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From Web to Print: ‘The Onion’ a case model of reverse publishing
Peeling the Onion from Web to Print
The Onion debuted a print product in Washington, DC last week, on the heels of it’s web-TV launch [See post, Onion TV Live Now].
The Onion’s media kit claims a healthy print circulation of 610,000 weekly, with print products in nine markets (not including the recent DC launch), and demographics similar to alt readers [See AWN demographics].
And hey, since faux-alts and dailies have been stealing ideas from alts for years, it seems only fair to size up this latest addition to newsracks.
The Onion’s DC print product is a great example of a reverse publishing model – content that is produced and then adapted for its respective mediums.
Graphs created by LauraFries.com using OmniGraffle
In its inaugural edition, the printed version of the DC Onion featured ‘news’ articles that published throughout the week on theONION.com. A.V. Club content (Arts and Entertainment Coverage) including both full-text articles (published on Friday online, vs. the paper’s Thursday), and excerpts of older reviews for capsule movie reviews.
Local events coverage – A.V. Washington, D.C. – featured 150 word capsules highlighting music, film and comedy events, with short articles written locally. None of this material currently appears on an Onion website.
What ideas can I steal?
- Different editorial calendars/publishing schedules for content that appears online and in print
- Formats that suit the medium: short, scannable excerpts in a commuter-based print product, and lengthier, more comprehensive coverage online.
- Brand leverage: Just as the Onion uses its brand name familiarity to launch new products with authority, so too can alts!
Thoughts?
Why is the Onion expanding into print markets at a time when so many others are shrinking their print operations in favor of web publishing? Will the Onion create city-specific web presences? What other web/print entities does the Onion have partnerships with?
Young journos fear dailies are dying
… What does that mean for alts?
The American Journalism Review [AJR.org] recently posted an intriguing article about the dilemmas that many young journalists face in deciding upon a career in the “dying” medium of newspapers.
Among the main reasons for young journos’ woes?
Trautwein, like other young journalists I interviewed, find themselves torn by competing emotions. They love their jobs but fear [daily] newspapers are dinosaurs. They value what papers do but find them often dull, out of touch and sluggish. They respect older colleagues but are bewildered at things they don’t know. They have lots of ideas but limited power. And they have passion for their craft but are positioning themselves for a future that may leave newspapers behind.
- Caught in the Contradictions, by Carl Sessions Stepp
Stepp focuses his article on the under-30 staffers at the Charlotte Observer, the metro daily in North Carolina. But there’s some food for thought for alt staffers as well.
Some of the frustration felt by the under-30 crowd could be traced to the paper’s web presence:
“Managing Editor Cheryl Carpenter, 49, knows her young staff members would like to see even more energy flowing into the Web. But she is quick to show me a chart showing where the paper’s advertising revenue comes from — far more from print than online.”
So, how do alt-weeklies fare when it comes to creating long-term workplaces for young journalists? And what role does the Internet play in helping to sustain a young pool of talent?
