With "the death of newspapers" so much a part of the discussion lately, it's a pleasure to note the apparently succesful launch of one:
A weekly newspaper for fraternity and sorority members is gaining a foothold on college campuses across the Midwest, and the two Indiana University graduates who launched the publication say they hope to have a nationwide presence by September.
The Odyssey is the brainchild of Evan Burns and Adrian France. It made its debut at IU last year and is now also found at Purdue, Michigan State and Miami University in Ohio.
Burns and France say the tabloid-sized publication has been profitable from its first issue and has a projected revenue of $2 million this year. They hope to appear on 40 campuses by the 2011-2012 school year.
They found an unserved niche -- fraternity and sorority members who want to read about themselves and their activities -- and filled it.
There's nothing here, unfortunately, to suggest a path for struggling daily newspapers. We've always known that our "niche" is local news, but others are starting to encroach on that territory, and we still haven't quite figured out how to make money on the Web. A heartening story, anyway.
Comments
Welcome to The Odyssey, full of the same narcissistic claptrap that befalls all who make up Generation Me. Just another extension of the endless cell phone activity, mostly texting incredibly uninteresting details about innocuous subjects, that is called social networking and takes the place of face to face vocal conversations. What a thrill it would be to have MY picture on the cover of the Odyssey! What pride I will have when MY "house" gets a write-up. Spread the self-love!
Ah, but there is always an entrepreneur in the crowd.
http://tinyurl.com/25g2aw9
There's always a niche. Good for them for finding it.