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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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lchic - 10:48pm Nov 7, 2003 EST (# 16814 of 16832)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

Howdy Neighbour / Arthur Sulzberger

"" ..... My job – your job – is not to make policy, but rather to help our citizens understand the issues they face and the choices their leaders make. And that job has become both more complex and more important. Our readers need to know not only what President Bush says and does, but also what Chancellor Schröder thinks and how he is responding to the challenges of this tumultuous era.

Ever since the first newspaper was published in Germany in 1605, each generation feels a closer connection to those further and further away. To state the obvious, the communication revolution is turning us all into virtual neighbors. Through that, our world is being shaken and transformed in ways that is surprising even the most visionary futurists. ....

The "Age of Proximity" has arrived and it is not just about enhanced access to news and information. It is about something far more important. It's about the emergence of an authentic global culture and the forging of new rules of social engagement that are reconfiguring human interaction at a very basic level.

Of course, as with all technological upheavals, there is discord and disruption. Individuals, businesses and governments are trying to come to grips with the seismic ramifications of this electronic revolution. .....

While I could wax poetically about how the Internet, cell phones, terrestrial repeaters, PDAs, broadband and fiber optics are becoming the brick and mortar of postmodern society and possibly even the impetus for a more rational international exchange; it is time to ask a very important question that will have a dramatic effect on all our bottom lines:

Are these changes good for the newspaper industry? (After all, isn't this what we are really discussing today?)

My answer is yes.

But we must develop an even greater insight into how this communication revolution is affecting our way of life and begin to reflect this new understanding in how we cover our communities and how we report on the world. ....

As readers become more curious about new cuisine, new architecture, new music, new industries, new technology and virtually everything else, they will look for trustworthy sources of information and a reliable guide … and these are things we have always done very well, for a very long time.

What these audiences also find very exciting is the democratization of information. You can find virtually anything you want to know on the Internet – and some things you definitely don't want to know. These audiences are also growing to appreciate the fact that that they no longer have to be an expert in a particular area to learn a lot about a specific topic or find out about a new breaking development.

And as we have learned in representative government, when people feel more personally involved, their interest … and their participation substantially increases. ....

Another integral element in our global aspirations is The New York Times on the Web, where 17 percent of our users come from outside the United States. .....

Learning how to operate in this new era, with its innumerable technological, geographical, and demographic challenges is The New York Times Company's top priority. It has required a lot of very difficult and even painful discussions about what is important and what isn't, which traditions are absolutely sacred and which can be discarded. I am sure that most of you have gone through a similar, gut-wrenching process.

For The Times, the major intellectual and cultural leap was to recognize that we had to be "platform-agnostic." To succeed in this multiple media world, we have to follow our customers. ....

.... newspapers remain very transportable. You can take them anywhere, no recharging required. ....

Now, in 2003, we are in the midst of our second ten-year plan. We are committed to building our portfolio of multiple media properties aimed at captur

lchic - 10:50pm Nov 7, 2003 EST (# 16815 of 16832)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

Now, in 2003, we are in the midst of our second ten-year plan. We are committed to building our portfolio of multiple media properties aimed at capturing the lucrative national – and now international – knowledge audience served by The New York Times.

Extending the reach of The New York Times is our most important long-term strategic initiative. We must dominate this high-quality audience that advertisers covet because of its demographics, brand loyalty and spending propensities. We intend to maintain and extend our relationship with these critically important readers.

Our primary tactic in this regard is the successful transformation of The New York Times into a national newspaper .....

In the end, the brand we want to build is our own – The New York Times. Putting our journalism on other people's channels merely builds their audiences.

We want to own the journalism; we want to own the distribution; and we need to create a destination where our audience can consistently find our high-quality programs. .....

I hope I have been able to fully express our optimism about this new "Age of Proximity." It is just an extraordinary moment to be in the media business. As the global community makes the hard transition from social abstraction to geopolitical reality, from digital dreams to 24-hour transmission, there undoubtedly will be a much greater demand for what we all do best: providing quality news and information.

Yes, there will be obstacles and hurdles. Yes, there will be days when we yearn for simpler times. But as history has taught us again and again, the status quo is almost never the best choice. What we have also learned is that if we can have the imagination and courage to embrace the future, a glorious era may be well within our grasp.

http://www.nytco.com/investors-presentations-20030930.html

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