Tim Lott
VP Audience Strategy
Tim Lott is vice president for audience strategy at the Austin American-Statesman, where he oversees the newspaper’s efforts to develop nontraditional revenue streams. In 2011, the newspaper launched both a paid sports site focusing on the Texas Longhorns and a streaming radio station. Prior to his current position, Lott was VP/digital. He has held numerous reporting and editing positions at the American-Statesman, where he began working in 1989. Prior to that, he worked for the Associated Press. Lott is a graduate of Baylor University.
[TX 0301] - Part 1: Introduction and Contribution (5:52)
Tim Lott, V.P., audience strategy, The Austin American-Statesman, started at the newspaper in 1989 as a 23-year-old copy editor. Lott says his current job is looking for ways to develop more “paid content,” finding ways to develop high-quality niche information products to sell to lucrative market segments. The Statesman’s latest entry into this field is hookem.com, a $9.95 a month report on college athletic recruiting in Texas.
[TX 0302] - Part 2: Skills (3:12)
Tim Lott, V.P., audience strategy, The Austin American-Statesman, says he needs “to create legitimate products that advertisers are willing to pay for.” The main asset he says he brings to that task is his newspaper experience and his “critical thinking” skills.
[TX 0303] - Part 3: Adaptation & the Future (4:07)
Tim Lott, V.P., audience strategy, The Austin American-Statesman, says that as digital news distribution methods proliferate The Statesman has an advantage because “we are fairly far advanced in the typical reporter delivering content for different digital platforms.” Lott adds The Statesman was “one of the first newspapers in the U.S. to have a [designated] social media editor.”
[TX 0304] - Part 4: Digital Revenue (7:17)
Tim Lott, V.P., audience strategy, The Austin American-Statesman, says, “It would not surprise me to see [The Statesman offer] an iPad app with a price on it sometime this year.” Looking forward, he says, “I don’t know,” if digital revenues can match current print revenues. And he does not think anyone knows, for certain, if that is possible.