What would you do if you were king of the world?

Last week we talked about what we’re teaching future journalists.
Today we’ll talk about what you would do with unlimited power.
Newspaper tech expert Kevin Slimp posed that question to us.
A group of us were discussing the future of newspapers in Atlanta.
He wanted to know how we would advise newspaper people.
The answers came rapid fire.
Ken Blum said, "Don’t give your content away on the Internet."
John Peterson said, "Be accountable to your readers and advertisers."
Ed Henninger said, "Constantly reinvent your company. Innovate.
"Concentrate on customer service. Keep the personal connection."
Phil Hanna said, "Grow the top line instead of constantly cutting."
In other words, work as hard on the revenue side as the cost side.
Kevin himself said, "Constantly improve your reproduction."
Bob Bobber said, "Rotate your sampling in growth markets.
Introduce more and more people to your community newspaper."
I say, "Get more local names and faces into the paper.
"Look for new ways to help advertisers survive and thrive."
Tomorrow we’ll talk about our annual cost and revenue survey.
To improve your top and bottom lines click here.

Can you cut your way to greatness?

Yesterday we talked about models for market penetration.
Today we’ll talk about what will keep newspapers profitable.
These insights came out of last weekend’s Atlanta summit.
These are troubled times for advertisers and reader families.
That means trouble for newspapers, too.
What affects advertisers and readers directly affects us.
Many publishers are slashing budgets and laying off people.
Can you make such Draconian cuts without cutting your throat?
No one every cut their way to greatness, says John Peterson.
John is a former publisher who now advises publishers.
One of John’s clients increased margins 23% in one year.
They didn’t do it by slashing budgets and laying off people.
They did it as the primary source of local news and advertising.
They became the "owner’s manual for their community".
If it’s important to your community, it’s important to you.
Technology consultant Kevin Slimp says investing is critical.
Invest in your people. Get them the tools they need to produce.
One of his clients bought laptops for his news and sales people.
He showed he was willing to invest in them with the right tools.
What happened to morale and productivity? Of course it went up.
Think: Where can I find the dollars to invest in my people?
You can do it by smart cost controls. By producing better products.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about enriching reader/advertiser relations.
To cut costs without cutting your throat click here.