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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So the Kindle Version of Where The Wild Things Are is out of the question, then?

I hate them. It’s like making believe there’s another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of book! A book is a book is a book. Maurice Sendak, to Guardian reporter Emma Brockes, about how much he hates ebooks Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle version #wild things #maurice sendak


In E-Books, Publishing Houses Have a Rival in News Sites

Swiftly and at little cost, newspapers, magazines and sites like The Huffington Post are publishing their own version of ebooks. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing houses #news sites #huffington post


Smiths News boosts business with airline and ebook business

Smiths News, the newspaper and magazine wholesaler, has completed the purchase of the remaining assets of Dawson Holdings, which include its ebook unit and its newspaper and magazine airline distribution business. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook business #smiths news #dawson holdings


The 10 Dumbest Things I’ve Heard This Year

When you deal with a lot of people, along with the brilliant stuff comes very dumb stuff as well. Inexperienced voices should be forgiven but when the big and powerful make appalling statements you have to ask yourself how they ever got their jobs.Here are some of the ones that have left me most... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Bad Is News Corp.?

In my biography of Rupert Murdoch, I referred to News Corporation as Mafia-like, provoking the annoyance of my publisher’s libel lawyers. I explained to them that I did not mean to suggest this was an organized crime family, but instead was using “mafia” as a metaphor to imply that News Corp.... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #general counsel


The 10 Dumbest Things I've Heard All Year

Creative consultant JC Suares shares some of the biggest headscratchers he's heard from editors, publishers and designers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve heard


AOL Delivering Personalized News to the iPad

In an early teaser video for AOL’s new digital magazine, the project's lead director puckishly called it “the app for when you crap.” But make no doubt about it, AOL's iPad app Editions which launches this week, wants to be your personalized, daily reader for the bathroom, bedroom, and anywhere... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #feature set #ad strategy


Just The News That's Fit to Read: Summify Launches an iPhone App

Sometimes keeping up with the Internet can seem like an endless assignment. The tweets and Facebook posts scroll infinitely, the email piles up, and news sites and blogs publish around the clock. That's why Summify seems so different. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news sites #iphone app


British Newspaper News of the World Folds

After the latest controversy broke in a string of revelations concerning phone hacking conducted by editorial staff, British newspaper News of the World is folding. News International’s chairman deputy COO of News Corp. James Murdoch says that Sunday will be the last edition of the newspaper. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #editorial staff #james murdoch


Flipboard Adds Industry News Feeds From LinkedIn

Flipboard, the social magazine iPad app, has incorporated content from another social network, LinkedIn -- adding the professional network's industry news to previous integrations with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. A new version of Flipboard to be released this morning also includes... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salon CEO Gingras to Head Up News at Google

Richard Gingras, the chief executive of Salon Media Group, said on Wednesday he is leaving the online publisher to become global head of news products for Google Inc. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #global head #news products #richard gingras #online publisher


Smiths News acquires Dawson Books

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 07/06/2011 - 09:49 Dawson Books has been bought by the parent company of book wholesaler Bertrams for £20m. Smiths News plc, which owns Bertrams, announced today (7th June) that the wholesaler and Dawson Books would be "fully integrated"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dawson books #fair trading #deal means #increasing demands #digital products


Food News Media Launches Mobile Magazine, Restaurant Management

Durham, North Carolina-based Food News Media, a b-to-b publisher serving the food and restaurant industry, has introduced Restaurant Management, a mobile magazine targeting full-service restaurateurs and executives. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp. Reports Disappointing Quarterly Numbers

News Corp. released its earnings report for the quarter that ended in March, and the results are a little disappointing. The company reported a decline in its operating income, which was down to about $1 billion, compared to $1.25 billion over the same period last year. The drop-off appears to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #earnings report #operating income #litigation expenses


E-Commerce News: New York Magazine To Launch Curated Deals Newsletter in May

Joining the line of publishers who are entering the e-commerce space is New York magazine and NY.com; they’ve announced a New York City-specific online deals program that is set to launch in May. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #york magazine


Penguin to publish slow news title

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 28/04/2011 - 08:00 Viking has been scanning the local papers and choosing the most eyebrow-raising headlines—often for all the wrong reasons—in a tribute to the quirky world of slow news days. Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage . . And... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local papers #local newspapers


ABC News High On Enhanced E-books

In deciding to launch the ABC Video Bookstore, Andrew Morse said the giant media company was looking for a product that could reach viewers who are attached to a digital reading device, be it an iPad, Kindle, or cellphone, and decided that an enhanced ebook was the right one. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #enhanced e-books #andrew morse #enhanced ebook


Content Aggregator Zite Comes Under Fire From Publishers

Zite, the app that gathers content according to a user’s interests and behaviors to form a personalized web magazine, has run into legal issues abound from major publishers such as Washington Post, Associated Press, Getty Images, Time and Dow Jones. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #major publishers #getty images #dow jones


Yahoo follows News Corp, announces Livestand 'magazine' for tablets

By Tim Conneally, Betanews Yahoo on Thursday announced that it will soon debut a new magazine-style method of digital content delivery especially aimed at touchscreen mobile devices like tablets and smartphones called Livestand."Publishers and advertisers must expand their content to [phones and... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile app #mobile presence #copyright betanews


The Daily Is A Top News App But Download Complaints Soar

While it’s probably not surprising given the buzz around the launch of News Corp.’s tablet-only publication, but The Daily is currently #1 in “Top Apps” and #1 in “News Apps,” according to topappcharts.com. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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