December 05, 2011
Digital First moves forward with MediaNews Group strategy
Since the September announcement that a new Journal-Register Co. spinoff called Digital First Media was taking over management of all MediaNews Group papers, the news industry has been waiting to see what this might actually mean. In a Dec. 1 blog post, JRC/DF chief John Paton revealed more about how this operational change is unfolding. Some highlights…
According to Paton, Digital First is consolidating non-local content production, digital product and sales development, sales support and information technology. This will allow local MNG papers to focus on “the creation of local content, the growth of local audience and engagement and the monetization of that growth.”
He also added more names to Digital First’s new executive editorial and sales lineup.
Digital First also is extending Journal Register Company’s ideaLab initiative to include MediaNews Group employees.
Paton explained that this Google-like program will “equip 25 MediaNews Group employees with the latest tools and give them the time and money to experiment with them. Each member of the ideaLab will be equipped, initially, with a Smartphone, tablet and laptop.
“The company will carve out 10 hours a week from their regular jobs to allow them time to experiment with these tools and report back on how we can change our business for the better. And we will add an extra $500 per month to their pay. Other than that—there are no rules.”
As of this morning, Paton tweeted that more than 200 MediaNewsGroup staffers have applied to join idealab. Employees can apply either by leaving a comment on Paton’s post or by sending an e-mail to Paton.
...Of course, such sweeping changes from the top can run aground on the entrenched culture and management still in place at some papers.
For instance, Nieman Journalism Lab recently tweeted about a Reuters story: “Media execs of a certain age say they’re too busy, private, old, to tweet.”
To which Paton retorted: “Bullshit - 54 here and a tweeter!”
Yet some people in the new Digital First leadership lineup clearly have not embraced social media. For instance, Dave Butler—who is overseeing all DF/MNG newsgathering operations in California, and who was a key focus of the recent CJR feature The Newspaper That Almost Seized the Future—has so far tweeted only once and has just 31 Twitter followers.
Bosses who are inexperienced with or resistant to social media, community engagement, or more open or innovative approaches to journalism could become an impediment to MNG idealab projects and other initiatives. As one commenter to Paton’s post observed:
“Quite surprised to see that you have 200+ applications already, but almost none through this post. Quite different than the first test with JRC.”
The News for Digital Journalists blog is made possible by a grant to USC Annenberg from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
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