Washington, DC--The American Press Institute today announced a groundbreaking program to help selected newspapers take new business ideas from sketchbook to marketplace.

The program was introduced at API's Newspaper Next (N²) Symposium, attended Wednesday and Thursday by 90 newspaper industry thought leaders at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

API's Newspaper Next Disruptive Innovation Advisory Program will provide innovation guidance to three to five U.S. newspaper companies. Newspapers selected for the program will receive advice and consultation from the N2 project team over a four-month period, including two daylong sessions with the N² project team and weekly conference calls to review progress.

The chosen projects also will serve as practical demonstrations of the innovation tools and processes under development in the yearlong Newspaper Next project. The cases will be included in the N²'s final report and recommendations this fall.

Newspapers participating in the program will work with:

• Stephen Gray, N² managing director and former managing publisher of The Christian Science Monitor


• Scott Anthony, a managing director at innovation consulting firm Innosight LLC and co-author of Seeing What's Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change.

"So often newspapers have great ideas for new products and services but they get smothered by the core business," said API President and Executive Director Andrew B. Davis. "This program will help newspapers keep their winning ideas on track by offering support from the best and the brightest in the industry as well as the country's leading authority on disruptive innovation."

Newspapers are asked to submit a "disruptive" idea for a new product or service to be considered for the program. A "disruptive" idea offers new benefits to the consumer, such as simplicity, convenience, ease of use or low price. Classic examples of disruptive innovations include the personal computer, discount airlines, Intuit's Turbo Tax program and Procter & Gamble's Swiffer line of products.

Gray, Davis and Harvard Business School professor and innovation strategist Clayton Christensen will review the applications. Newspapers accepted into the program will be announced this spring.

For more information about disruptive innovation and to download an application, visit www.newspapernext.org. The deadline for applying is March 1.

About Newspaper Next
Newspaper Next is a year-long, $2.25 million project to discover future business models for the newspaper industry. API has retained innovation consulting firm, Innosight LLC, founded by Harvard Business School professor and innovation strategist Clayton Christensen. Innosight has helped dozens of major companies develop innovative products and services, and build the capabilities to create growth through innovation.

About the American Press Institute
The American Press Institute is an independent educational center for providing skills-training and leadership development in the news industry, offering myriad seminars, online training and on-site programs for newspaper professionals. API houses the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, which offers a nationwide forum and educational opportunities for improving the quality of American business journalism. API is also the home of the Media Center, which conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media. Visit API online at www.americanpressinstitute.org, or call (703) 620-3611.

Media Contact:
Gayle Armstrong
American Press Institute
11690 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191-1498
(703) 715-3322 or (703) 620-5814
Cell: (703) 919-2961
garmstrong@americanpressinstitute.org