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April 2011
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* Quake-Area Newspapers Found Twitter Solutions to Get the News Out
* Tohoku Radio Stations Provide 24/7 Info
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*Topics
NSK Survey: Japanese Newspapers Stepping Up Digital Presence
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Quake-Area Newspapers Found Twitter Solutions to Get the News Out


In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, local newspapers in the quake-hit Tohoku region suffered massive power outages, forcing them to suspend operations of the servers for their websites and bringing down local Internet connections. As access to their news sites was blocked, newspaper publishers turned to Twitter to continue to send out disaster-related information - especially detailed reports of damage and information closely related to people’s daily lives.

The Kahoku Shimpo, in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, saw the server for its “KOLNET” website fail due to the quake. The server was back up by the middle of the night, but Internet connections were still blocked. After the USB communication cards for newsgathering and business use were checked and confirmed to be working, at about 8 p.m., the newspaper company began sending out news bulletins over a social networking service for the local community, called “FLAT.” The server for FLAT is in the Osaka area and was thus unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami. Relying on Kyodo News, the Kahoku provided an ID number for log-ins and shared its password with Kyodo, which collected content from a local SNS bulletin board for transmission via the Kyodo News-initiated joint news site called “47NEWS” for subscriber newspapers. Via Kyodo, the newspaper’s content and information were distributed over Yahoo, as well as via “Japan Web News”, a site jointly operated by seven regional newspapers.

The connection for the newspaper’s KOLNET website was restored by midnight of March 11. At 30 minutes past midnight in the very early morning of March 12, the Kahoku began using Twitter to deliver information on daily life in the quake region. In addition, the newspaper used Twitter accounts for its editorial division to handle its evening edition and to run the FLAT service. Using Twitter for its editorial division to output an evening edition, for instance, a reporter walked around Sendai City, making detailed reports on damage over his iPhone.

A senior official at the Kahoku Shimpo’s media department said, “Local residents kept asking for more information related to daily life, but our information delivery capacity was limited. However, recent experience had shown us the potential for transmitting information by virtual word of mouth among IT-literate people,” the official said.

The Kahoku Shimpo set up a new service called “Twilog,” to preserve past Twitter messages in a searchable blog that users could consult to check information posted days earlier.

Immediately after the quake, the Too-Nippo in Aomori Prefecture switched over to an emergency power system to continue providing news and information over its “Web Too” site. But due to a shortage of fuel for the power system, the Web server stopped working at 20 minutes past midnight on March 12. The newspaper then used communications adapters for personal computers to transmit information from iPhones over Twitter. Information thus posted was limited to breaking local news and essential utilities. For some 13 hours before the website was restored at 2:30 p.m. on March 12, the newspaper kept sending out essential news via Twitter. An official at the newspaper said the events proved the usefulness of Twitter as a reserve communications infrastructure.

In the case of the Akita Sakigake Shimpo, another leading regional newspaper based in Akita Prefecture, the quake disrupted communication lines for its news website “Sakigake on The Web.” At 3:56 p.m. on March 11, the newspaper was no longer able to transmit content through the site. Using some lines that were still working, the newspaper began sending news out via Twitter shortly after 4 p.m. It also put up a link on the front page of the Kyodo News 47NEWS site, informing readers of the Akita Sakigake Twitter account.

The Yamagata Shimbun also experienced a disconnection of its Internet lines immediately after the quake, cutting off outside access to its news website “Yamagata News On-Line”. The newspaper set up a makeshift website that provided limited alternate access and waited for the restoration of its main Internet connection. However, staff soon discovered that an Internet connection could be restored via a wireless router, setting one up shortly thereafter on a test basis. As a result, the newspaper was able to resume sending out news via Twitter by 5:12 p.m. Internet access to its Web site was restored at 9:05 p.m. but it suspended its own delivery of email to members of its mobile phone users site until 5 p.m. March 13 to avoid draining users’ mobile phone batteries. Yamagata officials said they will study how to maintain their Internet connection through a switchover to in-house power generation.

The Internet connection for the Fukushima-Minpo news site remained functional, but access to its site for mobile phone users was failing intermittently. To compensate, the local newspaper began sending out disaster-related information via Twitter, for its first time ever.

Each local newspaper provided quake-related information and local news free of charge via their otherwise fee-based websites for mobile phone users. The Too-Nippo, in Aomori Prefecture, allowed free access to all articles on its website for PCs, waiving its normal rule that only member subscribers could read all content on the site.




