If Steve Jobs Ran Your Newspaper

How would Steve Jobs stop the bleeding? How would he re-invent the Newspaper industry, in much the same way as he did to rescue Apple from the brink of bankruptcy in 1996? With digital advertising on the verge of becoming the second largest money maker for media, what are some of the first things he would do as your boss?
Based on tactics I gleaned from the book, here’s a top 10 list of stuff that Steve Jobs would likely do if he was the Publisher of your Newspaper.

#1.  Remove the bozos. Clean house and get rid of B level players. Strive to have all A players since they prefer to be around A players, whereas B players surround themselves with C players. Dismiss those just putting in time while cruising towards retirement. Ditch those with little passion or vision for the future, or those who would prefer to protect the way it’s always been. Watch this short clip from a recent News conference to see the type of journalist you don’t want in your newsroom.

#2.  Simplify. Identify. What business are we in? Apple dumped the word ‘computer’ from their company name because they saw it as limiting. Today, the word ‘newspaper’ is being replaced with ‘media’ at many news organizations. That’s a good start, but it’s not enough. As Apple Computer morphed into a consumer technology company, Newspapers would be wise to stop seeing themselves as Newspapers with a website. Rather, they must become the dominant news, information and marketing source in their market…no matter what the format, product or service.
#3.  Fix it or ditch it. Prioritize, then eliminate any distractions that are not singularly focused on core products and competencies. Identify the worst performing 50% of your website and take it offline until further notice. Direct all resources towards the best performing ‘top half’ of your web efforts.

Read #4 to #10 in original Article