Changing Media Trends Changing Media Trends and what they mean to you:and what they mean to you:
One editor’s viewOne editor’s view
Jane WooldridgeThe Miami Herald
October 2009
The tipping point?The tipping point?
Some magazines are shrinking or closing; even upscale publications have been affected
Newspapers, too, are having a tough time; travel sections – and/or dedicated editors – have diminished
Websites abound Social-networking sites continue to gain Regional emphasis is becoming stronger Mobile devices have become more important
Why now?Why now?
Advances in technology Growing influence of a younger
generation Economic downturn
Result: Market fragmentation.
In other words, people have more places to find information, so established sources lose audience and advertising dollars.
So, what are key trends?So, what are key trends?
Print is down but not outSocial media are here to stayVideo and audio are increasingly importantNot all “new media’’ are created equalMobile devices will become even more
importantDecision-makers (including travelers) still
care about trusted voices
TMI: Too Much Information!TMI: Too Much Information!
So many (websites, magazines, TV channels), so little time
Even the multi-tasking generation is subject to overload
Result: There is still a place for trusted voices, such as authoritative editorial publications and travel agents
TMI, but little that mattersTMI, but little that matters
While there are many more information sources that before, there are fewer offering unique content that is reliable and authoritative
Example: The Today show, which once used primary sources, now cross-promotes with “personalities’’ from their partners/ other properties
Congressional hearings last spring underscored the importance of newspapers to a healthy democracy.
Digital is the futureDigital is the future
251.7 million North Americans (about 73 percent of the population) use the Internet today; 105 in the U.S. alone are counted as active surfers
The global total is almost 1.7 billionThe global total will increase by 44 percent
between 2007-2012
It’s a mobile universeIt’s a mobile universe 256 million in the U.S. subscribe to wireless phone
service; more than 40 million surf the web via a mobile phone each month
China has 540 million users; India has slight more than the U.S.
Already, 10.1 million in the U.S. tune into mobile video – but that’s only 5 percent of the population
Comedy is the most popular video content, followed by music, cinema movies, action/adventure and news
A new (nonKindle) digital reader for newspapers and magazines should be available by late ‘09
BUT…digital media are only BUT…digital media are only part of the answerpart of the answer
105 million Americans read a Sunday newspaper in print
187 million Americans read magazines in print
Consumers use online and print media differently; one tickles the imagination, the other facilitates action
Despite recent high-profile closings, Despite recent high-profile closings, magazines are likely here to staymagazines are likely here to stay
Magazine subscriptions are up for the first six months of 2009 over the same period last year
Historically speaking, magazine closings are related to economic downturns and advertiser spending
Over the past 5 years, the number of magazines grew to 6,800 titles annually
The median age of magazine readers (43.1) has been consistently younger than the median age of total U.S. adults (43.9) over the past five years.
Despite the obituaries, Despite the obituaries, newspapers are not deadnewspapers are not dead
Most markets where newspapers have closed had two dailies. The papers that shut typically were union papers.
More people read the Sunday Miami Herald in print each week than watch American Idol each week
On any given Sunday, more than 105 million adults read a newspaper, larger than the Super Bowl audience
Recent declines in circulation were, in same cases, intentional drops to focus on core readership
Newspapers remain A or THE dominant media company in most markets.
More than 79 percent of American adults read a newspaper in print or online
Newspapers aren’t just Newspapers aren’t just “paper’’ anymore“paper’’ anymore
In 2009, more than 70 million unique viewers visited newspaper websites in a typical month – an increase of 12 percent over the year before
In McClatchy markets, newspaper print circulation and websites together offer more than 50 percent penetration
More than 6 million unique visitors come to Miami Herald websites each month
More than 10,000 people have downloaded The Miami Herald’s mobile sports ap since it was launched six weeks ago
Newspapers are multimedia Newspapers are multimedia 24/7 operations24/7 operations
The Miami Herald Media Company produces content on these platforms:
Daily print newspaper24/7 updated websiteVideocasts delivered via the World Wide
Web, cable outlets and public TVRadio broadcasts delivered via the Web and
public radio
Today, newspapers focus on Today, newspapers focus on their core journalistic mission: their core journalistic mission: serving local communities as serving local communities as
watchdogswatchdogs
Other subjects, including Travel, must pass this test:
Is it an economic driver in our community?Does coverage drive audience?Does coverage drive revenues?
Newspapers no longer create Newspapers no longer create all of their contentall of their content
In features and many other areas, newspaper companies are moving toward a “magazine’’ model. That means more freelance content – but it must be specific to the audience.
Newspaper companies are becoming aggregators, acting as portals for authoritative content from many sources
They are sharing content with former competitors
Will newspapers charge for Will newspapers charge for online content? Eventually, yesonline content? Eventually, yes
Some – including the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times – already charge for access to their websites
Others – including Murdock’s News Corp. papers – have announced plans to do so
Newspapers that deliver information via mobile devices including Kindle and specialized mobile aps also charge a fee
Print and electronic news Print and electronic news sources are more trusted than sources are more trusted than
broadcast and social mediabroadcast and social media In a recent national survey, 56.1% of respondents
said they trust the electronic and print news media for accurate news and information over blogs (7.8%), the social media such as Facebook (3.4%)
Overall, trust in the media is low: 24.3% indicated they believe all or most news media reporting; 54.0% said they believe “some” news media
Not all “new media’’ are Not all “new media’’ are created equalcreated equal
226-million-plus sites on the Web 107 million blogs, 70,000 added in a recent 24-
hour period News and the offbeat often dominate traffic Among travelers, the importance of blogs has
dropped in the past year (Yankelovich) Popular online doesn’t always equal widespread
acceptance; remember Snakes on a Plane?
