Sept. 21, 2009 — Trib to offer self-service app to other publishers

Tribune Co. outlined a plan to sell self-service advertising software to other newspaper publishers in a bid to help the industry attract a greater variety of advertisers.
The software, based on Mediaspectrum Inc.’s Ad Sales app, is already in use across the majority of Tribune’s properties, said Mike Sacks, Tribune’s vice president of operations.
“Moving toward a self-service model is critical to our industry’s future,” he said. “Already, Tribune has reduced its expenses and generated significant new revenue since implementing this portal.”
All of the publisher’s papers are using at least some part of the software, known within Tribune as Display Ad Self Service, or DASS.
Sacks said Tribune has already held discussions with a number of prospective customers interested in the software.
He said Tribune is still evaluating pricing. Newspapers will have the option to either administer the app on-site or have Mediaspectrum host it for them.
“What we’re adding is the ability for papers to get this set up and hit the ground running,” Sack said. “We’re not just providing the tools. It’s also the functionality and the versatility this software provides.”
Look for the full story in the October issue of News & Tech.