1. From Student Journalists to
News Entrepreneurs:
A Case Study of Technically
Media
International Symposium on Online Journalism
Austin, TX – April 20, 2012
Mark Berkey-Gerard
Assistant Professor, Rowan University
Twitter: @mabege
2. Technically Media
Founded in 2009 by three
Temple U. grads
Media consultancy for
business, news and
nonprofits
Publishes Technically
Philly, a regional
technology blog in
Philadelphia
Sean Blanda, Brian James Kirk, and Christopher
Wink. Photo by Colin Lenton
3. Technology blog covering local:
• startups
• venture capital
• social media/web development
• digital access
• science, tech, engineering and math education
• technology-related local government policy
4. •25,000 a month
•Employed in research, science, media, marketing, IT
•71% age 20-39
•63% earn $50K+ annually
•47% read daily
Readers
6. Online publication where legal scholars, historians
and staff write about constitutional issues
Extend museum programming to digital platform
Adopt newsroom ethos and practices
National Constitution Center
11. Why Study Technically Media?
• “Prototype plucked from an entrepreneurial
journalism textbook”
• Profitable without outside investment
• Bridge the gap between research and classroom
• Evidence of entrepreneurial capacities
12. Entrepreneurial Capacities (Gibb)
1. Opportunity seeking
2. Initiative taking
3. Ownership of a
development
4. Commitment to see
things through
5. Personal locus of
control
6. Intuitive decision
making
7. Networking capacity
8. Strategic thinking
9. Negotiation capacity
10. Selling/persuasive
capacity
11. Achievement
orientation
12. Incremental risk
taking
13. RQ1: Knowledge and skills?
• Newsroom
• Publishing
• Consulting
• Grants
• Event Planning
• Small Business
14. RQ2: Acquire knowledge and skills?
• Implementation of existing ideas
• Student publication, internships, entry-level jobs
• Reporting as a pathway to business knowledge
• Creating forums for sharing knowledge
(BarCamp News Innovation)
15. RQ3: Key entrepreneurial capacities?
• Initial launch
• Beyond advertising
• Journalistic values as a product
• Event funded online news publication
• Expanding to additional markets
16. RQ4: Implications for J education?
• Training for jobs that do not exist
• Opportunities to build publications and tools
• Testing products
• Entrepreneurial projects as gateway to
traditional employment
17. Conclusions
1. Entrepreneurial by necessity
2. Limits of skill-based education
3. Build on existing strengths of journalism
programs
4. Accelerator vs. Venture Capital approach
5. Create forums for sharing knowledge and
information
