Letter From The Editor
What are the benefits of being a new media proprietor? There are more than you can count on two hands, but the most appealing one for me has been being able to write and update my own job description.
Determining the editorial direction taken by The Address isn't even tough. What's tough is coming up with destinations that we can steer this ship towards. The journey towards creating a venerable new media outlet takes many directions at once. You can never really exhaust the infinite amount of topics, stories, opinions, questions and internet memes that the media can tackle. Likewise, you can never exhaust the multitude of angles from which to tackle topics, stories, opinions, questions and memes. The content universe is truly expansive.
I am saying that to say this: in 2021, there is no particular way compelling content should be. In Game Of Thrones terms, compelling content is a 'Many Face God'. It is neither here nor there in appearance. I had to be at home with that fact. Since then, I have been led to turn The Address into a shape shifter. Meaning that in terms of editorial, The Address covers a wide range of topics. Has a vast array of content formats. And uses different 'languages' to relay information to the audience.
Format in the sense of which content you make and publish. Language in the sense of how you use words and phrases that can be understood by the reader. News, opinion, reporting, headlines ought to be positioned in a manner that resonates with the language spoken by the target demographic.
For a new media publisher to find their editorial language is the first step towards having passionate readers who flock their sites to watch videos, peruse articles (Or captions). The editorial language also influences viral sharing of posts.
The language understood by Gen Z and Gen Y is the language used by Gen Z and Gen Y. The same can be said about what these two demographics care about. At the top of the list of what they care about is viral meaningful memes. By definition, a meme is something that is lives and thrives on the internet. You can think of all the blogs on social media as meme pages that specialize in publishing "news memes".
Am always looking for an opportunity to use the phrase 'not all___ are equal. I'll use it here. Not all content is equal. If content is King, then some Kings are more popular than others.
Good, viral memes come in many formats. To stick to one content format alone will cause stagnation. Kings need to move around and blend in with the masses. Similarly, content needs to keep evolving in order to keep appealing to the modern reader. Who is always evolving.
Readers want to see content that is ever dynamic, progressive, relatable, basic and easily consumable. Traditional media has a way of sticking to one very traditional news/content format. That's why they keep losing readers. A long while ago, Gen Z and Gen Y realized that there was nothing for them on radio and TV. So they turned to podcasts, social media blogs, websites and The Address to get the content that they actually GAF about.
See, I just used phrase that Gen Z and Gen Y can understand- (Give A Fuck) in the previous sentence. That's what this generation of readers wants. They want articles with headlines, bylines and bodies that they can understand in a jiffy.
If I am ever to be branded as anti-establishment, let it be because of my stand against traditional media and how they have refused to accommodate this generation of content consumers.
As everyone born in the 90s continues to look for news and content that they GAF about, The Address will continue to make and publish Kenya's most progressive content intended for Gen Z and Gen Y. And a section of millennials. The Address is concerned with virtually anything under the sun. The editorial promise is to always deliver evergreen, timeless, relevant information that helps the reader better understand and navigate the world around them.
The Information Program
The Information Program was developed by The Address to cater to the needs of the reader. The ideal reader basically wants information. Equipped with information, they can lead and contribute in ongoing conversations in real life and online. Today, in the spirit of inclusion, nobody wants to be left out. The Information Program is intended to explore ways of packaging information and delivering it to honorable, mighty members of the audience.
How to know you are at The Address
For the fourth anniversary last September, The Address introduced a new brand identity. It replaced the old one that was known for having two juxtaposed letter Ds in the name The Address.
Introducing current brand identity reflects a True fact of life. The fact that Change is the only constant. Nothing stays the same. Not even The Address.
So long,
Lead Editor - The Address Media
