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NMH: The WebBeat

In the thinking out loud department, what would happen if a traditional news organization went balls out with a snarky, online, WebBeat edition. The sole focus would be to have blanket coverage of the intersection of a metro area, its citizens and the Web. This was partially inspired by Chicago's RedStreak giving up the ghost.

Of course you're saying, but I've already got Chicagoist, Gapers Block, Change of Subject, etc. etc. Those sites provide general coverage of Chicago, not a particular focus on what Chicagoans are doing on the Web or how the Web is impacting Chicago. The WebBeat would be one level up, getting behind the scenes of things on the Web people routinely rely upon or should know about. Also, when I say balls out, I mean cranking out regular posts 24/7, tossing in routine lengthy features, pushing the envelope on media distribution (podcasting/vlogging) and maybe supporting some discussion but with really heavy gardening.

Why do this?

  • One, using the Web is simply becoming more a part of urban life every day. If the Mayor's office is going to conduct more and more business online, why isn't someone covering local government from a Web angle? If I'm in Outer Baluchistan and I need a Bears fix, what are the best online options for streaming video, streaming audio, and commentary? What are the secret gems buried in the web sites of the Field Museum and the Art Institute? Give me profiles of hot young Internet companies based in Chicago.

  • Two, as opposed to trying to do citizen's journalism, it plays to old media's strengths, reporting, writing and production, but still can connect more closely with readers.
  • Three, this might be something young readers come to find indispensable. Maybe advertisers too.
  • Four, you can probably do it fairly cheap. Find a young, cheap Adrian Holovaty type to build out the site and interface with subcontracted designers, pair with one dedicated recent j-school grad to wrangle cats and write features, and get a lot of small contributions from the rest of the newsroom. Not to mention all the material you'd get just from keeping a good eye on local folks publishing online themselves.
Seriously, it can't be any worse than RedEye Online. And if you're a conglomerate, wash, rinse, repeat for each of your markets. This isn't going to save the company, but it could be a nice next step after the newsroom figures out that blogging won't bring down a lightning strike.

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