AP asap, the newspaper co-op’s ‘s latest answer to the 18-34 million-dollar question, launched today with four subscribers—theChattanooga Times Free Press,, Southeast Missourian, The Aiken Standard and The Post and Courier and—more than 100 in queue, including a number of larger papers. An AP story says more than 200 have signed up.  (To see the site, click on this link and pick one of the four papers.) Newspapers can use the material on their own sites or in print.
So what does asap look like? I’m not being flippant when I say my first thought was USA Today in print. Sections are color-coded—green for lifestyles, red for news, etc., cleanly laid out and headlines are easy to scan. the design is modular. A color-coded bar with search runs across the very top. A clock that reflects all the times zones the AP covers and a flat global map signify the cover-ther-world intent. The exclusive features include the reminiscence of a former White House correspondent about biking with the First Biker but I’d have expected something more current like a Katrina notebook.  A Katrina feature on signs and a music scrapbook are a little more in tune. The standout is the intro of Assignment: Iraq, planned as a seven-month series of reports from a Marine captain on duty in Iraq. Compelling but it would be more in keeping with I thought I was supposed to expect from asap to give him an all-in-one camera and let him take video, tape audio, snap pictures. Maybe that’s on tap.
If you’re in the target audience let me know what you think.
Press release | Video (58M) | Info page