News processes for multiple platforms

www.theherald.co.za

www.weekendpost.co.za

Daily/weekly traffic cycles (current)

5am

9am

10am 1pm

4pm 7pm

Saturday Monday

Thursday

www.theherald.co.za & www.weekendpost.co.za

Traffic watersheds (Daily)*

5am

9am

4pm

* Assumes extension of current trends

10am 1pm

7pm

www.theherald.co.za & www.weekendpost.co.za

Traffic watersheds (Weekly)*

* Assumes extension of current trends

Sun

Sat

FriThurWedTuesMon

Story filtering

• Publish strategically

• Stagger exclusive stories

• Break breaking news FIRST (online)

• Promote own content on all platforms

• Prioritise local (but don’t ignore the rest)

Story item categories

Category A

• Item published online (and mobile)• May be flagged on alert service, Twitter etc• Usually refers audience to

detailed/comprehensive piece print edition of the following day

• May include items online that follow-up & develop items already in print

• Mostly stories in the public domain but include extract of own-enterprise story

Category B

• Items appears in print (Mon – Sat)• Republished automatically overnight online• Lower value stories usually in public domain • May include inside page leads• May include items with accompanying

multimedia where full story is required to give presentation proper context

• Would include all columns, comment and leaders

Category C

• Item is published in print FIRST• Teaser item ONLY online published overnight to push

reader to print purchase• FULL item published online 2pm on day of print

publication• Teaser item can be

(a) first 3 pars of story(b) specially written item with specific extract

- would work best for softer features• Applies to high value own-enterprise and exclusive items• Can include hard news and features

Category D

• Miscellaneous items UNUSED in print for reasons of space but adding value online

• NOT for a measure to dump items with quality issues but may include softer stories

• May include items that are timebound and need to be cleared from queues

• May include republication of previously published items

• Where publication is required to link to a specific blog or column or on-day leader (editorial)

Commodity news

• Local stories remain a priority on all platforms BUT …

• Wire copy on IMPORTANT national and global stories will appear online as a story breaks (usually ahead of print)

• Print remains primary vehicle for analysis, features and pull-togethers on these stories

• Can be incorporated local items for any platform

Copy flow (By category)LOCAL CONTENT POOL

CATEGORY A

CATEGORY B

CATEGORY C

CATEGORY D

COMMODITY NEWS

Directly online

Breaks story; pushes audience to more detail in next print edition

“Lower” value print item: reproduced online simultaneously with print edition

Teaser appears online overnight

Miscellaneous held over and timebound items NOT used in print

Important national/global stories

Includes content accompanying multimedia (context)

Full article republished online by 2pm on day of publication

Backgrounders/analysis/write-thrus retained for FIRST usage in print

Partial content may be lifted for own stories

May be flagged on mobile alert if big enough

Life of a story

Metro mayor Maphazi quits to

join COPE

Short bulletin published online

Mobile alerts draws subscribers

attention to the story on web and

mobisite

RSS and Twitter feeds alert web

users

Update with more detail is posted

online; this story points to

comprehensive report in the

following day’s print edition

Flyer in print story invites reader

comment by SMS

Flag in print story points to audio

interview with the mayor on website

Story republished on website;

includes flyer promoting

exclusive in following day’s

print editionNew, exclusive story appears in

print

Short teaser item appears online, based on new,

exclusive story & promoting print

edition

Full version of new story uploaded to

web (2pm)

Decision-making

• Who decides what goes where, when?• New system for collective decisions• More frequent meetings, at hub level• Gatekeeping by: - Collective

- Hub (Ad hoc) - Executive (Day Ed. up)

Copy flow (By basket)FINISHED STORY

CATEGORY A

CATEGORY B

CATEGORY C

CATEGORY D

COMMODITY NEWS

Web: Copy

Web: Published (Immediate)

News: News Editor

ORIGINAL: News: News Editor

News: News Editor

Wires

Taste: Copy

Taste: Copy

TEASER: Web: Copy

Prod: Pages

Prod: Revise

Web: Published (Overnight)

Web: Published (2pm)

Prod: Pages

Prod: Revise

Web: Published (Overnight)

News: Hold

Web: Copy

Web: Published (Immediate)

ORIGINAL: Arts-Sport-Business: Copy

Arts-Sport-Business: Copy

Arts-Sport-Business: Copy

Web: Copy (Particularly breaking news)

Taste: Copy (Particularly analysis, backgrounders, write thrus)

Web: Published (Immediate)

Prod: Revise

Prod pages

Web: Published (Overnight)

Media flow (By basket)RAW MEDIA

STILLS

AUDIO

VIDEO

Picture Folders (Hi Res: D/load, Caption & Byline via FotoStation)

P Drive (Herald Photographers)

P Drive (Audio Dump Folder) (D/load and tag via FotoStation)

P Drive (Video Dump Folder) (D/load and tag via FotoStation)

Imported to users folder on U drive & ediited

Imported to users folder on U drive & ediited

P Drive (Web)

Audience Staff

Scanners

Pages

Lo Res generated

Uploaded to web

Slideshow

Multimedia

Uploaded to web

Picture Gallery

Uploaded to web

P Drive (Multimedia) Final version

Uploaded to web

P Drive (Multimedia) Final version

Uploaded to web

Wires (Sapa, Gallo & AP)

Goals (2009/10)

• Support print sales (ongoing)

• Unique browsers: 30%

• Page impressions: 50%

• Online advertising: R20k (budget)

The three-way challenge

• Create a platform for future revenue

• Monetize new digital as well as existing offline platforms

• Use every platform to promote the other (and specifically maintain print)

Then …

The omnibus newspaper readership

Now …

Net-newsers

Integrators

TraditionalistsThe omnibus newspaper readership