Whitepaper Overviews transition roadmap for better Content Management in Newspapers & suggest Customized Advertising Solutions for Publishing Industry.

1. Perspective
Best Practices Continuum Map for Newspaper
Publishers
Balaji Sankaran
Abstract
Multiple news distribution channels and interactive advertising are challenging
the newspaper business. Legacy systems and disparate technologies prevent
newspapers from being agile and to compete with the new content providers.
Newspaper publishers are being forced to reshape their business by improving
operational efficiency and content management processes. This paper presents
the Infosys technology transition roadmap, which facilitates newspaper
businesses to transform their IT systems to meet the challenges of the new
market realities.
Sep 2006

2. Introduction
The advent of content-rich, multi-dimensional media has disrupted the newspaper business. News websites bombard
consumers with free information, and young readers who define the future of the industry are migrating away from
newspapers.
The newspaper publishing business is now faced with two harsh realties:
• Slow growth in advertising revenues
• Declining circulation and readership
Typically, advertising contributes to 75% of newspaper business’ revenue*. Lack of advertising revenue growth impacts the
ability to make capital investment and increase shareholder wealth. Advertisers who were earlier satisfied with the ROI on the
dissemination of their advertising messages, are now demanding measurable growth in business as an outcome of these ad
spends. Keyword-driven search engine advertising is the trigger driving this shift
Newspaper Advertising Revenues
49
Value in Billion $
46
43
40
2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
Source: NAA
Further, circulation is another critical dimension that is showing signs of slowing down, especially in the American market.
Newspaper Circulation - Weekdays
56
Million copies
55
54
53
2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
Source: NAA
Newspapers are at an inflection point. The only way forward in this scenario is to identify, embrace and reengineer the
enterprise around best practices.
The best practices detailed in this perspective are:
1. Editorial Workflow
2. Advertising Management
3. Circulation Management
4. Production Process Optimization
Newspaper publishers should identify business processes that need to move up on the best practices map, measure the
present state and then map the transition path.
2 | Infosys – Perspective

3. Editorial Process
Newspapers need to change their view of the editorial process and utilize news to create content for multiple delivery
channels. Publishers should try and leverage news content beyond its traditional life span of a single day.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Competencies • File Hierarchy • Collaborative • Dashboard • Digital Asset
• Sequential Workflow view of story Management for
Workflow • Consistent scheduling managing stories/
editorial software • Database for images through
• Copy-fitting
usage across published content the workflow
after story
writing, using geography • Rights managed • Remote access
pagemakeup • Image access to to missing partly
software replacement to workflow workflow
facilitate more
efficient page
layout
Benefits • Creating the day’s • Streamlined • Centralized • Re-purposing
pages product usage management of content for
• Workflow not • Lower content creation multiple channels
optimized for maintenance & • Access to content • Transform
delivery time support costs for re-use content in to
digital assets
Adopting best practices will help newspaper publishers to make their content creation process faster, more efficient and
less error prone. Collaboration, scheduling and monitoring the content creation process ensures predictable newspaper
production. Further, usage of DAM repositories facilitates content reuse in multiple delivery formats.
Advertising Management
Advertisers are being drawn towards multiple media and ROI-measurable advertising opportunities. Newspapers should
provide focused advertising solutions tailor-made to their needs. To compete more effectively, newspapers need to consider
offering:
• Multiple space buying options
• Flexible material deadlines
• Customized advertising solutions
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Competencies • Advertising • Centralized • Cross-media • Advertisers
material handled customer data selling and integrated in
as films • All advertising bundled pricing publisher’s
• Customer material handled • Customer workflow
Information digitally interaction • Usage of B2B
stored in multiple • Booking history record information
locations information and tracking exchange
• Space availability centralized and • Credit maturity standards -
and reservation updated to reflect and receivables AdsML
through current state management • Sales analytics
coordination • Audience
demographic
targeting
Infosys – Perspective | 3

4. Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Benefits • Designed for • Structured space • Multi-product • Focused
simple & selling / multi-media advertising
small scale of • Sales force advertising solutions
operations enabled with • Simplified • Customer self-
updated space customer service
information interaction
By optimizing the applications employed in managing the advertising process, newspaper publishers can:
• Establish transparent and efficient processes for advertising
• Equip their sales-force with updated advertiser and booking information
• Monitor business by category, geography and sales groups
Circulation Management
Dwindling subscriptions is forcing publishers to offer value-added services to retain customer loyalty. Superior service and
improved logistics management are a high-priority for circulation managers.
Publishers can achieve greater efficiencies in circulation management by adopting best practices in Customer Relationship
Management (CRM), logistics and distribution. Through this, publishers can lower their delivery costs and improve customer
service.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Competencies • Stand-alone • Distributor • Online bundle • Customer
applications & retailer labeling selfservice for
manage information • Demand subscription
circulation, centralized related requests
forecasting
subscription and
• Bundle label • Carrier planning, • GIS used
distribution
printing offline monitoring for planning
• Lack of
• Distribution & payment distribution
centralized
planning and processing logistics
customer data
tracking manual centralized • Sales analytics
Benefits • Cost-reduction • Systematized • Cost-efficient • High customer
focused demand capture planning of service
distribution and distribution, distribution interactivity
management route planning operations • Optimized
systematized • Tracking & distribution
control of Carrier
costs
4 | Infosys – Perspective

5. Print Production Process
Print production costs significantly impact bottom line. Therefore, publishers should have systems that provide budgetary
and efficiency metrics-based control mechanisms. Improved efficiencies in the production process can result in better quality
and greater customer satisfaction.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Competencies • Product planning • Job scheduling • Detailed • JDF based job
by telephonic co- through capacity scheduling of the tracking
ordination management individual pages/ • Reel-to-reel
• De-centralized applications items of the print newsprint
spreadsheets • Material product accounting
for recording indenting, • Automated • Machine
machine
purchasing material inventory performance
performance data
approvals tracked monitoring analytics
• Manual spare part
by accounting • Machine
indenting and • Product wise
audit and not performance
monitoring unit-costing
system enforced metrics
• Maintenance
monitored
scheduling and
through data
accounting
capture and
applications
analysis
Benefits • In-efficient and • Structured & • Tracking & • Automated
unstructured Systematic control of page- production
production production level schedules. tracking,
performance scheduling Optimized Systematic cost
management inventory measurement &
planning control.
Based on analytics, publishers can take corrective actions. Further, tight monitoring of high value cost components, like
newsprint, will facilitate significant cost reduction.
Infosys’ Roadmap for Transition to Best Practices
Publishing enterprises should adopt best practices to improve competitiveness and growth. Infosys recommends that
technology migration should be:
• accompanied by appropriate human resource interventions like training, change management, etc.
• in line with the business strategy of the newspaper
• done incrementally to avoid the high risks associated with larger scale transformations
Infosys – Perspective | 5

6. The migration to the unified end state must be a phased, sequential and calibrated process.
Continuum Maturity Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Applications
Data Stand alone sharing data Function-wide End to End
Exchange Applications selectively data flow Deploym ent
Transition
Measure Plan Im prove Deploy
Roadm ap
Application
Portfolio Interface Integrate Unify
Optim ization
Infosys’ Transformation Process for Newspaper Publishers
Measure
The first step is the measurement of actual state ─ ascertaining maturity level of existing processes and systems. This is done
by mapping the processes against the best practices continuum.
Plan
The desired state must be established after evaluating the systems servicing the key process and mapping them on the
continuum map. The publisher needs to identify the:
• processes to be transitioned
• level to which the process should migrate and timelines for the migration
• functional/technical characteristics
• high-level IT architecture of the desired end-state
• feature/functionality release plan
• implementation road map
This must have a time bound action plan aligned with the organization’s strategic and tactical goals.
Improve
A key factor for the success of the transition map is the demonstration of quick wins. They play a key role in materializing the
benefits of transition and removing barriers to change.
This phase involves:
• assessing whether transition must involve a custom-built application, enhancement to existing applications or
installation of a new packaged application
• pilot rollout at select locations with less complexities
• creating a test strategy to mitigate rollout issues
• requesting and acting on internal and external customer feedback
• releasing scheduled and iterative improvements to achieve the planned steady state
6 | Infosys – Perspective

7. Deploy
Deployment after pilot rollouts facilitates quicker transition. However, it should always be accompanied by:
• robust documentation of the system at the higher levels of process maturity
• training for all users who directly interface with the system
• change management sessions - highlighting the positive improvements of the new system, for all those who are likely
to be impacted
The typical time frame for transition is three to six months, depending on the organization’s geographical spread, size of
operations and employee morale
Conclusion
Publishers should constantly reengineer their processes to serve the ever-changing needs of the market. Migrating to higher
levels of the best practices continuum provide self-sustaining returns on account of:
• lower cost through improved efficiencies
• higher revenues through increased customer focus
Migration to higher levels of maturity will enable newspaper publishers to be better equipped to meet the challenges of the
emerging New Age Publishing Paradigm.
About the Author
Balaji Sankaran (balaji_sankaran@infosys.com) is Senior Associate, Business Solutions Consulting Group,
Transportation & Services.