VIDEO: TV reporters chase coach for scoop

How far are media willing to go in order to scoop other news outlets? This was the scene yesterday when the University of Kentucky fired its head basketball coach, Billy Gillispie, and a couple of television news reporters chased him through the team's practice facility. Of course, the video of the chase winded up on YouTube, message boards and newspaper Web sites such as this one.

To watch how far some journalists are willing to go for the latest scoop in this Internet age, check out the video below:

How a newspaper dies! What happens at the end?

Ever wonder what happens in the final days of a daily metro newspaper's life? For the first time this year, we now have an insider's look at what transpires once reporters find out their employer is shutting down the press for the final time. Joseph Tartakoff of paidContent.org writes that reporters and staff were largely kept in the dark at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The Seattle P-I's owner Hearst originally placed a 60-day deadline on its attempt to sell the paper, and said that the P-I would close or go online only in the event of no buyer being found. When that 60-day deadline came, many P-I staffers expected to hear from Hearst. Instead, they were left wondering about the paper's fate, as boxes, paper shredders and recycling bins showed up.

What followed for P-I reporters were days spent fielding calls from subscribers who were also in the dark, meetings with executives who wouldn't take questions and then the ultimate sign of the end -- people started selling P-I memorabilia. Tension spread throughout the P-I newsroom when Hearst executives started trying to recruit staffers to move to the online-only venture.

We all know the rest of the story -- the P-I went online only last week after struggling to get staffers to accept new job offers for the Web version. Tartakoff's insights into the experience of dealing with the demise of a major daily newspaper should be absorbed by all those reporters working at newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, where the end is almost near.

InDenverTimes.com is future of online newspapers

When the Rocky Mountain News shut down, several of its reporters banded together to create the online-only InDenverTimes.com. This innovative effort in part represents one of the new business models we've been saying newspapers should consider -- the "ELECTRONIC SUBSCRIPTION: Charge fees for electronic editions" option you can vote for in the poll to the right. However; InDenverTimes.com provides you news for free, and asks you to subscribe for more interactive features.

A press conference announcing the formation of the newspaper:



While there are other online-only newspapers started by small groups of former print journalists, this marks the first time a large group of reporters from a major newspaper have launched an online venture on such a large scale. This is very different from the recent transition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to an online-only newspaper. InDenverTimes.com is a grassroots effort that is by no means trying to be a carbon copy of the Rocky Mountain News.

In order for InDenverTimes.com to survive, the online newspaper must have 50,000 subscribers by April 23, which would pave the way for the full version of the paper to go live May 4. Even then, the paper's news will continue to be free, but you'll be subscribing for as low as $4.99 a month to get access to "live blogging, live chatting, commenting" and other tools for interacting with readers and reporters. For more information about the paper's effort to get subscribers, click here.

Not only is this a story of several firsts in the modern newspaper era, but InDenverTimes.com is attempting to bridge a new connection between reporters and readers. For several months now, Scooping the News has been demanding that newspapers realize the importance of reconnecting with readers. That invisible barrier between the two sides must be erased. The following are some YouTube videos that tell the story of InDenverTimes.com and show how this is a newspaper dedicated to connecting with readers.

Obama bailout for newspapers? Vote now!

In what some critics are referring to as an Obama bailout plan for the nation's struggling newspaper industry, there is currently a proposed bill in the U.S. Senate that would grant newspapers non-profit status. Papers who get such status would no longer be able to run endorsements, but they would be able to claim advertising and circulation revenue as tax exempt.

Known as the Newspaper Revitalization Act, this idea is nothing new here at Scooping the News or for anyone else following the search for a viable newspaper business model. We've been asking you to vote in the poll to the right for several weeks now. This Senate proposal is what we've called the "endowed fourth estate: become non-profits with endowments" business model.

Before a Senate proposal arrived, a group of investors were already considering the possibility of turning the San Francisco Chronicle into a non-profit entity. Remember that the Chronicle is currently No. 1 on our death watch list of newspapers likely to fold or go online only next. We expect an announcement about the Chronicle's future within a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, this Newspaper Revitalization Act has been submitted to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. No hearing date for the proposal is currently scheduled. You can find the full text of the federal proposal right here.

