On the future of media

I came across a very interesting list of articles on the Life, Death and Rebirth of Media via Patou Nuytemans. It includes articles from the USA and Europe about the developments in the print media. An excellent read.

How to make the digital native read a newspaper, by Pres. Sarkozy

After three months of intense meetings, interviews and research the French government published the recommendations to support print media in France. In the context of the growing importance of online news and the economic situation of the print media "Etats Genereaux de la Presse Ecrite" was created. This Conference worked on four aspects of the print media business: the journalist function, the industrial process, print media and Internet and print media and society. Earlier this month the group presented its conclusion in the "Livre Vert". On the basis of these recommandations President Sarkozy decided to give all 18 year old French a free newspaper subsription of one year. The French government is also to double its advertising budgets spent in print media to 40%. Other measures have also been announced. Together with the ban on advertising on public broadcast television, the French have put together robust measures to support the print media.

Livre Vert

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Chris Anderson (Wired): some print is dead

At the Creativity World Forum I asked Chris Anderson about the future of print media. His answer that some print is dead balances the consumer interest on one hand and the print media characteristics on the other. Newspapers deliver news that is at least 10 hours old, the internet brings it instantaneously. Anderson believes that newspapers will therefore die. Weekly magazines will have a difficult time, monthly magazines have a stronger position. They can exploit the fact that readers are interested in analysis and depth and appreciate the general lay out of magazines. Anderson supported this with his own magazine Wired; stories in Wired are up to 8000 words and the design of graphs and pages add to the depth of the articles. Wired has tried to translate the same reading experience to the web but didn't succeed. Finally books offer a total immersion in the subject and therfore they will continue to exists.

Thirty years of Dutch digital natives media consumption

Dutch digital natives display an astonishing shift in media consumption based upon time serie data. The data indicate an increase in total time spent with media, but a decrease of print media, radio and music and television. Time spent with internet is almost the same as with television. These data confirm what we probably have guessed to be the situation. And also calls for an industry-wide reaction.

Traditional and new media winners in Brussels

Today I went to the award ceremony of the Enterprise of the Year of Ernst & Young. The winner of this award and of the Flemish award for the most talented company proved to be two antipoles: CartaMundi was the winner of the serious Enterprise of the Year award and Netlog was chosen the most talented company. CartaMundi is a world leader in the production of all kinds of playing cards, cards used in Las Vegas or Pokemon cards collected by kids. Netlog is the Belgian-based European leader in social networking. Both represent social networking: the traditional and the new way. Social networking for the digital immigrants and for digital natives.