Where Are PR’s Media Planners…
Media planners can provide real insight into who is reading what, when and where. I wonder how much of PR practioners enthusiasim for the media is guided by emotions rather than hard data? Tim Porter recently posted on some of the trends taking place in the more popular regionals. It ain’t a pretty picture:
- San Francisco Chronicle (down 16.6%): ""We cut a lot of what you would call unprofitable circulation around the first of the year. We made a decision that we want quality, profitable circulation that better serves our advertisers." – Publisher Frank Vega.
- Chicago Tribune (down 2.5%): "A report this year by Northwestern University’s Media Management Center estimated only 9 percent of people in their 20s will read a newspaper daily by the year 2010 if current trends continue unabated."
- Boston Globe (down 7.7%): Led with the 4 percent decline in the daily circulation of its tabloid competitor, the Boston Herald, even though the Globe’s percentage decline was higher. (The Globe said it disclosed its own loss a month earlier.)A Globe executive was quoted saying the paper’s "emphasis should be on higher-quality circulation" – a phrase that seems to be a trend (see Chronicle bullet above.)
As Tim says: "One clear trend: Big regional papers are shedding non-core circulation faster than you can say rising fuel costs. This means opportunities for smaller local news outlets (local papers, hyper-local web)."
Romenesko has more on this over at Poynter with this little snippet: "Of the nation’s 20 biggest newspapers, only two — the New York Times and the Star-Ledger of Newark — reported gains in their weekday circulation."
Stupid Is As Stupid Does…
CMO mag has a list of some of the dumbest PR quotes of the year. Little gems like this:
- "More Than 19 Percent of Men and 36 Percent of Women Worldwide Would Rather Give Birth than Experience Poor Customer Service, a Recent Survey Reports’
- "We are advised by a representative of the company that the seventh paragraph, first sentence, should read ‘Created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky of Miami, the new Coca-Cola Zero campaign is the first creative work the agency has developed for Coca-Cola North America’ rather than, ‘Crisping Porter + Bogusly’ as originally issued inadvertently.’
- "Putting your enterprise on Viagra: Network Automation’s AutoMate 6.0 automates and jump starts the basic routines that saves an IT Admistrator’s time – saving hundreds of mouse clicks and keystrokes daily.’
For goodness sake people…
Dan’s Center for Citizen Media
Dan is staring a “non profit Center For Citizen Journalism“:
Why do this? We need a thriving media and journalism ecosystem. We need what big institutions do so well, but we also need the bottom-up — or, more accurately, edge-in — knowledge and ideas of what I’ve called the “former audience” that has become a vital part of the system. I’m also anxious to see that it’s done honorably and in a way that helps foster a truly informed citizenry. I think I can help.
This is a nonpartisan initative. I aim to help anyone, regardless of political views, who has a constructive project and who is interested in expanding the reach of citizen media in an principled way.
Blogger Destroys Business
A tale of pain for one business – PriceRitePhoto – that incurred the wrathof a blogger after skewering him on a sales call. Having just been through a tragic experience ordering Christmas cards (the expensive kind) I don’t feel an ounce of pitty for the business. But more on that later. The blogosphere will favor the honest businesses that meet and deliver on their promises. Those that don’t, perish.
No More IE on Mac…
So, Microsoft is ending support for Internet Explorer. Good Morning Silicon Valley goes on to say:
“In accordance with published support lifecycle policies, Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31st, 2005, and will provide no further security or performance updates.” With more secure and feature-filled alternatives like Firefox, Camino, Opera and Safari, I can’t imagine that anyone really cares about IE 5’s demise.
I care a great deal. Not because IE is good. It’s mediocre. I care becuase clueless vendors like Blackberry require me to use IE to access my account with Cingluar and others. They don’t support other browsers – at least when I last tried. And there are many more vendors like them.
