Ken Kurson has worked in the media industry in a variety of different exciting roles over the span of his career. These have included serving as editor in chief of Observer, and its related properties – including The New York Observer and The Commercial Observer. But Kurson has also worked on the periphery of the media industry for many years, which has afforded him a unique perspective on the way the industry has developed, and the way it continues to develop thanks to the advances of technology.
Digital media has entirely changed the economic model for many news properties. We’ve seen an increasing number of media properties transition from print media outlets to digital outlets. Even those that have kept up their print editions, have nonetheless made substantial investments in expending their resources on focusing on their media property’s digital reach.
Indeed those media professionals like Ken Kurson who have heralded such exciting transitions in terms of migrating news properties from print to digital editions, have noted some of the advantages inherent in the model. Among them of course, is the ability to have direct consumer engagement with the audience.
There are many ways in which this digital migration now allows press barons and the editorial staffs and publishers of media properties to better understand their audiences. For one, they have more effective, efficient and even immediate communication channels now available to them, and at their disposal. This right off the bat is a value that print offerings simply never allowed for.
And of course, there’s the unique ability to better understand one’s audience, that print properties simply don’t provide to their editorial staffs. For instance, with the technological wherewithal, google Analytics can properly be used to navigate the waters of a media property’s audience members to better comprehend what their reading habits are like.
By example, is there one reporter in particular who is a favorite among the audience? That can be evaluated based on the amount of clicks stories get that might be under that particular reporter’s banner. Are there specific subjects or story-lines that are consistent among the stories that are most clicked on, by readers? This question will give incredibly valuable information to the editorial staff.
This information in turn can be used for immensely constructive ends. For instance, a media property might choose to produce content that is a reflection of the needs, wants and desires of its audience. And in such a case, that can obviously have a positive effect on the ability of the news property to retain the type of readership it would ideally like to.
In addition, it could utilize this information to similarly create content that might help draw more members of the demographic groups of its audience that it already seems to have produced interest among. This is indeed an important insight that cannot be taken for granted under any circumstances. These are just some of many examples that exist of ways in which the transition from print to digital can indeed prove beneficial for media properties that are smart and prudent with the change and its implementation.
Ken Kurson and his ample experience in the media industry has provided him with the ability to have a truly unique outlook on the way in which the digital transformation of the media space has dramatically changed the relationship between news properties and their readers.