Journatic Benefits Local Communities
Over the course of several news interviews, Brian has shared several concrete examples of how Journatic’s brand of newsgathering and reporting provides a benefit for everyone: local communities, newspapers, and citizens.
“It’s everything from the school lunch menu to the police blotter,” Timpone said. “And we have an innovative way of doing it. What we’re doing is not traditional reporting with a single person who goes out and sources the story and researches the story and writes the story. We think that system doesn’t work in the community format. When you’re getting the honor roll from a grammar school, you can’t afford at any price to have a reporter who gets that information.”
In one interview, Timpone showed a reporter an Athlete Tracker feature. The feature showed stats about local hometown kids who play high school and college sports. Journatic’s newsgathering and reporting efforts help to publish stories like those, when they otherwise might not be published. The cost of sending a journalist down to a school to look up statistics and write stories just isn’t viable.
“This is the purest form of journalism there is,” Timpone told a reporter. “Newsgathering is what’s been lost in the last 30 years of mass media.”
Source: The Poynter Institute
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/171880/journatic-founder-this-is-the-purest-form-of-journalism-there-is/
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
“It’s everything from the school lunch menu to the police blotter,” Timpone said. “And we have an innovative way of doing it. What we’re doing is not traditional reporting with a single person who goes out and sources the story and researches the story and writes the story. We think that system doesn’t work in the community format. When you’re getting the honor roll from a grammar school, you can’t afford at any price to have a reporter who gets that information.”
In one interview, Timpone showed a reporter an Athlete Tracker feature. The feature showed stats about local hometown kids who play high school and college sports. Journatic’s newsgathering and reporting efforts help to publish stories like those, when they otherwise might not be published. The cost of sending a journalist down to a school to look up statistics and write stories just isn’t viable.
“This is the purest form of journalism there is,” Timpone told a reporter. “Newsgathering is what’s been lost in the last 30 years of mass media.”
Source: The Poynter Institute
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/171880/journatic-founder-this-is-the-purest-form-of-journalism-there-is/
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
The Survival of the Newspaper Business
Journatic’s services - providing local community news stories to newspapers - is vital to the very survival of newspapers. Here’s why.
Local Community News is in Demand
Let’s start with two assumptions:
Newspaper Coverage of Local Community News is in Short Supply
Now let’s look at a few facts.
First, many major city newspapers do not cover local community news from the suburbs. For example, Wikipedia lists the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan area as having 99 cities (this number doesn’t include non-incorporated towns). This means there are 99 mayors, city councils, and police departments. There are also countless high schools (that have sports), businesses, and community organizations.
The only remaining major newspaper in the Bay Area is the San Francisco Chronicle. If you look at the San Francisco Chronicle online, you’ll see a “Bay Area & State” (www.sfgate.com/bayarea/) section. However, you will not find community-specific news for those 99 cities. What you do see is a “Bay Area News from the Newsroom” header containing only 7 articles.
Newspaper Revenues are Declining
Second, as an industry, newspapers are losing money. Newspaper subscriptions and newspaper revenues are declining every year.
Third, newspapers cannot afford to use staff journalists to cover local news for every community in their reader area. If they could, they would.
Fourth, Journatic is profitable and growing. Journatic provides local community news stories to major city newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune.
Journatic’s Services are Vital to the Survival of Newspapers
People want to read local community news, but many newspapers don’t provide it. Journatic steps in and provides it. By providing a service that people want (local news), newspapers can drive up local readership. As readership goes up, advertising from local businesses becomes more valuable.
Without driving up readership, newspapers can’t be expected to survive. Journatic’s services are vital to the survival of newspapers.
Local Community News is in Demand
Let’s start with two assumptions:
- A lot of people like to be able to read about what’s going on in their community. This is common sense and is human nature. People want to know what’s happening where they live and work.
- Most retail businesses want to target their ads to people living or working in the business’s physical market. Again, this is common sense.
