New media isn't new any more

There is a short post here that makes a point that has seemed more and more important to me lately: we need to stop thinking about "print media" and "new media" and all such other constructs and start acting like it's all just media.

The commentator at techdirt (I have no idea what that is) put it this way:

These companies don't need Chief Digital Officers. It's not a separate job function. They need to get the entire company thinking digitally and understanding how it impacts their business.

I had the same thought recently in making a presentation to a strategic planning session at Sac Bee. I had a job here 11 years agoi called "assistant to the president for new media strategies." Dumb title, I realize, but at least it was accurate then. The digital stuff really was new media then. It's not new any more.

I had the same thought again yesterday when Kit Seelye from NYT was here interviewing some of us for her ticktock on the deal. It's so clear to me now that our whole strategy is easily ecapsulated in the simple objective: "be the leading local media company."

In our case, news media, since we aren't [yet] aiming at Disney or Sony. But when it comes to news, we want to master all media, to be fully engaged and present in instant-cycle 24/7 breaking news (online, email alerts, RSS, etc); in comprehensive printed daily briefing/orientation in the mainsheet newspaper; in video and podcasting selectively; in foreign language and other niche publications.

It's all just media. And you are in the media business.

– Howard Weaver