NEW YORK: A new report from the Bivings Group finds that newspaper publishers are aggressively focusing their efforts on the Internet, rather than trying to compete with it.
The study, which focused on 100 American newspapers, found that newspaper publishers were largely forward-thinking in their approach to the Web, and have been taking advantage of online features like podcasts, blogs, and RSS feeds to give more news value to their readers. Major Web tools have penetrated online newspaper sites in both small and large markets across the country.
Among the 100 newspapers that the Bivings group surveyed, 76 offered RSS feeds on their Web sites and 80 offered at least one reporter blog. On 67 of the sites (and 83 percent of those with blogs), readers were given the opportunity to comment on stories and posts written by staffers. Podcasts, however, were only offered on 31 of the sites.