Tohoku Radio Stations Provide 24/7 Info


The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 saw many local radio stations in the Tohoku region continue to provide information around the clock. They reported on the situation in affected areas and other issues related to daily life. They also delivered updates on the safety of local residents to kin and friends nationwide.

The radio stations faced power outages, disruptions of broadcast transmission lines and fuel shortages for their in-house power generators, seriously hampering their ability to broadcast. However, many stations managed to keep sending out news by posting live programs simultaneously on video-sharing Web sites like YouTube, or by using Twitter as a means of transmission. Some key radio stations in Tokyo also began to simultaneously broadcast the local stations’ live programs.

Tohoku Broadcasting Co. in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, had its antenna knocked out by the tsunami on March 11. It switched to an emergency transmitter to keep on broadcasting using an in-house power generator. When it ran short of the heavy oil it uses as fuel for its power generator, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. (TBS) and other affiliated stations helped supply extra fuel. One problem was that the emergency transmitter had a much weaker power output, leading listeners to complain about poor reception. As a result, the radio station began broadcasting its programming live over the video sharing website “Ustream” on March 15 and via another site named “Nico Nico Douga” as of March 16. The station’s broadcasting only returned to normal on March 15.

Iwate Broadcasting Co. in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, continued to broadcast safety information for evacuees based on listener reports. After each broadcast, the station posted the information, classified by city, town and village, on its website. An official at the radio station said the broadcaster wanted people who missed its radio programs to be able to get the safety information from its website. IBC also used Twitter to send out key information every day to affected residents, while broadcasting a live program to deliver safety information simultaneously over the Web-based Ustream site.

Starting on March 15, the Japan FM Network (JFN), a group of 38 commercial FM radio stations, launched a service for smartphones and PCs operating on the “Android” operating system to be able to listen to the programs of six local FM stations in Tohoku, as well as Tokyo FM.

Starting on March 15, Nikkei Radio Broadcasting Corp. in Minato Ward, Tokyo, began broadcasting programs from Radio Fukushima in Fukushima City over its Radio Nikkei No. 1 shortwave broadcasting channel. The broadcasting hours covered one to two hours each weekday and four to five hours on weekends. The special programs were also made available on “radiko,” an IP simulcast radio station, continuing through the end of March. An official at Radio Nikkei said that as his station is in the same field, Radio Nikkei wanted to extend a helping hand to local stations in Fukushima by using shortwave to raise nationwide exposure. “We also wanted to deliver safety information to people all over the country who were worried about the safety of the disaster victims,” the official said.

Radio Fukushima temporarily suspended broadcasting on March 12 due to disconnections at its junction station in Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture. It attempted to amplify its transmission capacity with the support of Radio Nikkei. Radio Fukushima also began sending out information over Twitter and Ustream.

Ibaraki Broadcasting System Co. (IBS) in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. in Tokyo both simultaneously broadcast a 10-minute live program about quake damage on March 17 and 18. IBS continued delivering information via Ustream and Nico Nico Douga until March 19.

Topics.......Topics.......Topics........


NSK Survey: Japanese Newspapers Stepping Up Digital Presence

The NSK Media Development Committee on March 28 released its 2011 survey on electronic media, revealing that many newspaper companies are running fee-based platforms delivering digital content for smartphones and tablet PCs.

The annual survey also shows that an increasing number of newspapers and news agencies are providing page images from their print editions and digital content tailored to various terminals, both as fee-based services.

More newspapers are adding a “Like” or “Share” button on their news websites so users can share articles over social networking services (SNS) like Facebook and twitter.

The survey, conducted every January, tracks various moves into electronic media by NSK member companies and evaluates their strategies. A total of 86 member companies responded to the latest survey.

The Mainichi Shimbun and the Nishinippon Shimbun in June 2010 took a stake in Viewn Corp., an affiliate of Softbank Corp. that handles content delivery to iPads and iPhones. The two newspaper firms are now co-operators of the digital content delivery platform, as well as being original content providers.

In April 2010, the Asahi Shimbun opened its news content delivery site “Astand” to sell reports and serialized features from Asahi newspapers and magazines as “Web paperbacks.” In October, the Asahi started letting users of iPads and iPhones join PC users in buying and browsing its content. The Mainichi, Jiji Press and Nikkan Sports are also selling articles via “Astand.” In November, the Asahi set up the digital content delivery company “Booklista” to market e-books in a tie-up with Sony Corp., Toppan Printing Co. and KDDI Corp.

