Comments on: Roger Ebert, Esquire and the paid-versus-free debate http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/ By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:09:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dan bloom http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55053 dan bloom Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:47:03 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55053 Dan to Dan, my viral snailpaper song is on YOUTUBE now , going viral as we speaketh, er, typeth, er readeth, er,screeneth. ENJOY. reax and comments welcome. does it work for you? yes no? just a novelty song dan bloom in Taiwan, go figure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnZKIk1Krp8 Dan to Dan, my viral snailpaper song is on YOUTUBE now , going viral as we speaketh, er, typeth, er readeth, er,screeneth. ENJOY. reax and comments welcome. does it work for you? yes no? just a novelty song

dan bloom in Taiwan, go figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnZKIk1Krp8

]]> By: Mike Benedict http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55022 Mike Benedict Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:41:36 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55022 This is worth a look. Some media are generating positive reaction from the semi-interactive bar codes embedded in print ads. http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142214 This is worth a look. Some media are generating positive reaction from the semi-interactive bar codes embedded in print ads.

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142214

]]> By: Mike Benedict http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55019 Mike Benedict Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:17:25 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55019 @Art Kane: Your point about the demographics is well-taken. Our own data suggest that, generally, our audience is older (40+), well educated (bachelor's in science/engineering or higher), and by most standards wealthy (median subscriber annual salary of $85,000+). I'm not sure how this tracks to MSM, but I would guess the latter two are in our case a higher. We do a demographic sort and actually charge different rates depending on whether a subscriber fits the "ideal" (in the advertiser's perspective) profile. It works for us, but I would be a bit suspect as to whether it would hold for most media outlets. @Art Kane: Your point about the demographics is well-taken. Our own data suggest that, generally, our audience is older (40+), well educated (bachelor’s in science/engineering or higher), and by most standards wealthy (median subscriber annual salary of $85,000+). I’m not sure how this tracks to MSM, but I would guess the latter two are in our case a higher. We do a demographic sort and actually charge different rates depending on whether a subscriber fits the “ideal” (in the advertiser’s perspective) profile. It works for us, but I would be a bit suspect as to whether it would hold for most media outlets.

]]> By: dan bloom http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55016 dan bloom Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:58:06 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55016 Good points, Dan, re "Increasingly I’m coming around to the idea that a newspaper or magazine’s Web site should be different from its print edition. The Web should be about blogs, community, interaction and extra features that aren’t available in print. The print edition should drive traffic to the Web site, and the Web site ought to drive sales of the print edition." well said. that said: snailpapers. it's a new term i coined as a term of endearment for print newspapers, what do you think? useful? humororus? see my zippy1300 blogspot for the inside skinny on snailpapers, Dan, I told Alex Beam about the meme, and i got a song about snailpapers on youtube tonight, soon. titled "I just can't live (without my daily snailpaper)" and it goes like this in part.... Good points, Dan, re
“Increasingly I’m coming around to the idea that a newspaper or magazine’s Web site should be different from its print edition. The Web should be about blogs, community, interaction and extra features that aren’t available in print. The print edition should drive traffic to the Web site, and the Web site ought to drive sales of the print edition.”

well said. that said: snailpapers.

it’s a new term i coined as a term of endearment for print newspapers, what do you think? useful? humororus?

see my zippy1300 blogspot for the inside skinny on snailpapers, Dan, I told Alex Beam about the meme, and i got a song about snailpapers on youtube tonight, soon. titled “I just can’t live (without my daily snailpaper)” and it goes like this in part….

]]> By: Dana Gower http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55014 Dana Gower Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:37:57 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55014 I think you've got it backwards, and Esquire got it exactly right. I can't tell you how many years it's been since I've read Esquire. I came across the article on the Poynter sight, read the entire thing and then went out and bought the magazine. I felt that any magazine that printed an article this good had to be worth reading. If they had printed just a synopsis, or, worse, a blog about the article, I would probably have skipped the entire thing. I honestly don't know whether I'll buy next month's issue, but I'll definitely take a look at it. I think you’ve got it backwards, and Esquire got it exactly right. I can’t tell you how many years it’s been since I’ve read Esquire. I came across the article on the Poynter sight, read the entire thing and then went out and bought the magazine. I felt that any magazine that printed an article this good had to be worth reading. If they had printed just a synopsis, or, worse, a blog about the article, I would probably have skipped the entire thing. I honestly don’t know whether I’ll buy next month’s issue, but I’ll definitely take a look at it.

