Before the sun rises over Lake Michigan, Jim Romenesko journeys about three feet from his bed to his desk, fires up his computer, and begins scanning 150 electronic bookmarks looking for news about news.
By 7:30 a.m. his daily web page begins to gel. For 2 1/2 hours he gathers tips on news stories worthy of note, reports of changes at media companies, and news on journalists. Production starts at 8:15 as Romenesko makes final story selections, pulls in art, and proofs the page. At 8:30 a.m. Central Standard Time, mediagossip.com goes online.
“If I’m late, I get e-mail asking about the page, ” he said, “but I’ve only been late once.” Peak time is 9 a.m. Central Standard Time when, according to web server reports, computers at The New York Times and other East Coast newsrooms click on to catch a few minutes of Romenesko’s report.
Today they will find a change. Romenesko’s mediagossip.com links from the home page of The Poynter Institute. Poynter is a school for journalists and media leaders. Romenesko’s content won’t change, but the name becomes Romenesko’s Media News.
Dubbed “Mr. Link Man” by Salon.com, Romenesko has been a self-publisher since age 9 when he produced his first newspaper to which his family of 10 guaranteed a sufficient readership. He then edited his junior high and high school papers in Lake Geneva, Wis., majored in journalism at Marquette University, and worked the rounds of beats at the Milwaukee Journal. Years of reading coroner’s reports as a police reporter inspired him to publish a book of the more bizarre reports. The book, Death Log (1981), picked up sales after columnist Bob Greene reviewed it.
Romenesko moved to Milwaukee Magazine, and then in 1996 to the St. Paul Pioneer Press where he covered the Internet.
He began rising at 5 a.m. to put media news on his own web page before going to work. Now the web page is his work. In September, Romenesko, 46, moved to Chicago to be near his family while working for The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. From the 17th floor of a building overlooking Lake Michigan, he reports the news of the news business. In an interview he talks about his purpose, his readers, and his decision to move his web page to Poynter.
KAREN BROWN DUNLAP: How do you decide which stories to use on the page?
JIM ROMENESKO: First, a story has to be about media. Some days it’s hard to find stories about media. Some of the better ones are in smaller publications. Second, a story has to be of fairly broad interest. It can’t be too limited to journalists. Recently I carried a story on Peter Jennings saying he was not just a newsreader. He said he actually writes or rewrites everything that goes on the evening news. I thought that was fairly broad because it offered some insight into the news business. I try to show how the news business works.
About how many readers do you have, and what do you know about them?
I have up to 13,000 readers some days. The audience is growing. I can tell from the bills of the server. A lot of readers are from The New York Times, the L.A. Times, and other media domains. I also have a lot of traffic from Microsoft, banks, the military, some from the U.S. Senate and from universities, particularly journalism schools. That’s why I try to put up information of interest to a general audience.
How did a guy from a big family in Wisconsin get interested in media gossip?
For 14 years I wrote a column called “Pressroom Confidential” in Milwaukee Magazine. I tried to explain how decisions were made in the newsrooms. I had a wide range of sources and it was clear I was not interested in irresponsible gossip. I wanted to give news and information.
As I became more and more interested in online information, I noticed there was no one page that would give readers all the news from daily and weekly newspapers, television, magazines, and radio web pages. So, I started one. One person told me, “Steven Brill (Chairman and Editor in Chief of Brill’s Content) has spent millions and one guy with a modem is making a difference.”
What is the difference that you’re making?
I’m giving exposure to news reports that might not otherwise be seen by a larger audience. I’m telling how journalism works, why some stories make the front page, what’s going on in the business. Sometimes I do things just for fun.
What drew you to online technology?
In 1990, I saw an ad for Prodigy. I didn’t know what it was. Then I was in a bookstore and saw the term “Internet.” I didn’t know much about that either, but I learned. I was teaching a course at the University of Milwaukee at the time, so I asked them about an Internet account and they set me up. This was before browsers and other services. I spent the summer trying to learn how to operate online. In 1994, I put an ad in Editor & Publisher offering myself as an Internet reporter. I didn’t get one single nibble.
Not one?
I was ahead of things, but I was convinced there would be a communications revolution, that we’d be talking online to people all over the world.
You see a lot of media web pages in your work. What’s the state of media pages?
They’re getting better. I think the initial skepticism about the Internet is gone. Companies know they need to commit to their web pages and they are providing more resources.
How many bookmarks do you have?
I have several hundred bookmarks on media and technology. Each day I probably go through 100 to 150 spending only a couple of seconds at many pages. I probably spend the most time at The Washington Post. I like the Style section, the A-section, and the general quality of writing.
Why did you decide to move the page to Poynter?
Obviously Poynter has a built-in audience of journalists. When they sent me a catalog and I saw the incredible line-up of people who have been there, I was impressed. These are the people I want to reach. Bill Mitchell (Poynter’s Online Editor / Director of Marketing) has a great background in new media, and this seemed a good opportunity.
Will your web page change?
Bill and (Poynter president) Jim Naughton said it will be pretty much the same. They like it the way it is and don’t want to mess it up.
Some readers expressed concern that Poynter will change it. What’s their concern?
I’ve had some e-mails wondering if the page will become academic. They think of Poynter as a think tank. Someone at Poynter told me, “We think, but we’re not a tank.”
Will the design change? I assume you designed it.
Yes I did. This is a DIY operation – Do It Yourself. I’m not sure what will happen to the design. I’m way behind the curve on design, but I like what I have. It’s simple. I like the concept of a headline and a couple of sentences. People don’t have time to read a lot.
Is that form the future of news reporting?
I think so. People want to get news on the fly. It’s interesting that the very best students that I taught, who said they wanted to work for newspapers, all work online now.
An article in Salon described you as “one drowsy guy in St. Paul.” How would you describe yourself?
I don’t know if I’d describe myself as drowsy. I usually have had five cups of coffee by 7 a.m. I’m always interested in technology. I was the first person I know to have a VCR. I’m glad to have found a way to combine news and new technology.
That tells what you like, but how would you describe yourself? How would I pick you out in a crowd?
I’ll probably be the guy who’s reading a newspaper or magazine. I’m usually reading something printed.
What else do you like to do?
I love to travel. I go to New York every year, to Los Angeles and Seattle. I used to golf. I’m very close to my family. I like to visit coffeehouses with friends and talk. I like networking with people in the small press, in fan zines, which are publications of people with very narrow interests.
What do you hear from your readers?
One woman wrote that she noticed I didn’t put up a page on Saturdays and Sundays. She said she was glad I had a couple of days off. She was worried about my health. I have a growing number of e-mail tips on stories. Some of them are good. Of course, many of them are from the reporters who produced the stories. They want me to mention their stories. Newspapers like me to mention their stories because the link brings thousands of readers and that impacts on their financial side.
How has mediagossip affected you financially? Have you made money?
Not at all. I probably lose a little bit because of the server fees I pay. The page wasn’t designed to make money. I knew something good would come out of it down the road. Being hired at Poynter is something good.
