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I’ve been following the Roanoke Times efforts with the daily Timescast for as long as they’ve been doing it. I even traveled to Roanoke to film the folks there doing an episode (and a student and I appeared in one episode – I was the straight man). Now comes news that they’re ending the daily Timescast. #

Still, Lucas Grindley makes this point, that’s worth examining in more detail: #

Baking into your culture an iterative design process helps to identify when something is working and when it should go in another direction. The key to innovation (or one of the keys) is failing fast. Apparently, it took two years to discover that spin-offs in the form of targeted shows based just on sports, or just on music, are more effective. In today’s episode, TimesCast viewers were promised the upcoming announcement of yet another webcast, this one focused on entertainment. #

Two years isn’t too far off of the yardstick I have taken to championing, that of Rob Curley (and probably others): give it about 18 months to judge whether something is a success or not. #

Two years is relatively fast in newspaper evolution. #

Truth be told, the Timescast put the heat on others to do various similar products (cough, miami herald, cough) and helped Roanoke find some niches that benefit from the videocasts. I see that as a net gain, no matter how the flagship might have failed. #

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