1. Four Pillars, Four Platforms Scripps Community News
Organizations 2. knightdigitalmediacenter.org2 Vision Plans Re-
sources Skills Action From vision to action 3. KDMC process Webinar
series Key topics in plan development Committee homework Check in
calls Newsroom visit 3 4. Committee homework Identify and refine
franchise topics Connect to key audience segments to understand
what information they want and where, when and why Create personas
Develop coverage plans to serve personas on digital platforms
Explore learning needs 4 5. What about print? Focus right now on
three digital platforms Your learning curve Potential audience
growth in non- print age groups 18-34 & 35-54 5 6. The digital
evangelist 6 codinghorror.com 7. Questions? 8. Your topics (so far)
Each newsroom team has 10 minutes Three franchise topics What &
Why No discussion Follow up questions to clarify OK 8 9. Abilene
Reporter News 10. Get Out Abilene Refuting the idea that Abilene is
boring a notion reinforced on popular T-shirts and bumper stickers
we aim to be the one-stop-shop for all things fun in the Big
Country. Through comprehensive calendars, reviews, videos,
features, top-10 columns and readers choice awards, we will strive
to become the definitive source on what to do in Abilene and its
surrounding counties. Primary audience: A 21-year-old white male
college student who wants to party on a budget and uses his smart
phone and social media to find things to do. Secondary audience: A
Hispanic married woman (24-35 years old) interested in
family-friendly activities and events for her kids and affordable
date nights with her husband. 11. The Big Three (Oil, Gas &
Wind) Parts of the Big Country may be beginning a 20-30 year oil
boom, and others have been at the frontlines of the wind energy
industry for more than a decade. Were exploring the economic and
environmental impact of Cline Shale and the effects it could have
on our area, while also taking an in-depth look at the growth of
wind-generated energy and its impact. Primary audience: A married
man (40-50 years old) who owns a small business in town and is
interested in knowing how this energy boom could impact his
business economically. Secondary audience: A single or divorced
male (18- 35 years old) on an hourly wage, interested in making
much more money than he currently does. 12. Doing Our Homework We
will be the eyes and ears for our audience on what is happening in
our local and area schools, providing information to readers about
the quality of education in the Abilene area. Well take a look at
individual districts, the programs theyre providing and how they
stack up to others in the area and state. Primary audience: A young
mother (28-35 years old) interested in the quality of her childs
education and the options available. Secondary audience: A female
secondary-education teacher interested in programs and legislation
that impacts her job directly. 13. San Angelo 14. Making a Living
The topic: People are looking make the most of their careers in San
Angelo, whether theyre unemployed and searching for a job or
looking to improve their lives and find better opportunities. We
would offer content to help them find their way economically -- to
the right job, the right house, the right resources, etc. Wed like
to explore some aspects with in-depth stories in the newspaper, but
for the electronic platforms, wed like to use lists, databases and
tables as well (some of which could run as info boxes in the
paper). Wed delve into topics such as the 10 highest-paying jobs in
San Angelo; 10 lowest-paying jobs; top careers in demand; five
degrees that can pay off in San Angelo vs. five degrees that are
hard to get work in. We could also compile resources for people,
telling them where to go to get temp work, to get help starting a
small business and so forth. 15. Making a Living The demographic:
We could see this primarily appealing to a 34-year-old white woman
with a college education who wants to start her own business.
Secondarily, it could appeal to a 23-year-old recent college
graduate who needs to find a higher-paying job to turn into a
career. 15 16. Shaping San Angelo The topic: With so much changing
in San Angelo because of our water issues and incipient oil boom,
the city is at a crossroads to redefine itself. We would explore,
with residents and officials input, where the city is going and
whether thats the direction it should be going. For example, what
decisions should officials be making, and are they the decisions
residents want them to make? We could involve city officials and
other leaders, getting them to write columns that lay out certain
issues and address how they're being approached. We could ask
several officials the same question and see how many different
answers we get, then ask the same thing of residents to see how the
opinions compare, publishing both. Wed encourage readers to get
involved and share what they think needs to be done or considered,
for publication online and perhaps in out Viewpoints section. We'd
need to also encourage discussion online, perhaps doing a Cover it
Live chat with officials sometimes. 16 17. Shaping San Angelo The
demographic: This might primarily appeal to a 40-year-old white man
with a college degree who has a long-term career and family in San
Angelo and is concerned about how the city could change for the
negative. Likewise, it could appeal to a 28-year-old Hispanic
mother with a college education whose children are about to start
school, and shes questioning whether her family should remain in
San Angelo. 17 18. Transparency & Accountability The topic:
With recent scandals surrounding multiple local officials, it could
draw a lot of interest and truly be unique coverage if the
Standard-Times were the source people could always count on to know
what public officials (and perhaps even others, like nonprofit
leaders) are doing in more detail than we've ever been able to give
before. For example: How can they reach the officials who represent
them? Who has the best attendance record at City Council meetings?
