Hyperlocals

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  • Special Report: Apps

    The app genie is out of the bottle. Local news organizations have moved past the stage of merely having an app and are moving on to the tricky challenge of monetizing those apps, and to do that, they will have to build on the momentum of local mobile search, unlock the power of geolocation and push for better app metrics. Part one of a two-part series. Tomorrow: Part two of the special report will focus on content. More | Add comment

  • Digital DMA: WVBT Raises Ante In Norfolk Digital Battle

    In a market that spreads across 10 cities and has a heavy military presence, two newspapers rule the digital roost, but the area’s TV stations, which expect to see a 65% rise in online revenue by 2015, are trying out new ways to bring more visitors to their websites. Among them is LIN TV-owned WVBT, which has launched an online-only show about the local entertainment scene. More | Add comment

  • AppCheck: Cocktail Compass Pours A Round Of Revenue

    The Portland Mercury's Cocktail Compass barfinder app is not only helping users find nearby watering holes and drink specials but it's also helping the alt weekly use its extensive trove of bar listings to generate new revenue streams. More | Add comment

  • Site Specific: Classifieds, Video Help Seven Days Thrive

    Burlington, Vt.-based alt weekly Seven Days built a decent online following on the strength of its quirky, personality-driven video series "Stuck in Vermont," and has turned the site into a money maker primarily from display ads and classifieds. More | Add comment

  • Exec. Session: Alt Weeklies Tap Roots To Drive Web Rev

    Alternative newsweeklies may have gotten off to a slow start on the digital front, but according to Tim Keck, publisher of Seattle's The Stranger and Portland, Ore.'s Mercury, such newspapers can draw on their iconoclastic voice, strong local entertainment coverage and close relationships with local businesses, to take the online lead in their communities and build their online revenue. More | Comments (1)

  • Agile Alt Media Adapting to Digital Challenges

    Like all media entities, alternative newsweeklies have taken their hits over the past few years but now they are taking advantage of their flexibility and experimenting with social media, video and blogs in an effort to catch up in the digital world, and in some markets, challenge the local daily for dominance. More | Add comment

  • Online Metrics Take A Step Closer To Standardization

    Plagued by inconsistent measurement systems, the industry is seeking to standardize online audience measurements. The IAB, ANA and 4As are working on the Making Measurement Make Sense initiative that could hellp boost digital and cross-platform ad growth. More | Add comment

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Special Reports

  • Apps: The app genie is out of the bottle. Local news organizations have moved past the stage of merely having an app and are moving on to the tricky challenge of monetizing those apps, and to do that, they will have to build on the momentum of local mobile search, unlock the power of geolocation and push for better app metrics.
  • Daily Deals: Local media companies are turning to white-label platform providers so that they can build their own brand in the marketplace and potentially make more money.

Industry Calendar

2月 2012
27-29
SNPA, Inland Press Association, Local Media Association, and Texas Press Association.
Key Executives Mega-Conference
San Antonio, TX
3月 2012
13-15
American Cable Association
ACA’s 19th Annual Summit
Washington, D.C., DC
4月 2012
13
National Association of Broadcasters
NABShow
Las Vegas, NV