Most popular U.S. sites (Alexa.com)Most popular U.S. sites (Alexa.com)
GoogleYahooFacebookYouTubeMySpaceWikipedia
Windows Live
(live.com) Craigslist Blogger Ebay Microsoft Network
(msn.com) Twitter
Most popular blogs by authority Most popular blogs by authority (Technorati)(Technorati)
The Huffington Post TechCrunch Mashable! Gizmodo Engadget
The Official Google Blog
Boing Boing Lifehacker Ars Technica TMZ.com (celebrity
gossip)
Top 5 Digg Stories / past yearTop 5 Digg Stories / past year
2009 Digg this if you voted for
Obama, 39,721 diggs Barak Obama wins election,
36,535 diggs Barak Obama becomes 44th
president, 25,184 Michael Jackson dies,
24,686 Digg this if your [sic] sick of
power users stealing stories, 22,714
2008 Digg’s April Fool’s Day
Joke; 31,803 diggs Digg this if you are sick of
Scientologists burying articles; 25,698 diggs
Heath Ledger dies; 22,472 George Carlin has died;
19,793 diggs Ninja cat comes closer
while not moving; 18,308
Top Travel websites by traffic Top Travel websites by traffic (Hitwise, October 09)(Hitwise, October 09)
Google maps MapQuest Expedia Yahoo! Maps Southwest Airlines Priceline Travelocity TripAdvisor Orbitz Bing maps
Yahoo! Travel American Airlines Delta Air Lines Hotwire CheapoAir.com Hotels.com Cheap Tickets Lowfares.com JetBlue Google Earth
Social NetworkingSocial Networking is here to stay is here to stay
Facebook ranks No. 3 among all U.S. websites by traffic YouTube ranks No. 4 among all U.S. websites by traffic TripAdvisor ranks No. 8 among top travel websites According to the Yankelovich Travel Monitor, friends and
neighbors are the most trusted source for travel recommendations (8 in 10 surveyed.) 25 percent are confident of what they read on TripAdvisor)
Blogging is now a $1 billion industry when measured by advertising revenue
Multi media is increasingly importantMulti media is increasingly important
Magazines and newspapers are adding video stories daily (but no, they aren’t really paying for it.)
Doug Lansky’s souvenir slideshow
Survive a bear attack
For now, it’s all about the economyFor now, it’s all about the economy Advertising spending nationwide dropped 15.4 percent in the first half of 2009; national TV,
magazines and newspapers took the biggest hits Checked your 401K lately? The Dow is down more than
30 percent since Oct. 8, 2007. The Consumer Confidence Index dipped in September to
53.1, down from 54.5 in August. Luxury travel has been hit hard because of oversupply;
middle-income “splurgers’’ are saving their shekels. As the economy (and the stock markets) improve, travel
will pick up. But this may be a slow ride.
So what does this mean to me?So what does this mean to me?1. Value is key1. Value is key
Luxury or budget, value is the key. Deals, packages and cost-wise strategies get editors’
attention…but be ready to explain the value. Fixed-cost vacations – cruises, all-inclusive experiences
and packages – find favor with consumers and editors. Travelers still will be making plans last minute; look for
ways to promote last-minute deals in stories and on websites.
2. Think regional2. Think regional
Travelers likely will stay closer to home. Whether you’re a writer or a PR professional, your best hits are going to come from regional media.
3. Think short3. Think short
The trend toward short vacations will grow even stronger
4.4. Focus on other “best bets”Focus on other “best bets”
Niche travelers are driven by passion – and passion often outweighs economic sensibility
Know that editors are more short-Know that editors are more short-handed than ever beforehanded than ever before
Only a handful of papers have full-time travel editors PR pros: Give them story ideas that are fully developed and
involve sources beyond your own. Writers: Be sure you’re targeting the publication’s niche Writers and PR pros: Aim for the unexpected but
accessible All: Be sure information about packages and deals is
complete and includes pricing. All: Be accurate. Fact-check everything…twice.
Do I need a website?Do I need a website?
Yes. Yes. And yes. (And that includes journalists.)
http://www.douglansky.com/
www.timshisler.com
www.elliott.org
www.janewooldridge.com
Do I need a blog?Do I need a blog?
If you’re looking to make money, maybe not.
If you want to brand yourself and/or serve a niche market, maybe yes.
BUT…if you start a blog, you must feed, bathe and clean it.
Must I Tweet?Must I Tweet?
It can’t hurt. But there may be more effective ways to use your time.
Do I need to be multi-media?Do I need to be multi-media?
If you’re a travel supplier (or represent one), you can get additional exposure if you have high quality B-roll, web-ready clips and audio clips.
If you’re a journalist, it’s not essential…yet.
Where can I find out more?Where can I find out more?
Forrester Research: www.forrester.com Jupiter Research: www.jupiterresearch.com PhocusWright: www.phocuswright.com Hitwise: www.hitwise.com Yankelovich Travel Monitor:
www.ypartnership.com, www.yankelovich.com TIA: www.tia.org Multimedia: www.timshisler.com This presentation: www.janewooldridge.com
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