NEW DIRECTIONS IN PRINT MEDIA:

What's hot and what's not

First of all, stories are shorter. Rob Kahn '92, entertainment reporter for Newsday, said, "It's a bright day in Manhattan if I get to file more than 200 words on something."

"To say nobody reads anymore is not true," said Deborah D. Broderick '81, director of advertising and publications at New York University. "However, people don't read a whole lot. They often won't read a piece from start to finish, so it's important to keep copy to a minimum -- and visually very engaging." Dynamic layouts are especially important in grabbing the attention of younger readers, who grew up with the Internet.

A case in point, style-wise, is USA Today. "USA Today has had a tremendous influence on print media: shorter stories, the inclusion of charts and graphs," said Tony Kornheiser '70, Washington Post sports columnist and co-host of ESPN TV's Pardon the Interruption, as well as host of his own ESPN radio show. The problem with this trend, he laments, is that it "doesn't value stylish writing."

Practical, how-to content that helps people with limited time make decisions or find solutions is also popular. "There is an increased demand for targeted information," said Gary Foodim '92, director of strategic partnerships for Entertainment Weekly. "People will read things for information and utility. For example, Entertainment Weekly is a guide to help people make entertainment decisions: Readers trust it to help them decide what DVD to buy, or what movies to see."

Niche marketing is also on the rise. Although there are few magazine launches these days, the occasional new ones cater to targeted audiences. New magazines directed at women ages 25-54 offer practical solutions for simplifying life and making decisions. And so-called "lad books" -- magazines directed at a lifestyle rather than a specific hobby and aimed at the 18-34 male market, such as Maxim, FHM and Stuff -- are "unbelievably popular," said Foodim. So much, in fact, that they are a threat to more established magazines, like GQ and Esquire. "Guys are connecting to these magazines," Foodim said. "They sell incredibly well at the newsstand and have decent renewal rates."

Print offers depth, insight

While shorter articles are the order of the day, people also look to the printed page for a more in-depth and insightful read, said Foodim. "Because of publication frequency, magazines can't compete with TV or the Internet," he said. "You can get news hour by hour on the Web; magazines offer perspective."

Newsprint, too, offers readers far greater depth and insight than other media sources, said Kornheiser. "People won't say on the radio or TV what they will to a newspaper guy," he said. "You go for those stories. Like heartbreak -- people don't give it to TV or radio."

"At the Times, we believe there's a huge hunger for authoritative journalism, and instead of just focusing on drawing readers in the New York City area, we're trying to be the paper of choice for the more educated readers around the nation who may not have a local paper that can go in depth on, say, foreign policy or economics," said Gerry Mullany '84, journalist and associate Metro editor for The New York Times. "We're also trying that strategy around the globe, through our purchase of the International Herald Tribune and inserts into papers in Europe, Asia and Latin America, where there seems to be a growing demand for the kind of journalism we do."

The Times' reaction to the Jayson Blair scandal underscored the vital importance of its identity as an authoritative voice. The newspaper took great pains to unearth and reveal the scope and extent of Blair's transgressions, thereby distancing itself from such journalisitic fraud. It also created a committee to review newsroom policies such as the use of unidentified sources. And, ultimately, Blair's editors took responsibility for his misconduct by resigning.

Our fast-paced lifestyle demands brief stories that can be taken in quickly -- yet we also want to find in-depth coverage and analysis in the publications we trust the most. How do publications deal with this dichotomy? Many offer both. Others tend to specialize.

Print + Web = increased access

"With circulation falling, managers are constantly trying to find ways to attract and hold on to younger readers," said Kahn. "The growing reliance on the Web is a survival tactic. The move to the Web is the biggest change I've noticed in the last two years." That change has had a huge impact on Kahn's job. "I used to have at least one day to write a story," he said. "Now, some mornings I'll come in and my editor will say, 'Can you file something in the next hour so we can get it up on the Web?'" Kahn also sometimes finds himself in the role of a broadcast reporter doing a video stream for the Web. "Now I'd better be dressed properly at work," he joked.

"Major papers like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have drawn millions of readers to their websites, and for the Times, at least, it's a profitable and growing part of the business," said Mullany. "If you're a serious news organization, you really need to have a big presence on the Web, because that's where people, particularly younger readers, are increasingly getting their news. Plus you can do silly things that you could never imagine doing with a newspaper, like giving readers crossword puzzle answers immediately."

Many magazines also offer supplemental or complementary information online. "What's been successful for Entertainment Weekly is our online photo gallery," said Foodim. "For example, we'll run a story about Ben Affleck and direct the reader to the Web for more photos. It's an extension of what couldn't fit in the magazine, and another access point to the magazine."

For publishers of informational brochures, expense plays a role in boosting the interdependence between printed pieces and the Web. Broderick noted that New York University has shifted resources away from large print runs and relies more on the Web and e-mail as "supplemental, cost-effective ways to cast a large net."

E-mags vs. paper

Increased competition is also driving the interdependence of the printed page and the Web. In the wake of the dot-com failure, the war and the downshift in the economy -- all factors that have led to a decrease in available advertising dollars -- many magazines have folded and the survivors have sharpened their competitive edge, said Robert Hoover '76, operations supervisor for Hearst Magazines in New York City. Moreover, as Foodim points out, everyone's going after the same advertising dollars. And "at the end of the day there are very few advertisers that just want to buy a page in a book," he said.

In fact, advertisers are looking to increase their points of access to consumers via PDAs (personal digital assistants) and other emerging technology. "That's going to be important," said Foodim. "The access points to the brands are going to increase, whether it's via the Web or the PDA or something else."

Still, Foodim doesn't see the advent of the "e-magazine" in the near future -- at least, not within the next seven to 10 years. In theory, e-magazines would travel through cyberspace and be downloaded to subscribers on a weekly (or monthly) basis via a specific, portable piece of hardware. "Although people have talked about them for a long time, it hasn't worked yet." said Foodim. Not only do people love the portability of magazines, he said, "they associate magazines with specific places and doing specific things -- like, 'I get my People magazine on Fridays, curl up on the couch and read it.'"

(Clockwise from upper left) Robert Hoover '76, operations supervisor for Hearst Magazines in New York City; Rob Kahn '92, entertainment reporter for Newsday; Gary Foodim '92, director of strategic partnerships for Entertainment Weekly; Gerry Mullany '84, journalist for The New York Times; Deborah D. Broderick '81, director of publications for New York University