Content: How do we better serve subscribers on multiple platforms?

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Newspapers should be encouraged to keep experimenting with new ideas, walking the tightrope between retaining traditional news readers and not giving up on new concepts that surprise and delight the entire audience. That was the key take-away from a strategy-sharing breakout session on content at last week's Key Executives Mega-Conference, facilitated by Tom Silvestri, publisher of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.  Conference attendees were invited to share their best ideas – and worst ideas – for serving subscribers on multiple platforms.

Among the ideas shared:

Becky Poss, from Red Wing, Minn., said she goes to conference after conference, and is consistently looking for "the thing" that her paper should have, or do or be. "It is confirming to me that we are always moving and hoping to get an advantage," she said.  Her goal, she said, is for the paper to always be "this constant flowing – hopefully uphill."

The topic of Millennials was an important part of the discussion, as newspapers seek to reach a younger audience base. Free content aimed toward Millennials was one suggestion. "While we work so hard on the paid strategy development concept, we've really been ignoring those people who simply will never engage with us in a paid content world," said one audience member.

LaGloria Wheatfall, from Houston Defender Media Group, said she falls into the Millennial category and wants to help her company reach that demographic.  Her takeaway for the day came from Jim Brady and the inspiration to go mobile. She went on to say how Brady relates everything to Philadelphia in some type of way through his Billy Penn site.

Silvestri responded to Wheatfall's comments, saying that Millennials are really drawn to local news.

In terms of best ideas, The Palm Beach Post has launched a Facebook page named "Weird Florida." The goal is to build audience, therefore growing revenue. The weird stories seek to draw readers to the main site, creating more presence. 

Another idea suggested was to focus on a few topics that are important to the community. Select a group of people who are knowledgeable about those topics, and let them be the source for certain stories – instead of simply relying on coverage of board meetings.  For example, while education is an important topic, an attendee noted that analytics showed that the paper's readers weren't reading stories of school board meetings.  Instead, the suggestion was made to find better ways to cover this important topic in ways that will attract reader interest.

Silvestri also asked the group to share the worst ideas that their companies have had. This conversation brought some laughter to the group. One member of the audience described how his newspaper company moved the crossword puzzle, and quickly realized that readers did not like the change; the crossword puzzle was moved back. Another person shared how her newspaper had once put the obituaries in the sports section, to the dismay of readers. Silvestri took the blame for the Times-Dispatch moving its comics years ago to a color spadea around its Metro section. Long-term readers revolted, causing the comics to return to its black-and-white home.

When asked about the worst idea, one attendee stood and said, "Making a paywall, but putting nothing behind the paywall."

A journalist from a small newspaper company in Texas summed up the key takeaway from this part of the session, saying: "You can't have innovation without getting some destruction."

While set-backs can be discouraging, Silvestri encouraged the group to keep experimenting as they seek the best ways to meet readers' needs.

Karley Wilson is a journalism student from Georgia State University, who assisted the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association in covering the Mega-Conference.

Mega-Conference, Silvestri
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