Chip Griffin: Pardon the Disruption

An Asterisk on My Statement that Content Doesn't Want to be Free

Regular readers know that I rant and rave about how content really doesn't want to be free -- and shouldn't be.  But with the announcement this week that the New York Times would stop charging for access to its columnists and much of its archives, the clamor about free content roared back to life.  Add in rumblings from Rupert Murdoch about maybe possibly making the Wall Street Journal content available online outside of a pay wall and the story gained even more steam.

Here's my asterisk: access to content without a subscription fee is by far the most successful model so far.  Especially for people producing commodity content, which for the most part is what newspapers today provide.  By "commodity content" I mean stuff that readers can get elsewhere.  If there are free options that are almost as good, consumers will clearly not pay for access.

But, you say, the New York Times columnists are clearly not commodities, like the news itself.  Surely they create unique content from unique voices.  Hardly.  Some of them are great writers and occasionally they offer up some new insight.  But for the most part, opinion writers are a dime a dozen.  I have done plenty of op-ed writing myself in the past and I can tell you that, especially with the dawn of the Internet, there are plenty of places to go for good commentary without a subscription.

But even with this asterisk, I stand by my statement that content doesn't want to be, shouldn't be, and in fact isn't free.  The Times clearly hopes to generate additional advertising revenue by opening up their site to more eyeballs.  And that's great.  Good content exists if and only if it generates revenue.  As I have said in my New Media Cocktail e-book, that "revenue" may or may not be cash-based, but content producers must receive something of value in exchange for their time.

So hang that asterisk up but keep the value coming.

Wow, I Have Sympathy for the Media

In the two months I have been running Cork & Knife, I have begun to really feel for the media.  I thought I got a lot of lame pitches as a blogger, but I must tell you that it is nothing compared to the stuff that comes across my desk daily now as a result of of publishing a multimedia magazine focused on fine food and drink.

I get generic pitches that are completely unrelated to the actual content of my publication and no sense of the audience I am targeting.  I get offered more free books and products than I could ever imagine (some helpful, some not).  And remember: this is but a new, small media outpost.  What the established players deal with must be mind-boggling.

I guess you really don't know how it is until you walk a mile in another man's shoes, do you?

The Challenge of Being Part of the Media

It's very odd to switch sides.  OK, I haven't really switched sides exactly, but I am now on both sides of the fence.  Let me explain.  For much of my career, I have been involved in public affairs and public relations, first in government, then in the non-profit sector, then as a consultant/advisor, and finally as a vendor.  In all those jobs, my focus was on educating -- and hopefully influencing -- the media.

And now I have a venture that is the media.  Cork & Knife is a multimedia magazine I founded earlier this summer to serve those interested in fine food and drink.  It has truly been an education to be on the other side of the fence.  Reaching out to companies to get quotes.  Dealing with PR practitioners who want to have their material published.

Of course, as a blogger with some degree of reputation, I have had to deal with this a bit already.  Like most bloggers with any links at all, I get pitches every week from one company or another.  In addition, as someone who does some angel investing, I get inquiries that are somewhere between a plea for coverage and a request for an investment.

But this is different.  I find myself now in the position of doing things in reverse of the way I have always done it.  For instance, I am building a list of publicists for restaurants, wineries, and others involved in the food and drink industry in order to educate them about Cork & Knife.  Like every other media publication, I want original stories.  And as someone who has been on the other side of the fence, I know that PR people have the information and interest in supplying tips, leads, and content. 

But how to do that exactly?  I know how to build media lists. There are plenty of services that do that. But for a fledgling media outlet or publication, reaching out to PR practitioners is a whole different ball game. 

If I have any readers with suggestions, advice, or comments, I'd certainly welcome them.  The whole experience gives me a brand new appreciation for the working media.  It's certainly a tough job, but I'm enjoying it.  Of course, it is challenging to head up more than one company at a time. But I've been doing it for years with a fair amount of success, so hopefully I can continue doing it.