Saving the New York Times?
[Posted by David Card]
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It’s a rare day indeed when I agree this much with Silicon Alley Insider’s Henry Blodget. But his plan to fix the NY Times seems right on the money to me. In a nutshell, cut costs, raise print subscription prices, and charge for the online edition. That last one will raise eyebrows, but there’s a way to do it that would likely only cut traffic in half, and still keep the Times’ stories on the top of the news agenda. (Hint: copy the Wall Street Journal’s syndication and navigation strategy.)
Both marketing leaders and publishers should read Blodget’s post, at least to get the conversation started.
Here’s some relevant research — geared more to publishers than to marketers — on online syndication, SEO, etc.:
Best Practices in Networked Media
Let me know your thoughts. Should the Times charge for online? Will that enable enough qualified readers to raise online CPMs? Would you pay (more) for that audience?