By: Jennifer Saba For the past five years, the Associated Press had been hearing at industry conferences and from members that it needed to do its part to help bring younger people back to newspapers. The AP decided to do something about it in a big way, and on Sept. 19 launched "asap" ? a new service designed to attract readers under 35.
Asap isn't your typical AP fare. The service embraces all types of media elements, including video, blogs, diaries, and photos. Beyond that, it maintains a voice and attitude more akin to magazine-style writing than the language of standard wire service stories. Ted Anthony, who heads up a team of about 20, mostly in their 20s and 30s, explained on launch day that asap writers need to be flexible. (In addition, it draws from some 2,000 AP reporters located all over the world.) "We're throwing people together in an interdisciplinary way," Anthony says.
About 200 newspapers have signed on thus far for asap, a premium service. Members can pull the content for their print products, Web sites, or they can host asap in its entirety (http://asap.ap.org).
Staffers seem excited by the fresh approach, which emphasizes rich visuals and creative writing. Immediately after the launch, one AP reporter was seen pitching Anthony on some stories.
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