Tribune Tests Zapping the AP
November 5, 2009
My recollection is that the AP (Associated Press) had its roots in the newspaper industry. The idea was that newspapers could pool some resources and get better coverage without putting their own feet on the street in certain news hot spots. Well, the times are changing. Phil Rosenthal’s “Tribune Co. Papers Rewiring for Experimental Week without AP” describes an interesting test. A big newspaper will publish without content from the AP. For me, the most interesting comment in the article was:
Some newspapers have determined that shared wire content that is available to readers from many other outlets is worth less to them than unique, proprietary content, especially online. Coupled with reductions in the space allocated for news in print, papers are weighing whether there’s the same need for Associated Press content as in the past.
If the experiment provides data that the Tribune cannot move forward without the AP content, that’s a plus for the AP. If the experiment provides data that the Tribune can operate without the AP content, that’s a negative for the AP.
Set aside the outcome. If the AP is “must have” content, why is a test needed? If there is uncertainty, there must be substantive cause. Ergo: big trouble brewing in my opinion. Either way, the “value” of the AP causes doubt.
Stephen Arnold, November 5, 2009
The Kentucky county commissioner must hear from me that I was not paid to write this blog post. Oyez.
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