San Francisco Chronicle Reveals Podcast Strategy

Podcast Editor Marcus Chan Goes “On the Record…Online” About the Newspaper’s Latest New Media Intiative

LOS ANGELES—December 19, 2005—“On the Record…Online”, the podcast that gives listeners the story behind the story through in-depth interviews with journalists from the mainstream media about how technology is changing and threatening to disrupt the media business, has released a new episode featuring an exclusive interview with the San Francisco Chronicle's podcast editor, Marcus Chan, who talks candidly about his experience selling in podcasting at the paper and how they are integrating this new media channel into the editorial process.

The new “On the Record…Online” podcast epsiode arrives fresh on the heels of a recent, unrelated article which appeared in the Los Angeles Times business section, detailing the circulation woes of the Chronicle. Chan shares his insider perspective on how newspapers might use podcasts to shore new readers and how podcasting is being received by the old guard in the newsroom.

Chan also opens up about the war between old media and new media, discussing ways to monetize newspaper podcasts in the future and where the newspaper business in general is headed.

“I think there will still be a newspaper ten years from now, but I think the circulation of it will be lower. The online operations will be subsidizing a lot of the print costs,” says Chan in the interview. “I think it’s a balance between the two but the pendulum is obviously already heading in the other direction of online. You also hear these terms a lot, but I think there’s a lot of truth to it— time-shifting and space-shifting. People are going to become accustomed to getting their tailored content, whenever they want it, wherever they want it.”

The podcast is available for download or subscription at www.OntheRecordPodcast.com.

Previous episodes of “On the Record…Online,” which are also available on-demand, feature one-on-ones with Leo Laporte of This Week in Tech, Ron Bloom, CEO of Podshow.com, Alex Ben Block, former editor of Television Week and The Hollywood Reporter, David Pogue of The New York Times, Nick Wingfield of the Wall Street Journal, two-time Pulitzer prize winner David Satterfield of the San Jose Mercury News, Leo Laporte of This Week in Tech, Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion, Michael Butler of The Rock and Roll Geek Show, Jeffrey O’Brien of Wired Magazine and many more. Upcoming guests include Doug Kaye of IT Conversations and Doc Searls of Linux Journal.

On the Record…Online is a production of iPressroom Corporation, which provides software tools and consulting services to help organizations reach audiences online via the web, email and real simple syndication.

ABOUT THE HOST:
Eric Schwartzman is managing director at Schwartzman & Associates, an online communications agency that provides consulting services to help organizations more effectively integrate the Net into their businesses and business models. He is also founder and president of iPressroom, an application service provider that licenses software that empowers non-technical personnel to integrate the web into all aspects media dsitributions, marketing communications and public relations. His Spinfluencer blog examines how marketing, advertising, public relations, the news media and merging technologies influence perceptions, and his “On the Record…Online” podcast features newsmakers, journalists, bloggers and podcasters discussing how technology is changing the business of media, and, in turn, popular culture.