German Media in Fear
The news release by the International Media Dialogue Hamburg that took place on 8 June 2009 did not paint a rosy picture about Germany’s media industry. Here is what it read:
“No Future for Paid Content? Media Industry under Pressure” - the motto of the International Media Dialogue Hamburg taking place on 8 June 2009 is a combination between punk and management jargon. The issue itself, however, is serious: people increasingly obtain their information from the Internet, and they do not want to pay for the content that they find. And what is more, the advertising revenue generated by broadcasters and publishers are rather modest. The big business is made by search engines such as Google. And thus it is not surprising that Mathias Döpfner, Chief Executive Officer of the publishing house Axel Springer - they also publish the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper - is holding the key note at this year’s congress. He only recently brought the topic of an intellectual property right fee for media content provided on the Internet up for discussion. Among the other participants are media manager Bernd Buchholz (Gruner + Jahr), Scott McDonald (Condé Nast, New York) and editors-in-chief Giovanni di Lorenzo (”Zeit”), Matthias Müller von Blumencron (“Spiegel”) and Ulrich Reitz (”WAZ”) as well as Dagmar Wöhrl, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics. For the first time, Mayor Ole von Beust will say more than just a few welcoming words. He will contribute the introductory statement to the discussion focusing on the issue: “Does the media industry need a stimulus similar to the “scrapping premium”?”.
freieHONNEFER: Feared by Traditional Media
freieHONNEFER: Feared by Traditional Media
German Media Giants: Fear for Losing their Voice to Others
I bet there was a lot of talk today about how to overcome the crisis. The big bosses of German traditional media live in fear these days. With good reason? Without doubt, one thing to be concerned about are intellectual property issues on the Internet. I wouldn’t want another blogger take one of my blog posts and paste it word for word into their blog. And I’m sure we all agree on the fact that that’s just not right. However, what the established media giants fear more than anything else is losing their voice to other news sources that are smaller, generally more critical, and less fearful of the political establishment. All those blogs and Internet newspapers that are now slowly finding their way into the German media market (and mind me, Germany is far behind the US with regards to the online news revolution) attract readers - readers that the established giants would like to have, but can’t get (yet).
The Future Lies in a Change of Attitude
Yes, the leaders of Germany’s “old” media companies need to worry about readers flocking to the Internet to find information there instead of reading a good old printed newspaper or watching the evening news on TV. And yes, advertising revenues are crumbling. BUT, excuse me, if all these German media giants keep on viewing new media and the Internet in general as a threat and not as an opportunity, then how should they not be living in fear. So long as conservative thinking and skepticism in the executive offices is not replaced by forward-thinking optimism, Germany’s old school publishing houses will never be able to brush the dust off and seek partnerships and potential cooperations with all those new enterprises that are about to conquer the market. The future lies in a change of attitude towards online news sources, blogs and so-called Internet entrepreneurs. If Germany’s top media executives find a way to open their heart to the young and the restless on the German media market (and start inviting them to such events like a Media Dialogue), only then will they be able to actually a) have a dialogue and b) overcome their fear for their own downfall.
Or how do you see this, my dear readers? Are the traditional media really doomed? Or is there a chance for traditional and new media to successfully come together and prosper?
FreieHONNEFER: Innovative German Web 2.0 Magazine Takes on Giants
FreieHONNEFER - Innovative German Web 2.0 Magazine
More and more German newspaper readers switch from perusing daily newspapers or weekly magazines to browsing the news on the Web. And even if some chief editors of leading German printed newspapers who under the motto “Hurray, we are still alive!” recently gathered at the Lead Awards, the so-called Oscars of the German media industry, are convinced that online content will never replace a printed article or photo - well, no offense, but they might be wrong. German online newspapers are gaining ground: As of April 2009, German Netzeitung has a new, powerful owner in the Cologne publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg. Zeit Online, the successful web version of one of Germany’s leading national weekly newspapers Die Zeit, has just been expanded. And FOCUS Online, the country’s leading weekly news magazine, has been continuously growing its online readership and is currently counting 3.6 million users per month.
FreieHONNEFER: Competing with the Big Players
And amongst all the big players, there is one news magazine that is slowly but surely moving forward; one that can already compete with the big players in Germany’s web 2.0 arena - and that web magazine is called FreieHONNEFER. Now, I’m not just mentioning the FreieHONNEFER because I happen to have a column in it. I admit, I am biased towards this innovative player on the online media scene. But do you want to blame me? What is more convenient than keeping up to date with what’s happening in my home region by browsing a website that has it all - latest regional news, current in-depth reports, compelling interviews, interesting reader blogs, and all that in categories such as politics, business, world, arts, and science.
3.88 Million Readers and Counting
The FreieHONNEFER was founded by German media pros Christian Preuß and Paul Schilling. They say about their site: “Since launching the young format in June 2008, the access to the page contents increased exponentially up to 3.88 million readers (as per 03.12.2009). Numbers of visitors and regular readers is growing, and the average session length on our site content amounts to 4.7 minutes. That makes the FreieHONNEFER already an attractive medium for advertisers and sponsors with high potentials for growth.”
A Much Bigger Goal on the Horizon
Christian and Paul could not be happier about their steady growth in readership. And while the site owners are already experiencing a great rate of success, they don’t just sit back and take things easy. As they are saying: “The FreieHONNEFER is our stepping stone for a much bigger goal. In 2009, we will launch a new Germany-wide web magazine, which will be based on the FreieHONNEFER. To reach this goal we are currently seeking sponsors and supporters who are ready to accompany us on our way for a period of 1-2 years.”
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