Why Print Media should publish mobile event and cultural calendars

As producers and aggregators of content, newspapers and magazines have been the chief battleground of the debate over charging consumers for content. In a clearly difficult time for the industry, every institution is seeking new sources of revenue to bolster their businesses as well as to replace old ones.

We think, that going forward, there's a demand for mobile cultural calendars. Most print media produce and safeguard content, and are the go-to outlet for the events and culture either in a specific region or for a specific space. Not all the infrastructure is in place to maximize revenue, but some of it is.

What I am speaking of is the mobile space - ideally you would want magazines or newspapers to publish calendars that end users can either buy in one off blocks (for example I would buy the arts and culture calendar for Boston for March, which is when I am in town) or subscribe (I could subscribe to the culture calendar for Philadelphia where I live). This has the added advantage over print that it can be continually refreshed, shared on social networks, crowdsourced (like a new craigslist or classifieds) and is available 24/7 because end users have their devices with them at all times, which lends itself to impulse.

It can also become an event marketing and networking tool by enabling people to check into events, invite friends and purchase tickets. Whether by directly selling the content, selling subscriptions, advertising, or sponsorships, this path can lead to myriad revenue streams and the organizations to properly figure it out will dominate the next generation.

Thoughts?