Huh?

What is that?

First of all, it's our way of piquing your curiosity. This is another one of those newsletters which is a smorgasbord of ideas and notions we've either seen or wondered about as we've criss-crossed the countryside. We hope there's at least the kernel of a good idea buried within these 800 words. You decide...

Many have seen the movie Apollo 13. Amongst the many memorable lines (taken from real events many vividly recall) were the words of Ed Harris playing Flight Controller Gene Kranz as the Mission Control team wrestled with the challenges of getting a crippled ship and weakening crew back to Earth. Kranz proclaimed, "Failure is not an option!"

That applies to our world in a couple of ways:

1. The burden of our societal responsibilities is too great for us to fail. Very simply, democracy does not exist without a free and vibrant press; so friends, I repeat, Failure is Not an Option.
2. Yet, we'd submit that to succeed, our industry is going to have to learn to fail much faster!

In other words, as rewarding as it is to see the multiple new products (notably compact editions written by and for younger adults) please depress the accelerator a bit more, would you? And, equally important - get over any negative vibes and bad karma when a new product "fails." The way we see it, Failure is a mandate.

Quite frankly, the success of the paradigm which has served us so well for so long has compromised our ability to move quickly and in radical directions. Why else would many Publisher's be looking at hiring people 'from outside' the industry?

[Sidebar: One of the newest young adult products is Philly EDGE published by Calkins Media in Philadelphia. Early returns suggest this product a hit, but we want to share one insight. Care to guess what their Mission Statement is?

"MAKE PEOPLE TINGLE"

Is that not the coolest newspaper Mission Statement you've ever seen or heard? You bet!]

Most know the Harrisburg Patriot News in Pennsylvainia decided to offer a compact edition in addition to the broadsheet they've traditionally published. This experiment began last spring. Untold hours and resources and cultural energy were devoted to the successful launch of what they decided to call The Patriot. They overcame:

• Production challenges.
• Marketing challenges.
• Distribution challenges.
• Inertia challenges.
• Cultural challenges.
• Communications challenges.
• You name it.

And, yes, they published a damn fine product. Perhaps some would argue the experiment ended too soon when publication ceased last month, but the fact remains it was a noble effort.

The bottom line? An increase of about 1000 additional daily distribution which apparently flattened out and no amount of increased effort was going to change that.

Did they "fail" to dramatically raise circulation? Yes.

However, according to John Kirkpatrick, Publisher, they succeeded on a host of very valuable dimensions wonderfully...

...poor internal communications is now a thing of the past. They learned by the trial of the marketplace to work more closely together. How BIG a dividend is that?

...risk aversion might not be gone altogether, but it is no longer ingrained as part of the company DNA.

...Advertiser's were supportive. How many newspapers can say their clients view them as "innovative" and "cutting edge?" We note very few hands raised.

...No telling what new product or service is in the Patriot News planning cycle right now, but guess what, everyone within the organization knows they can get it done. The value of such teamwork is priceless.

We'll be watching.

Ok, what is Synchronized Ubiquity?

First of all, it might be better stated as organized or premeditated or orchestrated or planned ubiquity. Fill in the synonym. Yet, the thinking around here is that it should be a goal - written and inscribed in Mission Statements across the land - of every newspaper.

Here's why- Metros have been surrounded by suburban and alternative products everywhere. Then, those are now being pressed by the advent of FREE products. Even true urban papers are contending with a relentless tide of 'ankle biters' which individually do not challenge newspaper reach, but collectively represent significant market share. That's a tide which must be reversed.

The industry has to think BIGGER. Much!

Envision the day when our core product is complemented by a host of niche and targeted products and services which touch everyone! The core product is the traditional broadsheet which everyone of baby boomer and older age is still lovin'.

Unfortunately, to penetrate the unlimited number of additional audience segments within our market, we're going to have to create a host of smaller products to respond to the different habits and lifestyles and interests of others.

And, finally, we're going to have to be EVERYWHERE, all the time, whenever wanted. Almost as if we anticipated our reader's desires. What a great concept?!

There are ways to make that happen, so look forward to the December In The Know for hints (we won't give it away!) and the generic findings to that market wide 'gap' analysis we are conducting to bridge newspaper direction and community/advertiser perception of that direction. Very interesting.