An interview with Will Sullivan as he begins his Fellowship year.
By Alecia Swasy
"Niche communities will definitely pay for content…"
Die-hard St. Louis Cardinal baseball fans can read all about their favorite team brawling with rival Cincinnati Reds via dispatches to their iPhone or BlackBerry. The substitute for the morning sports pages costs readers less than three bucks for the season.
It's the St. Louis Post Dispatch's biggest push to attract readers who prefer getting their news through mobile devices instead of reading the newspaper.
As the Post's interactive director, Will Sullivan figures there are plenty of other digital packages that will sell. For instance, the Post is testing different applications for high school sports fans.
"Niche communities will definitely pay for content," says Sullivan. As a 2010-11 Donald W. Reynolds fellows at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, Sullivan, who is now on leave from the paper, will spend a year exploring such new mobile applications.
Part of his research will look at both hardware and software already out there to help make greater technological progress in newsrooms. He hopes to find new ways to help journalists deliver news even faster. "I'm trying to figure out how to use portable devices to produce enriching journalism that informs the community better," Sullivan says.
Another element is understanding how and when customers prefer to read content. For instance, a lot of younger consumers prefer all Internet sources to television, radio or newspapers.
A self-described "computer nerd," Sullivan has been recognized for his work in advancing journalism. The Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University named his news and technology blog, Journerdism.com, one of the 10 Best "Future of Journalism" blogs.
One challenge is getting traditional newsrooms to move faster in adopting new technologies. "The industry dragged its feet on the Internet," he says. With mobile technologies blossoming, news organizations need to move "at double speed to try and become more successful."
Tradition-bound owners have to be persuaded that it’s a new source of revenue, not just a passing fancy. The Post's owner, Lee Enterprises, "has really jumped into mobile" applications, sending Sullivan to other newsrooms to train other journalists, he said.
In Lee's most recent earnings press release, Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer of Lee, cited increased digital sales initiatives as one of the bright spots in the troubled economy. The company in May launched interactive video advertising. Lee Enterprises has 48 mobile websites, which attracted 5.5 million page views in June.
Sullivan thinks ESPN has been an industry leader in adapting its content to mobile applications. "They were really early and have done a great job expanding it," he says.
Sullivan expects to host a symposium on findings from his Reynolds Fellowship and possibly a smaller think tank meeting in Washington, D.C.
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