WHAT'S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS

I have known Gabriel Campanario since he was a journalism student.

Gabi has become a very talented newspaper designer, working for several U.S. papers, including USA Today.

A few months ago, he decided to change jobs and now is at The Seattle Times devoted just to news illustration, his real passion.

A journalist, designer and illustrator.

A great mix!

These are some recent pieces from his large sketchblog.

Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today, writes about the years ahead:

Twenty-five years ago, Sept. 15, 1982, USA TODAY made its debut as The Nation’s Newspaper.

Most media critics wrote our obit before we were born.

Now, it’s the biggest circulation newspaper in the country and still growing.

But many cynics say newspapers no longer will exist 25 years from now.

Back then, when my career and livelihood depended on USA TODAY’s success, doomsayers bothered me a bit.

Now, at age 83 and retired, they actually amuse me.

A historical perspective helps when captious critics cry.

When radio was introduced in 1920, they said that was the end of newspapers.

Ditto with TV in 1939.

Now, it’s the Internet.

Some newspapers are suffering relatively slight circulation losses.

But here’s the growth record for the past 25 years of the nation’s two biggest newspapers:

* USA TODAY from zero to 2,278,039.

* The Wall Street Journal from 1,925,722 to 2,062,312.

Those are Audit Bureau of Circulations figures as of March 31.

USA TODAY will show an increase again when the next regular six-month figures come out after Sept. 30.

USA TODAY’s parent company, Gannett, is headed by the most digitally oriented CEO in the business, Craig Dubow.

He’ll successfully blend newspapers and TV with the Internet.

The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones, soon will be led by the smartest media mogul in the world, Rupert Murdoch.

He is betting $5 billion on the future.

Your own local newspaper will follow the examples of those two biggies in wedding the Internet and print for the benefit of both.

So we’ll all read on.

Happy 25th to you!

Thanks for helping make it possible.

And many, many more!

We need more new ideas.

And more innovators like Neuharth.

USA Today was the last BIG IDEA in the US market – 25 years ago.

The last one!

(Picture: Al Neuharth during the presentation of our 2003 Innovations in Newspapers Global Report at the WAN Congress in Dublin)

Ed Baig starts his review in USA Today with these paragraphs:

The mania over Apple’s iPhone launch has created stratospheric expectations that are near impossible to live up to.

Yet with a few exceptions, this expensive, glitzy wunderkind is indeed worth lusting after.

That’s saying a lot.

After months of hype, Apple has delivered a prodigy — a slender fashion phone, a slick iPod and an Internet experience unlike any before it on a mobile handset.

And ends his column with this excellent summary:

Apple iPhone

Score: 3½ (out of four)

Price: $499 for 4 gigabyte version, $599 for 8GB, plus costs of monthly voice and data plan. Two-year commitment with AT&T required.
5 things I like

1 – Terrific widescreen iPod and clever Cover Flow feature.

2 – Smart sensors that change the orientation of the screen from landscape to portrait mode

3 – Gorgeous 3.5-inch multi-touch screen does exceptional job displaying pictures, Internet, maps, e-mail etc.

4 – Flicking through contacts and pictures, pinching to make pix and the Web larger, and tapping on the intelligent virtual keyboard is fun (once you get the hang of it).

5 – Phone is easy to dial despite lack of physical keypad. Visual voicemail.
5 things I’d like to see

1 – Faster “3G” or “third generation” data network

2 – Removable battery

3 – Greater storage (through storage slot)

4 – Extra features including GPS, IM, voice calling, Adobe Flash , and using your own music library for ringtones.

5 – Lower price

Last week, Time Warner Chairman-CEO Richard D. Parsons, who told a media conference audience in London:

“I’m going to say something I shouldn’t say.

I worry about CNN more now than I do about CNN.com.”

Well…

Let me say in the same way that:

I worry about The New York Times more now than I do about nytimes.com

I worry about The Guardian more now than I do about guardia.co.uk

I worry about El Pais more now than I do about elpais.es

I worry about The Asahi Shimbun more now than I do about asahi.com

I worry about USA Today more now than I do about usatoday.com

I worry about La Repubblica more now than I do about repubblica.it

I worry about The Wall Street Journal more now than I do about online.wsj.com

I worry about Clarin more now than I do about clarin.com

I worry about Die Welt more now than I do about welt.de

I worry about El Mundo more now than I do about elmundo.es

I worry about The Sidney Morning Herald more now than I do about smh.com.au

I worry about Reforma more now than I do about reforma.com

I worry about the Financial Times more now than I do about ft.com

I worry about O Globo more now than I do about oglobo.globo.com

I worry about Le Figaro more now than I do about lefigaro.fr

I worry about El Mercurio more now than I do about emol.com

I worry about Il Corriere della Sera more now than I do about corriere.it

I worry about El Tiempo more now than I do about eltiempo.com

I worry about the Dagens Nyheter more now than I do about dn.se

I worry about the South China Morning Post more now than I do about scmp.com

I worry about Zero Hora more now than I do about clicrbs.com.br

I worry about the Kleine Zeitung more now than I do about kleinezeitung.at

I worry about The Globe and Mail more now than I do about theglobeandmail.com

I worry about El Nuevo Dia more now than I do about endi.com

I worry about Argumenti i Fakti more now than I do about aif.ru

I worry about Helsingin Sanomat more now than I do about hs.fi

I worry about Segodnya more now than I do about segodnya.au

I worry about 24 Heures more now than I do about 24heures.ch

I worry about Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung more now than I do about faz.net

I worry about Gazeta Wyborcza more now than I do about gazetawyborcza.pl