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“The stakes are very high for independent media. Will it change? Or, will it atrophy? Independent media can become the dominant media in society. Who would have dreamed that 30 years ago?”

-Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics

Q Media Labs

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IIV

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Big Thaw Recommendations: Four Decisive Moves

CHANGE INTERNALLY

New models will most likely come from new players.

INCREASE EXPERIMENTATION

Greater Experimentation will win.

LEVERAGE UNIQUE ROLE OF CONSORITUM

Standing together will be more valuable than working alone.

BUILDING AUDIENCES AS COMMUNITIES

Decentralized communities will create the greatest impact.

Changing

internally

Incr

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n

Build

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audi

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Leveraging unique

role of a consortium

Q Media Labs

“Most people assume that the future is something to be predicted rather than created. The future does not simply happen to us; we shape it.” Donella H. Meadows, Global Citizen

Q Media Labs

Changing Internally

I

Changing

internally

What is a Value Chain?

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writing/ producing

publishing & broadcasting

distributing

Content owners

Paid marketing,

sales & fundraising

staffPaid suppliers

consumption

SubscriptionSingle-pay

Public radio/TVGranted

broadcast licenses

Nonprofits granted tax

breaks

selling other products

philanthropy or government

creative agencies

advertiser

media planning & buying

Journalism’s Old Value ChainThis chain is delineated with clear roles and exchanges of value.

Each link in the blue value chain represents a role that a media organization might play.

Green represents funds or subsidy support

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But the value chain has changed.

• What role do we play in the value chain now?

• How could our role become most

valuable to our communities?

• Is it best to focus primarily on one role or integrate many roles at once?

Q Media Labs

Each link in the blue value chain represents a role that a media organization might play

Source: compiled from interviews. The new value chain is a working model based on observed industry dynamics.

combining&

sharing

writing/ producing

retrieving

& storingcontent

publishing

SearchDiscovery

Cloud ComputingE-readers

connecting

CommunityConversational marketing

In-person events

making impact

Social changePolicy

change

distributing/

aggregating

Offline & online

Convergence

(cross platforms & devices)

Content owners

Increasingly includes

“Journalpreneurs”

Content owners

consumption

Subscription &

Single-payMicropaymen

ts

selling other products

philanthropy or government

advertising

volunteer & open-source labor

New value chain (working model)

Green represents funds or subsidy support

Q Media Labs

Changing Internally

I

Changing

internally

What if… we evolved our composition to reflect the emerging field?

Traditional roles of media makers are changing.

Q Media Labs

Device proliferation & convergence

Strategic technology

Increasing ExperimentationIncr

easing

expe

rim

enta

tionII

What if… we joined early in technology experiments?

Q Media Labs

Increasing ExperimentationIncr

easing

expe

rim

enta

tionII

What if… we joined early in technology experiments?

Mass mobile-media

Q Media Labs

Incr

easing

expe

rim

enta

tionII

Increasing ExperimentationIncr

easing

expe

rim

enta

tionII

What if… we collectively tested new revenue models?

What revenue models are emerging?

•Philanthropy •Creating additional channels of distribution•Combining free and premium content•Tapping user subsidies•Utilizing news as a “loss leader”

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Leveraging a Consortium

Solving filter failure

Radical new ways of meaning-making and filtering

Leveraging unique

role of a consortium

III

What if… we standardized raw data, metadata & metrics?

Q Media Labs

Leveraging a ConsortiumLeveraging unique

role of a consortium

III

What if… we actively coordinated deal making?

Coordinating around micropayments

Deals around devices

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Audiences as Communities

From audiences to communities

Audiences can grow in two different directions simultaneously: Broader and deeper.

IVBuild

ing

audi

ence

s

as com

mun

itie

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What if… we made it easier to deepen communities at a larger scale? .

Q Media Labs

Audiences as CommunitiesIVBui

ldin

g au

dien

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as com

mun

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Changing demographics

Shifting demographics create both challenges and opportunities for content producers.

What if… we made it easier to deepen communities at a larger scale? .

Q Media Labs

What if… we activelycoordinated dealmaking?

What if… we standardized

raw data, metadata & metrics?

What if… we collectively tested new revenue models?

What if… we joined early in technologyexperiments?

What if… we evolved our composition to reflect the emerging field?

Incr

easing

expe

rim

enta

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Changing

internallyIBui

ldin

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dien

ces

as com

mun

ities

IV

Leveraging unique

role of a consortium

III

What if… we mounted a concerted effort to go global? .What if… we made it easier

to deepen communities at a larger scale? .

What if? Key questions for strategic development