Advance Publications Beg-a-thon

The Oregonian/OregonLive Announces $2.5 Million in Matching Grants

It's not the worst idea in the world. Maybe in time it drums up some paid business.

 

Maybe people would've continued subscribing if these papers hadn't given away a now-crappy product for 20 years.

 

There must be a planned rotation for these beg-a-thon stories. I checked two Advance outlets today and each had a new reporter lobbying for your subscription $$$s.

 

Missed this earlier. Ogden Newspapers did something similar but what makes this different than a BOGO ad sale? I assume all money has to be spent with the newspaper.

 

The content honcho at nj.com addresses reader complaints about the site's leftist bias and pledges to make changes, in this weeks plea for online readers to subscribe.
We want you to subscribe, but some of you called us biased. Here’s what we’re doing to address that.

 

We will know they're really desperate when they say "NOW COVERING JVs!"

 

Seems like every Tuesday they rotate the plea to a new staffer. It was Wednesday this week, I guess because of the holiday.

 

He actually addresses some key problems in the presentation of digital news. There is no hierarchy, no sectioning, particularly in apps. Many sites take a minimum-viable-product approach and automate as many things as possible, which often negates news judgment or the distinction between news content and commentary. Will be interesting to see how he “addresses” these problems in a world of corporate-controlled presentation templates.

 

For a while we packaged stories from one section (i.e. business) on our homepage, but that didn't last long. Wonder how many readers that drives away ("another boring business story?") vs. retains.

 

I started at the S-L, writing high school/college sports, a core interest of the paper's suburban readership. But that readership was mirrored by a blander-than-bland product. The Ledger won its sole Pulitzer for reporting only a few years ago, for a story about a mostly immigrant fishing crew run over by a cargo vessel that, unfortunately, no one outside of the in-the-bag Pulitzer committee gave a shit about.

 

Advance should use a variant of what National Geographic does with me.

1. I get a cheap - $20 or so - annual subscription.
2. Receive 9 or 10 issues. They gather dust on my desk, then get recycled unread.
3. National Geo sends out a renewal notice with a cute baby giraffe on the envelope. Or a baby panda bear. (They're almost extinct!)
4. I guilt-renew.
5. Repeat.