Online Journalism Symposium
Then and Now
Gerry Barker’s 12 Minutes

1999…. Optimism Abounds
• Belo Interactive is born.
• Dallas web staff grows from 6 to 66.
• Early advocate for registration, BT
• Belo invests over $100 million in the Web.

2009….A World Turned Upside Down
• Old enemies – Yahoo – are now our friend.
• Warren Buffet: “The underlying economics are
crumbling.”
• Localized niche news sites evolve; the
Blogosphere blossoms.
• Some newspapers go online only.
• Mobility comes into its own.

The next 10 years?

Predictions are hard to predict.
From a 1983 Kelsey Conference:
“In 1990 [online] will be a $30
billion business. What we don’t
know is that revenue or
expenses.”

Targeting will continue to dominate advertising

“This is the End of the Beginning,
rather than the Beginning of the
End.”
– Ken Doctor, Industry Analyst

“… the most successful companies
will be the ones that harness
creator instincts, and the biggest
winners will be the companies
who harness the smallest creative
acts.”
– Paul Saffo, Futurist

In 1921 a New York friend said radio
– a funny little box – would kill newspapers.
“If this radio thing is going to be
a menace to newspapers,
then maybe we should
own the menace.”
-- Amon G. Carter, publisher, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

In 1921 a New York friend said radio
– a funny little box – would kill newspapers.
“If this radio thing is going to be
a menace to newspapers,
then maybe we should
own the menace.”
-- Amon G. Carter, publisher, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram