This was meant as a comment on my previous post - but  I am posting it here with some formatting to clarify the writing. This is an email from John Lumpkin at the AP, in response to our questions about the AP “Basic” plan. It is posted with his permission.

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From: Lumpkin, John O (Associated Press)
To: Solomon, David
Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 11:48 AM
Subject: AP complete versus basic
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David -

As promised, here is my second response.  Your staff has obviously studied the material we provided on Member Choice and has a good handle on it.  Suffice to say we also are watching the feedback from members closely.   See below and thanks again.

John Lumpkin
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Lifestyle Editor: I was under the impression that the AP Breaking News would not include things like recipes and general lifestyle-type stories because those are not considered newsy, breaking-news-type things.

Your Lifestyle editor is correct.  Breaking News is defined as “news that can’t wait.”   There will be some Lifestyles material that will be breaking news.

Sunday Editor: My understanding of the deal is that we will no longer get the following:
* Travel stories

Correct on feature travel stories, but not travel stories that have a breaking news component, like airfares.

* Much of the health,entertainment and lifestyle stories we regularly get. We’d get the stuff they move for the next day on studies being released, or entertainment people or fashion shows, but not the more useful in-depth stories.

This is generally correct.

* Things like best-sellers, box office and other lists

In the original product, there is material like box office statistics that could be considered spot news.  We have some of these under review as we continue to receive feedback.

* Computer-related content like the “On the Net” column and product and software reviews

Correct.

Entertainment Editor: What I will lose without the complete AP service:
* On the Net.
* Movie reviews.
* AP on TV.
* Now Hear This. The quotes that run on Page 28.
* Music Reviews and associated photos
* Upcoming DVD sales.
* Nielsens list for the Top 10 feature. May be able to get online.

Correct, but note above that we have a process for review.   Nielsens is another good example of what some would consider news that can’t wait.   We studied scores of fixtures from numerous legacy AP wires before decisions were made about what would be in each level of our new service.   That resulted in the product guide that your staff has so diligently studied.

What happens next in the transition to Member Choice is a real-time view of what is in each level in members’ AP Exchange accounts.  Members will receive both levels until the end of the year without additional charge.  We will entitle the accounts before the end of the month.  We expect more feedback from that and suffice to say that we are watching it closely.

Even so, it is important to note that members’ AP feeds will be enriched tremendously even if they take Breaking News and decide to purchase items from AP Complete a la carte.

Tags: AP, business, strategy