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Holtz Communications + Technology

Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Newspapers launch podcasts

I’ve said for years—and I’ve said it here—that new media do not kill old media. Instead, it forces the old media to adapt. Television didn’t kill radio, but radio stopped broadcasting the kind of content that was better suited to television and began presenting material that was better served by an audio-only format.

So I don’t believe for a minute that newspapers are on their way out. Yes, readership is down, particularly among younger audiences. Yes, revenues are down as customers find better results for their classifieds at Craig’s List than they ever did in the pages of their hometown daily. Newspaper publishers are being agonizingly slow to understand they they, like radio, need to change.

One way to adapt is to find material that simply works better in the pages of a daily newspaper than it would on a computer screen. Lengthy analytical pieces delving into the stories behind the news are easier to read on paper than through the glowing light of a CRT monitor, and if they had a bit of attitude, they could become popular. And more comics. Four pages of comics would be great.

Another way to adapt is to embrace the new technologies. Several newspapers have blogs, but a couple have skipped right over blogs and jumped directly into podcasting. According to a report from Poynter Online Tidbits’ Steve Outing, the Philadelphia Daily News has debuted PhillyFeed, “all original content: music, conversation, analysis, etc.” You can subscribe through a podcatcher and visit the show notes on the podcast site—many links from which point to items appearing in the newspaper. Features include interviews with reporters and columnists.

I’ve listened to today’s debut installment, and it sounds just like a podcast—not nearly as polished as professional radio but compelling in its own right. The Denver Post also has a podcast, although it doesn’t include RSS feeds yet.

Integrating media could help newspapers find their niche. It’ll be interesting to see if other papers follow suit.

05/06/05 | 0 Comments | Newspapers launch podcasts

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