#newsrw: Newspaper editor turned digital publisher Marc Reeves joins news:rewired as keynote speaker

Marc Reeves, former editor of the Birmingham Post who recently launched the online-only Business Desk West Midlands, is to give the afternoon keynote speech at Journalism.co.uk's news:rewired event.

news:rewired - the nouveau niche, on Friday 25 June 2010 at Microsoft UK's offices in London, is partnered by the BBC College of Journalism and MSN UK and will discuss how to best serve specialised audiences.

Sessions will cover user-generated content; mobile; paywalls; new publishing technology; community development and building interactive and visualisation features, and other topics.

Journalism.co.uk editor Laura Oliver said she was thrilled to welcome Reeves on board. "Having overseen significant changes at the Birmingham Post and now as editor of an online-only, business news site, Marc can offer first-hand insight and understanding of the challenges facing specialised online publishers and generalist news organisations looking to make the most of verticals," she said.

"As our inspirational keynote speaker, I look forward to hearing his views on the editorial and commercial opportunities for online publishing and what print publishers should be looking at when it comes to building their niche."

Reeves, writing on his blog, says, "As the attraction of daily, and even weekly, newsprint 'commodity' print publishing declines as a business model, so rises the potential of niche, less frequent specialist publications like business magazines.

"Defined audiences appeal to specialist advertisers, more so than absolute numbers, so it's not surprising that a few such publications pop up to fill a perceived gap. Similarly, you'll find no shortage of niche publications in rude health serving everyone from nudists to newt breeders."

Other recent additions to the line-up include Miriam Warren, head of European community management at the fast-growing community publisher Yelp; Paul Bradshaw, director, MA Online Journalism, Birmingham City University and founder of Online Journalism Blog/Help Me Investigate; and Tom Whitwell, assistant editor and head of online, the Times.

Whitwell, who is currently implementing the Times' plans for paid content, said that he will bring "first hand experience of launching a paid-for news site in the UK".

He will be joined in the paywall discussion by Karl Schneider, RBI's head of editorial development. Schneider told Journalism.co.uk that understanding your audience in depth is more important than ever - and understanding how it naturally segments into sub-niches.

"Increasingly, the depth of publishers understanding of their audiences, in groups and individually, and their ability to act on that understanding effectively will be what drives business success."

He's optimistic for the future of paid content within niche environments. He said that one of RBI's biggest revenue streams, and currently the fastest-growing, is paid-for content.

"But publishers need to understand what types of content they can charge for - and what they can't. The value proposition for paid-for content must be very clear."

Meanwhile, other sessions will include non-profit and volunteer-lead initiatives, with a focus on collaboration.

Openly Local's Chris Taggart, a developer who has developed numerous data-driven initiatives in the UK, said he encouraged media to work with small publishers and developers.

"For the past 50 years, much of mainstream media has resembled the monolithic, capital intensive and slow-moving government projects they have so often criticised, albeit with a sexier, glossier sheen," he said.

"And, like those projects, they rapidly risk becoming irrelevant if they don't become more agile, more efficient, and make better use of the 'Network'."

Leading local digital journalists and bloggers will be sharing their ideas for community-driven news, with more of regional newspapers' digital best in the audience.

Bournemouth Daily Echo online journalist and digital projects co-ordinator, Sam Shepherd, who will be talking about bringing community into journalism, said she thinks there is "lots of scope for regional newspapers to help carve out new territory online, especially when it comes to mobile phones".

"Whether they will or not depends a great deal on individual newsrooms - the people with the next great ideas will almost inevitably not be the people in management - and on investment to make some of those ideas reality.  But if we don't do it, someone else will."

To book your ticket for news:rewired - the nouveau niche follow this link. Tickets are priced at £80 (+VAT) until 11 June when the price will rise to £100 (+VAT). More than 40 per cent of tickets have already been sold.

For sponsorship opportunities visit: http://www.newsrewired.com/advertiserssponsors/
and contact Adam Cox via adam [at] journalism.co.uk.

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