Changing Media Trends Changing Media Trends and what they mean to you:and what they mean to you:

One editor’s viewOne editor’s view

Jane WooldridgeThe Miami Herald

October 2009

The tipping point?The tipping point?

Some magazines are shrinking or closing; even upscale publications have been affected

Newspapers, too, are having a tough time; travel sections – and/or dedicated editors – have diminished

Websites abound Social-networking sites continue to gain Regional emphasis is becoming stronger Mobile devices have become more important

Why now?Why now?

Advances in technology Growing influence of a younger

generation Economic downturn

Result: Market fragmentation.

In other words, people have more places to find information, so established sources lose audience and advertising dollars.

So, what are key trends?So, what are key trends?

Print is down but not outSocial media are here to stayVideo and audio are increasingly importantNot all “new media’’ are created equalMobile devices will become even more

importantDecision-makers (including travelers) still

care about trusted voices

TMI: Too Much Information!TMI: Too Much Information!

So many (websites, magazines, TV channels), so little time

Even the multi-tasking generation is subject to overload

Result: There is still a place for trusted voices, such as authoritative editorial publications and travel agents

TMI, but little that mattersTMI, but little that matters

While there are many more information sources that before, there are fewer offering unique content that is reliable and authoritative

Example: The Today show, which once used primary sources, now cross-promotes with “personalities’’ from their partners/ other properties

Congressional hearings last spring underscored the importance of newspapers to a healthy democracy.

Digital is the futureDigital is the future

251.7 million North Americans (about 73 percent of the population) use the Internet today; 105 in the U.S. alone are counted as active surfers

The global total is almost 1.7 billionThe global total will increase by 44 percent

between 2007-2012

It’s a mobile universeIt’s a mobile universe 256 million in the U.S. subscribe to wireless phone

service; more than 40 million surf the web via a mobile phone each month

China has 540 million users; India has slight more than the U.S.

Already, 10.1 million in the U.S. tune into mobile video – but that’s only 5 percent of the population

Comedy is the most popular video content, followed by music, cinema movies, action/adventure and news

A new (nonKindle) digital reader for newspapers and magazines should be available by late ‘09

BUT…digital media are only BUT…digital media are only part of the answerpart of the answer

105 million Americans read a Sunday newspaper in print

187 million Americans read magazines in print

Consumers use online and print media differently; one tickles the imagination, the other facilitates action

Despite recent high-profile closings, Despite recent high-profile closings, magazines are likely here to staymagazines are likely here to stay

Magazine subscriptions are up for the first six months of 2009 over the same period last year

Historically speaking, magazine closings are related to economic downturns and advertiser spending

Over the past 5 years, the number of magazines grew to 6,800 titles annually

The median age of magazine readers (43.1) has been consistently younger than the median age of total U.S. adults (43.9) over the past five years. 

Despite the obituaries, Despite the obituaries, newspapers are not deadnewspapers are not dead

Most markets where newspapers have closed had two dailies. The papers that shut typically were union papers.

More people read the Sunday Miami Herald in print each week than watch American Idol each week

On any given Sunday, more than 105 million adults read a newspaper, larger than the Super Bowl audience 

Recent declines in circulation were, in same cases, intentional drops to focus on core readership

Newspapers remain A or THE dominant media company in most markets.

More than 79 percent of American adults read a newspaper in print or online

Newspapers aren’t just Newspapers aren’t just “paper’’ anymore“paper’’ anymore

In 2009, more than 70 million unique viewers visited newspaper websites in a typical month – an increase of 12 percent over the year before

In McClatchy markets, newspaper print circulation and websites together offer more than 50 percent penetration

More than 6 million unique visitors come to Miami Herald websites each month

More than 10,000 people have downloaded The Miami Herald’s mobile sports ap since it was launched six weeks ago

Newspapers are multimedia Newspapers are multimedia 24/7 operations24/7 operations

The Miami Herald Media Company produces content on these platforms:

Daily print newspaper24/7 updated websiteVideocasts delivered via the World Wide

Web, cable outlets and public TVRadio broadcasts delivered via the Web and

public radio

Today, newspapers focus on Today, newspapers focus on their core journalistic mission: their core journalistic mission: serving local communities as serving local communities as

watchdogswatchdogs

Other subjects, including Travel, must pass this test:

Is it an economic driver in our community?Does coverage drive audience?Does coverage drive revenues?

Newspapers no longer create Newspapers no longer create all of their contentall of their content

In features and many other areas, newspaper companies are moving toward a “magazine’’ model. That means more freelance content – but it must be specific to the audience.

Newspaper companies are becoming aggregators, acting as portals for authoritative content from many sources

They are sharing content with former competitors

Will newspapers charge for Will newspapers charge for online content? Eventually, yesonline content? Eventually, yes

Some – including the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times – already charge for access to their websites

Others – including Murdock’s News Corp. papers – have announced plans to do so

Newspapers that deliver information via mobile devices including Kindle and specialized mobile aps also charge a fee

Print and electronic news Print and electronic news sources are more trusted than sources are more trusted than

broadcast and social mediabroadcast and social media In a recent national survey, 56.1% of respondents

said they trust the electronic and print news media for accurate news and information over blogs (7.8%), the social media such as Facebook (3.4%)

Overall, trust in the media is low: 24.3% indicated they believe all or most news media reporting; 54.0% said they believe “some” news media

Not all “new media’’ are Not all “new media’’ are created equalcreated equal

226-million-plus sites on the Web 107 million blogs, 70,000 added in a recent 24-

hour period News and the offbeat often dominate traffic Among travelers, the importance of blogs has

dropped in the past year (Yankelovich) Popular online doesn’t always equal widespread

acceptance; remember Snakes on a Plane?

