Post by Shadow on Sept 15, 2005 16:24:45 GMT -5
New York Times
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Experts say the biggest problem in the newspaper industry is capturing readers between 18 and 34 years old, and now The Associated Press is looking to tackle that problem head on.
On Monday, the 157-year-old wire service is to start its "younger audience service," offering articles and "experiences" in multimedia formats, with audio, video, blogs and wireless text aimed at reaching readers between 18 and 34 years old. The service, one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by The A.P., is called asap, pronounced letter by letter, meant to evoke the wire service's legendary speed.
The pilot project for asap was approved by The A.P.'s board of directors in April. Tom Curley, president of the wire service, said at the time, "As the audience turns to new platforms and adopts new habits, the news must follow."
More than 100 newspapers have signed up for asap and will decide on their own how to make it available to their readers. Many are expected to use the service for their online editions, while some will use it for print editions or both print and online editions. Ruth Gersh, director of online services at The A.P. and project development manager for asap, said that as far as she knew, none of the papers would be charging readers for asap's content.
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Experts say the biggest problem in the newspaper industry is capturing readers between 18 and 34 years old, and now The Associated Press is looking to tackle that problem head on.
On Monday, the 157-year-old wire service is to start its "younger audience service," offering articles and "experiences" in multimedia formats, with audio, video, blogs and wireless text aimed at reaching readers between 18 and 34 years old. The service, one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by The A.P., is called asap, pronounced letter by letter, meant to evoke the wire service's legendary speed.
The pilot project for asap was approved by The A.P.'s board of directors in April. Tom Curley, president of the wire service, said at the time, "As the audience turns to new platforms and adopts new habits, the news must follow."
More than 100 newspapers have signed up for asap and will decide on their own how to make it available to their readers. Many are expected to use the service for their online editions, while some will use it for print editions or both print and online editions. Ruth Gersh, director of online services at The A.P. and project development manager for asap, said that as far as she knew, none of the papers would be charging readers for asap's content.