Doctor: Create, don’t repurpose for tablets

Outsell
Newspapers must take an aggressive approach to developing compelling new content for digital tablets, not simply repurpose print stories, according to analyst Ken Doctor. In his subscription-only Outsell Insights newsletter on Tuesday, Doctor examines the implications of the Associated Press’ new Gateway initiative to bring news content to Apple’s iPad and the lessons that must be applied to make it, or similar efforts, succeed. Among his recommendations: Create a tablet-based user experience that “transcends old news conventions,” “get beyond broadcast thinking,” “figure out a new approach to ad sales,” “construct nuanced pricing models.” Doctor agrees that those steps present a challenge but if met, he believes tablets “can provide a second, digital life for news companies.”