Weekend reads of interest

This is the weekend edition of TheMarioBlog and will be updated as needed. The next blog post is Monday, May 20.

A new newspaper is born in Idaho

Just like we lament when a newspaper ceases to appear, we rejoice when a new newspaper is born, especially in 2019, and one that will have both a print and digital presence. That’s what is happening in Bingham County in Idaho, which now has a new five-day-per-week newspaper, The Bingham County Chronicle, an Adams Publishing Group (APG) product.

Adams Publishing Group Establishes New Idaho Newspaper

The newspaper prints Tuesday through Friday and Sunday and is published online at bcchron.com.

Fun with the news

Leave it to The New York Post, definitely no fan of New York City’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio, who just announced, he, too, is running for President in the US 2020 election. DeBlasio becomes the 23rd candidate in a crowded field of Democratic candidates.

Now we know what the Post thinks of his presidential aspirations.

At the Times: digital growth

I know that the average newspaper can’t compare its fortunes to those of The New York Times. However, there is reason to take a look at this report that indicates that digital growth—including advertising—is attainable.

The key is good content, innovative thinking, experimentation and the ability to explore storytelling for consumers who do so on their mobile platforms.

Read all about it here:

The New York Times Company on Wednesday reported first-quarter results that were better than expected, as gains in digital advertising and subscriptions outpaced the inexorable decline of its once-mighty print business.

The total number of paid subscriptions, including digital and print, topped 4.5 million, a high. More than 3.5 million people pay for the publisher’s online products, with the company adding 223,000 customers for its news, crossword and cooking apps during the quarter, a 29 percent increase over last year.

And speaking of the Times’ innovation

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/443682-new-york-times-unveils-first-tv-series-called-the-weekly

The New York Times is launching a new TV show called “The Weekly” that will include reporting from 1,600 journalists from 160 countries, according to the 167-year-old publication.

The paper of record says the show “will be its first major foray into TV news” and will launch Sunday, June 2, on FX.

“The Weekly” will also be available via streaming on Hulu the following day.

“Each half-hour episode features a Times journalist investigating one of the most pressing issues of the day,” per the Times, which also released a new series trailer on Tuesday.

The Miami Herald: special project highlights children killed by guns

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article225548170.html

Mario’s speaking engagements

Mario doing a keynote presentation at Newscamp 2018 in Augsburg, Germany

Here are places where I will be taking the message of mobile storytelling in the weeks ahead:

May 25, Milan, Italy, EidosMedia Annual Customer Meeting, Keynote: Mobile First Strategies for Publishers

June 12, NEC Media City, Bergen, Norway, Storytelling workshop for Editors

June 13, Fortellingens kraft 2019, Bergen, Norway, Long form Mobile Storytelling for Writers

July 11, Florida Media Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, Keynote for editors: The mobile first newspaper strategy.

Mario’s weekend rituals…..

Monocle interviews me about what I do on a typical weekend (is there such a thing? Not for someone like me who is seldom in the same location twice. But I gave it my best shot, for what may come as a normal weekend, when I am home in New York! Enjoy.

https://monocle.com/minute/2019/04/27/

Pre-order The Story

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The newspaper remains the most powerful source of storytelling on the planet. But technology threatens its very existence. To survive, the Editor must transform, adapt, and manage the newsroom in a new way. Find out how, pre-orderThe Story by Mario Garcia, chief strategist for the redesign of over 700 newspapers around the world.