Mobile

The mobile revolution is transformative, not a niche of what is mainstream today.

The FT made a significant break from traditional practice by reclaiming control of its licensing activities. At that point, it said that building and growing direct customer relationships, rather than indirectly licensing via aggregators, was a top goal.

We can look at each of the major revolutions in digital news and commerce, and see how news companies responded.

Search. Late.

Paid search. Way too late.

Video. Late.

Social. Too late.

Mobile. Largely too late.

News companies have used old yardsticks to measure new technologies, and the results have been, predictably and disastrously, too little, too late.

Are we beginning to see the Last Man Standing strategy play out in the U.S.’s biggest cities? The New York Times is planning on building out 10-15 regional editions, on the model of its Chicago (partnered with the Chicago News Cooperative) and Bay Area (partnered with Bay Area Citizen) models. Now the Wall Street Journal is renewing its previously announced regional forays, into Chicago, L.A. and perhaps other places. WSJ CEO Les Hinton noted this week that “we’ve done focus groups and see a growing antipathy among high-end readers, towards what’s happened to their local newspapers.” One publisher’s nightmare is another’s opportunity.

“The laptop is yesterday’s news.”

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation at AllThingsD

If it’s yesterday’s news, what’s that make yesterday’s news?

We hear about mobile, about using analytics, about learning from other media and, of course, lots on metering. That makes sense: A new Strib board member is Gordon Crovitz, a co-founder of Journalism Online, whose Press+-based metering approach will get a good test this year. If you could get a dollar for each of Klingensmith’s mention of “moving the dials,” you’d have a profitable morning.

“I have talked to a dozen or so agencies and there’s going to be a lot of push back. They’ll probably be some that engage for the sexiness, but not for the ROI,” said Jumptap’s Chief Marketing Officer Paran Johar told PaidContent. Johar was responding to the news that Apple’s iAds mobile ad program may demand $1 million minimum buys and could at least triple mobile ad pricing.

Most estimates place HuffPo 2009 revenues in the $12-15 million range — meaning that it is monetizing its unique visitors and page views at something like a tenth of the rate of The New York Times, the largest newspaper-owned property in the top 10.

The magic word here from a business perspective: Roll-up. Whoever figures out how to roll up major audiences and monetize them wins. J-Lab’s report holds out hope that may come about somewhat organically. History, though, teaches us that it’s more likely to come by dint of more singular zeal.

One quite timely addition to our daily Romenesko reading is Poynter Institute’s new Mobile Media blog, ably edited by Damon Kiesow, managing editor for online at the Nashua Telegraph, and Regina McCombs, a Poynter faculty member. The blog launched earlier this year — just in time for tabletmania. Great daily point of reference on the news biz and all things not PC.