Google selling newspapers

Google announced last year a test involving 50 US newspapers and a limited number of advertisers to bid online for advertising space. Today the service called Google Print Ads is available for all advertisers and includes over 225 newspapers (combined circulation of nearly 30 million). The Google sales pitch demonstrates the commitment to integrated media campaigns as it presents 4 reasons to consider newspapers as a "important component of any advertiser's media mix". Newspapers give advertisers significant local reach, they reach an attractive demographic audience, they are a key resource for shopping information that drives offline and online purchases and finally newspapers are relevant throughout the entire purchase cycle.
It will be very interesting to see what Google's initiative will do to the top-line and bottom-line results of the participating newspapers. And also to the reaction of the traditional traders in ad space; the media agencies.

News a la minute

We were traveling in England this weekend and while watching the BBC news we experienced the growing importance of consumer generated content. The news had an item on the evacuation of several Tesco shops in Britain. However the BBC didn't know a great deal about what was going on. Viewers were invited to email what they had seen at the Tesco shops. Within 20 minutes the newsreaders could report on details of 5 Tesco shops, including time, reasons for evacuation, what happened to the staff and pictures.
Prior to BBC journalists viewers delivered the news. The newsreaders were reading the viewer reports from the laptops on their desks, apparently without further checking the facts. The news was really brought to you as it developed, and not by a BBC journalist at the spot but by the "consumers".
Although the strength of consumer generated content is clearly demonstrated it also points at a risk. Does opening the door for live consumer input not jeopardise the quality of the BBC brand? When facts are relayed without control to consumers this might influence the status, credibility and value of the BBC brand?
By the way it appears now that the closure of 14 stores and evacuation of hundred of thousands of customers was a reaction to a day of action of an animal rights group.