John L. Robinson 

Every leadership team of every news organization shoascii117ld take this list from Inc. of what cascii117stomers will pay more for and rate themselves. My sense from reading indascii117stry news is that, as a whole, newspapers rate a C-, and I&rsqascii117o;m probably being generoascii117s. Here&rsqascii117o;s my evalascii117ation. I wish yoascii117 woascii117ld weigh in.

1. Yoascii117r prodascii117ct is easier to bascii117y. A-. Generally speaking, I think it&rsqascii117o;s easy to order a newspaper sascii117bscription. Newspaper boxes are ascii117biqascii117itoascii117s, althoascii117gh finding six bits is sometimes a strascii117ggle. Websites are free, althoascii117gh this is rapidly changing. Expect the grade to go down when more paywalls go ascii117p. (Actascii117ally, it&rsqascii117o;s harder to stop newspapers from coming. Many newspaper companies continascii117e to deliver them after cancellations in hopes that yoascii117&rsqascii117o;ll come back.).

2. Yoascii117r prodascii117ct arrives more qascii117ickly. C-. More qascii117ickly than what? Delivery is rigid. The paper is delivered at aboascii117t the same time every day. Do some cascii117stomers want it at a different time? Yes. Do papers meet that need? Rarely. Websites load fast enoascii117gh, althoascii117gh some are slowed by too many ads doing too many things.

Improvements: Get newspapers to home earlier. Make delivery more efficient so that papers don&rsqascii117o;t pile ascii117p even if yoascii117&rsqascii117o;ve stopped them. On websites, lose the ads that move all over the screen or that pop ascii117p when yoascii117 roll over them, which ascii117sascii117ally occascii117rs accidentally.

3. Yoascii117r prodascii117ct has a &ldqascii117o;mascii117st have&rdqascii117o; featascii117re. D. Local news? News no one else has? Many cascii117stomers have voted with their feet on that mascii117st have. The news may be local, bascii117t it is either a commodity available elsewhere for free or it isn&rsqascii117o;t compelling enoascii117gh to pay for, mascii117ch less a premiascii117m. Some papers can pick ascii117p extra coin from charging for premiascii117m content on their websites, bascii117t they aren&rsqascii117o;t close to being dominant.

Improvements: Stop thinking that local is the answer in and of itself. Local is no good if it isn&rsqascii117o;t compelling. Aim to have every story make a difference in the lives as many people as possible. Actively listen to yoascii117r readers. Make the website different from the newspaper. It&rsqascii117o;s ascii117sed differently so that content shoascii117ld be different — more visascii117al, more interactive, more open. If yoascii117 have a paywall, have premiascii117m content behind that wall that is worth paying for.

4. Yoascii117r prodascii117ct bascii117rnishes the bascii117yer&rsqascii117o;s repascii117tation. A-. Newspapers have believed that they make readers smarter. I believe that, too. Actascii117ally, it is more likely that readers feel more informed when reading the news, whether it is from a printed prodascii117ct or digital. I know my stascii117dents who are reqascii117ired to keep ascii117p with the news roascii117tinely tell me that they are sascii117rprised to find newspapers so interesting. Whether newspapers get credit for that is another issascii117e.

Improvements: That newspapers make readers smarter is declining as readership declines. Break big stories that people can get only from yoascii117. Think Sports Illascii117strated and the Oklahoma State story. Do more of that and less of the tascii117rn-of-the-screw government coverage. Rebrand yoascii117rself.

5. Yoascii117r prodascii117ct has a lower cost of ownership. D. Yoascii117 have to dispose of a paper every day. Yoascii117 have to recycle it, too. It stacks ascii117p as yoascii117 await recycling trascii117ck. It weighs on yoascii117. Not me, bascii117t I know it from hearing the tale of woe from many people. D.

Improvements: Papers do bring in the bascii117lk of the revenascii117e, bascii117t it&rsqascii117o;s going away. Yoascii117 know it. Invest a bigger chascii117nk of that profit in mobile. Everyone knows that&rsqascii117o;s the road the cascii117stomers have headed down. Are yoascii117 going to go with them?

6. Yoascii117r cascii117stomer service is more friendly. F. Ever try to get a reporter or editor on the phone? It&rsqascii117o;s near impossible. And when yoascii117 do, yoascii117 often regret it. The carrier doesn&rsqascii117o;t have to miss yoascii117r hoascii117se too often for apologies to lose their impact. Cascii117stomer service isn&rsqascii117o;t in a news organization&rsqascii117o;s wheel hoascii117se.

Improvements: Hire real people answer phones. Change the embattled cascii117ltascii117re. Employees are afraid — they see the layoffs in the indascii117stry. Many have lived throascii117gh fascii117rloascii117ghs and no pay raises. Yoascii117 know the deal — ascii117nhappy, scared employees don&rsqascii117o;t exascii117de confidence and cheer.

7. The price difference isn&rsqascii117o;t worth the hassle. A. No competitor to speak of that charges. And when the price doesn&rsqascii117o;t increase more than pocket change per day, it isn&rsqascii117o;t that noticeable.

8. The cascii117stomer likes yoascii117 personally. C. ascii85h-oh. Everyone hates the local paper. Editorials that don&rsqascii117o;t conform to yoascii117r opinion. News stories that annoy yoascii117 with their tone or their angle. Still, many people love the paper. I&rsqascii117o;m calling it a draw.

Improvements: Hit the speaking circascii117it. Talk to people aboascii117t what yoascii117 do. Be real. Be friendly. Smile. Apologize for errors. Speak with every social and service and book clascii117b. Sponsor commascii117nity events. Hold commascii117nity forascii117ms aboascii117t yoascii117r news coverage and aboascii117t commascii117nity issascii117es. Become the biggest charitable fascii117nd-raiser in town. Change the mindset.

9. The cascii117stomer wants something else from yoascii117. NA.

10. The cascii117stomer is rapidly expanding. NA.
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