Most popular U.S. sites (Alexa.com)Most popular U.S. sites (Alexa.com)

GoogleYahooFacebookYouTubeMySpaceWikipedia

Windows Live

(live.com) Craigslist Blogger Ebay Microsoft Network

(msn.com) Twitter

Most popular blogs by authority Most popular blogs by authority (Technorati)(Technorati)

The Huffington Post TechCrunch Mashable! Gizmodo Engadget

The Official Google Blog

Boing Boing Lifehacker Ars Technica TMZ.com (celebrity

gossip)

Top 5 Digg Stories / past yearTop 5 Digg Stories / past year

2009 Digg this if you voted for

Obama, 39,721 diggs Barak Obama wins election,

36,535 diggs Barak Obama becomes 44th

president, 25,184 Michael Jackson dies,

24,686 Digg this if your [sic] sick of

power users stealing stories, 22,714

2008 Digg’s April Fool’s Day

Joke; 31,803 diggs Digg this if you are sick of

Scientologists burying articles; 25,698 diggs

Heath Ledger dies; 22,472 George Carlin has died;

19,793 diggs Ninja cat comes closer

while not moving; 18,308

Top Travel websites by traffic Top Travel websites by traffic (Hitwise, October 09)(Hitwise, October 09)

Google maps MapQuest Expedia Yahoo! Maps Southwest Airlines Priceline Travelocity TripAdvisor Orbitz Bing maps

Yahoo! Travel American Airlines Delta Air Lines Hotwire CheapoAir.com Hotels.com Cheap Tickets Lowfares.com JetBlue Google Earth

Social NetworkingSocial Networking is here to stay is here to stay

Facebook ranks No. 3 among all U.S. websites by traffic YouTube ranks No. 4 among all U.S. websites by traffic TripAdvisor ranks No. 8 among top travel websites According to the Yankelovich Travel Monitor, friends and

neighbors are the most trusted source for travel recommendations (8 in 10 surveyed.) 25 percent are confident of what they read on TripAdvisor)

Blogging is now a $1 billion industry when measured by advertising revenue

Multi media is increasingly importantMulti media is increasingly important

Magazines and newspapers are adding video stories daily (but no, they aren’t really paying for it.)

Doug Lansky’s souvenir slideshow

Survive a bear attack

For now, it’s all about the economyFor now, it’s all about the economy Advertising spending nationwide dropped 15.4 percent in the first half of 2009; national TV,

magazines and newspapers took the biggest hits Checked your 401K lately? The Dow is down more than

30 percent since Oct. 8, 2007. The Consumer Confidence Index dipped in September to

53.1, down from 54.5 in August. Luxury travel has been hit hard because of oversupply;

middle-income “splurgers’’ are saving their shekels. As the economy (and the stock markets) improve, travel

will pick up. But this may be a slow ride.

So what does this mean to me?So what does this mean to me?1. Value is key1. Value is key

Luxury or budget, value is the key. Deals, packages and cost-wise strategies get editors’

attention…but be ready to explain the value. Fixed-cost vacations – cruises, all-inclusive experiences

and packages – find favor with consumers and editors. Travelers still will be making plans last minute; look for

ways to promote last-minute deals in stories and on websites.

2. Think regional2. Think regional

Travelers likely will stay closer to home. Whether you’re a writer or a PR professional, your best hits are going to come from regional media.

3. Think short3. Think short

The trend toward short vacations will grow even stronger

4.4. Focus on other “best bets”Focus on other “best bets”

Niche travelers are driven by passion – and passion often outweighs economic sensibility

Know that editors are more short-Know that editors are more short-handed than ever beforehanded than ever before

Only a handful of papers have full-time travel editors PR pros: Give them story ideas that are fully developed and

involve sources beyond your own. Writers: Be sure you’re targeting the publication’s niche Writers and PR pros: Aim for the unexpected but

accessible All: Be sure information about packages and deals is

complete and includes pricing. All: Be accurate. Fact-check everything…twice.

Do I need a website?Do I need a website?

Yes. Yes. And yes. (And that includes journalists.)

http://www.douglansky.com/

www.timshisler.com

www.elliott.org

www.janewooldridge.com

Do I need a blog?Do I need a blog?

If you’re looking to make money, maybe not.

If you want to brand yourself and/or serve a niche market, maybe yes.

BUT…if you start a blog, you must feed, bathe and clean it.

Must I Tweet?Must I Tweet?

It can’t hurt. But there may be more effective ways to use your time.

Do I need to be multi-media?Do I need to be multi-media?

If you’re a travel supplier (or represent one), you can get additional exposure if you have high quality B-roll, web-ready clips and audio clips.

If you’re a journalist, it’s not essential…yet.

Where can I find out more?Where can I find out more?

Forrester Research: www.forrester.com Jupiter Research: www.jupiterresearch.com PhocusWright: www.phocuswright.com Hitwise: www.hitwise.com Yankelovich Travel Monitor:

www.ypartnership.com, www.yankelovich.com TIA: www.tia.org Multimedia: www.timshisler.com This presentation: www.janewooldridge.com