Is the water department holding people accountable for not
following water restrictions? Are local judges fair? Is money being
spent the way it's supposed to be? We could have online offerings
including the agendas for City Council, school board and county
commission meetings, plus associated. We could ask officials to
take part in Cover It Live chats with residents or aggregate their
Twitter feeds (if they have Twitter). We could have meters
measuring how certain projects are progressing, showing which
phases have been completed and how much money they've cost of their
total projected budgets. 18 19. Transparency & Accountability
The demographic: Primarily, it seems like a 50-year-old white man
with a college degree, perhaps a small business owner, would be
drawn to this topic. Law and order also appeals a lot to our
younger non-subscribers, so we could see the secondary demographic
being a 27-year- old office worker with at least some college
education and time to burn online in the mornings or afternoons. 19
20. Wichita Falls 21. Meeting Meth The Topic: Meth is a topic that
appears in almost every days paper, from a crime standpoint, but
our committee wanted to look at who is behind it, not just the
dealers. Audience: Primary: Alex Martinez, middle-class, late 20s
to mid 40s, renter or first-time home owner, watching the meth
epidemic in Wichita Falls encroach on his modest, relatively
crime-save neighborhood. He wants to know who these users are, who
is supplying the drugs, how is law enforcement solving the problem,
how are these addicts getting help. Secondary: Shirley Stanley,
upper middle-class, 40s-60s, an employer, who is thinking, these
are my potential workforce, taking another look at their business
candidates, also their neighbors, looking at average Joe who walks
his dog down the street. 22. Water Lifeline Topic: Focus on the
multi-million pipeline, a guinea pig for the nation, on solving the
drought, a lifeline that could impact health, economy, quality of
life, and perception of hopelessness. Health effects, pipeline,
economic impact of the drought, Lake levels are low, so water
quality, health concerns. Pros and cons of pipeline, progress of
the pipeline Audience: Primary audience: Roger Reynolds, white,
late middle age, 50s, small business owner, Boy Scouts leader,
church deacon, sees the water issue as the overwhelming impact of
citys survival. Secondary audience: Stephanie Collins, mom, 30s,
whose own life may not have a huge impact on the city, but is
concerned about the quality of life for her young family, the trees
dying in her old neighborhood, soccer fields crisp and brown. Has
endured far too many hot summers that the prospect of no water
frightens her. 22 23. Heart of Wichita Falls Topic: The city has an
overwhelming sense of to much is given, much is required, with a
tremendous number of nonprofits addressing critical issues
throughout the city, poverty, hunger, abused and neglected
children. The list goes on. The efforts seem to come as the need is
seen, and successful events emerge. The charitable nature of
Wichita Falls permeates. Showcasing nonprofits, timelines of their
origin and impacts, crisis-to-nonprofit, concern-to- annual event.
Economic impact, how nonprofit dollars alleviate what government
would have to commit. Audience: Primary audience: Pat Tucker, 50s,
possible donor, an eager volunteer in search of a purpose,
community minded, want to help in any way possible, but need to
understand the need and the impact these groups have on the
community. Secondary audience: Ashley Miller, 30s, single mom, life
is a struggle, sees no way out, looks to the newspaper for
resources for work and cost savings, and instead finds a multitude
of avenues where hope can be found. 23 24. Heart of Wichita Falls
Topic: The city has an overwhelming sense of to much is given, much
is required, with a tremendous number of nonprofits addressing
critical issues throughout the city, poverty, hunger, abused and
neglected children. The list goes on. The efforts seem to come as
the need is seen, and successful events emerge. The charitable
nature of Wichita Falls permeates. Showcasing nonprofits, timelines
of their origin and impacts, crisis-to-nonprofit, concern-to-
annual event. Economic impact, how nonprofit dollars alleviate what
government would have to commit. Audience: Primary audience: Pat
Tucker, 50s, possible donor, an eager volunteer in search of a
purpose, community minded, want to help in any way possible, but
need to understand the need and the impact these groups have on the
community. Secondary audience: Ashley Miller, 30s, single mom, life
is a struggle, sees no way out, looks to the newspaper for
resources for work and cost savings, and instead finds a multitude
of avenues where hope can be found. 24 25. Creating the franchise
26. Franchise Topic Coverage Plan What it is: A blue print A
commitment A training standard A communication tool What it isnt: A
rule book Unchangeable Perfect Invisible 27. And its not a big
story 29 28. And its not a beat 30 29. Franchise 30. 33 31.
Franchise topic coverage Highly visible Uniquely local Credibly
authoritative Immediately responsive Personally focused Sharply
presented Provides solutions Powerfully told 32. Questions? 33.
Example #1 TC Palm Our Indian River Lagoon The lagoon is uniquely
ours. It connects us, flows through our communities. Its why were
here. Prime destination for people who enjoy outdoor activities,
its suffering from impacts of nearby population growth. Why the
lagoon? Its a definitive body of water and is impacted by all the
waterways and its health impacts all channels of the community. 36
34. Example #2 KnoxNews Keeping A Watchful Eye Many people in the
community have told us loud and clear that crime and public safety
are personal. The subject hits close to home--from the parks they
frequent to the grocery stores where they shop, from where they
work to where they send their kids to school. Every crime has a
where. From across East Tennessee to your own backyard, we will
pinpoint the information you need to stay safe. 37 35. Homework
Refine names and scope of topics Decide on two topics to focus on
during this class Write refined descriptions for those topics
Revisit key demographics for those topics 36. Questions #1 and 2
Elements of a Franchise Coverage Plan 39 1. What is the franchise
topic? (No more than 3-4 words) 2. Define the franchise topics
scope. (How would you explain to a reader/user what your coverage
is about in a way that they see its value for their life?) 37.
Questions? 38. knightdigitalmediacenter.org
