TAKEAWAY: Another Project Pinstripe launch has taken place, this time the Kansas City Business Journal. Unification and continuity for the American City Business Journals brand and storytelling continue. Here today the publisher and editor reflect on the changes—and the challenges.
New front page of the Kansas City Business Journal
Old front page of the Kansas City Business Journal
Centerpiece/cover story and how it develops inside
Finger reading, as seen on left page, is an important part of the new storytelling strategies for the Kansas City Business Journal
The new concept calls for more storytelling through graphics
The new opinion page
The List is one of the most popular features readers seek each week in all of the American City Business Journal titles
The new concept calls for more experimental positioning of ads, as in island ads, odd shaped ads and belt ads
An aim of the ACBJ Pinstripes Project is to bring brand unity across all 40 titles of the firm: here the first five to launch, from left, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Cincinnati Business Courier, Philadelphia Business Journal, Washington Business Journal, Kansas City Business Journal.
The Kansas City Business Journal has added pinstripes on its logo, making it the 5th of the 40 weeklies part of American City Business Journals to launch a common style of storytelling, story hierarchy and visual presentation.
Reed Reibstein and I at Garcia Media have worked closely with the ACBJ team, including Emory Thomas, chief content officer for American City Business Journals and creative director Jon Wile. Over the course of a year, and a half-dozen workshops, we have created a formula that is flexible enough to allow for the specific and unique features of each of the titles, while establishing a foundation that ensures a similar style for telling stories and for adapting to a digital first philosophy in the presentation of content.
What are the main changes in this rethink of the Kansas City Business Journal?
Jon Wile, creative director for ACBJ, sat with Joyce Hayhow, Publisher, and Brian Kaberline, Editor-in-Chief, and asked them to reflect on the nearly year-long transition their news operation has gone through.
Jon tells me that both Joyce and Brian have worked at KCBJ for more than 25 years and been through redesigns before. But both admit that this time was different, it was more than a redesign; ?it was a reinvention of their business to better secure its future in the digital age.
Three questions for Joyce and Brian:
Q: What do you think the most rewarding part of this process was?
Joyce: Being at the helm of an organization going through transformational change challenged my leadership ability. I found that to be both exhilarating and extremely rewarding.
Brian: The most rewarding part of the process was seeing the various elements all come together. It was seeing a digital-first approach to reporting provide the fodder for more in-depth and analytical coverage in print, and a lean-forward/lean-back philosophy lead to a greater emphasis on readers’ needs.
Q: What was the hardest part of the process?
Joyce: Regardless of your newsroom’s buy-in to the philosophical idea of being a digital-first news operation, the old habits are very difficult to let go. For the period of time our reporters and editors tried to break news online while holding on to much of our traditional print content, stress levels went through the roof.
Brian: It’s easy to talk about change, and incremental change is easy. What’s hard is stripping away years of deeply rooted habits and biases and trying to approach tasks in a completely fresh way.
Q: What advice would you give other traditional media companies about transitioning into the digital-first landscape?
Joyce: It takes resolute determination and commitment from the top down. You cannot serve two masters when it comes to breaking news and everyone has to be held accountable for being digital-first. You also must have a well thought out, documented approach for the treatment of content being delivered in print. It has to be fresh and compelling even without the breaking news edge.
Brian: First, realize that the most significant changes are philosophical, not physical. Second, be aware that many people in your offices will not be able or willing to make the switch and don’t presuppose that this is a factor of age, experience or job title.
Read more from Brian here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/blog/2013/07/new-kcbj-design.html
Watch a video about the KCBJ changes here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2013/07/12/new-kansas-city-business-journal.html
Previously about American City Business Journals:
A total rethink for Cincinnati Business Courier
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pits_a_total_rethink_for_cincinnati_business_courier_p
Philadelphia Business Journal: A total reinvention
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pphiladelphia_business_journal_a_total_reinvention_p
It’s a new Washington Business Journal
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pits_a_new_washington_business_journal_p
The design of the Silicon Valley Business Journal, from prototype to reality
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/the_design_of_the_silicon_valley_business_journal_from_prototype_to_reality
Silicon Valley Business Journal: Creating the ultimate multi-platform operation
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/silicon_valley_business_journal—creating_the_ultimate_multi_platform_opera
Lessons learned from Silicon Valley, and a look at some details of SVBJ
https://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/lessons_learned_from_silicon_valley_and_a_look_at_some_details_of_svbj
Pages we like
Our European blog correspondent, Frank Deville, sends these two double page spreads from Bild am Sonntag, which are not only graphically full of impact, but carry interesting stories for the lean back Sunday reader.
The first spread is about “stylish” pro football coaches in Europe, and highlighting Pepe Guardiola, the new coach of Bayern Munich. The Spaniard, and former Barcelona coach, was termed the most stylish ever.
The second double page spread deals with a more serious story of motivation and dedication. It is about a refugee from Eritrea who has spent four years on a journey from his homeland to his desired destination in Europe. He started in 2009, crossed the Sudan desert, was imprisoned, and it took a year to raise the $400 that it took to free him from the jail, then on to Libia, and it was just April 2013 that he reached Tripoli, and only recently that he made it, hanging from the back of a boat, to the coast of Italy. It is powerful visual storytelling through images, and also through the numbers that tell the saga of this refugee named Tesfaghaber
Monday morning question
How ill CNN fill its air space now that the George Zimmerman trial—subject of its obsession for weeks—is finished?
Just pondering.
WAN-IFRA The Tablet & App Summit, Berlin, Oct. 7-8
It’s the WAN IFRA The Tablet & App Summit in Berlin, Oct.7- 8 and I will be in charge of moderating this program that will bring together leading publishers, head of mobile and development and senior newspaper executives to discuss how to best offer mobile services and products within an increasing complexity in news consumption.
Among the speakers confirmed for this Summit:
Guy Crevier, La Presse+, Canada—
How to optimize the user experience and keep advertisers happy in the competitive digital ecosystem
Thomas Schultz-Homberg, Head of Electronic Media, FAZ -(Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung); Çagri Türkkorur, Digital Media Director, Dogan Gazetecilik; Dr. Assaf Avrahami, CEO, Yedioth IT; Anna Matteo, Director of Digital Area for Gruppo24ORE
Jeff Moriarty, Boston Globe (US) and Garrett Goodman, Worldcrunch
How to extend your newspapers´experience: Adaptive vs responsive design Q&A session
Audra Martin, Vice President, Advertising and Operations, Economist Digital
How to win & keep advertisers in the digital environment
Fred Hurkmans, Director Commercial & Marketing, Le Soir (Belgium)
Neil Johnson, Managing Director A&N Media, Mobile and TV, UK
Notes to consider when launching a new product: Daily Mail+, the DMG latest product
Note: Some of the speakers above still to be confirmed
For more information and to register for the Summit, go here:
https://www.wan-ifra.org/registration/world-publishing-expo-2013-registration?nid=78081