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German media clueless on monetizing online content

By: Haroon Baloch

I could recall William Wordsworth's following lines during the well-intended study tour of five cities:

…once on those steeps,
I roam at large and have in mind,
The landscape, as if still in sight,
The river glides, the woods before me wave…

Kassel, Horst Seidenfaden,
Editor-in-Chief HNA.


For me the tour was also an opportunity to travel across German countryside – got pleasure and piece of mind from nature, lush landscapes spread across miles with dancing windmills in the middle, and horses running in the fields.

Purpose to travel between Berlin, Hamburg, Munster, Kassel and Frankfurt was to get an idea about relatively immature online and multimedia industry via different media outlets in Germany. Hence, we visited seven media houses; both publications and electronic media, and focused on practical aspects of new media.  

For publications e.g. Der Stern in Hamburg and Hessische/Neiderschasische Allgemeine (HNA) in Kassel are losing their subscribers for their print versions and to maintain their revenue they only have only option to increase the price of publication.

Editor-in-Chief HNA Horst Seidenfaden told the visiting group of journalists from developing countries: "We are focusing more in strengthening our online presence and to reach the younger audiences who are least interested in reading newspapers".

The HNA launched its online presence in 1998 and since then have continuously been in the development phase, currently working with 140 multimedia and online editors.

"They are not ordinary editors or reporter, but are fully equipped with multimedia skills": the Mr. Seidenfaden told.

While talking about the video content for web, the in-charge multimedia department at HNA said being a little dirty and immature is no problem in online journalism and since every fourth German is on Facebook we need to meet their desires.

On the other side, Der Stern's in-charge eMagazine David Heimburger was oblivious of the fact of monetizing web news and iterated that income from online is less, earning one euro means a thousand clicks.

Dave claimed disappearing advertisements as threat to publication industry's survival and was of the view in future; it will be the readers who are going to pay journalists' salaries, so aim at their needs.
Munster, Anne Koslowski while
answering participants' questions

Munster based Westfalische Nachrichten, the regional newspaper's in-charge online section Anne Koslowski told that her organization is pushing their journalists to learn multimedia skills more so to cater their readers' demands.

Apart from publication industry, the public broadcast media of Germany also has anxiety of losing big chuck of their viewership because of innovation in internet technology and social media.

Des Zweite Deutsche Fernsehen (ZDF) or second German television, one of biggest broadcasting organization in Europe launched its web services in 1996. Only their live streaming has been targeting 250,000 viewers with a growing tendency whereas average online viewers range between 25 to 27 years old.

Heiko von Debschitz, the head of ZDF Online told: "Linear model of broadcast system is getting less famous; to be on every platform is the need of hour". 
Mainz, Heiko von Debschitz,
presenting ZDF's website

Around 70% of ZDF broadcast content can also be accessed online and roughly 150 professionals are responsible for website operations including 30 journalists. Project managers, graphic designers, video editors and techs are among other 120 people.

"You will see more and more graphics and moving pictures on our online portal because we think text is getting less and less important": Heiko said.

Christian Radlar of Tageschau.de while presenting his department's operations was also of the view that online users for their content are increasing, which means traditional means of media are getting less famous; hence ARD, the parent public broadcaster is stressing more on production of multimedia content. 

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