Kyodo News in December launched the fee-based platform “News Oasis” to deliver content from its subscriber newspapers. Using this platform, Hokkaido Shimbun Press’ sports daily is delivering a weekly digital edition featuring information on angling, and the Ryukyu Shimpo is selling page images from its print edition. Starting from March of this year, the Chugoku Shimbun began selling page images from its morning print edition. Members of its “Chupea Club” can browse the page images on a PC. Users of iPads and iPhones can now obtain the same content for an additional fee. In April, the Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun joined the platform to offer an electronic evening newspaper titled “Web Sannichi Evening,” featuring original content in a horizontal layout.

In addition, Kyodo News runs a platform called “Newsmart” to deliver news content from its subscriber newspapers to users of mobile phones on a fee basis. The service, launched in June 2010, features a “cross-recommended” function to search requested content from subscriber newspapers’ sites. There are now 27 sites for mobile phone users, operated by Kyodo’s subscriber newspapers. In order to differentiate among the content from conventional news sites, some Kyodo subscriber newspapers have set up new sites to specialize in baseball, soccer, angling and other specific subjects.

In line with the tendency toward converting free news sites into fee-based sites, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun developed its own delivery and fee-charging system to launch a new electronic edition in March 2010. By the yearend, the number of paid subscribers had surpassed the 100,000 mark. Of that total, about two-thirds were subscribers to both the Nikkei print edition and its electronic edition. In January 2010, the Kitanippon Shimbun converted its website to a fee-basis, charging 2,100 yen a month for access from areas where its print edition is not available. But all subscribers to its print edition can still access the site free of charge.

According to this latest survey, the number of NSK member companies providing pages images of their print editions, including extras, has risen by nine from the 2010 survey, hitting a total of 43. The newcomers are the Nikkei (for the paid subscribers to its electronic edition), the Nikkan Sports News, the Tokachi Mainichi, Tsuri Shimbun Hokkaido for Doshin Sports of the Hokkaido Shimbun, the Daily Tohoku Shimbun, the Kahoku Shimpo, the Fukushima Minyu Shimbun, and the Daily Sports of the Kobe Shimbun. The Tokachi Mainichi is charging 2,500 yen for its e-paper and the Daily Sports goes for 1,980 yen for a month. The Daily Sports has also introduced a service to deliver page images on a per-copy basis to users of iPads and iPhones.

The Nikkan Sports News is delivering page images for overseas readers via News Media Stand, a portal site operated by the Chinese system developer Founder International Inc. Fee discounts are being offered for long-term and corporate subscribers.

A group of eight publishers of community newspapers is now providing a fee-based service for their digital editions through the website, “Shimbun Online,” managed by the digital content management firm WAYZ JAPAN in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. They comprise the Iwaki Minpo, a daily evening paper based in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture; the Kiryu Times, an evening paper in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture; the Minamishinshu Shimbun, a daily in Iida City, Nagano Prefecture; the Shimin Times, a daily in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture; the Yukan Mie, an evening paper in Matsuzaka City, Mie Prefecture; the Kumano Shimbun, a daily paper in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, the Shimane Nichi-Nichi Shimbun, a daily in Shimane Prefecture, and the Nishinippon Shimbun (the Nishinippon Sports, a sports daily in Fukuoka Prefecture).

The survey also tracks member companies’ delivery of information to users of smartphones and tablet PCs separately from services for mobile phone users. Twelve companies responded to a questionnaire on that field of activity.

In time for the debut of iPads in Japan, the Mainichi launched an e-magazine called “photoJ.” The Sankei Shimbun uses the fee-based service to deliver page images from its print edition. The Yomiuri Shimbun is marketing an application for iPad and iPhone users that features correct usage of the Japanese language and other general knowledge. The Nikkan Sports offers an application to deliver news content by category, with subjects such as baseball, horse racing and combat sports.

The Mainichi, Nikkei, Nishinippon and Sports Nippon are all providing content for users of the popular e-book reader “GARAPAGOS,” released by Sharp Corp. in December 2010. The Nikkei is using this route to market not only its electronic newspaper, but also the digital edition of a special-interest auto magazine.

The Asahi set up a news site exclusively for users of smartphones through which it delivers reformatted content from www.Asahi.com.

The survey found that as many as 34 NSK member companies, up 11 from the last survey, have added a “Like” or “Share” button to their websites so users can quote their articles via social networking services (SNS). Many newspapers have also set up accounts on twitter to transmit news there directly.

A total of 36 respondents, five fewer than in the 2010 survey, are still running blogs, and 10 companies, or one less than in 2010, are running their own SNS services, according to the new 2011 survey.


Nihon Shinbun Kyokai
The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association
Nippon Press Center Bldg., 2-2-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo100-8543, Japan

bulletin@pressnet.or.jp

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