ap revenue ideas - Associated Press

 AP REVENUE IDEAS
How members are monetizing AP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Member Choice
New Niche
Navarre Press: Navarre, Fla.
The Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach, Fla.
The Kansas City Star: Kansas City, Mo.
The Capitol Press: Salem, Ore.
The Times-Dispatch: Richmond, Va.
Trending Topic
The Messenger-Inquirer: Owensboro, Ky.
The Times Leader: Martins Ferry, Ohio
Pioneer Newspapers: Seattle, Wash.
The Detroit News, Detroit, Mich.
Web Solution
The Garden Island: Lihue, Hawaii
Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville, Ind.
The Pittsburg Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sports
Money Saver
Paxton Media: Owensboro, Ky.
Trending Topic
The Indiana Gazette: Indiana, Pa.
Photos
Trending Topic
Journal Register Co.: Yardley, Pa.
Web Solution
The Herald-Dispatch: Huntington, W. Va.
Lifestyles
Money Saver
The Courier: Findlay, Ohio
Money & Markets
New Niche
The Richmond Register: Richmond, Ky.
MEMBER INNOVATION:
Member Choice Complete
MEMBER CHOICE COMPLETE
Member Choice Complete is AP’s comprehensive content, technology and licensing solution.
The Complete report provides access to all English-language stories produced every day around
the globe. This collection of news, from a nearby state or a faraway country, gives you the ability
to choose the most meaningful and relevant content for your community. That content can be
segmented to provide a targeted approach for readers and advertisers. NEW NICHE:
Connect with a new audience
OVERVIEW
Navarre Press in Florida created a pets page that
appeals to readers and advertisers alike.
THE IDEA
Pet owners spend more than $50 billion annually
on their pets and make up more than 62 percent of
the U.S. population. Publisher Sandi Kemp wanted
to target that market with strong content, and also
connect it with advertisers.
HOW THEY DID IT
The Navarre Press designed a mock-up page
and sent it to pet-related businesses. The weekly
newspaper’s pet-related advertisers were asked
to sign new agreements or to extend existing
agreements and move to the niche page. The
minimum commitment for each advertiser is 52
weeks. On the one-year anniversary of the page,
the paper had a party and offered to take portraits
for its “Pet of the Week” feature. Each “Pet of the
Week” is posted on the paper’s Facebook Page,
generating traffic back to www.navarrepress.com.
“We also placed the pictures from our event online
where the pet owners could purchase mugs,
calendars, playing cards, etc., with their pet’s
picture,” Kemp said.
THE RESULTS
Navarre Press has a dedicated pet page each week
that is presold for a year at a time and has strong,
relevant content. That content is combined with
local stories and photos to generate interest and
a regular revenue stream.
“This
page has been very easy to see
because we are hitting a target market
and it appeals to pet industry
advertisers.”
Sandy Kemp
Publisher
Navarre Press
NEW NICHE:
Giving readers best of both worlds
OVERVIEW
The Palm Beach Post website, pbpulse.com, provides
local entertainment news, along with AP celebrity
news of national and international appeal.
THE IDEA
The Florida newspaper wanted to take a fresh
approach to entertainment news beyond the decadeold section on its main domain. Digital Manager Clay
Clifton said pbpulse.com was created with its own
name and URL to appeal to a younger demographic.
HOW THEY DID IT
The site began with a general entertainment focus, but
quickly became the go-to site for news on local events
and people throughout the year. Readers still want
global entertainment coverage, so the website staff
uses AP stories and photos on key topics such as
celebrities, television and music. Editor Jonathan
Tully says as the site has evolved, access to the AP
content has allowed the staff to meet the newspaper’s
local news goals.
THE RESULTS
Pbpulse.com draws from 275,000 to 300,000 unique
visitors each month and provides the latest in
entertainment news, whether it is local or overseas.
Local venues also have a niche audience they can
reach by advertising on the site.
“It’s good to find an option that allows
your team to work on other areas while
still giving you revenue-ready content.”
Jonathan Tully
Editor of pbpulse.com
The Palm Beach Post
NEW NICHE:
Engaging readers through their own creativity
OVERVIEW
A picture says a thousand words. Picking just the right
words for various AP Images earns readers of The
Kansas City Star free gift cards.
THE IDEA
The Star uses AP Images in its weekly caption contest.
