• by December 6, 2000

It seems traditional media are beginning to see the benefits of using the Internet to promote themselves. And newspapers - the medium formerly expected to be infringed on by the web the most - are leading the charge. As Editor and Publisher reported earlier today, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman newspaper had used billboards, radio and TV spots to grab people's attention for years, but the time had come for a more targeted approach.

So, in a test program this fall, the American-Statesman emailed non- or occasional subscribers and asked permission to make future email contacts. In return for information about themselves and their reading habits, they would receive news alerts and a chance to win prizes.

The result? Of 1,300 contacts made by the American- Statesman, 16% agreed to be added to a list to receive the paper's e-letter, StatesmanAdvantage. Company officials said the cost is unbeatable - email marketing cost the paper 1 cent to 25 cents per message, compared with $1 to $2 per piece of direct mail.

The American Statesman is following in the steps of other newspaper that have had equal success with email marketing themselves. The San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News has registered more than 70,000 people to receive email containing news updates, ads, and subscription offers, and has sold more than 3,000 subscriptions online this year.

Also in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle has taken 4,300 new orders in the past nine months through a permission-based email offer, for a 2.9% response rate. The Chronicle bought the email addresses of non-subscribers from Yahoo! and asked their permission to email a subscription offer. Those who signed up and paid with a credit card were rewarded with a gift certificate.

So, has the Internet killed newspapers? You decide.