For years the standard cardinal rule was that you could not own a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same area. According to the New York Times there is a push to change some of the old habits.....
A local investor, Samuel Zell, is looking to buyout the Tribune Company by the end of the year which includes: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hartford, and Miami - Fort Lauderdale. This would allow him to control the newspapers and television stations in those states.
PRINTED MEDIA TAKES A HIT
As advertising gradually slides over to Internet Media the newspaper market is slagging in sales. Part of that is due to the speed of delivery and instant gratification of getting the news when you want it. The consumer can log on line or read the headlines off an RSS feed in his/ her Blackberry and keep on moving. There is almost no time for news in this fast high tech world. Television and Internet media knows how to deliver a story. Often times the news is delivered quick and fast in two minute segments to give you an idea of what is happening. Then it will repeat itself again so you get the point.
CNN has been doing this 30 minute coverage thing for years. It just gives you the headlines of whats going on. Even Internet video clips are 2 minutes max. Media groups like TMZ understand the speed and often restless minds of the public.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DIRECT MARKETING??????
Hold on -- one more thing and we'll moooove this along.
The last time I ordered The Wall Street Journal it turned into a big fiasco. It appears that the Journal has outlet centers that handles their outbound calling for new customers. So when they screw up, (and they do) you have to track down the calling center who placed your ads. It appears that none of these groups have a central information bank. So if for some reason they get your address wrong you're flat out of luck. But don't shed any tears my friends they still get YOUR money.
I called the Journal and they informed me that they weren't responsible. I had to track down the calling center. So I had to wait 6 months until my subscription ran up before the culprits reared their gruesome heads again... and they did. They called back looking for money and at that time I explained to them that I never recieved the paper. So we made peace and I got my paper FINALLY.
The problem is the total lack of responsibility and the apparent ability to accept fault. I was not overjoyed with this ordeal and preferred to get my news online. I have had other foibles with the Detroit Free Press harrassing me all hours of the day and night to buy their paper. The lesser known contemporary Oakland Press used to call me as well. I admit I feel sorry for the smaller Oakland Press going through financial crunches and considered a subscription out of sheer sympathy.
WELCOME TO THE NEW AGE
As a marketer you can see the big guys are scrambling to keep things afloat. The entire news system as we know it is falling apart at the seams. One hand things are getting worse for print media and on the other hand things are getting more complex on the Internet. But in that cyber jungle beats the heart of true entrepreneurship.
Direct Marketers have an advantage here that literally spits in the face of media giants. You can funnel your video clips, audio messages and printed articles and get them into circulation -- even if you live in the same town. Thats a no brainer. For an example consider this simple blog. It is outfitted to partake in the mass media.
I can get subscribers -- run 10 min. video clips -- send out my audio commercials -- run testimonials and hawk my products. I do this without having to sign up any $50,000 dollar radio or television contracts.
And unlike the Wall Street Journal my subscribers have direct contact to me. That is to say my news gets delivered. Its not sitting in the rain in someone elses driveway for weeks on end. The other great thing is that I am totally reachable to my subscribers. They can contact me whenever they want to without walls of burreacratic bullshit. I don't have multiple customer service lines set up with horrible music and pre recorded messages that drive away loyal consumers.
The printed media empire has taken serious body blows from Internet media and direct marketers. Take a look at their slagging advertising sales.
Things are beginning to look very interesting for rebel marketers.
Posted by Ted Cantu on Oct. 18, 2007 at 7:24 AM
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