New Media Kingpin Makes Old Media Moves

“The barrier to entry in Internet media is low. The barrier to success is high,” Nick Denton told the New York Times for an article detailing several staffing changes at Gawker Media.

“Sites need to be well-managed and well-designed and even then it is harder and harder to launch a site. The world does not need more blogs,” adding that if you count all the pages on MySpace, “there is approximately one reader for every blog out there.”

On his own site, Denton says Gawker’s operational costs are increasing. He’s now paying editorial talent close to what mainstream pubs offer. He also complains that existing blog technology like Moveable Type can not handle the needs of larger, sophisticated sites like those in his paddock.
Addressing another important editorial issue, Denton says:

Over time, on the same beat, all journalists get into a routine, or too close to sources, or go native. For Gawker titles, which have always sought to take the outsider’s perspective, this is a particular risk. We need always to be open to fresh editorial talent, even if that means wrenching changes.

Denton’s a savvy operator. I appreciate his thoughts on these matters. Particularly, his thoughts on routine, and the steps necessary to break it.