Fred Lebolt, Senior Vice President of Sun-Times Media, gave a presentation about how the company transitioned to a cloud-based content management system. The summary is: 1) Sun-Times Media consolidated its content, advertising, and publishing systems onto a single cloud-based platform to improve collaboration across its 40 newspapers. 2) This allowed the newspapers to share content more easily across multiple platforms and locations, including editing pages remotely. 3) The transition enabled Sun-Times Media to launch new digital products like mobile apps and e-readers.

1. 10 – 12 October 2011, Vienna, Reed Messe Wien
Media Port
Session: Corporate Publishing Business Models
Title: Chicago from the Cloud
Speaker: Fred Lebolt, Senior Vice President & General Manager,
Sun-Times Media Digital, Chicago, Illinois, USA

2. IFRA
2011
-­‐
Vienna

3. Chicago

4. Chicago

5. Chicago
Metropolitan
Area
28,117
km2
Popula/on
9.8
Million
Number
of
Towns
300+

6. What
We
Do
What
We
Do
Sun-­‐Times
Media
• 40
newspapers
throughout
the
region

7. What
We
Do
What
We
Do
Sun-­‐Times
Media
• 46
websites

8. What
We
Do
What
We
Do
Sun-­‐Times
Media
• Combined
print/online
audience:
3.9
million

9. What
We
Do
What
We
Do
Sun-­‐Times
Media
• Farthest
distance
between
offices:
137km

10. What
We
Do
What
We
Do
Sun-­‐Times
Media
• Pulitzer
Prize
2011

11. Sun-­‐Times
Media
October,
2009
March,
2009
Re-­‐InvenSon

12. Re-­‐InvenSon
Steps
1. Define
the
Core
Business
2. Shed
All
“Non-­‐Core”
AcSviSes
3. IdenSfy
Challenges
to
Success
4. Implement
Infrastructure
5. Create
New
Products
and
Services
Stay
On
Course
No
Ma]er
What…

13. 1.
Define
Core
Business
This
re
in
the
t usiness
of
c evenue
by:
We
aallows
us
bo
generate
rreaSng
local
content
that
a]racts
and
engages
an
audience
through
•
SubscripSons
(print
and
digital)
mulSple
pla_orms
–
•
ConnecSng
our
audience
to
adverSsers
Print,
Web,
Mobile,
Tablet,
E-­‐mail,
etc.

14. 2.
Shed
Non-­‐Core
AcSviSes
We
are
no
longer
a
trucking
company
We
are
no
longer
a
prinSng
company
We
are
no
longer
a
call-­‐in
service
center
We
are
no
longer
an
ad
producSon
facility
We
are
no
longer
a
server
farm
We
are
no
longer
a
sodware
company

15. 3.
IdenSfy
Challenges
MulSple
format
newspapers
prevented
efficient
content
sharing
and
ad
placement
across
our
network
MulSple
legacy
systems
were
incompaSble
and
outdated
MulSple
databases
of
content
No
consistent
technology
linking
web,
mobile
and
print
Specialists
to
operate
and
maintain
systems

16. 4.
Implement
Infrastructure
MulSple
Newspaper
Formats
One
Format

17. 4.
Implement
Infrastructure
Single
database
for
all
content
Pla_orm
agnosSc
Be]er
leverage
our
capabiliSes
by
sharing
content
and
work
processes
on
all
pla_orms
from
all
locaSons
(even
137km
apart)
Ease
of
new
digital
product
creaSon
In
the
cloud

18. 4.
Implement
Infrastructure
Adobe
DTI
ApplicaSons
EdiSng
Apps
Web
Sites
DTI
Web
Content
(auto
slot
updated)
Dreamweaver
DTI
ApplicaSons
Publisher
(Lightning)
Plan
Speed
InDesign
DTI
Text
Archive
Content
Manager
DTI
Media
Archive
Page
Speed
InDesign
Caché
EdiSng
ApplicaSons
DTI
Page
Archive
Database
Speed
Writer
InCopy
Outside
the
Cloud
Image
Speed
Photoshop
Raw
Photos
Systems
outside
Uploader
the
cloud
Final
Cut
Raw
Video
Legacy
CMS
Wire
Service
Interfaces
Wire
Speed
Content
Ensamble
Interface
Server
Ad
System
Speed
Driver
Proofing
Devices
Plates
Interface

19. 4.
Implement
Infrastructure
On
01
Feb.,
2011,
the
last
daily
newspaper
in
the
Sun-­‐Times
Media
group
transiSoned
to
the
DTI
system.
The
next
day…

20. Clouds
vs.
Cloud
51.3
cm
of
snow
fell
on
Chicago

21. In
The
Cloud
Blogs.
Tweets.
Stories.
Alerts.
Photos.
Scores.
The
newsroom
has
no
walls.

22. Impact
Pages
edited
from
mulSple
faciliSes

23. Impact
Newsrooms
can
go
direct
to
web

24. Impact
Ease
of
text/photo
sharing
among
newsrooms

25. Impact
Single
database
feeds
mulSple
pla_orms

26. 5.
Create
New
Products
and
Services
Unified
network
of
websites

27. 5.
Create
New
Products
and
Services
• Ipad/Mobile/Android
app
(sponsored
by
Cadillac)
• e-­‐Paper
• e-­‐Reader
• Mobile
sites
•

28. 2012
There
are
some
who
believe
that
the
ancient
Mayan
calendar
predicts
2012
will
be
the
end
of
the
world.
Assuming
that
is
not
the
case,
our
focus
will
be
on…
• Further
digital
product
development
• Audience
and
other
analyScs

29. Thank
you