Each Friday, the paper runs a photo on the cover of its
FYI section and invites readers to write their own
captions. The creator of the winning caption receives a
$25 gift card.
HOW THEY DID IT
Each week The Star’s photo editors keep their eyes out
for AP photos that might work for the contest, and the
features staff decides which photo to run in the Friday
paper. Readers are then able to email their own
caption, or several, as there is no limit. Features
writer and editor Tim Engle said he then spends a
couple hours each Monday going through the entries.
The Star then publishes one winner and as many as 25
runner-up entries. They also run the picture’s actual
caption too: “The real story behind the picture.”
The Winning Caption...
After the foreclosure, the Brady Bunch devised
a new sleeping arrangement.
(Dean Garland, Olathe)
THE RESULTS
The FYI caption contest, now in its third year, has had
continued success drawing on average 150 entries per
week. As part of AP’s PhotoStream service, the Star’s
editors have access to AP photo archives at no
additional charge so they have plenty of options
to stir their readers’ creative juices.
“The AP gives us a lot of great
choices every week. Sometimes
several pictures make me smile,
and if I’m smiling, I the readers
will have a good time too.”
Time Engle
Features Writer and Editor
The Kansas City Star
NEW NICHE:
Growing revenue with AP agriculture content
OVERVIEW
The Capital Press and www.capitalpress.com in Salem,
Ore., uses targeted searches of AP content on its
website and in a weekly agriculture publication to
provide the most current news from around the globe.
THE IDEA
The publication and website have undergone a
number of changes in the last several years, including
an increased focus breaking news, as well as the
business and economics of agriculture.
HOW THEY DID IT
The Capital Press needed to give its readers breaking
agriculture news online that it also could enhance
for its weekly publication by adding local context
and analysis. AP Member Choice Complete provided
the perfect solution with round-the-clock news on the
various aspects of agriculture. “AP fits hand in glove
with the broader strategy of how we use the Web
and how we use the paper,” said Editor Joe Beach.
For example, a story on the Food and Drug
Administration limiting an antibiotic in animal
agriculture was quickly posted online, while a
reporter worked on an analysis of how it would
affect ranchers and the livestock industry.
THE RESULTS
Editors at The Capital Press are able to use AP
and local reporting to post breaking news online,
while giving reporters time to further develop
stories, helping spur online growth. UVs have
increased 20 percent in the last three years due
to various changes made. “Because of adding the full package and
the other things we’ve done, our
presentation online and in paper is more
robust and more useful to our readers.”
Joe Beach
Editor
The Capital Press NEW NICHE:
Crime pays big for stand-alone tab
OVERVIEW
Gotcha!, a weekly crime publication created by The
Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia includes mug
shots as well as photos of people being sought in
crimes.
THE IDEA
The Times-Dispatch created Gotcha! as a separate
publication that is sold at area convenience stores. It
also includes AP crime stories, strange news and most
wanted fugitives, as well as results of health
inspections at area restaurants.
HOW THEY DID IT
The Gotcha! team collects mug shots from law
enforcement agencies, along with other content, and
assembles the tabloid magazine weekly. In the first
few months, newsstand sales grew to about 3,500 at
about 200 locations. Market Growth Manager Floyd
Spencer says the paper is now available in more than
350 locations. Weekly sales vary between 8,000 and
9,000 at $1 per copy. Gotcha! includes niche
advertising, such as bail bondsmen and law firms.
Prepress Design Services Manager Karen “K.D.”
Dillon says the AP content makes Gotcha! stand
out from similar ventures that have less
professional articles.
THE RESULTS
Gotcha! has grown into a publication with an annual
revenue budget of $334,000 plus, which includes
newsstand sales and advertising revenue.
“Access
“Access to
to AP
AP stories
stories gives
gives us
usquality
quality
content
without
extra
expense.
content without extra expense.It’s
It’saa great
great
advantage
for
an
auxiliary
advantage for an auxiliary publication
publication such as Gotcha such as Gotcha!.”
Floyd Spencer
Market Growth Manager
Floyd Spencer
Market Growth Manager
The Times-Dispatch TRENDING TOPIC:
Get your real estate section on the a-list
OVERVIEW
The Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro, Ky., produces
Real Estate Inside Out, which combines listings with
AP content on interior design, home improvement
and gardening.
THE IDEA
The bi-weekly section produced for years by the
newspaper contained nothing more than listings
and only appealed to readers actively looking for
a new home. The newspaper wanted to broaden
the appeal and used AP content to do so.
