Why Are News Aggregators Still a Thing?

Nearly five months after News Corp announced it was launching a product billed as a “generous aggregation” of news and the antidote to Google News' monopolistic position, the company debuted Knewz.com on January 29. Its launch didn’t generate much consumer-side buzz, despite it having an ad-free model that includes 400 national and local publications. It did, however, get the attention of people like myself whose job it is to pay attention to stuff like this. And rather than savage the branding and the site design, which is frankly too easy, instead I think it’s important to talk about the very nature of these news aggregators and what they actually offer the publishing community. Digital media has commoditized news to a point where local outlets are in grave danger to stay alive as advertising and subscriptions dwindle, and mass-media companies require insane volumes of daily inventory and pageviews to generate modest returns. Compounding this for publishers seeking lots of pageviews is the tech duopoly. I know most of us are all sick of talking about “them,” but the reality for most is that Facebook and Google are still driving the bulk of the traffic to news sites. So those digital dimes many have been complaining about for years have actually become pennies after everyone gets their cut. So this brings me back to aggregators—these great democratizing saviors that will save hyperlocal news and put the consumers first by forging symbiotic partnerships with a large... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-02-13 17:20:50 UTC ]
News tagged with: #exclusive content #publisher partnerships #distribution channel #select number #news corp

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Continuing charm offensive, Facebook creates tool to boost news publishers’ reach on the platform

Facebook has been testing a tool with five publishers including BuzzFeed to help them improve their reach on the platform. The post Continuing charm offensive, Facebook creates tool to boost news publishers’ reach on the platform appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #platform appeared


Books: An indie publisher with a vision, Halloween in August and more book news

Welcome readers! I’m L.A. Times books editor Carolyn Kellogg with this week’s newsletter. THE BIG STORY It’s not easy starting a publishing house; it’s even harder if you try to do it outside typical distribution channels, including Amazon. But that’s what J.C. Gabel has done with his L.A.-based... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie publisher #book news #big story #including amazon


Teens Shun Print Mags, MPA Takes USPS to Task, and More News & Notes

Adolescents abandoning print... It's not especially groundbreaking to report that teens are largely abandoning books and magazines in favor of smartphones. What is notable about the American Psychological Association's new report on adolescent media use in the U.S.—one of the most comprehensive... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #job board


News publishers are using their brands to carve out space on TV screens

Axios, BuzzFeed News, Vox Media and other news publishers are using their brands to land TV real estate. The post News publishers are using their brands to carve out space on TV screens appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news publishers #tv screens #buzzfeed news #vox media


Quartz forges ahead, but other news publishers shut down chatbots

The Washington Post, The Guardian, Mic and others have shut down their chatbots, but Quartz is ramping up bot development. The post Quartz forges ahead, but other news publishers shut down chatbots appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp worldwide reports $1.4bn net loss, but paid subscriptions rise

Chief executive Robert Thomson highlights growth at UK mastheads Times and Sunday Times, and Australian digital subscriptions rise 12%Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has shrugged off its latest annual loss with an upbeat assessment of its digital news and real estate assets.The worldwide publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sunday times #digital news #net loss


Books: Theodore Sturgeon's overlooked centenary plus reviews and book news

Hello I’m books editor Carolyn Kellogg with our Books newsletter this week. THE BIG STORY This year is Theodore Sturgeon’s centenary, and if you’re wondering “who?,” you’re not alone. Once widely read (and still beloved in some science fiction communities, as a few on Twitter pointed out to me)... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books newsletter #book news #big story #widely read


'Just use cat videos': New York Times boss wants Facebook to cut out news

Mark Thompson says site’s attempts to rank news outlets sounds like ‘controlled society’Facebook should consider completely removing news from users’ feeds unless it can find a way to avoid low-quality stories clogging up the site, the chief executive of the New York Times has said.Mark Thompson... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news outlets #news sources #cat videos #mark thompson #closed doors #good books


Facebook Is Committing Another $4.5 Million to Initiatives for News Publishers

Facebook announced Thursday that it is pumping another $4.5 million into Facebook Journalism Project initiatives for news publishers. Global head of news Campbell Brown said in a blog post that Facebook will put $3.5 million toward the Facebook Membership Accelerator pilot program and contribute... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$1 million #news publishers #global head


For news publishers, smart speakers are the hot new platform

Companies including The New York Times and NPR are staffing up as they try to figure out how their editorial voice will sound on smart speakers. The post For news publishers, smart speakers are the hot new platform appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #platform appeared #news publishers #smart speakers #companies including #editorial voice


News Corp wants limits on ABC to prevent 'advantaged' competition

Rupert Murdoch’s Australian arm tells government inquiry there is ‘a lack of a level playing field’ for online newsNews Corp Australia has called on the government to review the charters of the ABC and SBS and to restrict the public broadcasters from unfairly competing with its newspapers,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sky news #rupert murdoch #australian arm #news publishers #digital platforms


The First Batch of Facebook-Funded News Shows for Watch Is Debuting Monday

Facebook announced last month that it was funding an initiative to create news shows from 10 to 12 U.S. publishers for its Facebook Watch video platform, and the first slate of those shows will begin streaming Monday, July 16. Head of global news partnerships Campbell Brown and product manager... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook announced #product manager


Books: A teen reviews '#Neveragain,' a World War II tragedy comes to life and more book news

Welcome to the Books newsletter! I’m books editor Carolyn Kellogg, writing my last newsletter from our Spring Street address — next Friday we’ll be packing up for our new digs in El Segundo. THE BIG STORY When I saw that Parkland, Fla., shooting survivors David Hogg and his sister Lauren Hogg had... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books newsletter ##neveragain #book news #el segundo #big story


Soon you may pay Apple by the month for video, music, and news

Such a service could go toe-to-toe against Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify. Apple has been thinking about bundling together its growing menu of digital content and selling it in a single bundle for a competitive price. The subscription package, according to a new report from the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #include music #digital content #magazine articles #unnamed sources


Customers rally to support Imagined Things after shop's 'worst day'

An independent bookshop in Harrogate has experienced a "phenomenal" response to a desperate Twitter plea for sales after only taking £12.34 in a day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookshop


Facebook creates Orwellian headache as news is labelled politics

Archive of political content becomes batleground between publishers and platformsGeorge Orwell wrote in his essay Politics and the English Language: “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics’. All issues are political issues.” When Facebook constructed a new archive of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #english language


News UK donates £25k to NLT

News UK has donated £25,000 to the National Literacy Trust (NLT) as well as three other charities. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news uk


How Swiss news publisher NZZ built a flexible paywall using machine learning

The publisher grew registered users by 40 percent to 600,000 last year using machine learning and A/B testing. The post How Swiss news publisher NZZ built a flexible paywall using machine learning appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #machine learning


Are people becoming less reliant on Facebook for their news? | Paul Chadwick

Two new surveys suggest the public still value traditional news publishersWhen you try to imagine a media diet consisting only of retweets, random blogs or the Facebook posts of family and friends, you grasp the value of journalism created by professional media organisations. Traditional news... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graduate school #columbia university #healthy democracy


TV news needs more equality – but we also need to tackle abuse

Research shows that progress has stalled, with men still dominating flagship bulletinsAre women more likely than men to go to bed early? It seems worth asking after it emerged last week that while broadcast news programmes have improved their gender balance, men still dominate the flagship... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gender balance #research published