Nones Notes
Thoughts and perspectives on the ever-changing business and cultural landscape.
HomePosts tagged 'News Business'
Harris Poll: What Americans say they want in news coverage.
October 26, 2014 Phillip Nones Content Creation and Content Management, Media, Media Consumption, Social Commentary	Business, Celebrity gossip, Entertainment news, Harris Poll, Local TV News, Media, News, News Business, News Media, News Organizations, Newspapers, Online News, TV News
When it comes to the news, Americans say they're tired of so much attention on celebrity gossip and scandal stories … but are they really?
Experience has shown that healthy foods on the menu at fast food establishments test well in consumer attitudinal surveys — only to bomb big time when actually introduced.
It seems as though many people answer the way they think they're "supposed" to respond, even though they'll never actually opt for the apple slices in lieu of the order of fries.
I wonder if the same dynamics are at work in a recent Harris Poll, which queried ~2,500 Americans age 18 or over about their preferences for news topics. The online survey was conducted in August 2014, with the results released this past week.
For starters, three-fourths of the respondents felt that celebrity gossip and scandal stories receive too much coverage.
Indeed, many believe that entertainment news in general receives too much attention in the news:
Celebrity gossip and scandal stories: ~76% claim too much attention is paid in the news
Entertainment news in general: ~49%
Professional spectator sports: ~44%
Politics and elections: ~33%
And which topics do people feel aren't covered sufficiently in the news? It's everything that's "good for you":
Education topics: ~47% believe too little attention is paid in the news
Local/national humanitarian issues: ~47%
Science topics: ~45%
Government corruption and scandals: ~44%
Corporate corruption and white collar crime: ~42%
Global humanitarian issues: ~33%
Health topics: ~30%
I suspect that the "actual reality" is different from how the survey participants responded. If news organizations weren't seeing keen interest generated by their celebrity, entertainment and sports stories, they would stop producing them. Simple as that.
You can view more findings from the Harris survey, including data tabulations, here. Among the interesting findings is the degree of trust people have for various different news media: network TV news, local TV news, local newspapers, national newspapers, online news sources.
Hint: trust levels are nearly where they should be …
What are your thoughts about news topics? Which ones are getting proper coverage versus too much? Please share your observations with other readers here.
Rupert Murdoch's "Paid Content" Gamble
August 13, 2009 August 13, 2009 Phillip Nones Uncategorized	Advertising, Australian, Business, Digital News, Economy, Internet, Media, Murdoch, New York Post, Newpapers, News, News Business, News Corp, News Corporation, News Publishing, NewsCorp, Nones, Nones Notes, NonesNotes, Online News, Paid Content, Phillip Nones, PhillipNones, Rupert Murdoch, The Wall Street Journal, Thoughts, Times of London, USA Today, Web
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's pronouncement last week that beginning in July 2010, online content for all of his news media properties will be available for a fee – not for free – has surprised many in the industry.
"Quality journalism is not cheap," Murdoch declared. His announcement comes hard on the heels of his massive media conglomerate News Corporation reporting a ~$3.4 billion loss for the last fiscal year.
While admiring Mr. Murdoch's brave stance and willingness to get out in front of an issue that has bedeviled the newspaper industry for the past four or five years, one is left wondering if he's playing the role of Don Quixote rather than Richard the Lionheart in this drama.
For sure, the pay-per-view business model looks great to any publishing company that has seen the advertising-driven business model come under so much stress and strain in recent years. And The Wall Street Journal, one of Murdoch's properties, has been able to charge a fee for online access in a practice that dates back prior to that publication's acquisition by News Corporation.
So what will happen in this glorious experiment? Will legions of newshounds flock to the various Murdoch sites – The Wall Street Journal, Times of London, Australian, New York Post – and plunk down pay-per-view dollars or a monthly access fee for the privilege of reading the latest news bits?
Or will people rely on the many other (free) outlets for news, while also receiving and passing along "copy-and-paste" materials over the web — an effortless task that can be completed in mere seconds?
[And good luck trying to use legal means to prevent the dissemination of copyrighted material; the litigation costs could well outstrip any compensation dollars awarded, while being a major distraction inside the company and causing a PR kerfuffle outside.]
That giant sucking sound you hear could be the hordes of cyber-visitors heading on over to CNN, USA Today and other free news sites, whose traffic volume will spike and perhaps even bring in additional advertising revenues off the extra hits. Would these and other free, advertising-driven media properties like to find ways to increase revenues? Sure. But most of them would prefer to be #3 or #4 to take the leap on paid content – not a high-risk first or second.
There will always be some people willing to pay for premium content. But let's face it; most news isn't "premium." It's a commodity – and its dissemination is helped along by hundreds or thousands of people copying and forwarding articles and and/or links via e-mail, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook … you name it.
Rupert Murdoch has a history of being pretty savvy when it comes to the news business. And certainly he has the power and the resources to undertake this new effort.
But his naiveté may be showing on this one. He is, after all, nearly 80 years old and notoriously online-illiterate himself. And while the saying goes that "knowledge is power" … "power without knowledge" isn't usually a good recipe for success.
The 2020-21 COVID-19 and 1918-19 Spanish Flu epidemics: How do they compare? November 15, 2021
Predicting company misconduct before it even happens … really? October 12, 2021
When will U.S. employment dynamics change? October 5, 2021
Online search: So fast … so convenient … so imperfect. September 21, 2021
Another COVID consequence: Consumer preferences for text communications just got a lot more pervasive. September 13, 2021
Arguing, finger-pointing, and other nasties. September 1, 2021
Another summer of natural disasters — and still too few people heed the warnings. August 24, 2021
The COVID-related product shortages that just won't go away. August 16, 2021
In a twist, "working from home" benefits big tech in big ways. August 8, 2021
Not so neat: The rise of the NEET generation. July 5, 2021
In-flight magazines disappear into thin air. June 22, 2021
Is FedEx losing its luster in the package delivery field? June 8, 2021
A second look at the prospects for persistent price inflation in our future. May 30, 2021
That 70s Show: Inflation is back. May 24, 2021
The debate over social media's effectiveness continues. May 18, 2021
The predictable — and unexpected — economic consequences of COVID. May 4, 2021
COVID Casualty: Homogenous Corporate Swag April 26, 2021
COVID Casualty: Office Gossip April 19, 2021
Robots become humans – at least in the eyes of the law. April 12, 2021
The consequences of COVID on office space leasing. April 5, 2021
Advertising's COVID Consolidation March 28, 2021
Have we finally reached "peak oil"? March 21, 2021
America turns the corner on air travel. March 15, 2021
Changing the "work-live location paradigm" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. March 9, 2021
Tissue issue: Explaining the curious connection between the coronavirus pandemic and toilet paper shortages. February 22, 2021
"You are what you wear." February 15, 2021
The ripple effects — good and bad — of the COVID-19 pandemic on our health and wellness. February 9, 2021
Education alert: The unintended consequences of schools' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. January 30, 2021
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, where are trade shows headed? January 26, 2021
In its legal altercation with poultry processor Wayne Farms, LinkedIn gets its wings clipped. January 18, 2021
Which are the 10 Scariest Airports in America?
The Google+ Social Network: Net Plus or Net Minus?
Twitter's "Potemkin Village Problem" Isn't Getting Any Better
Organizational Management: Zappos Meets Reality