If anything, as a Brand Manager, I would be more leery allocating my online dollars to ad portals and networks for the fear that I don’t know where my ads are really running and who are seeing them. So, many inexperienced media planners go for “reach” which is ridiculous if you are not reaching the right audience. If a client is looking to have a very, specific geo-targeted campaign, I would recommend a well-done local newspaper site and niche sites that have geo-targeting capabilities.

I like the detailed outline of what newspapers can do to compete.

I am still, however, unconvinced that newspapers can dominate the local media landscape by following those steps, unless they do one thing you didn’t mention:

Build a community platform to which their users can contribute as much as they do.

In other words, open up.

The Web is a decentralized, interactive medium. Newspapers are not.

The successful, Web 2.0 sites are ones that have leveraged that characteristic of the medium, building a platform upon which users/readers/viewers can create value.

I believe newspapers can do that, too. But it’s a radical shift from their roots, involving a considerable amount of institutional inertia and (valid) concern over upholding journalistic standards.

I agree with Trish Nebel on the importance of bringing in outside consultants, but is that enough?

Your take…?

But, one key component that you didn’t mention that I wanted to touch upon is that you can clean up site, offer blogging pages, video clips, etc. However, if you have a sales force originally from the print side and you move them to online sales – you are dead in the water! Online ads are no longer just banners stuck at the top and bottoms of pages. If local newspapers want to continue to thrive they will need innovative, tech savvy sales people to get the job done. That will consist of hiring an interactive sales consultant or hiring .com sales reps with online selling experience.