HOW THEY DID IT
Real Estate Inside Out runs 32 pages every other
week and includes AP stories, real estate listings,
open houses and a local feature on a home for sale
selected by the local Board of Realtors. Special
Publications Editor Jacqueline Jordan said AP's real
estate and features coverage mixes perfectly with the
paper's local content to provide an appealing product
for readers and advertisers. She finds AP’s home and
gardens features and other real estate and homes
content with saved searches in AP Exchange. The
section also publishes the House of the Week features.
THE RESULTS
The publication allows real estate agents to get their
home listings in front of an audience that is not just
actively looking to purchase a home, but is interested
in home improvement and other home and real estate
news. Real Estate Inside Out generates about $7,000
in revenue every other week for the paper.
“The wealth of home improvement
features available through AP has coupled
nicely with local content to provide an
enjoyable and informative product for
readers and advertisers.”
Jacqueline Jordan
Special Publications Editor
The Messenger-Inquirer
TRENDING TOPIC:
AP Collections bring historic anniversary home
OVERVIEW
The Associated Press obtained close to 130 Civil
War images ahead of the 150th anniversary of the
April 1861 start of the war. The Times Leader in
Martins Ferry, Ohio, used the photos to create a
special section.
THE IDEA
The Times Leader saw an opportunity to capitalize on
local interest in the war’s anniversary by packaging
the photos made available in AP Images. Publisher
Lori Figurski says a selection of the AP Collections
photos were put into a 12-page tab.
HOW THEY DID IT
In addition to AP photos, the tab also included a map
of significant locations in Ohio Civil War History and
other local content. Photos included influential men
on and off the battlefield, and the destruction of major
cities. All AP PhotoStream customers have access to
AP Collections. Figurski says the Civil War photos
provided a perfect opportunity to make money without
added cost. The newspaper’s advertising
staff focused on nontraditional advertisers for the
section, such as banks and veterans groups.
“It was an easy sell,” Figurski said. “It sold in
three days.”
THE RESULTS
The American Civil War section brought in $4,200 in
advertising revenue. The tab was included in the
paper and 1,300 additional copies were distributed to
schools. In addition to the Civil War, editors can look
forward to ready-to-use AP photo galleries on the
Super Bowl, Oscars and breaking news events.
“It was so easy to sell and our readers
“It was
easy to you
sell engage
and ourreaders
readers
loved
it.so
Anytime
loved
it.
Anytime
you
engage
readers
like that, it’s a win-win for everyone.”like
that, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Lori Figurski
LoriPublisher
Figurski
Publisher
The Times Leader
TRENDING TOPIC:
Special section enables advertisers to share message
OVERVIEW
Pioneer Newspapers combined AP and local content
to create a commemorative tab on the Sept. 11
anniversary.
THE IDEA
Creating a keepsake that commemorates a tragic
event and offering an opportunity for advertisers to
“send a message of support” in the community.
HOW THEY DID IT
Chief Operating Officer Mark Cohen says editors at
Pioneer’s newspapers contributed their own content
specific to their communities, and that was combined
with AP’s national stories and photos. For advertising,
Cohen said the key was to maintain some sensitivity
to the content and the subject matter. Rather than
traditional ads, advertisers bought sponsorships,
many of which directly addressed the spirit of
9/11 and the losses suffered that day.
THE RESULTS
Cohen says the commemorative tab brought in
$19,000 in advertising revenue, despite staff not
pushing hard for advertising because of the subject
matter. “We didn’t just slam it with ads,” he said.
The group plans to use the project as a model for
other special sections, such as Bridal, and Home
and Garden. Cohen says those topics, which also
will resonate groupwide, will have even more
revenue potential.
“We realized there may be advertisers wh
wantrealized
to get their
message
on this aswho
a
“We
there
may beout
advertisers
want to get their message out on this day. This
was about taking notice of who we are as a
nation.”
Mark Cohen
COO
Pioneer Newspapers
TRENDING TOPIC:
AP Mobile gives member content extra mileage
OVERVIEW
The Detroit News and its coverage of the annual
auto show in Detroit were highlighted in AP
Mobile, AP’s breaking news and content-rich
mobile app for local and global news.
