Business of Online Journalism

Paid advertising and circulation model is no longer working for newspapers.

Newspaper revenue is tanking as classified and retail advertisers migrate to the Web and Wall Street tightens its grip.

Edmond: A One-Two-Three Storm of Nasty Newspaper Numbers

Paid content debate

Some newspaper companies are considering charging readers for online content.

What about news aggregators; Google newsHow can paid sites compete with free sites?But what happens when “saving journalism”

is no longer a cause of the moment? Will grants and endowments be available?

Wall Street Journal model

The WSJ.com is one of the few mainstream media sites that charges a subscription. (The New York Times gave up on its premium subscription service, TimesSelect, in September 2007).

The WSJ.com is also one of the few such successes, with about one million paid subscribers bringing in $50 million a year.

Online ads

Online ads are no longer just banners stuck at the tops and bottoms of pages. You have inline ads, interstitials, the possibility of entire (clearly marked) advertorial sections, video advertising, and so on.

Advertising revenues that newspaper Web sites generate are not enough to sustain robust news coverage.

Non-profit model

New forms of nonprofit, grant-funded news operations are proliferating.

Some prominent media leaders and innovators have called for even more philanthropic support to ensure journalism's vital watchdog role.

Nonprofit status seems to go hand in hand with its mission to remain nonpartisan and independent.

Examples MinnPost.com ProPublica.org

Convergence operations

Media convergence is the most significant development in the news industry in the last century.

Convergence has enabled media companies to gather, disseminate and share information over a variety of platforms.

Throughout the history of journalism, it has been common for journalists to study one medium, such as traditional print or broadcast, and to anticipate a career working only in their chosen field. Today's journalist must write and deliver news content in a variety of formats.

In the 1990s, media mergers and technological innovations gave birth to convergence journalism. There has been much discussion over the precise meaning of convergence and a fully converged newsroom.

You have to be careful: Blumenthal Raises Concerns About WTIC, Courant Merger