Readers Write in About:
Regional Publishers Must Grow Ad Dollars by Hollis Thomases
Thanks so much for the shout out. This is a very nice summary of the Newspaper Next research, to which I would add only one thing: in addition to identifying and capitalizing on niche opportunities, newspapers must also identify and capitalize on what the new report calls "mega-jobs" -- those things that virtually every consumer or every business in a market needs done that the newspaper can facilitate. We believe mega-jobs is where the easiest, biggest potential opportunities lie, and they should be pursued not instead of niche opportunities but in addition to them.
Also, let's stop calling it "advertising" and start calling it "revenue" (from the newspaper side) or "marketing" (from the buyer side). That opens up all kinds of possibilities, from paid local search to long-form paid video to paid or sponsored e-mail and text communications, none of which are technically cost-per-thousand advertising.
Elaine Clisham
Director of Marketing
American Press Institute