Leap the Digital Divide

Kay Madati, vice president of Consumer Strategy and Audience Development for CNN Worldwide, said that CNN is focusing on bringing content into technology. Where content was once at the center of their consumer strategy, now the audience is at the center of their formula, with content, forms of interaction and sharing news as the peripheral facets of their tactic.

Carlos Caban, senior director of ESPN Deportes, showed how the company has redesigned its websites. They have broken down their Hispanic audience into smaller communities, geographical areas, dedicated to the different regions of South America and to Mexico. They will shortly add the possibility to upload fan profiles. Currently readers can follow the game online, with live blog commentaries and animation.

He showed the front page of the Mexican site, and the front page of the Panam region, and though both were covering the soccer games leading to the World Cup, each was featuring the countries related to its respective geographical niche.

Madati continued the conversation saying that the rules nowadays are “customization and personalization.” The way CNN will ensure that citizen journalists don’t steal all their viewership is by giving them exposure. For example, a few bloggers were invited to be on CNN to cover the Democratic National Convention, and though they weren’t paid, he said they were thrilled by the fact of publishing on CNN.

Dialogue from citizen journalists and content by professional media can exist side by side. Madati said there shouldn’t be a need for outsourcing, which will be part of the campaign to incorporate non-traditional sources into their media to maintain readership.