Net Essentials

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SinglePlatform Expands With YP.com Union
Street Fight, Feb 21, 2012, 2:53 PM EST
New York-based startup SinglePlatform, which provides a one-stop shop for local businesses to build their digital presence, is expanding its reach by partnering with YP.com Link | Add comment
commentary
Hyperlocal Advertorials Need Transparency
Street Fight, Feb 20, 2012, 3:44 PM EST
Journalist and attorney Brian Dengler: "As long as hyperlocals are transparent about the advertorial nature of some content, hyperlocals can benefit from a source for content, a community connection, a community story, and potential revenue opportunities." Link | Add comment
Bay Citizen Aims To Regroup, Turn Page
The Wall Street Journal, Feb 16, 2012, 3:42 PM EST
San Francisco-based nonprofit news site The Bay Citizen which recently announced its intent to merge with another Bay Area-base nonprofit, the Center for Investigative Reporting, is looking to use the move as a chance to regroup and ensure the survival of its mission to deliver civic and community news. WSJ subscribers can read the full story here. Link | Add comment
Hyperlocal Media Spurs Collaborative Consumption
Street Fight, Feb 16, 2012, 12:32 PM EST
Commentary
Investing In Better Tech May Beat More Staff
Street Fight, Feb 16, 2012, 12:33 PM EST
Tom Grubisich: "Fast-improving digital technology can lead to better content, more engaged users and open the way to new advertisers, including sponsors. Technology is also less expensive than staff." Link | Add comment
AOL May Never Be Able To Patch Up Patch
CNNMoney.com, Feb 16, 2012, 8:36 AM EST
The Internet company has placed high hopes — and lots of cash — in its hyperlocal news venture. But, with just a few sites actually turning a profit, the numbers may never add up. Link | Add comment
Garfield Is Wrong About Hyperlocal
Street Fight, Feb 15, 2012, 3:36 PM EST
Alex Salkever: "The models are still forming but I have no doubt that we will see a vibrant ecosystem of profitable hyperlocal publications. They will not be as profitable as the old quasi-monopolistic news system when a single daily drove the news cycle for an entire town. They will need to be driven by passion and commitment because the necessary dose of community participation can smell naked profiteering like a skunk trapped in an In-n-Out Burger bathroom." Link | Add comment
Bob Garfield: 'Future Isn't In Hyperlocal News'
Borrell Associates, Feb 15, 2012, 3:36 PM EST
Bob Garfield, host of NPR's "Media Matters": "The future isn't in hyperlocal news per se as a standalone operation. in my opinion, the answer is going to be in consolididation."
Link | Add comment
Q&A Service Localmind Broadens Its Focus
CNET, Feb 15, 2012, 11:10 AM EST
Live location-based Q&A service Localmind — which allowed users to ask questions and quickly receive answers about local establishments — has moved beyond specific locations and now allows users to ask questions about entire areas. Link | Add comment
Patch To Staff: No Comments On Romenesko
Jim Romenesko, Feb 13, 2012, 6:58 AM EST
Patch spokeswoman Janine Iamunno told employees in a memo that "Patchers' comments are just fueling the fire of inaccurate speculation and Patch-bashing" on Jim Romenesko's site. Link | Add comment
Commentary
Fight Advice For Patch’s New Content Chief
Street Fight, Feb 10, 2012, 2:54 PM EST
Alex Salkever offers up some advice to Patch's new chief content officer Rachel Fishman Feddersen on how the AOL property can dominate the hyperlocal arena: "My first piece of advice. Patch should dominate local sports. And I mean dominate. Not just high school but also kids leagues and junior leagues." Link | Add comment
Inside NYU’s East Village Hyperlocal Site
Street Fight, Feb 10, 2012, 8:47 AM EST
Daniel Maurer, editor of The Local: East Village, a joint project between NYU and The New York Times: "I think there’s a perception of student journalism that it’s often very wide-eyed and naïve. You have students coming to the neighborhood and seeing a cool shop and saying: 'I’ve got to interview the owner of that shop.' Meanwhile, it’s a shop that’s been profiled a thousand times … My objective is to make the site something that the residents of the neighborhood can come to and find out something that they don’t already know." Link | Add comment
Where Does Arianna Fit In AOL's Patch Plans
PaidContent, Feb 10, 2012, 7:42 AM EST
With AOL's recent hire of Rachel Fishman Feddersen as chief content office for the Patch hyperlocal network, a turnaround strategy is clearly in order, there's one wild card: What role will Arianna Huffington now play in the Patch properties? Link | Add comment
Patch: 'There Are No Layoffs Planned'
Jim Romenesko, Feb 9, 2012, 8:25 AM EST
Patch spokeswoman Janine Iamunno responded to a Jim Romenesko's post yesterday that AOL's hyperlocal network was planning to reduce staff following the hiring of Rachel Fishman Feddersen as chief content officer, saying, "There are no layoffs planned. While we don’t discuss budgets, we’re more confident than ever in our business model and in our editors’ ability to serve their communities with the content they care about most." Link | Add comment
Bay Citizen, CIR Announce Intent To Merge
The Bay Citizen, Feb 8, 2012, 7:12 AM EST
The Bay Citizen and the Center for Investigative Reporting have signed a formal letter of intent to merge the two Bay Area nonprofit news organizations, the companies announced Tuesday. Both sides now have 30 days to independently decide whether to approve a final merger. If approved, management of The Bay Citizen will be turned over to the CIR.   Link | Add comment
Commentary
Hyperlocals Need To Protect Social Branding
Street Fight, Feb 6, 2012, 2:05 PM EST
Attorney Brian Dengler: "Customer lists, brand names, and social media accounts are valuable assets for hyperlocal news publishers, and they should be protected like money." Link | Add comment
Bay Citizen Explains Outage
The Bay Citizen, Feb 6, 2012, 8:20 AM EST
Peter Lewis, managing editor of The Bay Citizen, in a note to readers said the local news site's outages on Friday were due to problems with the server that manages its incoming traffic followed by a surge in visitors. Link | Add comment
Site Specific: Capitol Hill Seattle Blog
Tech Upstart Backs Into Hyperlocal Coverage
NetNewsCheck, Feb 6, 2012, 6:57 AM EST
Capitol Hill Seattle Blog founder Justin Carder wasn’t planning on building a media business when he launched his Seattle-based hyperlocal site in 2006, but the blog quickly picked up a healthy stable of display ads — despite Carder’s disdain of ad salespeople. Full Story | Add comment
AOL CEO: Some Patches Were Profitable
Forbes, Feb 1, 2012, 11:09 AM EST
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said that some of the company's hyperlocal Patch sites did turn a profit in 2011: "We don't have a massive number of patches on a run-rate profitability, and some of them have bounced in and bounced out." Link | Add comment
Commentary
Hyperlocals Should Take Care With User Info
Street Fight, Jan 30, 2012, 3:45 PM EST
Attorney Brian Dengler: "Disclosures and choices about user information typically are provided with a privacy policy. Users should have an opportunity to review and approve such information practices before they provide personal information about themselves. Hyperlocal news publishers should be mindful in honoring the promises they make with their users about their information practices and review their policies with their counsel." Link | Add comment
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Opinions
Features
Ideas
  • For Future Of News, Killer App Is Credibility

