Tony Dearing's presentation to LA2M regarding AnnArbor.com

1. the future of journalism in ann arbor
p.

2. What is AnnArbor.com?
• A 24/7 digital news organization that also publishes in print twice a
week.
• Staffed by professional journalists committed to local news.
• Of, by and for the community. A place where people can contribute
content and gain and share information and opinions on whatever is
important in their lives.
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3. A new model
• A serious attempt to develop a new business plan that sustains local
news.
• We don’t have all the answers, but what the industry learns here and
elsewhere will guide the future of journalism.
• Ann Arbor has always been a leader and innovator, and is one of the
most Web-savvy communities in the country.
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4. Platform agnostic
• A Web site that covers news with an emphasis on immediacy and
constant updates. Our own content, user content and
aggregation/links.
• A newspaper in print on Thursday and Sunday. Our commitment is
to a quality publication with a broad reach.
• An understanding that we also need to push content out in forms
such as tweets or newsletters.
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5. Our timelines
• Hiring will begin this week.
• Web site launches week of July 20.
• First print edition published on Sunday, July 26.
p. 5

6. AnnArbor.com online
• Home page
• Topics
• Stories
• User profiles
• Deals & More and real estate
• Strong emphasis on ease of navigation and good site search
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7. AnnArbor.com in print
• Thursday paper • Sunday paper
• News analysis, features • Traditional A section
• Sports looks ahead • Sports section
• Return of Spotlight • Entertainment
• Food/Home • Milestones
• Travel
• Comics
• TV book
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8. Topics
• Government/politics • Arts/Entertainment
• Education • The Deuce
• Cops/Courts • Food and Drink
• Business • Commentary
• Neighborhoods • Environment
• U-M sports • Comics/games/puzzles
• Prep sports • Deals & More
• EMU sports • Real estate
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9. How we’ll cover the news
• Our own staff of trained, professional journalists
• Staffing plan for news: 30 to 35 employees.
• Areas of coverage:
• News • Entertainment
• Sports • Community
• Collaboration with other credible sources
• Freelancers
• Do what you do best, link to the rest
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10. AnnArbor.com and you
• Login/registration
• User profile/Facebook Connect
• Trusted users
• Following, favoriting, contributing, commenting, sharing
p. 10

11. Business model
• Deals & More/contextual text-based ads
• Newsletters
• Classified verticals, beginning with a new model for real estate
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12. Your questions?
12 p.