Into the void: newspaper layoffs may create new competition
Previously I suggested that most local news organizations are not nearly local enough, especially considering the ample opportunity provided by the web.
So is that opportunity lost? Not yet, but it’s pretty easy to see how it could be.
LostRemote shows us how hyperlocal blogs are building audience and building a sustainable business in Seattle. And makes a key point that I’ve been echoing recently: thousands of out-of-work newspaper journalists could change the game.
Successful local start-up news sites are usually staffed with experience in journalism and online media. Now that thousands more newspaper journalists don’t have a day job, it figures that a number of them will sign up for a Wordpress account and look to fill a niche in their community for local news and information. (Or maybe they will use Newsgarden?)
It’s disappointing to think that, 10-12 years after they launched local news web sites, many newspapers could still lose first-mover advantage (especially if you think of Internet years like dog years).
The idea that they will get beat by their former staffers makes the irony that much more rich.
[...] newspapers continue to shed staff, the potential boost for local news looms as just that — untapped potential. The big issue, of course, remains in finding a “sustainable business [...]
Time to hit the job boards!
http://www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
http://www.indeed.com (aggregated job listings)
http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to jobs)
you’ll be back at work in no time!