturo Duran has been named executive vice president, digital, for the Journal Register Company, parent company of The Register Citizen, Litchfield County Times, New Haven Register, Middletown Press and Connecticut Magazine and a number of weekly newspapers in Connecticut.

Duran will report directly to CEO John Paton, who took the reins at Journal Register in early 2010 and has rapidly transformed it from a traditional print-focused newspaper company to a local media company that puts “digital first” in its approach to news and advertising.

Duran, until recently the CEO of Spanish-language publisher impreMedia Digital, will be responsible for coordinating the company’s digital strategy and business development initiatives as they relate to its digital efforts.

Duran is considered a leading executive in the digital world and has a strong track record of success. He was, until recently, the chief executive officer of impreMedia Digital a company he grew from the ground up establishing innovative, value-creating partnerships with companies like MySpace, AOL, PBS and MTV.

He is a former executive of CanWest, AOL, Polaroid and Unisys, where he served in different capacities and was responsible for operations in the U.S., Canada, China, Europe and Latin America.

Journal Register Company is a leader in local news and information serving 992 communities in 10 states. The Company’s 324 multi-platform products reach an audience of nearly 14 million people each month. For more information visit the company website at www.JournalRegister.com.

URL: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2010/08/09/business/doc4c5fee459b2ce434772297.prt

© 2010 registercitizen.com, a Journal Register Property

Roger Ailes and the destruction of Journalism

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While reading the NYT today, came with the interview to Roger Ailes http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/media/10ailes.html?scp=2&sq=Fox%20News&st=cse , amazing that somebody charge so small for a job that is being unappreciated by many : $23M a year to destroy journalism….
Of course you have to love the idea that the best line in his resume is that he is not from Columbia School of Journalism. Of course that will talk to the quality of journalism that is today practiced at

If you analyze what Fox news has been converted into, is more a shouting match, who is the one that has a stronger voice, not the reason that prevails.

It is easy to do comedy or drama… a much tougher task is to do real journalism…

Healthcare

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So, my daughter, who is 24 and she is a full time student has her health insurance through her school. it happens to be Aetna.
She had a small accident that ended up being an ACL (knee) and she went to the hospital in NY city where she goes to School… big surprise, after a couple of hours waiting ( well that is ok, it was the ER and hers was not a life threatening problem), doctor comes in, she get the usual questions and for my surprise, no X-rays or MRI, when I ask, he says, we can not order this because the insurance company wont pay for it, it has to go to a specialist, then he may order it, but it is not easy, typically the insurance companies want at least a 3 month period for this type of injures, then if you don’t get better, order and MRI, it is too expensive to do it for everybody.

So my recommendation to her is, go to Massachusetts, Boston is the city where she grew up, and where all her doctors are, plus they have universal health care. She went there, she got an appointment with her doctor, then specialist and MRI same day !!!

So when people ask me if I am in favor or not of a government run system, my answer is always the same : i don’t care who runs it, as long as it is universal and it is not done for profit. Being int he hands of private bureaucracies or government ones, I prefer the latter. Private corporations are driven by greed, who do you think took the decision that my daughter had to wait several weeks to have a MRI taken ? a Doctor or a management person ? yes, you probably are right guessing as I , that it is a “policy” issued by management, not by doctors. Government bureaucracy is not moved by greed, you may even get a person that understands that you are not feeling ok and that you want immediate attention to your problem with the best medicine and technology available. Government policies tend to be based on human concerns and not on cash concerns…

Single insurance for all ? tell me who has chosen their own insurer working fro any company ? what happens is my daughter has to stick with whatever insurance company her college decided, not the one she wanted, so come on… let’s be clear, more than 50% of US citizens, employed and paying a health care plan through the company they work for have NO choice on their insurer, it is chosen based on financial considerations, not on freedom of employees…

So, who do prefer ?