Apart from news and views on media covering tourism, travel, and hospitality, writers, editors, photogs, and bloggers share tips, leads, ideas, news, gripes. PR reps/journos ISO press releases/trips, see also "PR/Marketing." Opinions stated are not necessarily those of Tripatini.
A tribute to my friend, the late travel media icon Arthur Frommer
The legendary U.S. travel journalist and entrepreneur Arthur Frommer passed away November 18 at the age of 95. Born in Virginia and with an early boyhood in a small town in Missouri, Arthur was a lawyer who became a pioneering and great travel journalist, and who will be remembered as having helped open the joys of travel to the masses. While serving in the U.S. Army in Europe in the 1950s, he got the travel bug, came out with a travel guide for servicemen, and followed up in 1957 with…
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The one area I find hazy is tipping at a breakfast buffet. I've done the work, so don't feel compelled to tip. All they have done is show me where to sit (sometimes).
"Question to journalists on fully sponsored assignments at resorts, spas, etc: To tip or not to tip… that is the question. What is the accepted protocol?"
I wouldn't despair too soon. It takes time to build a subscription base. You have millions of people who are used to getting access for free. It will take them time to adjust. Meanwhile, they will no doubt be searching for new ways to get around the pay wall or new news sources.
However, if they appreciate the quality and depth of the coverage, they will eventually come back. Especially as more media adopt a subscription format. Murdock wants to do it with his media, so that's going to cut off a lot of news access.
The WSJ and FT already do have a subscription fee. I have seen a couple of special-interest and trade titles here in Canada convert to a subscription. They still send out a teaser email each day, which gives you the first two sentences of their lead articles, but to read the whole thing, you need to pay.
I think it's the way of the future. It seems ironic that the web which has changed so much is so resistant to change. People cannot accept to get their news for free. And advertisers aren't prepared to pay a premium price for the web.
Last week I was a conference with several e-publishers. One man has a daily circulation for his targeted newsletter of 14,000. Everyone at the conference knew of his website and him. He lives in Europe and has a North American rep house selling advertising for him. He earns about a Euro a day from cyber ads. He lives off the print magazine he produces six times a year. It has a circulation of 6,000.
Maybe 20 million readers/web viewers aren't worth as much to The Times as 105,000 who will pay for access? Maybe those readers represent more value to advertisers than an anonymous mass?
What hope does that leave for the rest of us? Have any of you guys experimented with a paid model on your Web sites? Does this work for anyone?
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