Newspaper Coverage of Local Community News is in Short Supply
Now let’s look at a few facts.
First, many major city newspapers do not cover local community news from the suburbs. For example, Wikipedia lists the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan area as having 99 cities (this number doesn’t include non-incorporated towns). This means there are 99 mayors, city councils, and police departments. There are also countless high schools (that have sports), businesses, and community organizations.
The only remaining major newspaper in the Bay Area is the San Francisco Chronicle. If you look at the San Francisco Chronicle online, you’ll see a “Bay Area & State” (www.sfgate.com/bayarea/) section. However, you will not find community-specific news for those 99 cities. What you do see is a “Bay Area News from the Newsroom” header containing only 7 articles.
Newspaper Revenues are Declining
Second, as an industry, newspapers are losing money. Newspaper subscriptions and newspaper revenues are declining every year.
Third, newspapers cannot afford to use staff journalists to cover local news for every community in their reader area. If they could, they would.
Fourth, Journatic is profitable and growing. Journatic provides local community news stories to major city newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune.
Journatic’s Services are Vital to the Survival of Newspapers
People want to read local community news, but many newspapers don’t provide it. Journatic steps in and provides it. By providing a service that people want (local news), newspapers can drive up local readership. As readership goes up, advertising from local businesses becomes more valuable.
Without driving up readership, newspapers can’t be expected to survive. Journatic’s services are vital to the survival of newspapers.
Journatic & Hearst
Chicago, Ill (April 1, 2013) -- Brian Timpone and Journatic are making arrangements with Hearst, the giant media company, to deliver local content to Hearst newspapers in at least seven cities. Hearst is one of the largest diversified communications companies in the world.
Hearst: A Media Giant
Journatic and Hearst have signed a contract for Journatic to deliver local news content to Hearst newspapers in at least 7 cities in the U.S.
Hearst’s business portfolio includes 15 daily newspapers; 36 weekly newspapers; more than 300 magazines around the world, including Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Elle and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations through Hearst Television Inc. which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including A+E Networks, and ESPN Inc.; business publishing; Internet businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate.
A Vacuum for Local Suburban News Coverage
Hearst is a large, successful company. Large, successful companies typically sign contracts with only reputable organizations, and typically hire only those vendors whose services are valuable and provide a good return-on-investment.
Local newspapers are an invaluable source of content about local news and events. However, most U.S. newspapers don’t cover suburban America; as a result, there are lots of issues and stories that are missed.
Journatic: Reputable and Valuable
Brian Timpone and Journatic are giving Hearst's newspapers the content they need to publish stories about local, suburban communities. Local subscribers will continue to enjoy reading about local news and events in their communities.
Journatic is a reputable, successful company. Journatic’s services are highly valuable and provide Hearst and other media companies with an excellent return-on-investment.
Hearst: A Media Giant
Journatic and Hearst have signed a contract for Journatic to deliver local news content to Hearst newspapers in at least 7 cities in the U.S.
Hearst’s business portfolio includes 15 daily newspapers; 36 weekly newspapers; more than 300 magazines around the world, including Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Elle and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations through Hearst Television Inc. which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including A+E Networks, and ESPN Inc.; business publishing; Internet businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate.
A Vacuum for Local Suburban News Coverage
Hearst is a large, successful company. Large, successful companies typically sign contracts with only reputable organizations, and typically hire only those vendors whose services are valuable and provide a good return-on-investment.
Local newspapers are an invaluable source of content about local news and events. However, most U.S. newspapers don’t cover suburban America; as a result, there are lots of issues and stories that are missed.
Journatic: Reputable and Valuable
Brian Timpone and Journatic are giving Hearst's newspapers the content they need to publish stories about local, suburban communities. Local subscribers will continue to enjoy reading about local news and events in their communities.
Journatic is a reputable, successful company. Journatic’s services are highly valuable and provide Hearst and other media companies with an excellent return-on-investment.