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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Why Are News Aggregators Still a Thing?'


Religion Publishing News From Around the Web: August 26, 2015

This week's spirituality and religion news round-up includes another controversy for 'Fun Home,' a single mom's advice about loneliness, and 26 books for a "spiritual but not religious" reader today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fun home #single mom


Are In-Car Apps the Next Platform for News Media Companies?

Developments with in-car apps offer future opportunities for news publishers, but visual-heavy media must find a way to compete until hands-free cars are available.   After online, then mobile, and now watches and other wearables, could cars be ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news publishers


News Briefs: Week of August 24, 2015

‘NYT’ changes kids’ bestseller lists and more in this week's publishing news briefs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestseller lists


‘Facebook is the best app for news': Publishers are still way behind in mobile

Publishers are not doing enough to adapt to the mobile era. The biggest mistake, Breaking News gm Cory Bergman says, is not investing enough in mobile talent -- and not allowing for the inevitable mistakes in trying to figure out what works. Instead, there's a propensity for publishers to... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post facebook #mobile appeared #biggest mistake #distribution channel #existing content


News Corp sees strong growth in digital real estate services and book publishing

The company’s quarterly earnings call beats analysts’ expectations despite a fall in total revenue from the previous quarter and a net loss of $379mNews Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal and the Times, reported a better-than-expected quarterly results as strong growth in its digital real... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishing #total revenue #net loss #strong growth #print business #rupert murdoch


Unionized Newsrooms Threaten the Very Thing That Helped Digital Media Grow

With unions cropping up in digital newsrooms across the media landscape, publishers have to be wondering if they should be worried. Could their staff be next?     For those who have grown their businesses on the back of a ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook reportedly testing Twitter-like breaking news app

App that would allow publishers to highlight and push news events to Facebook users is said to be in alpha-stage testingFacebook could be preparing to take on Twitter at its own game, with a standalone news application for mobile phones.The product, which is reportedly in “alpha” stage testing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook users #mobile phones #business initiative


Facebook Is Working on a Twitter-Like App That Lets Publishers Send Mobile Breaking News Alerts to the Masses

Facebook is working on a stand-alone mobile news application that seems to be part of its Facebook for Business initiative.   This product, which sounds similar to Twitter, seems to be different from Facebook for Work, an initiative that wa ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #business initiative


Religion Publishing News From Around The Web: August 12, 2015

Three Somali sisters who founded a publishing house, a Mormon author who says “we just can’t shame women,” and a controversial romance book are creating a buzz on the web today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #web today


News Briefs: Week of August 10, 2015

Hamilton lands new deal at Putnam and more in this week's publishing news briefs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hamilton lands


BlockFeed’s geotagged approach to local news

There’s no shortage of challenges for local news publishers. Not only are the scale and monetization issues still unresolved, but now local news sites also risk being edged out on tech and data by their pure-play tech counterparts. Consider BlockFeed, a news aggregation app that culls geotagged... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local news #monetization issues #growing trove


The Guardian view on media globalisation: good news for the Financial Times | Editorial

It may not prove easy to marry British and Japanese journalistic cultures. But in a global media world this deal makes senseThe Financial Times is one of the best newspapers in the world, not just in Britain. It is quick without being rash, accurate without leaden pedantry, thoughtful without... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #everyday life #digital operations #make decisions


A print magazine devoted to vlogging? It’s a generational thing

Those who are so quick to dismiss the launch of Oh My Vlog! and its coverage of the new breed of online superstars are missing the pointOn Wednesday afternoon, while Piers Morgan was penning his important and completely helpful musings on the concept of Nicki Minaj’s support from Black Twitter,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tanya burr #print journalism


News From Around The Web: July 22

Learn about apostasy in Muslim communities and where the Bible appears in Harper Lee's 'Watchmen' in news stories on the web today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news stories #web today #harper lee


News Briefs: Week of July 20, 2015

Filings set stage for new ruling in GSU copyright case and more in this week's publishing news briefs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Facebook’s growing influence on news consumption, in 5 charts

When it comes to news, it's Facebook's world -- publishers are just living in it. As Facebook continues to court publishers and hold onto users, more people are using the site to keep up on news. According to Pew, 63 percent of Facebook and Twitter users said that they they get their news from... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook continues #post facebook #twitter users #growing influence #social networks


Watch 'The Flash' cast react to the news that Jay Garrick will be joining the show

The finale of the CW's "The Flash" strongly hinted that the original speedy comic book superhero Jay Garrick was somewhere lurking in the DC Entertainment ether. The comic book character's famous silver-winged helmet was spotted in the final episode. And now it's confirmed: The original Flash... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #final episode


News Briefs: Week of July 13, 2015

Class action denied in Author Solutions case and more in this week's publishing news briefs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Roundup: Religion Book News from Across the Web, July 8, 2015

Progressive Christian books struggle; new research on faith fiction; a religion author skips it for the summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Free school visits ‘one of the worst things an author can do’

Following the debate over whether authors should be paid to appear at festivals, children’s writers have warned that fewer schools are now offering to pay for author visits. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |