The value of not making money

Posted at 10:38 AM on October 12, 2009 by Than Tibbetts (4 Comments)
Filed under: Media

As I see it, there are now approximately two types of media.

First, there's the media outlet that has an open, or at least an unhidden, political agenda. Your Fox Newses and MSNBCs and your Huffington Posts and Drudge Reports.

Then, there's everybody else, just trying to grab a slice of the online-traffic mongering, banner-ad clicking revenue pie.

I'm kidding (mostly), but there is an interesting space in which the average, struggling media machine is trying to fit. A space where the organization can produce quality content while still making money.

That's why this announcement from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is so interesting.

Going forward, our board will use its unique position to work for readers in pursuing with candidates the issues that are critical to the future of our community. The board will provide readers with clear, concise information about candidates' positions and records. The AJC will no longer endorse political candidates.

In an era where journalism is "non-profit," the AJC's move might literally be a step on company's path to becoming a non-profit company. Whether the move is a viable one remains to be seen; MPR, along with National Public Radio, are among the few bona fide successes in non-profit media. Newspapers have been operating on a member-based model — instead of tote bags, a paper shows up on your doorstep every morning — and that model hasn't exactly been thriving lately.

For the sake of discussion, if the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Duluth News Tribune, the St. Cloud Times, or even your hometown rag became a non-profit, would you support it?

See also: Imagining a future without journalists

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Comments (4)

It works for MPR, I guess. It seems worth a try. However, I have doubts that I would bother with a hard copy paper unless they offer something valuable I can't get from MPR and various free internet news outlets.

Posted by John P. | October 12, 2009 11:41 AM

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Sports and Entertainment (tv and movies) seem to be the biggest things missing at MPR.

Would I donate to get daily Twins coverage, or reviews of fall tv lineup?

MPR purchase StarTribune? Merge offices, expand total coverage?

Posted by BJ | October 12, 2009 12:41 PM

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Why would I give to the STrib when KNOW and NewsQ already serve all of my news needs? Can a big community like the twin cities support more than one news non-profit? Especially when the first (MPR) is already doing a bang-up job, I just don't see it.

Posted by BRNZ | October 12, 2009 4:20 PM

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Depends - MPR / NPR has a long track record of quality. I listen to them extensively. Therefore I pay for it (via membership).

Strib? I don't read it anyway. They would need to find a really good reason to make me invest in them.

Posted by Elizabeth T | October 13, 2009 12:10 PM

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