I'm surprised we haven't seen a serious effort like this in the U.S.: Fairfax Group, one of Australia's big media companies, has launched a major online news site in Brisbane, the Brisbane Times. There's no print version; it's an online-only competitor to the Brisbane Courier-Mail, professionally staffed but minus the presses and trucks.
It's probably not surprising to see this level of innovation: Australian publishers are much more aggressive and imaginative than their U.S. counterparts, and Australia in general is far more online savvy than the U.S.—it's perhaps the most wired (and wireless) place I've ever been.
While the U.S. has seen countless citizens' media efforts, a handful of independent local online newspaper startups (usually one-person shows) and an even smaller handful of online-only small community papers, the Brisbane Times involves a major publisher deciding to skip print and go into a major city (and attacking an existing paper) with an online product. Reportedly, it's already attracting significant advertising.
American publishers still seem to be stuck thinking print-first. What passes for innovation here generally consists of launching free print dailies—with all the incumbent costs of production and distribution. And let's not forget that online is a much better place to woo younger readers than in print. When will a major U.S. media company follow the example being set online Down Under?
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