Voice publisher cuts back on video segments, other costs to refocus resources during economic downtown
DVtv, Dallas Voice’s online video component, will be on indefinite hiatus, effective Thursday, Feb. 5, Voice Publisher Robert Moore announced this week.
The change is part of the company’s effort to use resources more effectively and efficiently during the ongoing economic recession, Moore said.
"We are refocusing our Web efforts. The traffic to and growth of our blog, Instant Tea, demand that more attention and resources be spent there," he said. "So we are shifting resources from the frequent, fully-produced video segments that comprised DVtv to a video component that is more closely tied to our news product, with shorter videos that will be imbedded in our online stories.
"We’re going to follow the trend of convergence journalism, which brings print, Web and video all into play in a single news piece," he added.
Moore said that Dallas Voice will retain the DVtv brand, and that freelance film crews will still be brought in to film significant events, like the annual Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. But resources that had gone toward numerous weekly DVtv segments will be redirected as part of the company’s overall plan to respond to the recession.
"All media has been affected by the economic downturn. LGBT media is certainly not immune to that," Moore said. "Consequently, we are going to be very focused in how we use our resources."
Moore said that being located in Texas, specifically in Dallas, has had a positive impact, since this area has not been hit as hard or as early as some other regions. He also said that despite the current restrictive financial climate, he believes Dallas Voice will weather the storm.
"We’re celebrating our 25th year this year, and we are lucky we have the track record we do," Moore said. "When you look at our print and Web presence today, it’s obvious that our audience is larger than ever. There is clearly still a strong demand for a local LGBT news and entertainment product. The demand was there before the recession, and it will be there after the recession.
"We’re going to manage our business in a prudent way so that we can keep on meeting that demand," Moore said.
Dallas Voice hasn’t experienced any layoffs as a result of the economic downturn. However, one editorial position and one sales position that became vacant within the last year were not filled. The company has also taken other measures to cut down on expenses.
E-mail nash@dallasvoice.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 6, 2009.