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The New York Times and the Price of News

http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Commodore%20Skahill/Colin%20McEnroe%20Show%2003-24-2011.mp3

Here, to me, are the killer statistics:

People spend 35 percent of their media time on the internet, but only 14 percent of the advertising dollars has moved over there. People also spend 35 percent of their media time watching TV, which commands 40 percent of the money spent on advertising. 
That's because online ads aren't worth much. Only 16 percent of users ever click on an ad. And 8 percent of users account for 85 percent of all clicks. 
 
So the eyeballs moved to the Internet, but nobody figured out how to make the advertising follow them over there. An online reader just isn't worth as much as a print reader, even if they're the same person. 
 
So how do you make it pay? The question needs an answer because a lot of the really important journalism in this country is done by people who have, you know ... jobs. At companies. Which make money.
 
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.

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