First Look Media recently launched “The Intercept,” a website they say will be the first in a group of “digital magazines.” This newly-coined phrase hasn’t been taken seriously by critics.
When I think of the word “magazine,” Cosmopolitan comes to mind. But, after reading up on what exactly this means, I have to say this strategy is very practical. The article I read about the topic describes these magazines as “topic-focused sites.” I think this is a better description. Like a magazine, readers can go to this one webpage for all their needs about a certain topic. An aspiring designer isn’t going to comb through the fashion/culture section of the local newspaper, but instead turn to the latest issue of Vogue. The Intercept is a news page focused on the NSA, its leaks, and the website is very transparent about its dedication to this specific topic.
This website follows the “personal franchise model.” This structure of this kind of news company starts with one charismatic founder and idea with a staff based around and picked by this founder, who may not have ownership but does have editorial control. This model has an identifiable niche, a specific topic followed and covered at different angles in each article/news story. Included is a mix of news, opinion, analysis, and data. I think this model and this type of Internet news website will be successful going forward. Personally, I would like to go to one page for a plethora of information and news on a specific topic I’m interested in, instead of going to a site that contains tons of information that I must weed through to find what I want. This kind of news website makes it easy for a connection to occur between the contributors and consumers because there is a shared interest and passion.
To learn more about digital magazines and the personal franchise model, check out these links:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/02/10/welcome-intercept/
