24 Journalism Startups: Reflections From 17 Years of Innovation. Now It's Your Turn!

24 Journalism Startups
Reections from 17 years of innovation. Now its your turn! DAN PACHECO
Tuesday, April 10, 12
Feel free to tweet anything! Its part of a class exercise. Twitter hash tag: #sinews12
Im a journalist
Im a journalist
But was supposed to be an engineer.
Im a journalist
But was supposed to be an engineer. Semi-geek -- always interested in computers, and writing / publishing.
Im a journalist
But was supposed to be an engineer. Semi-geek -- always interested in computers, and writing / publishing. Wrote about the Internet at its inception (1994) and got jealous.
Im a journalist
But was supposed to be an engineer. Semi-geek -- always interested in computers, and writing / publishing. Wrote about the Internet at its inception (1994) and got jealous. Two-time winner of Knight Batten Award for Journalism Innovation.
Im also an entrepreneur
2 years in a successful startup -- beat the odds! Most dont make it that far. Founder Institute graduate.
Knight News Challenge project winner.
Successes, but also ...

FAILURES!
Critical learning opportunities. Failure is the fertile soil of innovation.
My path
My path
Writer Aerospace Early (writing programmer engineering contests) student (BASIC) Feature writer (Denver Post) Product manager (Bakerseld) Online producer (Washington Post online) Innovator (Knight News Challenge) Student newspaper editor
Product manager (AOL) Entrepreneur (BookBrewer)
24 startups in 17 years
Three themes: 1. News & information 2. Publishing tools 3. Community engagement
Nobody taught me to be an innovator, just like nobody taught me how to ride a bicycle. We learn the HARD STUFF by DOING.
Why is innovation important in journalism?
Lets look back a few years ...
Yesterday: Sit back and wait.

WE SPOKE. THEY LISTENED. WE SOLD ADS. WE ATE WELL.
Today: Come and get it!
Source: WikiMedia Commons, SilverStar.

Today: Come and get it!
1994
Source: WikiMedia Commons, SilverStar.

Internet news grew, but ...
Internet news grew, but ...
... core business model still failed
Source: Newspaper Association of America, Business Analysis and Research Department* First three quarters of 2009 + fourth quarter estimate by Rick Edmonds.
Horsey Horseless Carriage

1899 by Uriah Smith. Misunderstood problem: People wont buy automobiles because they dont want to scare horses.
Horsey Horseless Carriage

1899 by Uriah Smith. Misunderstood problem: People wont buy automobiles because they dont want to scare horses.
Are you imagining a horsey horseless carriage when you should be building a Ferrari?
The Innovators Dilemma
Source: Clayton Chritensen, The Innovators Dilemma. Graphic from WikiMedia Commons.
News Example
Quality 1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Online services
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Online services
Web sites
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Better web sites Online services Web sites
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Even better web sites!
Quality
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
FTP
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
FTP
Gopher
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Chat FTP Gopher
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Chat FTP Gopher
Personal web sites
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Quality
Blogs Chat FTP Gopher Personal web sites
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Social networks Even better web sites!
Quality
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Twitter Social networks Even better web sites!
Quality
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
News Example
Storify Twitter Social networks Even better web sites!
Quality
1990
1994
1998
2002
2010
Looking ahead
Quality
2012
2020 and beyond ...
Looking ahead
Quality
2012
2020 and beyond ...
Looking ahead
Quality
2012
2020 and beyond ...
Looking ahead
Quality
2012
2020 and beyond ...
Looking ahead
Quality
2012
2020 and beyond ...
Oh yeah ... its a network
Sources: OPTE.org, map of the Internet, Storify.

Why innovate? (Lazy answer)

Because we can. Because technology is neat. Because its fun.

Because we can. Because technology is neat. Because its fun.
Better reasons
Better reasons
Everything you do today is already being replaced by something better.
Better reasons
Everything you do today is already being replaced by something better. Better to replace your own job than to be made completely irrelevant.
Better reasons
Everything you do today is already being replaced by something better. Better to replace your own job than to be made completely irrelevant. We all bear responsibility for building a digital future that also pays for itself.
The little newspaper that could.

The Bakerseld Californian 70K circulation daily Family owned for 130 years

The Bakerseld Californian 70K circulation daily Family owned for 130 years Ginger Moorhouse
Gingers Problem
Low penetration in a growing city of 330,000. Towns 50% Hispanics avoided the newspaper. Young people didnt care.
Gingers Solution
CREATE A CULTURE OF INNOVATION
Allow a thousand owers to bloom.
New Product Team

Find new ways to reach critical growing audiences that avoid the daily newspaper. Grow new audiences, then grow revenue around them.
(In retrospect, should have done bothsimultaneously)
Youre the best we have!

