He was pretty cool.
I found his presentation to be captivating and easy to follow. Here's why:
- Mr. Terrance Williams conducted himself well. He came in as a businessman and left as a businessman. He was down-to-earth, and yet, he was very much about his papers and his journalistic career.
- He started his presentation with a question: Why are filthy rich men buying newspapers? Until he'd posed the question, I hadn't thought much about it. Well of course rich men are going to buy something that seems outdated. Of course they're going to try to put the "hip" in hipster. It's almost what old men are known for. You drive out to Las Vegas, it ain't a whole bunch of young folk rolling around in Lamborghini's. Not only did Williams pose the question, he also answered it. Partially for vanity. And also, it's got a big audience.
- Williams also answered audience. How is it growing? Because of tablets, not print. And not only that, but there are new revenue categories in the business as well: print, brand businesses, digital, social media, native content and advertising, events, leveraging a new business culture. Alas! There is hope!
- He talked about PayWalls. Which is kind of a big deal for how newspapers make money these days.
- To make extra revenue, newspapers can sponsor local speakers, debates, film festivals, crime sites, and live stream news reports.
Mr. Williams made me think about news-business generalities. I took away all the different ways a newspaper can succeed in these changing times. I took away hope.
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