Interviews with online content managers at newspapers

As part of the story I’m working on for Spot.us about the future of Bay Area newspapers in a digital age, I offer this update on my reporting so far this week.

I’m trying to talk with online editors at newspapers this week, and two have been especially helpful in updating me on what their papers are doing to compete online.

But before I get into some of what they told me, the timing of my talk with Ari Soglin, AME of Online Content for the Bay Area News Group — East Bay, on Monday morning couldn’t have been better or more ironic. We were discussing how there are so many things he’d like to see done online at the Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune, but that the recession has hit newspapers so hard that staff shortages don’t allow as much of it as he’d like.

And then on Tuesday morning I learn that one of the Times’ online producers was laid off. She worked in another area so Soglin wasn’t her boss and didn’t have to give her the bad news. Still, it points out the difficulty of getting more content online when you have to cut staff because you’re not making enough money.

Another word of caution before I continue: I worked with Soglin at the Times for many of the 13 years I was there. He was an editor at the Times before leaving for a few years to lead the editorial content of a startup company before returning as online editor at the Times. I interviewed with him at the startup for an editing job, but the money wasn’t right for me. The company has since folded. I worked with him at the Times and always found him to be professional, smart and a top journalist.

The Times, like many other newspapers, is trying to attract online readers through social networking, and to keep them on their Web sites with discussion boards that are often popular with readers. But with a small online staff, the paper is pushing for all of its print reporters to think beyond print and get their stories online in as many forms as are necessary — blog, video, Twitter, etc.

When I was there the push was to have an audio recorder in every reporter’s hands, although that has since slowed after discovering that podcasts aren’t attracting as many readers. Part of the new push includes training 20 reporters as “MoJos,” or Mobile Journalists, who would have laptops, be able to take photos at news scenes, have Internet connections on the road, and possibly have a Flip camera or similar device to record video, Soglin said. To me, that is exciting and makes me wish I were there with my reporting team again.

At the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Interactive Editor Greg Retsinas told me Tuesday afternoon that the paper’s main focus for online traffic is to build conversations around topics such as food and football.

San Francisco 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco blogs constantly about the team and every bit of new information about the team is posted there first, Retsinas said.

The Press Democrat also has an incredible looking site called BiteClubthat focues on food and doesn’t look like it’s part of the newspaper site. The food site really stands out on its own and is updated daily with fresh content.

These methods to get people to their Web sites are just a few of the ways that Bay Area newspapers are learning to deal with a digital age. I’ll get into many more in the Spot.us story. If you have a question or comment, please comment in the spot below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.