THE IDEA
AP Mobile attracts a significant amount of traffic
during breaking news events, and AP aims to take
advantage of these patterns to drive more
attention to member content. AP was already
planning a multi-day feature of the Detroit auto
show, and reached out to The Detroit News to see
if it might be interested in being promoted and
providing a custom auto show feed. "We always
throw every resource we've got into covering the
North American International Auto Show in
Detroit, the most prominent auto show in the
country,” said Pam Shermeyer, Detroit News
online editor.
HOW THEY DID IT
Shermeyer worked with her staff to create a
customized content feed for the auto show. The
custom feed temporarily took the place of the
News’ regular feed during the promotion period.
Shermeyer also provided AP with the News’ logo
and a custom image highlighting the auto coverage
on its website. The logo was prominently displayed
at the top of Top News and the Auto Show Big
Story, and the custom image was added to the
News’ dedicated headlines page in AP Mobile,
clicking through to its auto show landing page on
its website.
THE RESULTS
The Detroit News’ prominently displayed brand in
Top News and the Auto Show Big Story was viewed
800,000 times, and its own story pages garnered
over 20,000 page views over four days.
“Our page views and daily visitor numbers
are always among the highest of the year
during the two press preview days. But
competition is fierce from other general
news sites, automotive news sites,
bloggers, auto industry sites, aggregators,
etc. So the 20,000 extra clicks that AP sent
our way was much appreciated and helped
reinforce our brand on a national platform
as the best source for auto show coverage.”
Pam Shermeyer
Online Editor
The Detroit News
WEB SOLUTION:
AP streams keep news, visitors flowing to website
OVERVIEW
The Garden Island in Lihue, Hawaii, is using
custom AP WebFeeds to significantly expand is
online breaking news content.
THE IDEA
The addition of a new online content
management system enabled the newspaper to
move from only posts of staff-generated content
to feeds drawn from the global report provided
through AP Member Choice Complete.
HOW THEY DID IT
IT & Online Manager Richard Stein used AP Exchange
to create finely-tuned feeds of state, national and
international news, as well as business, sports and
other topics of interest to readers in Hawaii, such as
state government and education. Stein narrowed the
feeds to the content editors felt their readers wanted
and AP WebFeeds Manager allows him to pull the
html feeds directly into his new online production
system. The feeds continually update and readers can
comment on them, just as they do with staffgenerated content. Stein says that with a limited
online staff, the custom feeds allow the paper to add
depth and scope to its website, without added cost.
THE RESULTS
Unique visitors climbed in the year since the new site
launched, with a year-to-date increase of more than
28 percent. Total digital revenue has grown nearly 31
percent, according to publisher Randy Kozerski. “Having that extra depth is really
valuable. We can deliver to them some
important and interesting stories that
they would normally look elsewhere for.”
Richard Stein
IT & Online Manager
The Garden Island
WEB SOLUTION:
Election results make your site the clear winner
OVERVIEW
The Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana focuses
on in-depth reporting on local issues as well as state
government and politics, content that makes it stand
out from its competition.
THE IDEA
The Courier & Press and courierpress.com has
used AP Elections content for key cycles, including
2008 and 2010, and now 2012. Mizell Stewart, E.
W. Scripps Co. vice president of content, said AP’s
election package enables readers to take a deep
dive into the issues and data that matter most
to them.
HOW THEY DID IT
The paper’s digital news staff has worked closely
with AP to build pages on courierpress.com that
maximize the use and impact of AP content.
In the hotly contested 2008 presidential primary,
Stewart says celebrants at candidate’s election-night
gatherings in Indianapolis were projecting pages
from courierpress.com onto display screens
because the site had the most current and
frequently updated results, further building
on the paper’s brand.
THE RESULTS
The AP election package provided the website with
up-to-the-minute election returns during the tea
party-fueled 2010 midterm contests with striking
results. “We showed a 5 percent increase in page
views over the 2008 presidential election year and a
49 percent boost over the 2006 midterm election,”
Stewart said.
“AP helps the Courier & Press and
courierpress.com enhance its leadership
role in our market with local and
statewide information, particularly in the
digital space.”
Mizell Stewart III
Vice President of Content
Evansville Courier & Press
WEB SOLUTION:
Website takes natural gas drilling to a new level
OVERVIEW
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette created Pipeline, an
interactive website on news and issues surrounding
the Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling boom in
Pennsylvania.
