November 6, 2010

You think you have a problem with U.S. News...

... but U.S. News has problems of its own.

23 comments:

somefeller said...

What's the problem? It looks to me like they've figured out (unlike Newsweek and others) where the future of magazine journalism is. Daily and weekly stuff can and should be on the web or in smartphone apps, and the special additions that are their unique content (like the US News annual college reviews) can be sold on paper for those who want such things in depth, because those editions really are more like almanacs. I would't mock or cry for US News here.

Jason (the commenter) said...

A unique visitor audience of 9 million? A blog on blogger could have that many views. How many people can you afford to pay with the ad revinew from that?

J.R. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Harry said...

I'm as surprised to learn that US News & World Report was still publishing as I was to find out that Ernest Borgnine is still alive.

J.R. said...

The realization that they are in the journalism business, not the magazine business seems like a break through to me. If more news companies thought like this maybe they wouldn't be going down the tubes.

Big Mike said...

The magazine was regularly stolen from my mailbox. I'm glad to have it where they'll have to use a jammer to stop my wifi in order to stop me from reading it.

Unknown said...

Have to agree with JR and (hate to say it) somefeller. JR's point that they are in "journalism business, not the magazine business" is the sort of thing I kept hearing in a marketing strategies class about a year ago where the prof was explaining how industry leaders can fall by the wayside.

But JR's right, welcome to the future.

MadisonMan said...

Why is it a problem that they're going web-only?

Oh, I guess I'm just repeating somefeller.

In that case, I agree with somefeller, who wins the thread :)

Anonymous said...

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of scumbags.

As to their online efforts ... Bwahahahahaha! Have their advertisers not heard of Ad Block Plus? Nobody is seeing your advertising. It's being suppressed by our brower software because that's how we in the digital world can punish you for funding liberal Socialists.

What a tremendous waste of your company's scarce advertising resources.

somefeller said...

Thanks to everyone for their support. Even though I just noticed two glaring typos in my initial post. I hate when that happens.

Ann Althouse said...

"I'm as surprised to learn that US News & World Report was still publishing as I was to find out that Ernest Borgnine is still alive."

If you were a law professor, you would not be surprised at the existence of U.S. News.

Robert Cook said...

I was talking to someone recently about my apprehension that sooner than we expect it, newsstands and bookstores will start to disappear from the land, as all publishing will move to a digital model. As bookstore browsing is a lifelong addiction of mine, I anticipate a world without bookstores with horror.

Hell, it's already difficult to find actual record stores that sell music in physical form...and I'm in NYC! What is it already like across the land?

I can see art books continuing to be published on paper between boards, given the need for high-quality reproductions of works of art...but then again, who knows? Maybe the publishers will consider digital reproductions to be good enough...considering the savings in costs.

Trooper York said...

"Harry said...
I'm as surprised to learn that US News & World Report was still publishing as I was to find out that Ernest Borgnine is still alive"

Well everyone knows why Ernie is still around hale and healthy!

The same thing applies to US News.

They are after all a bunch of jerk-off's.

Just sayn'

Michael said...

Robert Cook: Bookstore browsing is a passion of mine as well and something I have done going on fifty years. I am sure you find that you know the whereabouts of the stock of your favorites better than the staff. I certainly do.

Wince said...

Does anyone know of an analysis of what the printing and mailing cost of a typical news magazine is, and therefore how much cheaper an online subscription could be, differences in advertising revenue aside?

Plus, Ernest Borgnine will gladly tell you what sex is like after 50.

Penny said...

"Our emphasis on rankings and research content is the right path..."

Agreed. People love to see things ranked, and if their supportive research is sound, and changed as times change...well this business model could go on for a long time.

Penny said...

The other thing I've noticed is that the magazine racks are now jam packed with "Special Editions".

Sometimes the content is more focused in a special edition, but not always. The price tag, on the other hand, is ALWAYS inflated, and in no small way.

traditionalguy said...

Is this news to their remaining subscriber? People are too smart and well informed today to seek any information from their fictional "reporting" of stories.

former law student said...

What is the value of something printed on dead trees that is always a week behind the times that you're going to put in the recycle bin anyways as soon as you're done reading it?

"Special Editions" at least offer the promise of being worthwhile enough to keep around for a while.

David said...

This is good.

More of this and I will find a use for my Ipad.

Penny said...

Some of us are tactile, fls.

traditionalguy said...

Professor...IMO those U. S. News rankings of law schools are like the BCS Bowl System. Only after the out standing in their field Ivys are stuck in as the usual winners is any strange "Science" of subjective tea leaf reading of subjective categories displayed for the also rans. A school like Wisconsin or Emory has as much chance at a National Championship as TCU does against weak sister Ohio State Big Ten types and Alabama SEC types. But like a Who's Who Book, it sells lots of copies to the schools that they place higher in the rankings than last years issue did.

Suzanne Lucas said...

Jason (the commenter), they don't pay very many. I spent two years writing a weekly column for their online site for free.

Yes, you heard that right, free. I did it to build my resume. ("Writes for US News" sounds a lot more impressive than "blogs.")

I quit after I got annoyed with it, but I imagine that a large portion of their "writers" are people who, like me, did it for free for the resume.