    Robert Hernandez, an assistant professor of professional practice in journalism at USC Annenberg: "With technology empowering everyone with the ability to create and to distribute, I predict — and wish — that in 2012 the new dominating factor will be Credibility. Actually, earned Credibility."

  • Layoffs, Cutbacks Lead To News Deserts

    Tom Stites: "Desertification is on the march, claiming more and more communities as newspapers continue to wither and few Web efforts manage to replace more than a fraction of the original reporting that newspapers have abandoned."

  • Moneyball: Fixing Newspaper Web Sales

    Mel Taylor: "Today's Newspaper industry is like that once great, but now struggling baseball team playing on a new, hyper-competitive field called the Internet. The veteran print team is stuck in a rut using the same, tired strategy that did serve them well for years, but no longer. Today, they get trounced by those with more money and muscle."

  • You Should Only Work This Hard If You Own The Business

    Howard Owens, digital media pioneer and author of HowardOwens.com, writes on Patch editors: "But here’s the thing about the work load for Patch editors: They’re not owners. They are expected to do all of the things they would have to do if they owned their own web sites, but merely in service of building wealth for AOL shareholders. Sure, work hard and keep your job is a nice benefit, and as a former corporate employee I think employees have an ethical obligation to help build shareholder value. That’s what they’re paid to do. ... However, if what we’re hearing is true about the Patch workload, I can only ask: Why are you doing it?"

  • The Metric For Missed Expectations

    Matthew Shanahan: "Here’s the problem: [Click-through rates don't] take into account audience engagement, not to mention the fact that other advertisers are competing for the click-through on the same page."

  • Debate Over Naming Commenters Rages On

    Eric Pfanner on real-name commenting policies: "The complications are enormous. Even self-contained Internet services like Facebook have had difficulty enforcing 'real name' systems. To achieve this on the borderless Internet would be impossible."

  • Communities Lose Out When Papers Close

    Author Ken Doctor on MediaNews Group's decision to consolidate its Bay Area newspapers: "It isn’t simply the sad loss of middle-class journalism jobs, as lamentable as that is, just as so many other good jobs that have disappeared in recent years. It’s a community loss, and points to the wider impact of news cuts on the society in which we live. That’s often forgotten as we focus too narrow on industry loss."

  • Why AOL Should Double Down On Patch

    Maxwell Wessel, member of Harvard Business School think tank Forum for Growth, on AOL's Patch: "Patch is AOL's last, best chance to build a growth engine. Investors shouldn't be calling for AOL to back off the business. They should be calling for AOL to double down ... by increasing commitment."

  • News Orgs Should Use Innovation As A Tool

    Frédéric Filloux: "News organizations ... should view innovation as their main weapon against direct competitors and emerging players such as tech startups."

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