For years, pundits and readers alike have been saying, “the magazine industry is doomed.” I’ve heartily agreed with them, seeing as how I’ve spent my time blogging and the like. Instead of turning over and simply dying, could magazines turn it around by making the magazine supplement a website, instead of the website supplementing the magazine?

The magazine to internet process is tried and true. Magazines like Newsweek, Time or even tech bellwether Wired simply re-purposed the print mag into an online form, often delayed from the original print publication. The natural response of a web-savvy crowd? “Why would we want to read what we’ve already read a month later?”

What if, instead, the often untimely magazine became the repository for the website? I’m not saying simply repurpose blog posts for print, but rather author original in-depth pieces from original blog content.

Say, for instance, a writer is interviewing three or four “experts” about HD-DVD vs BluRay saga. One of them is particularly noteworthy, maybe works at a market research firm and can talk on behalf of the company. If that person says something interesting, instead of holding on to the quote till the whole story is written, the writer excerpts the interview on a blog with some explanation that it’s being worked up for a future blowout story on BluRay’s big victory. The site then might get viral traffic and original content, with an expectation that the full story is yet to be explained. Then, the writer rinses and repeats the process, talking to execs, etc, till finally one day the full story is written.

Finally, after the print mag goes to press, the writer sculpts a blog post that sums up the article, gives links to the background interviews and the post goes live when the magazine hits newsstands. The site also offers an online version of the magazine (PDF and kindle, flavors, etc.) that includes the print ads.

I think you could sell the site at a certain CPM and then the PDF would become a calculated value-add to the print publication’s CPM.

Granted, I realize this idea needs to be baked a little better before it could be implemented, and there are still some user expectations that aren’t met (ie, WHAT?! I have to download a PDF?!) but it seems like a step toward the right direction. Granted, some magazine publisher would have to really take a chance and share revs on the PDF and print versions (or some online publisher needs to add magazine infrastructure, which seems less likely,) but to me it seems worth a shot, especially if the publisher is in the “uh oh, our business is changing” camp.

I’d love to hear some feedback, if you’ve got any. Leave a comment or email contact[at]randallcbennett(dot)com.

(IMG courtesy Flickr User CarbonNYC, although I have a similar, less well photographed, pic.)

Full email from CEO Neil Ashe follows.

Hello Everyone,

This is an exciting day for us. Today, CBS and CNET Networks announced a definitive agreement under which CBS will acquire CNET Networks. This announcement represents an important strategic step for both of our companies. We expect to complete this transaction by early Q3 of this year.

You can read the full release formally announcing this acquisition here.

Together CBS and CNET Networks represent an unbeatable combination of premium content online, premium content on air and premium audiences. As a leading online media network, we will have an impressive portfolio of leading brands, including CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com (formerly Sportsline.com), GameSpot, BNET, and TV.com to name a few. Together we will be bigger, bolder and better than we could be apart.

Both CBS and CNET Networks share a common vision about interactive media, the importance of category defining brands and how to build online destinations that give people more of what they crave. CNET Networks brings unique skills and assets to CBS including our ability to build, operate and grow interactive brands, our flexible technology platforms as well as some of the most talented interactive media professionals in the industry today.

There will be significant promotion opportunities for our brands online across CBS’s Interactive portfolio, as well as offline across CBS’s leading media properties.

CBS’s brands complement our existing categories, giving us quality reach across premium audiences. On the sales side, we now have the ability to offer advertisers a larger audience, more brands, and more page views – providing marketers more scale. For example, we can now build the ultimate men’s network with sites like CNET, CBS Sports, GameSpot and BNET.

On Tuesday, May 20th, I will host a Company All Meeting in San Francisco. We’ll talk about the transaction and the exciting opportunities that it creates for both NCAA and CNET Networks and we’ll answer your questions. Stay tuned for details and logistics on that meeting.

So what now? We must remain focused on our day-to-day responsibilities. We still need to deliver on the commitments and promises we made to our users, our advertisers, our shareholders and our fellow employees.

In the weeks ahead, as we work to ensure the smooth integration of our two companies, we will continue to provide you with regular updates. If you have specific questions, please feel free to submit them through offline. We will aggregate your questions and incorporate answers into our communications.

Finally, I want to thank you for your continued hard work and support. It is because of you that 160 million people show up each month to interact with some of the best websites in the world. It is because of you that we have been recognized as a leading company with a unique culture and exceptional employees. It is your dedication to our users, our brands and each other that have enabled us to take this exciting step.

Today, the next chapter in our story begins.

Best, NA

*****************
Neil Ashe
CNET Networks, Inc.

Moving to New York, working at CNET TV, and left WirelessInfo.com.

I’ll post more when I get a sec.

My process, if I could describe it as that is this:

1. Find logo and like materials
2. Start working on project
3. Look around for new After Effects plugins for inspiration
4. Peruse through animation presets and start modifying
5. Continue working on project
6. Find music (usually the longest step in the process)
7. Continue on project
8. Browse people who are respected artists
9. Get more inspiration
10. Get project to alpha state
11. Go for revisions
12. Take revisions and move to beta
13. Show to everyone and their mother
14. take about 1% of that feedback
15. finalize
16. give to client
17. really finalize.

Am I off base here? What do you think, what is your step for creative expression?

You might notice I’m updating my portfolio.  You can check out either my latest portfolio entries, or check out my assembled portfolio of “best of” here.

Here goes nothing…

Oh yeah, and the site got redesigned too.  Forgot to mention that part.

#1 – No way I’m going to be able to afford a Mac Pro for a while.  The configuration I’d like is going to cost around $4,000, and biz or no biz that’s not happening for a while.  I am, however, thinking about getting a few Mac Minis (two or three) and using them as dual-booting machines for a newly formatted tech check daily.  More about that later.

#2 – KCSG is horrible.  Like not just bad, but down right awful.  KCSG.com is so ugly I won’t give it the dignity of a link, their 9pm news is simply atrocious and seriously, they need help.  If I were running the show, I’d council them to get good at half an hour of news before branching out into two hours of HORRIBLE news.

If you’re my friend, you’ll watch.

Also, what if TagJungle really hits it big? No more keyword mapping?

TagJungle + social search = the next level of search.

Yeah, that’s right… $18,000. People… stop going into TV news! Call me instead, and I’ll pay you that much… and you’ll change the world instead. Call me.