Another major U.S. daily to stop printing; Obama forgets about major U.S. papers

Following the Rocky Mountain News' decision to end all operations and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's move to an online only format last week, another U.S. daily newspaper is going to stop its print publication in favor of a Web edition. The Ann Arbor News, founded 174 years ago and currently owned by Advance Publications, will print its last edition in July.

As with the Seattle P-I's online transition, offers will be made to current Ann Arbor News' employees to continue on with the Web only effort. However; the Ann Arbor News made it clear that jobs will be cut, and one can't forget that the Seattle P-I had a tough time selling these new job opportunities to its print staff.

The daily newspaper death watch continues to focus on the San Francisco Chronicle, which is expected to announce plans within a few weeks about whether it will stop all operations or become an online only publication. Major U.S. daily newspapers may no longer be relevant at presidential press conferences. Obama didn't call on a single one last night.

8,000+ miles later, here are 5 Kindle insights

After travelling more than 4,000 miles from Kentucky to Honolulu and then another 4,000 miles back to Kentucky over the course of 10 days, it's safe to conclude that Amazon's second version of the Kindle is a reliable, easy to use portable device that adequately provides the services needed to keep up with national and international news.

Throughout the 10-day road test, I had subscriptions to The New York Times and USA Today. Spending less than five minutes scanning through user instructions, I quickly learned how to turn on the Kindle, enable the wireless connection, read that day's edition of the papers, disconnect from wireless and turn off the device. After enabling the wireless connection, it usually took about a minute for that day's editions of The New York Times and USA Today to download onto my Kindle.

In this interactive age where newspapers are trying to figure out ways to enhance their Web sites with all sorts of features to engage readers, the Kindle is a throwback to the days when we just cared about getting the news we wanted. Kindle puts the focus back on the news content. There are no interactive features that appear when reading a newspaper on the Kindle, and that was good since I didn't feel like participating in polls or chats.

So, here are the five most important insights I gained about what the Kindle provides users:

1. The newspaper consumption experience on the Kindle consists of reading stories and seeing very few black-and-white photographs. There are no videos, e-mails, story comments, slide shows, reader polls, or discussion forums. It's back to the basics news consumption with the sole focus being content. Each day's edition of a newspaper lists specific sections you would find in print editions. You can then browse the headlines in each section to find stories that interest you.

2. While one of the greatest advantages of using the Internet for news consumption is the availability of a wide array of sources, the Kindle offers limited options of content to choose from with less than 30 U.S. newspapers provided. I'm sure in time Amazon will increase the number of newspapers available, but right now there aren't many options. At least you can sign up for free, 14-day trials of the available newspapers. You have to cancel those free trials at the end of the 14 days, though, or charges will start. Also, you can't cancel them from the Kindle itself. You need to have Internet access via another device in order to cancel Kindle subscriptions.

3. Another great advantage of using the Internet for news consumption is that Web sites are constantly updated with the latest news. The Kindle doesn't work this way. Whenever you enable the wireless connection for the first time on a particular day, your Kindle proceeds to download that day's electronic edition of the newspaper. You receive no more updates that day.

4. Transporting the Kindle around the country, or in this case across an ocean, is just as easy as it would be to carry a laptop around. The Kindle is definitely a mobile device that is easy to operate and easy to store in a backpack or briefcase. That makes it a convenient option to use for news consumption while on a trip or even when you're just getting coffee at the nearest cafe.

5. Finally, I never experienced any connection problems with the Kindle and it's  battery stayed charged throughout the 10-day trip. I charged the battery once before departing on the trip, and I never had to charge it again. Also, whether I was in an airport, hotel or elsewhere, the Kindle's wireless connection always worked. It worked in Kentucky, Ohio, Utah and Hawaii.

McClatchy metro daily cuts staff, salaries

The McClatchy-owned Lexington Herald-Leader announced another round of job cuts today and slashed all remaining employees' salaries. Oh, and the newspaper's editor-in-chief announced she is leaving to join the more stable, profitable world of academia. This is the third round of job cuts in the last year at the Herald-Leader.

The Herald-Leader's publisher, Timothy M. Kelly, claims the newspaper will continue to survive for a long time, but several questions remain unanswered. How many more job cuts can the newspaper handle before being forced to go Web only? How will the pay cuts affect the employees remaining on staff? What university is snatching up the departing editor, Linda Austin?

Last week, Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen, who served as the paper's managing editor from 1998 to 2008, wrote an outstanding column titled "Good journalism is too important to disappear". In the column, Eblen writes, "Print circulation has slipped, but online readership has soared." That really is the key point all newspapers must realize, and it should be what guides their future business models.

