Live Coverage
CJF Forum: Digital first, print last: The gospel of John Paton
John Paton, CEO of Digital First Media, is transforming his chain of newspapers in the United States with a digital first strategy. Join us as he talks with St. Joseph Media president Douglas Knight about where the money is in journalism (hint: it's not in print)
- Hi everyone, welcome to our live coverage of the CJF Forum with John Paton, "Digital First. Print Last."
The forum will be starting in about 20 minutes. - Good Evening
- So, how tonight will work: Paton will talk about his digital first strategy for about 20 minutes. After that, Douglas Knight, president of St. Joseph Media, will talk with Paton further about this strategy. The forum will conclude with a question and answer period with the audience here at the TMX Broadcast Centre.
- For those following along online, you can also ask questions tagged with the hashtag #cjfforum. CJF staff here will be following that feed and picking questions from it to ask Paton.
- On the way to Cdn Journo Fdn Digital First forum #cjfforum #TellVicEverything of course!by Mastheadmag via twitter 2/16/2012 11:52:09 PM
- For those unfamiliar, the title of this event totally gives away John Paton's strategy: "Digital First, Print Last."
Paton is a 36-year newspaper veteran, so he's not disrespecting the medium by any means. He started in the 70s as a copy boy for the Toronto Sun before becoming its police reporter. He went on to lead major media organizations such as Sun Media, and was instrumental in its sale to Quebecor over a decade ago. - He is the founder of impreMedia, the largest news and information company for Hispanics in the United States. In April 2009, he was named Publisher of the Year by Editor and Publisher for his accomplishments with impreMedia.
- Paton's current role is that of CEO of Digital First Media -- a media company that owns both the Journal Register Company and MediaNews Group. Together, those compose more than 800 digital and print products in 18 states serving 57 million customers -- meaning, readers, unique visitors and mobile perusers.
Correction: Digital First operates the other two media companies. - Our associate editor, Belinda Alzner, got to sit down with Paton today ahead of the event and pick his brain on all things digital. Check out her exclusive interview.
- Bob Lewis, chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation is starting things off.
- #cjfforum technically, digital first media doesnt own jrc or medianews, but manages both, i think ,-)by sam_piroton via twitter 2/17/2012 12:03:44 AM
- Thanks Sam :)
#cjfforum. How will digital dimes replace print dollars. p.twimg.com
by belindaalzner via twitter 2/17/2012 12:06:01 AM- "All bets are off" when it comes to Doug Knight's questioning of Paton tonight.
- Said tongue in cheek -- at least in part. Knight and Paton are former partners in journalism.
- "John is not unfamiliar with either taking punches, or throwing them," says Doug Knight. #cjfforum
- A few months ago, David Carr of the New York Times wrote a profile of Paton, where a competitor of Paton praised him, saying, "He’s a real news guy, not some corporate windbag.”
- Doug Knight introduces @jxpaton as "either the flavour of the month or the second coming." #cjfforum t.coby eljaydubya via twitter 2/17/2012 12:12:00 AM
- This is so exciting to be able to follow John's presentation from Florida.
- "I'm old media," says John Paton, after Knight's introduction that outlined Paton's illustrious career.
- Paton's first day at the Toronto Sun was with a whole lotta drunk -- he got the job for taking a photo of a drunk columnist, got the job of someone who was fired for being drunk (not the columnist!), and his first night on the job, took his editor home dead drunk.
- Paton says conferences that declare print is still alive are akin to aging actresses in Stratford that claim they can still play Juliette. #cjfforum
- Crappy news execs are a bigger threat to journalism then digital - @jxpaton #cjfforumby kimfox via twitter 2/17/2012 12:15:51 AM
- Counting jobs lost in newspapers is no longer possible. However, this isn't the case in Canada -- yet.
- Let's debunk some myths! Number one: "Print is coming back."
- .@jxpaton on old-school "hacks" who whine their work can't be reduced to 140 characters: "Oh, if only it could." #cjfforumby eljaydubya via twitter 2/17/2012 12:19:20 AM
- In the United States, more customers access their news on the web rather than in print.
- #cjfforum Zing. Paton just called out the Globe on its "glossy" paper 'strategy'by boyreporter via twitter 2/17/2012 12:19:58 AM
- Betting on glossy stock just won't cut it #cjfforumby JosephBarbieri via twitter 2/17/2012 12:20:41 AM
- John Paton at #cjfforum: need to recognize what is broken in order to fix itby alfred.hermida via twitter 2/17/2012 12:20:45 AM
- Paton says its hard to acknowledge we need change and to embrace things inherent to new media.
- re: papers "If the old model is broken, what will work in its place?" The answer is nothing. You start again new -- you rebuild. #cjfforum
- We (journalists) are no longer the gatekeepers of information. #cjfforum
- John Paton at #CJFForum: To change, we have to admit that newspapers are broken. You don't tinker or tweak a broken modelby alfred.hermida via twitter 2/17/2012 12:22:42 AM
- RT @rachelnixon: Since 2005 US newspaper industry has lost 60% of its ad revenue and countless jobs says @jxpaton #cjfforumby fernsouza via twitter 2/17/2012 12:22:51 AM
- Clearly journalism is not without value, but how its practiced in print today -- "he said last night" journalism -- nearly is valueless. #cjfforum
- John Paton at #CJFForum: you're going to miss us when we're gone isn't much of a business modelby alfred.hermida via twitter 2/17/2012 12:24:15 AM
- @jxpaton shares w/ room that news orgs who ignore how audience consumes news (digital first, print last) are sealing their fate #cjfforumby kimfox via twitter 2/17/2012 12:26:08 AM
- We need to be the messengers that communities can trust.
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