The Dallas Morning News will make its content available on the iPad using a platform developed by The New York Times.

The Times? Press Engine platform builds a template for newspapers to use in the creation of iPhone and iPad applications. The platform will let the Morning News create a new channel for generating advertising revenue.

?Interactivity, engagement, visual interest ? all of these elements are where news content is headed, said Mark Medici, director of audience development at The Dallas Morning News, Dallas. ?This app will help us better put our award-winning content, journalists, and talent to work for our audiences ? through images, video, social networking, linked content and beyond.   

?And, it will provide advertisers with new opportunities to target the most engaged audiences,? he said.

The Morning News already offers an iPhone application. It will be releasing its iPad application early next year.

The Press Engine platform
Press Engine was designed based on The Times? own mobile offerings.

Publishers using the platform ? including The Morning News, Britain?s Telegraph Media Group and The Providence Journal ? pay a one-time licensing fee, plus monthly installments for application maintenance.

?[We] developed the idea for Press Engine after receiving many requests from clients to license the existing iPhone and iPad applications from The New York Times,? said Christine Topalian, director of news services at The New York Times, New York. ?Press Engine will leverage The Times? strong digital experience to develop news reader applications that can then be used by publishers and media organizations of all sizes.?

The platform creates a basic application template, and lets publishers customize certain elements, such as color and font, for branding purposes.

Features on the platform include:

? Partial offline reading and an option to save articles

? Social media functionality

? Posting photo, video and audio content

? Horizontal and vertical reading

? Search

? Device-standard advertising units

?We looked to the Times because of their track record of success and because they intimately understand our business,? Mr. Medici said. ?Press Engine provides the sound platform functionality we need and the flexibility we want to tailor it for our audiences.?

The platform is designed so that publishers control and own all the advertising and subscription revenue they generate from their applications.

Advertising units can be delivered using various methods, including by feeding them into the application framework the same way publishers post their original content.

The Morning News did not specify its business strategy for its Press Engine iPad application, but indicated that the newspaper did plan to monetize its content.

?There will be a variety of ways to access the flagship app, all paid at some level,? Mr. Medici said. 

Newspapers go mobile
Newspaper publishers have been looking for new ways to monetize their content as the mass advent of readers to digital media has thrown their business models into question.

Publications such as the Los Angeles Times have been developing applications (see story).

However, some industry insiders caution that mobile, though a necessary step for publishers, could cannibalize print sales the same way the Internet has (see story).

Still, The Morning News is confident that its iPad application will provide valuable new opportunities for the newspaper and its readers.

?The way people consume news is changing,? Mr. Medici said. ?Print continues to have vital role, and our print subscribers will be given special opportunities for access across all platforms, but important segments of our audience are migrating to digital devices, such as iPhones, iPads and smartphones.

?Part of our wider strategy is to  move with consumers as their media habits evolve,? he said. ?The Apple operating system is an important part of that strategy.?

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York