THE IDEA
Pipeline was launched in February 2011 with a
$50,000 Networked Journalism grant from J-Lab
at American University in Washington. Pipeline is an
online resource on natural-gas drilling that publishes
reporting on shale from the Post-Gazette and other
outlets every day.
HOW THEY DID IT
Three Post-Gazette staffers work part time on the site:
two reporters and a multimedia producer. One
reporter aggregates content and links from around the
state and country every day and posts them to the
microsite, which automatically sends the content out in
a morning email newsletter. AP content is included.
Other staffers post new content to the site and its social
media pages throughout the day.
THE RESULTS
Pipeline’s dynamic platform includes a calendar of
current shale events and videos summarizing the past
week’s shale legislation. Visitors to the site also can
track permit applications from across the state, and
Pipeline team members solicit reader questions
through social media. The site draws more than 2,000
unique visitors daily. “In its first year, Pipeline has gained a wide
following and very engaged audience,
thanks to its rich content and strategic use
of social media.”
Mary Leonard
Deputy Managing Editor
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MEMBER INNOVATION:
Sports
SPORTS
AP’s global sports report offers you content opportunities that appeal to readers and advertisers
alike for print or online presentations. AP offers the deepest, broadest coverage of sports around
the world, covering every sporting event of significance, from routine Major League Baseball
games to major tournaments, races and matches. Coverage of special events, such as
Olympics and World Cup Soccer, is unmatched, enabling you to find new audiences
and new revenue.
MONEY SAVER:
Win the race for readers, revenue
OVERVIEW
A customized NASCAR page produced in Owensboro,
Ky., appeals to readers and advertisers in three
markets in western Kentucky and southern Indiana.
THE IDEA
The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer in Kentucky has
created a weekly NASCAR page that also runs in
fellow Paxton Media papers the Vincennes SunCommercial in Indiana and The Messenger in
Madisonville, Ky.
HOW THEY DID IT
Owensboro Executive Editor Matt Francis said
the AP Sports vertical provided the papers with
comprehensive NASCAR coverage and allowed them
to save money by dropping a produced service. Copy
Editor Harold Martin identifies the content each week
using AP Exchange. The paper usually uses the main
AP feature each week as a centerpiece, with the art
linked with it through AP Exchange. The newspaper
also uses AP Exchange to quickly find the track
graphics each week.
THE RESULTS
The customized page includes AP stories, photos
and agate, while prominently displaying a local
racing column by a Messenger-Inquirer sports
writer. Owensboro has a tire company sponsor
and Vincennes has a car dealership sponsor their
respective pages. Madisonville plans to follow suit.
“The product is perfect for any auto
dealership, auto parts business, or auto
service business that is currently not
advertising with you. This is a great
gateway to information that feeds a fan
base.”
Rob Eilts
Publisher
Paxton Media
New Niche:
Olympic preview tab brings home gold, silver
OVERVIEW
Ogden Newspapers used AP content to create an
Olympics preview tab across its 41 properties that
provided a vehicle for local advertising at each site.
THE IDEA
For the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Ogden
produced a 16-page tab with advertising space on
each page. The London 2012 Viewing Guide was
released a day before the opening ceremonies. The
group had a similar tab in 2010 for the Vancouver
games. For each tab, the layout was shared among
Ogden papers. Each paper sold its own advertising
to fill the spots and printed its own publication.
HOW THEY DID IT
John McCabe, managing editor of The Intelligencer
and the Wheeling News-Register in West Virginia
said AP Exchange made it easy to gather AP
Olympic preview stories and download
accompanying photographs and graphics.
Intelligencer copy editors developed a cover
concept along with a design plan and consistent
theme for the publication and paginated the
section. The finished product was transmitted to
each of the Ogden dailies so they could place their
ads and schedule the product for printing.
THE RESULTS
A compelling section that appealed to readers in
dozens of U.S. communities, attracted Olympic and
other advertising, generating $1,000 to $3,000 in ad
sales per market.
“We were able to produce an attractive,
reader-friendly section that went to
more than 30 markets by utilizing the
resources of just one newsroom and
The Associated Press.”
John McCabe
Managing Editor
The Intelligencer and
Wheeling News-Register
TRENDING TOPIC:
Super Bowl forges new opportunity for ad revenue
OVERVIEW
The Indiana Gazette in Pennsylvania created
a special section called Forged in Steel on the
Pittsburgh Steelers’ six Super Bowl victories as
a preview to the Steelers’ appearance in last
year’s Super Bowl.
