The Printed Blog is dead. Here’s to have-a-go hero Karp

The Printed Blog is no more. After six months, 80,000 print copies and 100,000 downloads, founder Joshua Karp has pulled the plug on the world’s first newspaper based exclusively on blogs and user-generated content.

Despite “signifcant personal investment”, the project simply ran out of money. But, says, Karp: “I may be nuts, but I have zero regrets.”

I don’t think Karp is mad – I think he’s a hero. And he’s exactly the sort of person who will define the boundaries of tomorrow’s local media by having a big idea and the balls to see it through.

In a lengthy and heartfelt goodbye on his blog, Joshua also runs through the lessons he’s learned. Far from acting as a warning to other have-a-go heroes, they should serve as inspiration. (more…)

Would changes to media ownership laws be so bad?

One of the questions floated at last night’s debate on the future for local newspapers in London was: Should the Government relax the laws on regional media owenership?

There was a lively discussion, but I think it’s fair to say the consensus among the audience and panellists at the Frontline Club was generally negative. I take a slightly different tack.

In a submission to the Office of Fair Trading, the NUJ stated its case like this: “If they [regional publishers] were now to be permitted to consolidate their control of substantial areas of the country there would simply be a continued contraction of the industry … with fewer titles, even fewer journalists and a rapid fall in the amount and quality of news. It would be to accelerate a spiral of decline,” (more…)

What wonder-woman Claire can teach our local media

I can’t stop thinking about Claire Robertson.

She’s a bespectacled, friendly, fidgety sort of mum who happened to be the manager of Woolworths in Dorchester when the shopping giant collapsed, putting Claire and her 25-odd staff out of work.

But not for long. Because Claire grabbed the bull by the horms, raised the capital, employed many of her former staff and opened a new shop on the exact same site … called Wellworth. (more…)

Rocky Mountaineers launch subscription appeal

So now we know …

Around 30 staff from the Rocky Mountain News, which folded last month, have joined forces with three Denver entrepreneurs to launch an online-only service.

The team is hoping to sign up 50,000 subscribers, paying “as little as $4.99 a month” by April 23 – the 150th birthday of the Rocky Mountain News.

If they reach their goal, then InDenverTimes.com could be launched in early May, “reviving a tradition of distinguished reporting and editing with 21st-century electronic delivery,” according to the new website. (more…)

The next Big Idea for the price of a cup of coffee

I had a curious experience in the JobCentre this morning, that left me wandering down Loughton High Street pulling one of my “is it me, or …” expressions.

You wouldn’t be the first to tell me I’ve missed the mark. So let me run this by you: UK unemployment is now nudging two million for the first time since 1997 and Gordon “not on my watch” Brown has pledged to spend £500 million over the next two years to stop it rising further. His cash injection includes handing employers £2,500 for every person they recruit who has been on the dole for more than six months.

(more…)