]]> By: Greg Cook http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55011 Greg Cook Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:18:10 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55011 I've been struck by how Ebert has so completely and successfully embraced the Web -- and assume (as he has alluded online) that this is partly a result of him losing his ability to speak. He clearly still craves the conversation. And the discussion that occurs among his commenters is one of the richest anywhere. This may have been discussed in the Esquire piece (I've not read it yet), but two things are particuarly striking about his recent online writing. First, his blog posts are increasingly small memoir essays. And feel like a man who knows his time is limited and is finally, wonderfully writing his own story. (It helps that he seems to have an incredible memory.) Second, his writing has become increasingly moral. He's purposely and repeatedly blogged about evolution, and his own faith. But he's also called out Rush Limbaugh and others. Unlike many major media figures, instead of avoiding conflict to protect his standing, he's using his own stature to take on major figures, and draw attention to important issues outside his usual beat. It comes across as brave -- but maybe it just feels that way because of the lack of others doing the same. Ebert was a pal with the great Mike Royko, and he stands as one of the major heirs of Royko in Chicago journalism, in national journalism. It's easy to miss this because Ebert is -- just? -- a movie reviewer. The Web has revealed him as a three-dimensional public intellectual in a way that his movie reviews have not. I'd not really put this all together until I began paying closer attention to what Ebert was doing after Chicago Reader media critic Michael Miner accurately called Ebert the conscience of the Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-liberal-progressive-one/Content?oid=925482 I’ve been struck by how Ebert has so completely and successfully embraced the Web — and assume (as he has alluded online) that this is partly a result of him losing his ability to speak. He clearly still craves the conversation. And the discussion that occurs among his commenters is one of the richest anywhere.

This may have been discussed in the Esquire piece (I’ve not read it yet), but two things are particuarly striking about his recent online writing. First, his blog posts are increasingly small memoir essays. And feel like a man who knows his time is limited and is finally, wonderfully writing his own story. (It helps that he seems to have an incredible memory.)

Second, his writing has become increasingly moral. He’s purposely and repeatedly blogged about evolution, and his own faith. But he’s also called out Rush Limbaugh and others. Unlike many major media figures, instead of avoiding conflict to protect his standing, he’s using his own stature to take on major figures, and draw attention to important issues outside his usual beat. It comes across as brave — but maybe it just feels that way because of the lack of others doing the same.

Ebert was a pal with the great Mike Royko, and he stands as one of the major heirs of Royko in Chicago journalism, in national journalism. It’s easy to miss this because Ebert is — just? — a movie reviewer. The Web has revealed him as a three-dimensional public intellectual in a way that his movie reviews have not.

I’d not really put this all together until I began paying closer attention to what Ebert was doing after Chicago Reader media critic Michael Miner accurately called Ebert the conscience of the Chicago Sun-Times.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-liberal-progressive-one/Content?oid=925482

]]> By: Art Kane http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55010 Art Kane Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:41:37 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55010 @Mike: You make a very valid hands-on-experience point, and you're right, of course, that the advertisers will call the tune; but what if the two different -- but overlapping -- audiences were carefully calibrated by age & income demographics, with the print version skewing older, and vice versa? @Mike: You make a very valid hands-on-experience point, and you’re right, of course, that the advertisers will call the tune; but what if the two different — but overlapping — audiences were carefully calibrated by age & income demographics, with the print version skewing older, and vice versa?

]]> By: Mark Phillips http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55009 Mark Phillips Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:22:46 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55009 Sadly, Dan, I don't think a fine piece of journalism is enough to drive people to pay. In fact, I'm not sure what is enough. Holding back the piece only to those who pay, in my opinion, simply would mean fewer people would have read it. These are the times in which we're living. Sadly, Dan, I don’t think a fine piece of journalism is enough to drive people to pay. In fact, I’m not sure what is enough.

Holding back the piece only to those who pay, in my opinion, simply would mean fewer people would have read it.

These are the times in which we’re living.

]]> By: Bill Weye http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55008 Bill Weye Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:10:16 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55008 Dan, I don't know all the ownership particulars, but the <a>Esquire UK</a> site is much better (from a print edition sustainability perspective) than the Esquire US site. The UK site is old school: just a blog that advertises one thing: the print edition. I'm guessing by foregoing display advertising on the web site and making the site sparse (compared to the Esquire US site) it actually supports the print edition better. If the UK site had more than one full time editor and a couple of part time writers I'd be shocked. But this is a magazine. I don't think newspapers can follow that same model. Dan,

I don’t know all the ownership particulars, but the Esquire UK site is much better (from a print edition sustainability perspective) than the Esquire US site. The UK site is old school: just a blog that advertises one thing: the print edition. I’m guessing by foregoing display advertising on the web site and making the site sparse (compared to the Esquire US site) it actually supports the print edition better. If the UK site had more than one full time editor and a couple of part time writers I’d be shocked.

But this is a magazine. I don’t think newspapers can follow that same model.

]]> By: BP Myers http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/02/22/roger-ebert-esquire-and-the-paid-versus-free-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-55006 BP Myers Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:32:02 +0000 http://www.dankennedy.net/?p=7342#comment-55006 "And one thing I would do with the Globe tomorrow (as well as other newspapers) is kill the “Today’s Paper” section of the Web site." I've long wondered what that link was for, concluding it was simply there for reference, to confirm (if one was citing something) that an article did indeed appear in the paper that day, as opposed to strictly being web content or something. The one time I've used it was for exactly that. Love the new "Hot Topics" menu bar and think they do a lot of stuff very well, comment moderation grumble grumble aside grumble grumble. “And one thing I would do with the Globe tomorrow (as well as other newspapers) is kill the “Today’s Paper” section of the Web site.”

I’ve long wondered what that link was for, concluding it was simply there for reference, to confirm (if one was citing something) that an article did indeed appear in the paper that day, as opposed to strictly being web content or something. The one time I’ve used it was for exactly that.

Love the new “Hot Topics” menu bar and think they do a lot of stuff very well, comment moderation grumble grumble aside grumble grumble.

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