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Where Are We Now? Sites look better and are better than ever. Identified the basic feature-set for station sites: stream, schedule, playlists, search, calendar… Traffic is light—a fraction of listenership. Visits are infrequent: on avg under 2.0/mo. Where Are We Now?
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Where Are We Now? • Sites look better and are better than ever. • Identified the basic feature-set for station sites: stream, schedule, playlists, search, calendar… • Traffic is light—a fraction of listenership. • Visits are infrequent: on avg under 2.0/mo.
Where Are We Now? • Traffic is growing at 8 – 10 % (yr. over yr.) • The leading news-intensive stations are changing: “news sites” vs. “station sites.” • Mobile—internet to the smart phone—appears to be a game-changing opportunity. • Some apparent opportunity in niches: • Food (KQED) • Independent Film (WNET) • High School Sports • State-level C-Spans
The Opportunity Public radio’s largest near-term opportunity for audience growth and new public service is in news – national programs, local journalism, and aggressive expansion of online service. -- Grow the Audiencepublished by SRG Jan. 2010 http://www.srg.org/GTA/GTAReports.html
The Opportunity For ten years*, the three most common daily online activities have been: • Go online. • Send/receive email. • Get News. * Tracking ReportPew Center for Internet & American Life
Vivian Schiller: What we need to do. • We need to own audio. • W need to understand the web. • We need to make our content transportable. • We need to make our content communal. • We need to innovate in our core journalism. • We need to harness the power of the public radio system working on a national and local level. • NPR should have an interest in helping all of journalism
Vivian on NPR.org “The number one reason (people) come to NPR.org is either to hear the end of a radio story that they missed or to find out more about a story (that they heard). That's terrific and we need to offer that. But to me that indicates that we are not a destination in our own right. That smacks of ‘companion.’ Which is necessary, but not sufficient.”
We know what companion sites need • Clear Navigation • Listen Now • News and News Archives • Playlists • Programs or Program Grid • Search • Events/Calendar • Pledge • Inside Information … But this is not enough.
Hypothesis • Companion sites are not competitive— in news. • Stations could compete through “News Sites.” • This requires • A landing page that “looks like NEWS.” • A large volume of Daily News(local, regional and national) • A content management system that a) Unifies the entire news department,b) Connects easily to national producers.
1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
Listen Prog Search Pledge 1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
Search Video Prog PRIMA Winter Meeting New Orleans Feb. 4-6, 2010 1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
Events Listen Pledge Prog 1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
Search PRIMA Winter Meeting New Orleans Feb. 4-6, 2010
Listen Search Prog Pledge PRIMA Winter Meeting New Orleans Feb. 4-6, 2010 1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
Shared LP NPR Stories Local Stories What News are they visiting?
Issues: Competition • As devices changes, so does the competition. • On radio: stations are highly competitive, sometimes dominant. • On desktops: Large national sites and news aggregators dominate the news field. • On handhelds: The competition is just starting, but public radio may be well positioned. • In local news you compete with the local newspaper, which usually has more resources.
Issues: Money • Uncertainty over resource allocations: • On-air provides almost all the service (and money). • There is a need to continue investment in both local and national radio programming. • Uncertainty over revenues: • In terms of ad dollars: a web visitor generates only 10% of the revenue generated by a reader/viewer. • Fifteen years into the “internet era” no public station or network news site is approaching break even.
Where to start? • Decide what you are. • Question your assumptions. • Assess what you can reasonably do. • Listen to the industrial research. • Put the user first. • Align your on-air and online service.
Decide who you are • Most of us are broadcasters. • What is your natural inclination: • Do things better • Do things differently. • Are you ready to rumble? • Think about Kotter’s observation Creating a strong online news service does not have to mean doing it yourself.
Where to start? • Engage your listeners. • Acquire the CMS you need. • Create a Landing page that “looks like news.” • Co-invest in Design and Research • Import relevant local and national news in a credible and effective way. • Change your most visible news post three times a day: AM drive, mid-day, PM drive • Promote specific benefits.
A different feature hierarchy for News • Clear Navigation • News and News Archives • Listen Now • Podcast • Mobile • Search Primary Secondary • Programs or Program Grid • Events/Calendar • Pledge • Inside Information
Where to start? • Create a strong alignment between your on-air and online service. • News Stations: • If you offer NPR on air, offer NPR online. • Co-invest in user research re: design and content. • Create a small number of unique features. • Use Air and Email to drive traffic. • Split Format Stns: • Create News and Music Landing Pages. • Reserve/Redirect: WXYZNews.org • If ME/ATC in drives: Highlight News on your Homepage. • Follow News Station Research/Practice. • Joint Licensees: • Create News Landing Page • Reserve/Redirect: WXYZNews.org • Follow News Station Research/Practice.
Every station is different… but • Consistent Design is a Virtue • Users may benefit from consistent navigation and placement of features. • Users may benefit from knowing they are on an NPR/affiliate, public radio site. • Good, Shared Content Management saves money, training • Modified WordPress CSM is becoming a de facto standard. • Consider what they use. (Put the user first) • At Northern Community Internet, developers used Blogger and Google Calendar—because their users are already adopting these tools.
Listen Search Prog Pledge PRIMA Winter Meeting New Orleans Feb. 4-6, 2010 1. Clear Navigation 2. Listen 3. News/Archives 4. Programs/Grid 5. Search 6. Events/Calendar 7. Pledge 8. Inside Information
PRNDI Webinars • Last Thursday Jan – April 3 PM ET • Jan 28: Intro with Tom Rosenstiel (Pew Project on Excellence in Journalism), Tim Davis (PRPD/IMA Public Radio Tech Poll), WSHU and Michigan Radio • Feb 25: Systems, Staffing, Investment and Results:Georgia PB and North Country PR • March 25: Leveraging National Content: WBUR and NPR • April 29/30: Four skill-based session on topics to be selected by webinar participants
PRNDI Webinar Approach • Provide basic information. • What are stations doing? • What are they spending? • How’s that working? • Approach Stations/News Directors where they are. • Leave the strategic debates for other venues. • Focus on mid-sized and smaller operations. • Look for improvements we can implement now.