Rich DeMuro on Digital Delivery

OurBlook interview with broadcast journalist Rich DeMuro, an editor for Techmeme

What are the benefits of digital delivery for newspapers, magazines, books and other publications?

RD: There are plenty of benefits to digital delivery ... the first being the huge savings on distribution costs to publishers. While I don't necessarily see these passed along to consumers because of decreasing advertising revenue, it's the instantaneous aspect of the delivery that I enjoy most. The new generation of readers is also presenting news, books and magazines closer to their original formats, so it's not necessarily like reading on the web. Also, anyone can be a publisher ... the barrier to entry to self-publishing a book that can be viewed on various e-readers is very low. Information can also be updated in real time. By the time a newspaper is delivered to your doorstep, some of the information in it is already out of date. This doesn't have to happen anymore with digital delivery.

What are the drawbacks?

RD: The biggest drawback to digital delivery is the start-up cost to the consumer. Consumers must purchase a reading device to access the information. The devices are still expensive and in many cases, first or second generation. Also, digital delivery represents a paradigm shift for most readers, and some might not be willing to take the plunge. Also, managing all of this new information can be a burden. You can't just pick up a newspaper (electronically) and flip through it. There are buttons to be pressed and a slight learning curve.

What are the benefits of e-readers for readers?

RD: The biggest benefit is the anywhere, anytime access to information, and especially complete books. It used to be you had to trek to a bookstore, browse for the title you wanted and hope it's carried and in stock. The proliferation of Amazon and Barnes and Noble superstores have made finding what we want to read easy, but it’s still a matter of driving and finding or online ordering and waiting. With e-readers, someone can recommend you a good book and you can start reading it in minutes. Also, the idea of sampling books on e-readers is quite appealing as well ... how many times have you started reading a book only to realize you're just not that into it. I always feel bad abandoning it ... but if I'm just reading the free sample offered by most online sellers, I can choose whether to continue or not.

What are the drawbacks?

RD: The biggest drawback is the inability to easily share books with friends. The used book market is so huge ... everyone has a book they're willing to pass along, swap or sell. As we go further down the road of digital books, the used market gets smaller and smaller. Everyone pays for and gets a fresh copy of digital downloads, every time. The major e-sellers, Amazon and Barnes and Noble, both have their unique ways of (legitimately) sharing titles, but they're still limited and cumbersome, and definitely not as easy as passing along your copy of a good book.

What are the various modes of digital delivery and are there significant differences among them? Is there one particular type of device you think is best?

RD: There are a few different modes of digital delivery, and many depend on the device you have. For starters, there are two major modes I see ... the curated, edited or app mode, and the full web mode. These primarily refer to delivery of news and magazine type content. Some magazines and newspapers take the curated, app approach, in which they build a specialized version of their publication for these reading devices, like the Wall Street Journal iPad app. Alternatively, you can just access websites from a tablet like device and get what amounts to the full web, and browse any blog or publication you can normally access.

As for devices, there are two major contenders right now ... the iPad and the Kindle. iPad is great for a rich multimedia reading experience and accessing the widest variety of web content. I see the Kindle as the most likely book replacement, though, since the screen is similar to that of the printed page and doesn't strain the eyes and is easy to see in sunlight. The last thing I want to do is stare at a backlit screen when I'm relaxing and trying to read a book. Also, the iPad and LED screens in general don't perform too well in the sun, so you're out of luck if you ever plan on reading outside.

Is this nation at the starting point of digital delivery/e-readers, in the middle of it or at a sophisticated stage? Is there something important that has to be developed technologically for this to advance?

RD: We are just at the beginning of a revolution. In fact, we're still in the dark ages of e-readers and digital delivery on them. Just considering the improvements between the first and second generation Kindles gives me a lot of hope about where this is all heading, but we still have a long way to go. The good news is it is going to happen a lot faster. Things are going to progress much faster in the next 2-3 years than they did in the last few years. Also, iPad 1.0 is a good start, but the next generation of that device will be even better as well. Everyone who is reading on a digital device right now is a guinea pig and founding father of the revolution.

Is there anything else you'd like to say about this topic?

RD: There's a neat little benefit to this e-revolution ... free classic and public domain books. There are literally hundreds of thousands of free (and legal) e-books out there. Sites like Project Gutenberg and Feedbooks have tons of free books ready for the downloading. Many are classics or from big name authors ... I'm talking Pride and Prejudice and Sherlock Holmes. You can go a lifetime reading just the classics for free. What an amazing time we live in. If the printing press was revolutionary, e-readers might be the present-day equivalent.

(Rich calls Techmeme "the top tech news aggregation website in the world." He has been a technology reporter for the KCBS and KCAL TV stations in Los Angeles. Prior to joining the CBS network, he was a reporter for the technology website CNET and had a show called “The Queue” ... "a fast and fun way to keep up with everything digital." Rich also served as a regular tech expert for various networks and shows, including CNBC, NBC Today Show, ABC News Tech Bytes, Fox News Channel, the BBC and more.)

(He was also a reporter with Channel One News, a daily newscast shown in middle and high schools nationwide. Before that, he was a reporter for media outlets across the country including the San Diego ABC affiliate, and NBC affiliates in Washington and Louisiana. He spent three years as a consumer reporter, helping viewers protect themselves from scams like identity theft and phishing. He has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California.)