Young people are never going to read the newspaper. Weve tried and failed.
We need a NEW PRODUCT that appeals to them. Go make that happen.
Think upside down and sideways

Separately branded from newspaper.

Separately branded from newspaper. The people themselves were the content through their user proles (pre-Facebook).

Separately branded from newspaper. The people themselves were the content through their user proles (pre-Facebook). The people also created the content (blogs).

Separately branded from newspaper. The people themselves were the content through their user proles (pre-Facebook). The people also created the content (blogs). Everything built around the metaphor of local music, not news per se.
How it made money

The assumption: grow online audience, generate revenue from online ads. The reality (near term): online grow revenue in offshoot magazines.
Four years later

11 niche sites and magazines. Audience grew by 100K. Purchased by Arizona Republic, SacBee. Knight Batten Award.
Knight News Challenge
Knight News Challenge
$837,000 2-year grant!

Zines 2.0
Global experiment
Who needs paper when you have these?
BookBrewer
Books, but also news
Hufngton Post
Hufngton Post

The Denver Post
Hufngton Post

The Denver Post Atlanta Journal Constitution
What gets me up in the morning?

Building and engaging an audience through interesting content. Allowing peoples voices to be heard and stories to be told. Paying for my hard work.
Your turn!
Ready to do your own news startup? Learn from my successes and failures.
Which are you?

Intrepreneur?
Innovating within an existing organization. PLUS: Funding and support from an existing company. MINUS: Your hands are often tied.
or
Entrepreneur?
Innovating from the outside -- disruptive. PLUS: Total freedom to do as you like, even if it disrupts another business. MINUS: Fundraising isnt easy!
The B Word
Youre tied to a business, whether you know it or not. Nobody escapes the economy. You can make money and serve your audience at the same time. You can stay true to editorial principles without being tainted by revenue.
The M Word
If a tree falls in the forest and nobodys there to see it, did it fall in the rst place? Its up to you to tell people about your great new innovation. In the real world, we call this marketing. Resist journalistic stereotypes of public relations as something dirty. If you dont believe enough in your product to market it, who will?
The F Word
Did you note all of my failures? Its not truly failure unless you fail to learn, adapt and grow. Pay very, very close attention to your audience and allow yourself to pivot to meet their needs.
Start tweeting!
Hash tag: #sinews12
Q1: What problem are you trying to solve?

The best question ever posed that journalists only recently began to ask.
Put another way

What pain are you trying to cure? Whats your painkiller?
Example: Flipboard
Problem: Following links from Twitter is cumbersome.
Example: Flipboard
Example: Flipboard
Q2: Who has this problem?

Or Who is your target market? What type of person will use your product, and why? How large is this market? How do you know? What is the total addressable market (TAM) that you can reach? What data do you use to get that gure?
Q3: What is your solution?

What does it do? How do people use it? How is it innovative, and truly unique?
Q4: Whos already doing it?

List 3 competitors of your product. How does your product compare? How is it better? How is it worse?
Q5: How will you make money?

How will your idea make money so that its around for the long haul? How much money can it make? Is it a $1M (lifestyle business), $10M (angel opportunity) or $100M opportunity (VC prospect)?
Q6: Why will you win?

Why will everyone choose your solution instead of everything else out there? Whats your execution plan, and how is it superior? The hardest pill to swallow: In the end, ideas alone dont matter. Execution is what matters.

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24 Journalism Startups

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Knight News Challenge project winner.

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Successes, but also ...

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Product manager (AOL) Entrepreneur (BookBrewer)

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Why is innovation important in journalism?

Lets look back a few years ...

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Yesterday: Sit back and wait.

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Today: Come and get it!

Source: WikiMedia Commons, SilverStar.

Today: Come and get it!

Source: WikiMedia Commons, SilverStar.

Internet news grew, but ...

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Internet news grew, but ...

Tuesday, April 10, 12

... core business model still failed

Horsey Horseless Carriage

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Horsey Horseless Carriage

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

The Innovators Dilemma

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Chat FTP Gopher

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Chat FTP Gopher

Personal web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Blogs Chat FTP Gopher Personal web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12

Better web sites Online services Web sites

Blogs Chat FTP Gopher Personal web sites

Tuesday, April 10, 12