THE IDEA
The Gazette wanted to produce a quality Steelers
section that the advertising department could sell
easily and that didn’t require too much staff time
to produce.
HOW THEY DID IT
The newsroom turned to AP Images for photos of
the Steelers’ previous Super Bowl appearances and
found an excellent selection of free images from
each title game. The Gazette chose more than 20
AP images for the eight-page section, which also
featured the newspaper’s own photos. The photos
were combined with capsule game overviews and
lists of starters for each game. The advertising
department sold sponsor strips, one on each of
six pages, for $375 per ad. The section was printed
on heavy quality paper and inserted for the entire
run of the press.
THE RESULTS
$2,250 in new revenue and a nice keepsake for
hard-core Steelers fans. “The strip ads sold out in a matter of
hours. Feedback from readers was
uniformly positive.”
Eric Ebeling
Executive Editor
The Indiana Gazette
Trending Topic:
Scoring big with college football
OVERVIEW
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal of Tupelo
publishes GameDay, a weekly tab previewing the
best of college football.
THE IDEA
The paper produces GameDay as a way to get more
content about college football games into the
Saturday paper, particularly on the powerhouse
Southeastern Conference, which includes the
nearby University of Mississippi and Mississippi
State University.
HOW THEY DID IT
The tab includes a blend of stories and photos from
staff, The Associated Press and others. Searches of
AP Exchange pull college football content as well as
AP college football writer Ralph Russo’s weekly
picks. The paper also looks to AP for a longer
reader that it uses to anchor the back page. And
the college tab, which is put to bed Thursday
afternoon for Saturday publication, allows the
paper’s sports staff to focus mainly on high school
coverage on Friday. Having AP makes it much
easier to put together the tab each week, said
Sports Editor John Pitts.
THE RESULTS
The college football tab began five years ago as a
12-page section and increased to 16 pages last
season as advertiser interest grew. Heading into its
sixth season, GameDay has created solid advertiser
interest and more than pays for itself. The paper
also offered a front-page ad strip last fall as well,
and sold it out. The projected ad revenue each week
is about $2,000 over the course of a 13-week
season, 14 weeks if Ole Miss or MSU earn a bowl
berth. The revenue covers the equivalent of one
full-time sports clerk who answers the phone, takes
scores and handles other desk-related duties.
“With six broadsheets in the ROP and a
16-page tab, it’s like having a 14-page
section on Saturdays. There’s nothing in
any neighboring market like it.”
John Pitts
Sports Editor
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
MEMBER INNOVATION:
Photos
PHOTOS
The AP Images archive is the world’s largest bank of historical and recent photos, as well as
stock images. AP Images provides instant access to AP's iconic images and adds new images
every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of
photos and graphics for professional image buyers and commercial customers. AP gives you
a head start on revenue-driving photo galleries with its collections around major news events.
AP Images customers can count on ready-to-use photo galleries on the Super Bowl, the Oscars
and Olympics.
TRENDING TOPIC:
Photo finish for historical events
OVERVIEW
PhotoStream members have access to countless
historical images through AP Images. In 2009,
Journal Register Co. newspapers created a
special inaugural photo sections aimed at
school-aged children.
THE IDEA
Jonathan Cooper, who was JRC’s corporate
multimedia editor in 2009, said JRC used “a
ton of historical photos” to illustrate a timeline
it produced.
HOW THEY DID IT
The group took advantage of free access to AP’s
photo archive, pulling images from the inaugurations
of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan
and others.
THE RESULT
The company sold strip ads for each page and
made $200,000 in advertising revenue from the
keepsake supplement.
“We wouldn’t have had this artwork
without the access AP has
provided.”
Jonathan Cooper
Vice President/Digital First Media
Journal Register Co.
WEB SOLUTION:
Photo galleries capture viewers and revenue
OVERVIEW
The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, W.Va., uses AP
photos for online photo galleries, some which attract
up to 100,000 page views each.
THE IDEA
The paper was doing well with local galleries and
saw an opportunity to expand using AP PhotoStream.
Publisher Ed Dawson said an early AP photo gallery
after the death of Anna Nicole Smith did well, and
there was strong interest in natural disasters,
regardless of location.
HOW THEY DID IT
A copy editor created the paper’s first celebrity
gallery. Since then, about half the newsroom
employees have been trained to build galleries.
