MagBlog

BSkyB is going to rename its customer magazine, but does anyone remember the real Sky magazine? The one edited by one-time editorial genius Ian Birch? Whatever happened, etc, etc ... (Oh, maybe he's still in the States.)

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Labels: customer publishing, magazines, news international

Cory Doctorow's article in today's Technology Guardian is a lovely piece of writing, even though it's about a newspaper proprietor whose company gave up trying to publish magazines after realising they just couldn't hack it.

It's all speculation and opinion, of course, just adding to the virtual Niagara of comment about Rupert Murdoch's various pronouncements on paywalls, denying search and the legality (or not) of "fair use".

But there is one paragraph that has a definite ring of truth about it:

Rupert isn't a technophobic loon who will send his media empire to the bottom of the ocean while waging war on search engines. Instead, he's an out-of-touch moustache-twirler who's set his sights on remaking the web as a toll booth (with him in the collector's seat), and his plan hinges on a touchingly naive approach to geopolitics.

The idea of being a toll collector must be appealing to a businessman who staked his empire on being able to collect tolls (Sky).

UPDATE FROM THE COMMENTS ON DOCTOROW'S ARTICLE: DEFINITE MAGAZINE APPLICATION

And none of this starts to touch on the fact that most traditional media co web sites are dull one-dimensional experiences (article + advertising - any decent community engagement (inc useless closed comment systems, ahem) = yawn), that really just mimic the newspaper in an online environment, without bringing any significant additional value to the party. So unless Rupe (and others) sorts this rather fundamental issue out then he's doomed anyway (if managing the digital business transition doesn't kill them first; maybe ereaders will save the day). Better get good at creating compelling and valuable consumer internet experiences, and not just being all about publishing articles online (otherwise they'll just get displaced by a new generation of way more innovative media companies who can fuse content + community + services + utility + monetisation).

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Labels: digital revenue, news international, political economy

Rupert Murdoch's plan to charge for content in his newspapers has taken a more solid form. The Sunday Times will be News International's stalking horse and Rupert has refined his "people will pay" dictum:

He claimed consumers were willing to pay for celebrity scoops and exclusive stories including revelations about MPs' expenses (from the Guardian's story)

This indicates (to me, anyway) that the NI chequebook will be out for the big celeb and scandal stories and also helps to explain Nicola Jeal's move from her position as head of the (possibly doomed) Observer's magazine division to the Times, as weekend editor. (See previous post)

The women's weekly market already pays big money for the best stories, so my guess is that Rupert has OK!, Hello and the other big players in his sights. Celebrity stories are fairly easy to spot, although getting the right ones for your specific readership is still an art, but didn't NI pass up the MP expenses disc?

If I am right, what does this mean for the Sunday Times brand? Andrew Neil has already said:

Murdoch's websites will have to change dramatically if the initiative is to succeed. "If you are going to charge you have to build a site that is different and has a distinct character. General news has become a commodity in a sense. You have to recreate the paper online." (Guardian story, as above)

Will there be sub-sites with different target readerships?
Will the overall effect be seen as devaluing the once mighty investigative organ?
Murdoch has never been afraid of reinvention, and perhaps it is this unsentimental streak that will actually allow him to succeed in imposing payments.

#magazines

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Labels: magazines, media management, news international, political economy, weekly magazine

Well, that didn't last very long, did it? Ever since the magazine branch of News International suddenly drew its horns in after the launch of LOVE IT, the writing has been on the wall. Now it's off the wall and into the Guardian's media section (and elsewhere).

Of course, Mr Murdoch is far from the first newspaper person to think that magazines represent an easy pot of gold – one thinks of Eve Pollard and Aura magazine, Kelvin MacKenzie and Highbury House, for example – and he won't be the last.

The media are converging, no question about that, but there are still specific skills and perhaps a particular culture, required by each platform.

Labels: eve pollard, kelvin mackenzie, news international, newspaper magazines, print magazines, specialised