M A K E T H E N E W S

Comprehensive and Proportional

Harrison Collier, Melissa Ogden, and Marie Ricks

M A K E T H E N E W S

Melissa Ogden

Targeted Demographics
Journalism is Subjective

Harrison Collier

The Pressure to Hype

Marie Ricks

Marketing vs. Marketing

New Market Research
M A K E T H E N E W S

Fallacy of Targeted Demographics

Melissa Ogden
M A K E T H E N E W S

Fallacy of Targeted Demographics

“In the name of efficiency and profit

margins, we did nothing to help create a
new generation interested in news.”
(Kovach and Rosenstiel, p. 211)
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Fallacy of Targeted Demographics

What problems come with targeting

demographics?
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Fallacy of Targeted Demographics

“Stations that cover a wider range of topics

were more likely to be building or holding
onto their audience than those that did not.”
(Project for Excellence in Journalism Local TV project,
“Quality brings Higher Ratings.”)
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Journalism is not a Science, it is Subjective

“People do not expect perfection.

They do expect good intentions.”
(Kovach and Rosenstiel p. 213)

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The Pressure to Hype

Churning the crowd principle…

Do something unusual and get
immediate attention, which is easily
lost.
Do something intriguing/diverse and
grow the crowd.
Harrison Collier
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The Pressure to Hype

“Depending on how good you

are… how diverse and intriguing
your repertoire, and audience
might grow each day.

You would not, if you were good,

have to keep churning the crowd.”

(Kovach and Rosenstiel p. 214)

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Marketing vs. Marketing

New Market Research

Marie Ricks
 M A K E T H E N E W
S

Marketing vs. Marketing

New York Times

Background:

– ¼ of revenue from online advertising

– New pay model March 28, 2011
– Increase revenue or face cutbacks
(New York Times, March 21, 2011, Section B, p. 1)
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Marketing vs. Marketing

NY Times tiered plan:

– 20 articles for free, then
– $15/month for web site
– $20/month for web access/iPad app
– $35/month for all-access plan

What are the positives and negatives of such a model?

(New York Times, March 21, 2011, Section B, p. 1)
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Marketing vs. Marketing

Thrillist marketing model:

– Melding of commerce and content
– Advertising and editorial used as bridge, not a wall
– Reviews, ads, and sales = “allied email”
– News feeds, Facebook and Twitter serve as editors
(New York Times, March 21, 2011, Section B, p. 1)
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New Market Research for Journalists

How are we going to be tomorrow’s journalists?

M A K E T H E N E W
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New Market Research for Journalists

How are we going to be tomorrow’s journalists?

We must be really good!

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M A K E T H E N E W
S

New Market Research for Journalists

How are we going to be tomorrow’s journalists?

We must be really good!

“How a story is gathered and reported …
number, balance, and expertise of sources …
its relevancy to audience, …
are twice as important as topic in determining
audience ratings.”
(Kovach and Rosenstiel p. 221)

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Summary: Comprehensive and Proportional

Targeted Demographics
Journalist is Subjective

The Pressure to Hype

Marketing vs. Marketing

New Market Research
Harrison Collier
M A K E T H E N E W S

Thanks for sharing your views…

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Harrison Collier, Melissa Ogden, and Marie Ricks