As if the New York Times doesn’t have enough have enough scandal-filled baggage to be dragging around, now they’ve got an upcoming software release that’s supposed to fix their slide in subscribers. What they really have to look forward to (like a fish on a dock,) is a another flop.

In partnership with Microsoft (who despite Scoble, have their own New Media challenges) the NY Times has come out with one of the lamest attempts at entering the New Media marketplace seen yet. Here’s how the Times spun this upcoming software release in a story from April 29th:

With Microsoft’s new Windows Vista software, to be available in January, virtually any newspaper, magazine or book can be formatted into an electronic version and read online or off.

Excuse me … but big freakin deal! That’s like adding free massages and buffets on the Titanic. Who’s going to care about that when the lack of interactivity and biased content paraded as “news” will still be the same.

It’s also funny how the Times’ celebration about the upcoming release of Vista and their new “Times Reader” puts on public display just how little they understand the customer controlled New Media. They say:

The software would allow The Times to replicate its look — fonts, typeface and layout — more closely than its Web site now does.

Who’s that serve? The reader or the NY Times? All the Times cares about is their brand and their look. Notice, there’s nothing mentioned about giving the customer any type of meaningful control, making the content interactive, or at least allowing public comments on stories.

God forbid the almighty Times give the customer any type of uncensored New Media control with the software like comment boxes! If they did, they might actually hear what people think instead of what the Times wants them to think.

Copyright © RPM Success Group Inc. 2002-2006. Other bloggers and journalists are allowed to excerpt and link to posts (as is common with bloggers,) as full credit/attribution is given to AdvancedBusinessBlogging.com and RPM Success Group Inc.

John-Paul is a published author and weekly columnist for the Honolulu Star Bulletin. As a Click-and-Mortar Business Coach he helps small business owners integrate offline and online influence strategies for rapid, reliable business growth. You can reach J.P. directly via [communicationcommando@gmail.com].