Monday, December 20, 2010

Bizmology

Bizmology

New Reuters wire service to give AP a run for its money

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 09:32 AM PST

And they said the newspaper industry was dead. Thomson Reuters is trying to breathe a last gasp of life into US newsrooms by launching its very own wire service. Called Reuters America, the service is looking to give the Associated Press (AP) a run for its money.

The AP has become a staple of newsrooms across the country after Knight Ridder's and United Press International's (UPI) wire service fell by the wayside while other newspapers folded themselves up into the great recycle bin in the sky. CNN launched CNN Wire in September 2009; no word on its success, since all the major networks staff their own national desks. Subscribing to a third-party wire service is really the only way for struggling newsrooms to maintain national coverage and up until now, there wasn't much competition.

Reuters America is positioning itself to be a cheaper alternative to the AP. Offering text, photos, and video to newspapers, TV stations, and website publishers, Reuters America uses its own team of reporters and freelance journalists (called "stringers") to cover general state, national, and political news.

And since nobody reads that stuff anyway, Reuters America is using "key content contributors" to give the people what they really want — sports and entertainment! Four partners (SB Nation, SportsDirect Inc., Sports Xchange, and US Presswire) will provide sports scores and all the Tom Brady news you can handle, TheWrap.com has the Hollywood beat covered, (What? No TMZ?) and Examiner.com — a user-generated site, no less, will offer local content. So, essentially, you CAN write for your local paper, via a post to Examiner.com, but you just won't get paid. I'm hoping editors will understand you get what you pay for, and relying on "citizen journalists" for local content might become the final nail in the coffin.

So who's signed on for this deal? Reuters America's first customer is the bankrupt Tribune Company, which publishes 10 daily newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Stay tuned.

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Photo by Gordon Joly used under a CC Share Alike license.

Can’t find the right gift for your cat? How ’bout an iPad game?

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:34 AM PST

It was only a matter of time before app developers would start mining the household pet market, and just in time for Christmas. For the iPad-owning master of the feline with discriminating tastes, we present iPad Game for Cats.

Holiday spending on our favorite furry friends shows no sign of a recessionary slow-down, according to a recent Associated Press poll. Nearly half of cat owners plan to lavish their kitties with gifts, while 56 percent of dog owners plan to do the same. High-end pet boutiques are enjoying brisk business as well, indicating consumer spending restraints may be loosening when it comes to Fido and Fluffy.

Yet if a Chanel leash and collar may be a little too over-the-top for your honorary family member, iPad Game for Cats is a free download. That is, if you own an iPad.

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Photo by Hajime Nakano, used under a Creative Commons license.
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