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Topic: Memos Sent to Romenesko
Date/Time: 3/25/2008 3:27:39 PM
Title: Lee Abrams' third dispatch to Tribune staffers
Posted By: Jim Romenesko
 
Tribune innovation chief Lee Abrams' e-mail to staff

Lee's Blog
March 25, 2008
Think Pieces

Someone asked me why I was moving to Tribune and continued with the
comment that newspapers were the print version of the passenger train. I thought that News and Information has a lot in common with the transportation industry. Maybe newspapers ARE the modern day equivalent of the passenger train. Looked at by those old enough to remember, with great nostalgia. A tribute to a slower and saner era. Fair enough. But the New York Central Railroad would still be in the passenger business if, many decades ago, it evolved into delivering short, low cost, fast corridor travel instead of hoping there are enough people scared of flying to compete with jets. My point is simply flexing with the times. Just because railroad passenger departments blew it doesn't mean newspapers will.

Further on the transportation analogy, there's the Internet. That's
space travel. No limits. Not yet even a microcosm of its potential. And
TV-that's the airlines. Very competitive and the standard. So, in
general terms-newspapers need to re-invent themselves, Internet needs to build and fly the enterprise and TV needs to re-think itself in light of
the competitive options on your set. Looks good on paper, but executing? It's complex and intensive, but it ain't rocket science. It can be done. Better yet-it HAS to be done.

I start April 1st but I've been pretty engaged from afar. Thought I'd share some observations on TV, web and print. Small stuff, "think pieces" more than anything...not end alls, but when we re-think and
maximize hundreds of little pieces within the framework of bigger pieces
and it could be part of the blueprint for something very powerful:

--NERVE TOUCHING. This is where you get people to stand up on their
chair because you touch a nerve. One underused way is simply to play to passions. For example:

CATHOLICS: There are a LOT of Catholics in Chicago. 2.9 million in Cook
and Lake County. Easter is a big deal. I'd think a high profile Easter
"celebration" would be in order. Easter Bunny stuff is fine...but there's a more serious side to it that isn't being captured. A devout Catholic, I would imagine, would feel very good about this. The same thing with Black History Month and African Americans. The coverage is there, but we're not using a 2x4 to drive it home.

CUBS VS SOX: OK, I'm a huge fan...but I'll bet there are a lot of huge
fans in Chicagoland. They faced each other again...and tied. Only Spring
Training, but I think we should fan the flames. Get in the spirit. Touch
some nerves.

--LOCAL NEWS: This is THE local news source, but everything seems so
generic. "Southside Boy Killed" Where...What street corner?? Touch
nerves. Or, the category "Local." Huh? How about breaking it out on the
web by NORTHSIDE LOOP AREA SOUTHSIDE WEST SUBURBS SOUTH SUBURBS etc... "Local" without more detail strikes me as old school, as no-one "owns" it like a newspaper/TV/website can. There are ways to take assumption of ownership to an untouchable position of ownership.

--MORE GENERIC: Music is such a good example. "Music" strikes me as a
throwaway, whereas it could be category headings Alt Rock, Country,
Broadway, etc... Touch nerves. You might have a great story about a big
musical coming to Chicago, but under the heading "Music" I'll bet
the show tunes fan never sees the story.

--MOST VIEWED: I think this can be expanded for the stat hungry public.
Most Viewed...good. How about for the week, month, year...how about
comparing most viewed to National, International etc...Maybe breaking it
out by most viewed by local area./CONTINUED

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