New Blog Gets Big Bucks; Popular Blog Goes on Hiatus;
UPDATED
Well, there go the pay scales at Nick Denton's company...Ad Age (reg req): Sony Pays $25,000 a Month for Gawker Blog. Sony Consumer Electronics e-Solutions Group is the exclusive sponsor for the launch of LifeHacker, a blog that goes live today about the software of personal gadgetry by Gawker Media, according to the online company. The deal, which also includes placements on Gizmodo, Gawker's earlier gadget title, will cost Sony in the range of $25,000 a month, according to a source close to the deal. The sponsorship runs for about three months.
I'm not nuts about the sole-sponsor ad model, but it's obviously going to be a wave of the future in personal journalism.
UPDATE: Meanwhile, a big-time blogger is taking a break. Andrew Sullivan announces he's going on hiatus.
Ebb, flow. Just like the real world.
(Sony item via Alan Mutter)
"I'm not nuts about the sole-sponsor ad model, but it's obviously going to be a wave of the future in personal journalism."
Sole sponsorship, if it's transparent (the sponsor is clearly identified), has considerable virtues--and I think the one major drawback is handled through the clear identification, unless the sponsor has hidden motives.
(This is assuming some form of sponsorship or ad support, not begging, state socialism, or doing it all for free...)
With one sponsor, both writer and audience/community should be aware of the possible conflicts of interest right up front, and there's only one entity to worry about. With multiple sponsorship, there's the eggshell effect--treading carefully lest you offend any current or potential sponsor. Much as I like my local newspaper, I think the eggshell effect is present in almost all sponsored media (and that certainly includes PBS).
I say this having recently accepted sole sponsorship for my own web-distributed journal (not a blog), Cites & Insights--in this case, the ideal situation: The sponsor wants to be known as a good guy to my audience and supports what I'm doing, but the sponsor's specific business has no relationship to the issues and areas I discuss. Of course the sponsor and I both claim that the sponsor doesn't influence content--but that's backed by the clear case that the sponsor would have no possible reason to do so. That's less likely to be the case with Sony and tech gadgetry, to be sure...
There's some evidence that TV did better in terms of courageousness and independence (in some ways) in the era of sole sponsorships (where one sponsor owned a show) than in the current situation. I think it's a plausible model for weblogs as well.
Posted by: walt crawford | February 01, 2005 at 02:30 PM
Well I'm kind of surprised this is happening with a Gawker property after the Audi sponsorship of Jalopnik. When the automotive site launched the Audi logo was attached to every post and even embedded in the logo. Now I'm not sure what happened but obviously the sponsorship is over and the site looks odd without the logos and altered graphics.
Posted by: Dave | February 01, 2005 at 07:53 PM
Hello Dan and one and all clickers
Down Under the media is also making an internet history. I have already linked to Crikey.com in my maiden post as the grassroots ...
After almost five years of operation, yesterday afternoon Stephen Mayne and Paula Piccinini signed binding contracts for the $1 million sale of Crikey. The buyers are Eric Beecher and Di Gribble from Private Media Partners (PMP).
Extract from today's email:
"Well, it has certainly been bedlam today since we emailed our 5300 subscribers at 9.30 this morning announcing the sale of Crikey.
Even sworn enemy Neil Mitchell lifted his 5 year ban and had Crikey on for a 5 minute chat just after 10am this morning. Naturally he described Crikey as scurrilous and said "95% of what you've said about me was wrong" but it was actually a pretty friendly and light-hearted exchange compared to past rumbles.
Proud new owner Eric Beecher also chatted about his purchase with ABC Melbourne’s Jon Faine this morning as part of Faine’s regular Wednesday media segment. Mayne sells Crikey for $1m; Crikey, the rumour is Mayne refuses $1m ; Crikey! Mayne sells for $1m ; I think this is big news because, as far as I know, it's the first time anybody has paid real money (rather than shares) Stephen Mayne, crikey.com.au; The Business of acquiring independent online publication in Australia
Posted by: Jozef Imrich | February 02, 2005 at 02:36 AM
I just finished reading a couple of articles about blogs and as usual I could not help myself, so I am sharing them with you on this thread:
Randy Dotinga of Christian Science Monitor asks whether bloggers are journalists and whether they deserve press protections...
An Apple lawsuit against the operators of fan websites stirs debate on whether bloggers can claim legal protections...
Are they journalists with an obligation to check facts, run corrections, and disclose conflicts of interest? Or are they ordinary opinion-slingers, like barbers or bartenders, with no special responsibilities - or rights?
Barbers, Baristas ...
Read it here and read it now: Blogs give instant feedback Bloggers get set for State of the Union
What a graph! Blog Activity Over the Past 10 Months
Posted by: Jozef Imrich | February 03, 2005 at 03:21 AM
The Sony's PSP is not available in shops, but community site and blogs already are. Some are quite impressing like this one : http://www.pspmax.com
Posted by: Houmtar | February 21, 2005 at 12:27 AM