During a presentation at the 62nd World Newspaper Congress in Hyderabad, India, John Paton, impreMedia Chairman and CEO, spoke about re-inventing newspaper companies for the new news ecology Paton said impreMedia's business plan envisions stabilizing and growing print profit, but earning 25% of total profits from non-print products by 2011, and 50% of profits from non-print by 2012.
"Today, with 42% fewer employees the company produces more than 97 products on seven robust platforms of web, widgets, mobile, TV/video, audio, social media and print. Let me clarify, that by a factor of 2 to 1 our cuts came from areas other than editorial staffing," Paton added.
Paton explained the way his company now treats news in the following way:
1. Send SMS alerts
2. Release stories on the Web
3. Use social media to spread the word
4. Enhance with audio and video components and additional content
5. Create the newspaper itself
6. Recap, enhance, and repackage news for new products.
To read more about Patons’ presentation, please go here. (Shaping the future of the Newspaper Blog). Impremedia also announced two new initiatives this week. The first an agreement to distribute its content over AP Mobile (www.apnews.com), featuring stories from more than 1,000 local news providers across the country. ImpreMedia content will be featured on the “AP Mobile Noticías en Español” channel, which is available to consumers in the United States who want their international, national and high-level local news in Spanish.
Through this content distribution deal, AP Mobile's customers will now be able to access impreMedia's award-winning Spanish-language content as it relates to their geographical area. Customers can now receive content anytime and anywhere from impreMedia’s network including El Diario/La Prensa in New York, La Raza in Chicago and La Opinion in Los Angeles.
A few weeks ago, AP announced plans to launch AP Mobile América Latina, a multimedia wireless news portal that expands the popular AP Mobile news network to consumers throughout the Americas.
Hyperlocal blogging:
The second initiatve is a plan to introduce hyperlocal coverage, initially in New York and Los Angeles, via community blogging partnerships. As part of its commitment to serve the Hispanic community, the company will set up impreMedia Community E-Journalism Media Labs in its newsrooms in New York and Los Angeles to assist local bloggers in their efforts of covering the community at a deep and meaningful level. The selected bloggers will take part in four-week orientation sessions working out of the Community E-Journalism Media Labs set up in the newsrooms at El Diario La Prensa in New York and La Opinion in Los Angeles. Mr. Paton said the company will also give the bloggers training in sales and create mutually beneficial sales arrangements. The impreMedia Community E-Journalism Media Labs are expected to be in operation by early next year.
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