NewportSeen, A Social/Philanthropic Scene

10/28/2009

Published online Oct 28, 2009
media
Five Questions With: Linda Phillips
By Ted Nesi
PBN Web Editor

Linda Phillips may be the Arianna Huffington of Newport. The veteran publicist, who works out of both Newport and the poshConnecticut town of Darien, has created a Web site called Newport Seen, giving the City by the Sea its own entry in a category that also includes New York Social Diary and the Palm Beach Daily News. She talked with Providence Business News about her new venture and what her site hopes to bring to Newport.

PBN: What is Newport Seen?
PHILLIPS: Newport Seen is an online-only illustrated magazine covering social, cultural and philanthropic events in Newport, as well as the people and institutions that make the town the remarkable small city that it is. We have pages dedicated to the many aspects of Newport life: Parties & Events, Lifestyle & Design, Gourmet & Galleries, Travel & Under Sail, Architecture & History. The first issue premiered in June 2009.

PBN: What made you decide to start Newport Seen?
PHILLIPS: In the summer of 2008, I became acutely aware of the shrinking of print media through my public relations practice. Feature articles, lifestyle, arts and social coverage were disappearing altogether from newspapers, and magazines were shrinking in size, as well. It became apparent that a new business model was in order.
For example, New York Social Diary, an online presence of Quest magazine, did not carry a photo spread on the 2008 Carnegie Ball for the first time since 2000, when it was instigated, in spite of the fact that it raised $125,000 for Save The Bay. I was shocked. The media inBoston and New York appear to have lost interest in covering Newport, or even printing our news, outside of a few major events. EvenThe Providence Journal has less space to allocate to “soft” news.
To better serve Phillips Communications, and my partner’s branding and design firm, Roskelly Inc., we created Newport Seen to guarantee coverage of important fundraisers given by our clients and advertisers, and to publicize their philanthropic activities. Other editorial coverage is devoted solely to the nonprofit and social-service agencies in town, and legitimate news from our for-profit clients and advertisers.
I could get into a greater discussion of news and information transmission, and how the online digital revolution has changed our information flow, timelines and delivery. And how the social networking sites have had impact on information flow. The media is still in a shake-out period. That is why we decided to do online-only: Our capacity for photo display is infinite; our stories can stay online as long as we wish; it’s ecologically responsible; and it’s instantaneously global.
We do also have plans to print and publish a limited edition coffee table book with this year’s “Newport Seen 2009.”

PBN: Where are you getting content for the site? Do you have a staff?
PHILLIPS: We attend and photograph every event (with only two exceptions) that appears on our pages, and in the archived news. Being a Newport resident, I have served on committees and boards in town, and therefore receive information about upcoming events, educational seminars, lectures and concerts for our calendar of events.
We recently scooped The New York Times on the breaking story of a fossil discovery of Raptorex, the small progenitor of Tyrannosaurus Rex. A friend alerted me to the fact that Dr. Paul Sereno, a famed University of Chicago paleontologist, was in town as a houseguest, and that he had a model of Raptorex with him.NewportSeen.com was able to be online with our exclusive interview and photos at 2:01 p.m. (the University of Chicago’s news embargo ended at 2 p.m.), and The Times came online with its story at 3:19 p.m. An NPR interview with Dr. Sereno was broadcast at 4 p.m.
We two principals have done everything ourselves throughout the summer launch period – event coverage, writing, photography, and online content management. But we are adding staff this month: an advertising rep and an editorial associate. We will also begin to send out a weekly e-blast to our devoted viewers. Newport is of endless fascination around the world.

PBN: You also had plans for a unique advertising model. Could you describe that?
PHILLIPS: Initially, we were going to be category specific, but that became an unworkable idea. We do say our advertising is “by invitation only,” but that is because we are acutely aware of our readership demographic – which is now 40-plus, affluent, socially aware, philanthropically active and well-traveled – and we know what advertisers will serve and interest them. Our reach is regional, national and international. I actually discouraged an upscale retail store from advertising a two-week sale with us, as local print could do that better. Their catalog line is what Newport Seen will serve best.

PBN: How has Newport Seen been received so far?
PHILLIPS: We have had 58,000 page views since our tracking began on July 1, from 59 countries and 53 U.S. states and regions. We think Newport Seen is becoming an institution in Newport, and we have had overwhelming support from our subjects and advertisers, many of whom came on with us before we were even online. What we hear over and over is “Why didn’t someone do this before?” and “Fabulous.” •
 
Linda Phillips, P.R. Consultant
Phillips Communications
Newport, RI 02840
401.846.7592
Darien, CT
203.829.8765