Like most newspapers around the country, The New York Times has seen its advertising revenue steadily decline. New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen asked 12 of his students what they think the paper’s managers should do to turn the company around, and after interviewing some two dozen current or former Times employees, they’ve just published the first of their thoughts online. Their first step was to examine what the Times is doing now to improve its value to its readers, and these initiatives include:
- Expanding sub-branding and “niche” coverage like Dealbook.
- Conferences, conferences, conferences.
- Creating new apps to help mobile users read specialized coverage in areas such as food, opinion, and the most important stories of the day. (This, according to the NYU students’ analysis, has had mixed results.)
You can read all of their coverage here. Margaret Sullivan, the public editor of the Times, was kind enough to give their work publicity in a post earlier today, although she couldn’t resist making a joke about about college students and their appetite for Top Ramen.