In other news, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer went online only last week. The Hearst-owned newspaper is reporting that Web traffic since the transition has been encouraging. All eyes now turn to the San Francisco Chronicle. Based on reader input, the Chronicle says the majority of ideas for new business models center around charging for content. However; there is a move to make the paper a non-profit, with several investors coming together in a proposal.

SCOOPING THE NEWS ALERT

The “invisible hand” of economics is choking traditional newspapers to death. Really bad news keeps coming as the U.S. economy tries to find this cycle’s bottom. Unfortunately, the ratchet effect downward will probably not be reversible for many newspapers. Once a newspaper is lost it may stay lost.

When the economy starts a recovery we do not expect to see a newspaper revival. Unlike GM and the automotive industry no one is doing back flips to save newspapers from stopping their presses or going bankrupt. As the economy begins its recovery automotive buyers will start showing up at dealerships – the automobiles and trucks offered may change some depending on government requirements and the price of gas. But that downsized industry will return because getting around in the U.S., with too few exceptions, requires personal vehicles.

However, the news void created by traditional newspapers ending publication will most likely get filled by other sources haphazardly and quickly. Restarting a traditional newspaper will require deep pockets and be a daunting task in search of a successful business model. How many traditional newspapers will be left depends on the depth of the downward run and the width of the trough at the bottom of this current economic cycle.

The replacement news sources during this period will be interesting to watch. Journalists may be in for chaotic times like a return to the days of the Wild West. Scooping the News will be on the frontier exploring the options and innovations as they develop – looking for success stories. Could the www.indenvertimes.com become one of those success stories (see their video)?

Is the Kindle 2 Ready for the Bigtime?

Scooping the News is field testing a Kindle 2. It was ready to go out of the box with three purchased book selections already downloaded during transit from Amazon’s Kentucky distribution center.

The initial test involved our futurist, Donald G. Hartman, reading a couple novels and a self-improvement book. Everything worked as advertised: a screen that is comfortably readable with the necessary ambient light, touch controls that are conveniently located, and that amazing real time download capability.

The Kindle 2 disappears when reading a fast paced novel. You do not have to struggle with a curved type line that would be near the spine of a paperback. And page turning becomes automatic. However, Kindle lacks convenience when working through a self-help book that wants you to take a test and then refer to the references in the back.

If you want to keep up with Kindle’s development try kindlenation@gmail.com. With our basic out of the box test completed, we begin a cross-country test using the Kindle 2 for getting our daily dose of the news. Our editor-in-chief, Chas J. Hartman, will be reporting on that cross-country adventure in several days.

Seattle P-I announcement next week; vote now

The Hearst Corp confirmed today that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's future will be announced next week. Scooping the News previously reported that multiple published sources said the newspaper's print edition would end either this week or early next week at the latest. In a Seattle P-I story written by Dan Richman, it is also confirmed that the P-I's employees' jobs will end some time between March 18 and April 1.

So, if it's been confirmed that P-I employees' jobs are coming to an end, what does that leave for Hearst to announce next week? Well, the announcement will be one of the following: (1) The newspaper is shutting down all its operations and will no longer exist in any format; or (2) the newspaper is shutting down its print operation and becoming an online only publication.

Once the Seattle P-I announcement comes, what will be the next newspaper to serve as the focus of headlines about the industry's problems? Actually a great column by Tom Regan in today's online edition of The Christian Science Monitor suggests that dying newspapers are "old news," and it's time for everyone to focus solely on solutions. Scooping the News is trying to foster public input on a variety of new business models. Vote in the poll to the right.

(UPDATED) Seattle P-I to stop printing within eight days; 10 dailies on industry death watch

Seattle Post-Intelligencer cartoonist David Horsey told The Washington Post that the P-I will print its final edition within the next eight days, according to an interview posted today on The Washington Post Web site. Despite earlier reports about the P-I's failed efforts to hire staff for its online only edition, Horsey told The Washington Post that the P-I has hired some workers for the online only edition.

(UPDATE: The last Seattle P-I print edition might come out Wednesday, according to this story.)

