E-Media Tidbits

eltiempo.com New research shows that 74% of Latin American media companies plan to integrate online and print operations, but so far only 4% have done so.

Guillermo Franco has published the second edition of the State of Online Journalism in Latin America (in Spanish).

Here are some of the highlights:

• 74 percent of Latin American media companies are planning to mix their print and online editions. But so far, just four percent have done so.
• 42 percent of Latin American news sites employ three or fewer journalists. 24 percent employ four to eight journalists.
• 50 percent of these include blogs.
• 62 percent edit what readers say in feedback areas.
• 56 percent are profitable enough to maintain their own operation.
• The age range of Latin American online news audiences is broadening. In this report, 71 percent of sites report an audience with an average age of 20-30. Previous research put this figure at 87 percent.
• 55 of sites still don't have journalists specialized on online media.

This report is based on research by a team lead by Franco and El Tiempo's Julio César Guzmán (Colombia). It included journalists from 43 news sites in 18 countries. The first edition came out in 2004.