Comments on: Baltimore Media News Round-up http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2009/05/05/baltimore-media-news-round-up/ Stirring Up Baltimore News and Views Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:58:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: usha nellore http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2009/05/05/baltimore-media-news-round-up/comment-page-1/#comment-863 usha nellore Wed, 06 May 2009 14:44:10 +0000 http://baltimorebrew.com/publish/?p=2332#comment-863 For God's sake charge a subscription fee for viewing on-line content or make a deal with cable operators--become one of their on-line products--a package deal-COMCAST offers Pay For View movies--The SUN as Pay For View--a package--comes to you via your cable server. Strike such deals across the country--could even go international--a guy from Baltimore lives in London--he could subscribe to the Sun via his cable operator in London--the cable operator pays the movie makers for movies watched--could pay newspapers for newspapers read--it has to be a yearly or a monthly subscription--you get your movies, your newspapers, your TV channels from one portal--but no free lunch. You can never read the entire NEW YORKER on-line. You have to subscribe to get the full flavor--- put up tantalizing bits for free--for example: Sheila Dixon--Accused of stealing coupons meant for poor children--READ MORE--for all local and national news--subscribe to the BALTIMORE SUN--Best package deal--call COMCAST or go to www whatever. Listen, the NET is going to get expensive--all the video streaming and viewing of movies and so on cost in electricity--the cable operators are thinking of charging users for this profligacy-- Newspapers have to tag on to the various operators who make broad band possible. The deals will be complicated--but that's what Sam Zell's lawyers are supposed to figure out. Just piggy back--Usha Nellore For God’s sake charge a subscription fee for viewing on-line content or make a deal with cable operators–become one of their on-line products–a package deal-COMCAST offers Pay For View movies–The SUN as Pay For View–a package–comes to you via your cable server. Strike such deals across the country–could even go international–a guy from Baltimore lives in London–he could subscribe to the Sun via his cable operator in London–the cable operator pays the movie makers for movies watched–could pay newspapers for newspapers read–it has to be a yearly or a monthly subscription–you get your movies, your newspapers, your TV channels from one portal–but no free lunch. You can never read the entire NEW YORKER on-line. You have to subscribe to get the full flavor— put up tantalizing bits for free–for example:
Sheila Dixon–Accused of stealing coupons meant for poor children–READ MORE–for all local and national news–subscribe to the BALTIMORE SUN–Best package deal–call COMCAST or go to www whatever.
Listen, the NET is going to get expensive–all the video streaming and viewing of movies and so on cost in electricity–the cable operators are thinking of charging users for this profligacy– Newspapers have to tag on to the various operators who make broad band possible. The deals will be complicated–but that’s what Sam Zell’s lawyers are supposed to figure out.
Just piggy back–Usha Nellore

]]> By: City Man http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2009/05/05/baltimore-media-news-round-up/comment-page-1/#comment-858 City Man Wed, 06 May 2009 03:59:36 +0000 http://baltimorebrew.com/publish/?p=2332#comment-858 There's a lot of talk of paid content saving our beloved newspapers. In a response to Rodricks in Splice Today, Tim Windsor, of all people, states the obvious, most cogent argument for any publication without a national following like the NYT, WSJ etc. timwindsor MAY 05, 2009, 07:30PM There are a lot of reasons to love Rodricks, especially when he's wearing his Chronicler of Baltimore hat, whether for The Sun, on the radio or, my favorite, during the Rodricks for Breakfast years. But Dan's wrong about online. The Sun's online operation does make money - lots of it. But it does not make enough money to support the newsroom of 1995 or even 2005. Thus the cutbacks as the print side revenues cratered over recent years. And as for that wishful anti-trust thinking (how a journalist misses the irony in openly wishing for the kind of collusion that would feed a hundred columns if it happened in any other business is beyond me), that's just not going to happen. Because if it did, WBAL and WJZ and WYPR and companies that don't even exist yet would flood into the vacuum left by The Sun's withdrawal from the internet. And, with its readership reduced by 80-90%, and online revenues collapsed by the move, The Sun and other papers would only be able to wonder who had THAT brilliant idea. But Dan is right -- the business model is broken and needs fixing. Local papers still have enormous opportunity -- more than any other local company -- to bring people together around news and information, and to find ways to sell that attention and that community to the advertisers who need to reach them. Local, connected voices like his are a big part of the puzzle's solution. There’s a lot of talk of paid content saving our beloved newspapers. In a response to Rodricks in Splice Today, Tim Windsor, of all people, states the obvious, most cogent argument for any publication without a national following like the NYT, WSJ etc.

timwindsor
MAY 05, 2009, 07:30PM
There are a lot of reasons to love Rodricks, especially when he’s wearing his Chronicler of Baltimore hat, whether for The Sun, on the radio or, my favorite, during the Rodricks for Breakfast years. But Dan’s wrong about online. The Sun’s online operation does make money – lots of it. But it does not make enough money to support the newsroom of 1995 or even 2005. Thus the cutbacks as the print side revenues cratered over recent years. And as for that wishful anti-trust thinking (how a journalist misses the irony in openly wishing for the kind of collusion that would feed a hundred columns if it happened in any other business is beyond me), that’s just not going to happen. Because if it did, WBAL and WJZ and WYPR and companies that don’t even exist yet would flood into the vacuum left by The Sun’s withdrawal from the internet. And, with its readership reduced by 80-90%, and online revenues collapsed by the move, The Sun and other papers would only be able to wonder who had THAT brilliant idea. But Dan is right — the business model is broken and needs fixing. Local papers still have enormous opportunity — more than any other local company — to bring people together around news and information, and to find ways to sell that attention and that community to the advertisers who need to reach them. Local, connected voices like his are a big part of the puzzle’s solution.

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