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Award-winning newspaper shows the way
What content should be posted to online newspapers, and when? That’s the gist of a question an executive of a group of weekly newspapers asked us recently. There’s no one right answer, in my opinion, but the topic certainly is a good one for healthy debate.
For some advice and wisdom on the issue, I called my old friend, Bill Lynch, co-owner and publisher of the Sonoma Index-Tribune, a twice weekly in northern California. Bill’s credentials are many. Bill has worked hard on press association boards and committees. He’s been an early adapter of many Web initiatives. He’s always willing to talk candidly about his strategies and operations. And, he’s been successful; his online newspaper has won numerous awards, including the most recent selection by the National Newspaper Association as the nation’s Best Non-Daily Newspaper Web Site. Bill’s commitment to online runs so deep that he’s placed his son, Ryan, in charge of online operations.
“The basic thing is that we treat our online and print editions as equals,” Bill said. “We used to worry about cannibalization of our print product, but then we decided that we are a communications company, not a newspaper company, so we don’t withhold any news from the Web to protect the print product.”
Bill said he tells his reporters to think of the online product as more of a radio station than someplace where stories written for print are repurposed. “When our reporters come back from covering a story, we want them to write short, punchy stories as soon as they can for the Web,” Bill said. “We’re not looking 10- or 15- or 20-inch stories for the Internet. That’s what we will carry in print. The Web is different.”
That’s the key point that weeklies and dailies alike need to understand.
Online newspapers should not be just echoes of the print product. The era of shovel-ware from print to Web is over.
Bill’s paper does multiple updates of stories. He publishes stories online that may never see ink on paper because the story is too old, or there’s just not enough space in print. His staff doesn’t worry about cannibalization. Bill’s paper makes it easy for readers to submit calendar items, to buy classified ads online, to submit questions through a help center, to submit stories and story ideas. His entire print product is posted online as an electronic edition. Check his paper out at http://www.sonomanews.com.
“We’re not limited by technology and we’re not limited by management saying not to do things because it might hurt the print product,” Bill said. “But we don’t put out an even better online product because my staff is so busy putting out two (printed) papers a week and keeping up the Web site. I’m sure that’s the biggest problem most newspapers face – just not enough resources to do everything we want to do and should do. And, we’re still not sure how to make money on the Internet.”
Every newspaper has to make its own decisions about how much content is posted to the online edition. But I would encourage newspaper executives – both weekly and daily – to learn some lessons from Bill Lynch and his crew.
Online newspapers need to be a different product from the printed product. Online newspapers have their own strengths – video and audio products work online, but not in print. Deadline issues largely vanish with online newspapers. A weekly print product can be a daily online product. A daily print product can be a 24-by-7 online product. Online tools can empower readers to submit stories, photos, calendar items, ads, blogs and more. Links to related stories, photos and other items are relatively easy to include. Stories and photos that once were tossed in the editors’ wastebaskets can be posted online.
Bill Lynch tells his reporters to think of the online newspaper as a radio station. Clearly, print and online newspapers need to be thought of as different media. The online newspaper certainly can’t be just regurgitated, old newsprint.
Publishers like Bill Lynch are leading the way. He’s always willing to take calls and help fellow newspaper people.
For some advice and wisdom on the issue, I called my old friend, Bill Lynch, co-owner and publisher of the Sonoma Index-Tribune, a twice weekly in northern California. Bill’s credentials are many. Bill has worked hard on press association boards and committees. He’s been an early adapter of many Web initiatives. He’s always willing to talk candidly about his strategies and operations. And, he’s been successful; his online newspaper has won numerous awards, including the most recent selection by the National Newspaper Association as the nation’s Best Non-Daily Newspaper Web Site. Bill’s commitment to online runs so deep that he’s placed his son, Ryan, in charge of online operations.
“The basic thing is that we treat our online and print editions as equals,” Bill said. “We used to worry about cannibalization of our print product, but then we decided that we are a communications company, not a newspaper company, so we don’t withhold any news from the Web to protect the print product.”
Bill said he tells his reporters to think of the online product as more of a radio station than someplace where stories written for print are repurposed. “When our reporters come back from covering a story, we want them to write short, punchy stories as soon as they can for the Web,” Bill said. “We’re not looking 10- or 15- or 20-inch stories for the Internet. That’s what we will carry in print. The Web is different.”
That’s the key point that weeklies and dailies alike need to understand.
Online newspapers should not be just echoes of the print product. The era of shovel-ware from print to Web is over.
Bill’s paper does multiple updates of stories. He publishes stories online that may never see ink on paper because the story is too old, or there’s just not enough space in print. His staff doesn’t worry about cannibalization. Bill’s paper makes it easy for readers to submit calendar items, to buy classified ads online, to submit questions through a help center, to submit stories and story ideas. His entire print product is posted online as an electronic edition. Check his paper out at http://www.sonomanews.com.
“We’re not limited by technology and we’re not limited by management saying not to do things because it might hurt the print product,” Bill said. “But we don’t put out an even better online product because my staff is so busy putting out two (printed) papers a week and keeping up the Web site. I’m sure that’s the biggest problem most newspapers face – just not enough resources to do everything we want to do and should do. And, we’re still not sure how to make money on the Internet.”
Every newspaper has to make its own decisions about how much content is posted to the online edition. But I would encourage newspaper executives – both weekly and daily – to learn some lessons from Bill Lynch and his crew.
Online newspapers need to be a different product from the printed product. Online newspapers have their own strengths – video and audio products work online, but not in print. Deadline issues largely vanish with online newspapers. A weekly print product can be a daily online product. A daily print product can be a 24-by-7 online product. Online tools can empower readers to submit stories, photos, calendar items, ads, blogs and more. Links to related stories, photos and other items are relatively easy to include. Stories and photos that once were tossed in the editors’ wastebaskets can be posted online.
Bill Lynch tells his reporters to think of the online newspaper as a radio station. Clearly, print and online newspapers need to be thought of as different media. The online newspaper certainly can’t be just regurgitated, old newsprint.
Publishers like Bill Lynch are leading the way. He’s always willing to take calls and help fellow newspaper people.
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