News of the P-I stopping the presses follows the Feb. 26 announcement of the Rocky Mountain News shutting down both its print and Web efforts. The San Francisco Chronicle might be the next in the slowly growing list of major metro dailies stopping their print editions. Earlier today, 24/7 Wall Street printed its list of "The Ten Major Newspapers That Will Fold Or Go Digital Next," and the 10 newspapers are listed below.

1. The Philadelphia Daily News

2. The Minneapolis Star Tribune

3. The Miami Herald

4. The Detroit News

5. The Boston Globe

6. The San Francisco Chronicle

7. The Chicago Sun Times

8. New York Daily News

9. The Fort Worth Star Telegram

10. The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Seattle P-I to go online only, AP reports; multiple P-I reporters say "no" to online jobs

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer will in fact become an online-only publication, after its owner Hearst could not find a buyer for the struggling daily newspaper during its self-imposed 60-day sale attempt, reports The Associated Press. While the AP is reporting this, Hearst has yet to officially announce the outcome of its 60-day sale effort.

What we do know is that multiple offers were made to current P-I employees this week to join an online-only version of the daily newspaper. The move to an online-only format is awaiting the final OK from top Hearst brass, according to the AP. The owner's 60-day deadline would come to an end March 10, AP reports.

There are several hurdles standing in the P-I's path toward going online only. While dailies have recently made such transitions in Cincinnati and Madison, Wis., with subsidies from other media outlets, the Seattle P-I apparently will not have the luxury of such subsidies.

The biggest problem the P-I might have is staffing this new online venture -- apparently, the offers made to employees were not good. P-I metro writer Hector Castro received his offer Thursday and turned down the less-than-good offer, AP reports. Also, Joseph Tartakoff, who runs the paper's hugely popular Microsoft blog, turned down an offer.

This article includes one critical admission by a current P-I reporter: If the P-I can't sign enough of its current employees to continue on with the online only version, then the P-I will be finished once and for all. That is according to the reporter being quoted in the story, of course. Again, Hearst has yet to make an official announcement. Stay tuned.

Seattle P-I to go Web only in a matter of weeks? We think so, and here are the reasons!

Hearst Newspapers announced Jan. 9 that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was for sale, and that no agreement to purchase would result in the end of a printed newspaper and either a Web-only edition or no edition at all within 60 days. The 60 days is about to be up and according to multiple sources, the Seattle P-I is going Web only with a staff of 20 people.

This follows weeks of maneuvering that very few, if any, print or online news outlets reported. One of the first steps toward going online only took place Wednesday, Feb. 25, when Seattle P-I employees received formal instructions about how to apply for unemployment compensation. To read all about that meeting that wasn't reported by many outlets, click here.

Then, yesterday came the news that about 20 P-I employees were considering starting a non-profit online only newspaper called the Seattle PostGlobe. The group is seeking to raise $250,000 to operate the newspaper, but the 20 employees said they are prepared to launch the paper without pay until operating funds are raised. To read all about this effort, click here.

Late last night came the news that Hearst is taking steps toward making the Seattle P-I an online only newspaper and that offers were extended to about 20 current P-I employees. This breaking news continues to develop. For the very latest, read this story, and continue to check Scooping the News for the latest updates.

Vote on best business model for newspapers

Scooping the News is pleased to present our first reader poll, which you will find conveniently located in the sidebar to the right of this blog post. Five different business models for generating the revenue necessary for newspapers' survival are present, and all five of these models have been discussed in both print publications and on the Internet (especially by this blog) during the past month.

While this poll is by no means scientific, we hope it is still able to shed some light on what the majority of Scooping the News readers view as the best business model for newspapers' survival. We welcome your comments about why a particular business is the best or why one of them isn't the best. Please feel free to submit your comments about the poll by simply commenting to this blog post.

We are by no means suggesting these five business models are the only ideas for how newspapers can generate the money needed for survival. Instead, we are seeking your thoughts about the business models that have received the most publicity so far in print and electronic media publications. If you have a different business model in mind, share that model in your comments.

Congressman says blogs "killed the newspapers"

One U.S. congressman is blaming blogs for putting the Rocky Mountain News out of business, and he claims new media in general is sending journalism to its grave. U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, says "it's mostly for the better" that the Rocky Mountain News is no more. In fact, Polis says that bloggers and citizen journalists "killed the newspapers" and "own the media."

To read more about this congressman's claims, click here for a story from The Denver Post.

