Archive for the ‘Deep Background’ Category

Deep Background for May 2012

The new month has the editorial staff at the Erie Times-News shaking their heads at the huge typo on Page 1 today above the fold. The headline “Unemployoment dips” was not only a glaring error to blurry-eyed subscribers over their morning joe, but was broadcast to the media world by critic and blogger Jim Romenesko, who quipped, “Why the Erie paper needs a copy editor.”

We discuss such incredulous moments in Erie media on this open forum, along with the success and news. To get in on the discussion, leave a comment below, or send me an e-mail, or tweet @pressandtower.

Embrace the chaos!

Deep Background for April 2012

It’s an odd paradox…people who are in the advertising business seldom advertise.

But that’s the current reality for many of our old and new media products (When’s the last time you saw an ad for Facebook?).

Take radio for example. When local owners and smaller groups ran the stations, you saw the significant presence of station call letters and music video 30′s on local TV, billboard campaigns and sometimes the newspaper. Big promotions and contests like “live in it to win it” and the birthday game were frequent and became water-cooler conversations in the community.

These marketing efforts expanded cumulative listening and made the radio stations more valuable. Then the big groups moved in and what’s the first thing that went toward paying the mortgage? Marketing. What’s the end result now after several years? Fewer listeners; less advertiser value and ultimately less revenue, leading to less shareholder value.

It’s not just radio…every other medium has cut or eliminated real money spent on marketing. And running promos on your own air or newsprint doesn’t count. How do you tell that car dealer or restaurant to go after that new demographic niche when you aren’t willing to do the same?

It’s painful to see local time spent listening or viewing or circulation keep decreasing. Where are the brilliant marketers who can creatively stop the tide of fleeing consumers of local media, and who will be the brave managers that will resource them?

I’d like to hear from you. Let’s talk about growing local media or anything else in the world of pixels, frequencies, or copy. Leave a comment in the box here, or you can e-mail me at joel@nataliemedia.com, or by tweeting @pressandtower.

Embrace the chaos.

Deep Background for March 2012

So it’s been a while since we’ve updated our open forum…mea culpa.

We do, however, offer the only forum for open and civil discourse between the consumers and producers of Erie media. So here’s where you share news, scoops, questions, and concerns through comments below, or send an e-mail to your humble editor, or tweet @pressandtower.

We continue to embrace the chaos.

Deep Background for November 2011

Here’s a tribute for the newspaper carriers.

These sleep-deprived adults from all over our area awaken at 2 AM and drive their ink-stained vehicles to one of the district distribution centers for the Erie Times-News. There they will do by hand what machines used to do just a few months ago; assemble each newspaper they will deliver, merging the pre-printed features sections and ad inserts with the fresh news sections that just arrived from a two-hour trip from Butler. From there they will load 200, 300, or more papers in their vehicles and begin their run. The papers still have to be delivered by 6:00 no matter the weather, even with all the extra labor, and even if the truck is delayed.

But the Wednesday after Election Day, that 6:00 delivery deadline won’t be met, because the newsroom is staying up late to publish the election returns. Late to Butler means late to your front step and news stand. But don’t blame your carrier.

We sound off on all things media in this open forum through your comments, e-mails and tweets @pressandtower.

Embrace the chaos!

Deep Background for October 2011

I don’t know about you, but September was kind of a lost month for me. It is traditionally the busiest month of the year at work for me, and it went super-fast.

Meanwhile loads of change occurred on the Erie media landscape in the past few weeks. We will try to get to most of it, but meanwhile you can weigh in on whats on your mind through this open forum.

It’s easy to join in by leaving a comment in the box below, e-mail me, or tweet @PressandTower.

Embrace the chaos!

Deep Background for September 2011

Is your hometown newspaper experiencing “shrinkage”?

What apparently seems to be an unintended consequence of outsourcing the Erie Times News to the Butler Eagle is the actual shortening of the newspaper by about 2 1/4 inches, losing in the vicinity of 12 column inches per page. This rather significant reduction in available space is forcing the layout folks to be “creative” in presenting their regular features. So instead of having the weekly Sunday “Work Orders” feature all contained at the bottom of the front of the City/Region section, we just get a picture, with the story behind the dilapidated building after the jump to a page inside. The use of the eye-catching bottom strip ad 6 columns wide also seems to be greatly limited since the move to Butler.

Maybe these trade-offs are no big deal to the average reader, but to me it seems that these changes have put a damper on the innovative design and ad opportunities that won awards and happy customers for the paper.

Whether it’s minutia like column inches lost or dead air, or big stuff like job changes and format predictions, we talk about it all in the open forum. Drop a comment in below, or via e-mail, or by Twitter @pressandtower.

Embrace the chaos!

Deep Background for August 2011

Change is the constant in Erie media. The past 30 days saw major announcements and developments in the old media of radio, television, and the newspaper here in Erie. Meanwhile, nothing less than revolutions are occurring in and through social and new media, both globally and locally.

We wrestle with this changing context on a daily basis in this open forum. Participation is key; your opinions in the comments box below are encouraged. You can also connect by sending me an e-mail, or through a tweet @pressandtower.

Embrace the chaos!