Help Us Figure Out the Business of News

[Dorian Benkoil]

Hi. We could use your help. Over the next week, I’ll be compiling a list of things to consider when assessing whether a local news project is viable as a business -- everything from costs such as staffing, marketing and infrastructure, to determining audience size, possible revenue streams and more.

First, we’ll be crafting bullet points on the topic, then fleshing them out. We’ll also be launching a wiki. The plan is to, ultimately, use all the input to collaboratively create a user-friendly business assessment tool to help figure out how and whether geographic- or topic-based news sites might be sustainable, as a business.

Here are some of our thoughts. Tell us yours. What should we do to flesh out these bullet points? What else might we add? And please join the “Business Assessment Tool” group so we can reach out to you, and keep you posted on developments, and know of your interest.

REVENUES
* Determining audience and overall traffic
* Advertising
* Potential advertisers (percent likely to capture
* Likely pay rates
*What can you charge for (services, events, e-commerce, etc.)
* Community foundations for seed money
* Partnerships and syndication


EXPENSES
* The team (what skills are needed -- editorial, ad sales, technical, etc.) and its costs
* Marketing - spreading word about the site
* Technology and infrastructure

COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
* Assessing competition
* Defining a market niche (“value proposition”)

- Dorian Benkoil