User Generated Content Creates New Revenue Opportunities ForTraditional...

Although much of the buzz about user generated content has focused on use of cell phones and other mobile devices to capture and report news or weather events as they happen, many local media outlets are using it to allow audiences to showcase their gardens, display Christmas decorations, win acclaim for their photography, or even find jobs, while generating new sources of revenue that is badly needed during this recession.

    

The founder of Cell Journalist, Inc., the nation's8217;s leading provider of user generated content solutions to newspapers, television stations and other media outlets, says traffic to websites of local television stations and newspapers using UCG platforms is growing exponentially thanks to innovation beyond just news and weather coverage.

    

's8220;We's8217;ve seen an increased in traffic of almost 200% in the past twelve months, which is impressive in itself,'s8221; Parker Polidor, Cell Journalist Founder says. 's8220;This increase is a result of stations and newspapers discovering new sources of revenue and community benefit in user generated content contests and promotions.'s8221;

    

For the second year in a row, stations like WTVM and KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, LA, sold its Big Buck Board that allows hunters to post photos of results of their deer hunts. The station discovered, as a result, it could capture revenue from small hunting supply retailers that previously didn's8217;t advertise on the station.

    

WTOL-TV of Toledo, OH, created 30 Seconds to Sell, an efficient way for unemployed individuals to connect with potential employers by posting a 30-second video of themselves describing their qualifications and talents. A number of individuals found jobs as a direct result of the effort.

    

In Memphis, WMC-TV allowed followers of local high school football programs to post Friday Football Fever photos from their favorite team's8217;s weekly gridiron contests. The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel awarded $100 gift cards to individuals who submitted spectacular photographs of autumn colors from the nearby Smokey Mountains.

    

From landscape contests to galleries displaying pictures of children with Santa, Polidor says local media are finding new ways to increase viewer loyalty and create new advertising products. 's8220;Platforms like ours are providing the critical link between new media and traditional media channels and as clients discover how to integrate audience participation and advertiser interest, they are generating new revenue streams that never existed before.'s8221;

    

Cell Journalist, Inc., was born the day after the London bombings in July 2005. Founded by entrepreneurs Parker and Colin Polidor, it has evolved into the leading application of its kind for media outlets seeking images and videos of breaking news, weather and community events from their audience. Cell Journalist is being used by more than 80 media outlets nationwide and is growing rapidly, reflecting current trends toward immediate audience participation in the news process. For more information about Cell Journalist, visit www.celljournalist.com.

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