Ideas for galleries are developed during daily news
meetings. Editors use AP Exchange to find appealing
photos and a new photo gallery is produced daily.
Local and AP photo galleries account for 20 to 30
percent of the paper’s 4 million page views per
month. Advertisers can buy spots that rotate
throughout galleries or rotate throughout
the site.
THE RESULTS
Direct advertising revenue from all photo galleries
runs about $20,000 to $25,000 a year. Dawson says
the galleries are also responsible for a significant
amount of indirect revenue through ads that
rotate through the website. “If you can get 100,000 page views out of
a photo gallery with photos you’re
already paying for, why not?”
Edward Dawson
Publisher
The Herald-Dispatch
MEMBER INNOVATION:
Lifestyles
LIFESTYLES
AP Lifestyles is a package of feature content on a variety of topics including food, fashion, travel,
parenting, pets, homes and gardens. The lifestyles vertical offers quality, advertiser-appealing
content that is used in special sections, section fronts and websites. The vertical also includes
monthly “Special Edition” packages on all-time favorite topics such as weddings, pets and back to
school. Headline events such as Fashion Week are covered live, and you will have at your
fingertips real-time stories off the news that focus on what everyone’s buzzing about.
MONEY SAVER:
Special section content that takes the cake
OVERVIEW
The Courier in Findlay, Ohio, has been able to forgo
supplemental wedding content and save hundreds of
dollars in producing its twice-yearly bridal sections.
THE IDEA
The Courier had been using supplemental content in
its bridal tabs. Member Choice Complete enabled the
paper to find quality feature stories and photographs
that it could marry with local coverage. “A major
contributing factor that makes the edition such a
success is the combination of the edition with our
annual bridal show as well as an online micro site.
The show features nearly 100 area businesses that
attract new engaged couples each year," said
Advertising Manager Kari Faulkner.
HOW THEY DID IT
Family Editor Margaret Dwiggins saves stories
and photos with an AP Exchange search. She also
uses AP Special Edition wedding content. Having
the Exchange search enables her to gather evergreen
stories that are available when she needs them.
“That's peace of mind for me,” she said.
THE RESULTS
AP Exchange searches for wedding content help
fill The Courier’s 24-page wedding supplement,
eliminating the need for third-party content
that comes with an added cost.
“Our annual Bridal Showcase editions are
well received by advertisers and readers
alike. The AP service provides content
regarding the latest trends as well as old
wedding traditions.”
Kari Faulkner
Advertising Manager
The Courier
MEMBER INNOVATION:
Money & Markets
MONEY & MARKETS
AP’s Money & Markets provides you with analytical modules for print or online use, as well
as local stocks lists. Enhance your financial coverage with a comprehensive online stocks lookup
from Morningstar, which offers continuously updated details on stocks, mutual funds and more.
Money & Markets enables our members to innovate with explanatory and forward-looking financial
data that reflects the changing world of financial content.
NEW NICHE:
Money to be made in offering financial content
OVERVIEW
Money & Markets financial markets information
helped The Richmond (Ky.) Register grow
advertising revenue.
THE IDEA
The Richmond Register, which had dropped its
stocks presentation in 2008 in cost cutting, was
looking to rebuild its weekend business section and
make money with the content. AP's Money & Markets
was a perfect fit. The newspaper has seen an increase
in advertising revenue that more than covers the cost
of the service.
HOW THEY DID IT
With the economy slowly improving, Register
Publisher Nick Lewis, Editor Lorie Love Hailey
and Advertising Director Joel Merlin decided
the paper needed to resume a financial markets
presentation in print, and that the paper could make
money from it. The paper starting using AP’s Money
& Markets Extra content in early 2011 to build two
Sunday pages filled with compelling market analyses,
plus stocks and mutual fund information. Online
Money & Markets modules, which are available as
part of the service, also are being added.
THE RESULTS
The paper sold several banner ads across both
pages. Shortly after the new section launched, Hailey
received an email from a reader: “The new section ...
is an excellent addition ... I get the WSJ daily, as well
as many financial magazines, and I find new
information in this Money & Markets.”
“We were looking to rebuild our
business section and make it profitable,
and Money & Markets was the perfect fit.
It has been a wonderful addition to the
paper and, of course, it has increased
our revenue.”
Joel Merlin
Director of Advertising and Sales
The Richmond Register