Five ways newspaper Web sites must change

Several Web news feeds or services are opening shop and giving visitors the opportunity to find selected news stories and blog postings pertaining to specific geographic locations. We featured one such site yesterday, EveryBlock.com, where visitors living in 11 select cities are able to view the latest "news" in their neighborhood. The problem is these sites are simply reposting stories found elsewhere complete with the misspelled headlines from the original source.

Such news feeds or services illustrate the much larger problem in the discussion about revising the business model for newspapers and news distribution in this Internet age. Many newspaper executives are focused solely on figuring out ways to charge for content and ways to distribute online editions. This great Seattle Times editorial discusses all these problems and suggests that the process of news gathering should serve as the news industry's focus.

Yes, the real focus of newspapers trying to revise their business models should be on what matters most -- the content. Why are some blogs attracting hundreds, even thousands, of unique visitors every day? The answer isn't how the content is presented on these blogs, or even that the content is free. It's that the blogs are interesting! The best blogs such as this one are updated throughout the day, and the content of the best blogs is well written.

Here are five key elements present on the best blogs that newspapers should adopt:

1. Two-way communication between the writer and the reader. Reporters wouldn't be obligated to respond to every comment posted, but how about trying to respond to at least a few. How hard is that to do? Somewhere along the way newspaper reporters detached themselves from their readers -- the very people who are responsible for the newspaper's existence in the first place.

2. Links to similar stories being published elsewhere on the Web. What's wrong with acknowledging that other publications are providing their own perspectives on whatever the subject is that's being written about. One of the great advantages to consuming news on the Web is the ability to read stories written by a variety of reporters living in different locations and working for different publications. Don't be afraid to link to others' work. There is no reason newspapers can't show us what the "competition" is writing about by providing links to those other newspapers' stories.

3. Show us reader comments on the very first page of your Web site. That accomplishes two important tasks: One, it lets us see what other readers care about and how they are reacting to the news, which can only enhance our news consuming experience by providing more viewpoints; and two, it helps bridge that invisible barrier between reporters and readers, which will enhance the sense of community that newspapers used to provide when everyone read them around the breakfast table.

4. Tell us, the readers, about the people writing the stories. I'm talking about doing more than just those reporter blogs that metro newspapers such as this one feature on their Web sites. Yes, reporter blogs shed some light on who the person is behind the byline, but we would like to know more. Where else has the reporter worked, what is the reporter's educational background, what are the reporter's interests, what blogs/newspapers does the reporter read? Those pieces of information make the reporter more human, and believe it or not, people are interested. Think about why Facebook is HUGE. Could it be those status updates or surveys people fill out?

5. Don't worry about the presentation. Worry about giving us well-written and well-edited content. All the best audio, video and graphics in the world cannot make up for a site that is lacking in the content area. Why is the Drudge Report so popular and perhaps the most well known blog? Is it because the blog is so well designed? No. Web design does matter and people must be able to navigate a site. However; providing readers with a large selection of interesting stories is even more important, and that is why a blog like the Drudge Report works so well. We want quality content that will interest us. If we have to pay for it, so be it. But before we shell out money for Web content, we need to know we're getting a quality product.

Newspapers are getting hyper on local coverage

The Wall Street Journal published a story today describing a new effort from newspapers trying to cover more towns and cities by enlisting the help of citizens. This trend is called going "hyperlocal" and The New York Times is supposed to launch their version of this today. One Web site -- EveryBlock -- already combines both blog posts and corporate reporting (that's how we'll refer to the news industry).

Ever wondered how often your city, neighborhood or even street show up on YouTube videos, Flickr photos or even someone's blog? At present, EveryBlock only serves 11 metropolitan areas, but you can suggest that your city be added to this innovative news service. If you're lucky enough to live in one of those 11 metropolitan areas, then you can find out everything you wanted to know about what's going on in your neighborhood via blogs, videos, stories and Flickr photos.

A team of six people run the Web site with funding from the Knight News Challenge held every year by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. While Google may allow you to receive news alerts on specific topics and to personalize your own news page, EveryBlock allows you to read about ALL the news happening in your neighborhood -- from the latest crimes to the latest restaurant inspections. Many of the stories and photos come from both corporate and blog reporting.

One of the leaders behind EveryBlock is Adrian Holovaty, who once worked as the innovation editor for washingtonpost.com. On one final note, we hope The New York Times is assigning a few copy editors to its new citizen journalism effort.