Category Archives: Media

In praise of professional media

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So today I woke up early – 530 am, and looked to the scores of the Wizards vs. Trail Blazer game last night. As noted – I only could stay up til half time. 

NBC local news had a running scroll with the score; that was a nice way to wake up and have a cup of coffee. 

I then went online and read the Washington Post. It covered the game well as the writer was at the game. 

I then went to several of my favorite Wizards blogs; and what did I see? 

Previews of the game. A story about Portland and their plans. 

One had an article about the Miami Heat game from Friday. 

It appears no local Wizards blogger stayed up late and wrote about the game in real time? I am sure they will do a good job later today; but without NBC local and the Post – I wouldn’t have the data that I wanted and needed.

 Thank goodness for professional media in this regard. 

They made me happy; thank you.

Downhill

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While everyone else is doubling down on “local”, the Washington Post is cutting back.

Time will tell whether this strategy is a good one but it is counter to what is happening in the market.

I will tell you that I am bullish on local and we are hiring and investing as a media company in this space.

Eighty percent of consumer spending is done within 20 miles from home.

The great value creators – Google, eBay, Groupon – are all about local and small business.

Local media companies such as Regional Sports Networks create the value. Comcast basically paid ZERO for NBC. Zero. As in no value.

Cutting back on newsroom staff in Metro opens the door for many new local media companies. This is a sad state of affairs. The Post would rather send people to London and the Olympics than staff reporters in Bethesda, Maryland, or Great Falls, Virginia, or Cleveland Park in DC.

Bad move. Read this article on the Washington Post in the Washington Post. It is all downhill from here.

Guess What is the #1 Magazine in America by Circulation?

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AARP with 22 million circulation.

Guess the #2 magazine in America?

AARP Bulletin.

Number 3? Costco Connect.

Look at the Top 10 – Better Homes and Garden; GameInformer; Reader’s Digest; National Geographic; Good Housekeeping; Woman’s Day and Family Circle. Certainly an interesting list.

As an aside, Forbes Magazine clocks in at #99 with less than one million. Wow. Shrinking. Puny. Not of scale. How will they stay in business and remain relevant? Can they? Will their investors ever get an exit? Who would acquire Forbes? Could they IPO? Based on a multiple of what? OIBDA? Cash flow? Profits? Pixels? Ad pages sold? Top line revenues? Can they make the painful transition from paper to digital? Is this a growth stock and company? What should it be valued at?

Interesting questions related to Forbes.

Heck – Verizon Center has almost three million paying customers per year as a comparison at higher unit pricing too. Year after year; like subscribers; and we are growing. An interesting snapshot and comparison to put things in perspective for people. We should rank magazines one day as to value as they rank sports teams and franchises. That would be fun. :-)

I love that US News and World Report ranks and critiques colleges and universities, too. It is the go to source and yet it is no longer a magazine. Go figure. Try to subscribe to it today. It isn’t even listed here because it no longer exists! It is created by an ex-editor probably from his apartment somewhere. Think of the irony? A defunct enterprise opining on the longest tenured institutions in the land as the go to source.

I wouldn’t want to be in the magazine publishing business. “Physician heal thyself.”

Click here to see the worldwide list of leading magazines by circulation.

I found it to be of great interest. Thank you.

Public Spotlight

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It can be harsh.

It can be unforgiving.

It can be critical.

It is all pixels all the time.

It can be over whelming at times.

It can sting.

It can be humiliating.

It comes with the territory.

A great man once said – “Never explain – never complain”.

Sometimes I must be honest – I am too tired to even try to read it all; there is too much there, there! Link love can be smothering!

We have a game to play tonight – one of 82 on our regular season schedule; a game right before Thanksgiving; a game that is sold out. Full of energy for the home team!

We all have a lot to be grateful for – I hope to have a fun time tonight at the game. I hope you will too – I hope we play well and that we win; for you our fans. Should we win this evening; we would join other division leaders with 12 wins.

It ain’t that bad; it isn’t as good as we want. I have empathy.

It is game 20 of a long season. After tonight – 62 games left to go.

Thank you for keeping it all in perspective. Go Caps!