WSJ’s Baker explains WSJ Pro

Ken Doctor interviewed Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker about its new product, WSJ Pro, which unveiled a service on central banks.

Doctor writes, “On a typical day, Baker says Pro subscribers will get ‘a dozen or so items, most of them exclusive to pro, which will be our reporters’ and our editors’ takes on the important events overnight in Europe or China. It will be some information from [highly regarded financial correspondent] Jon Hilsenrath, and what he thinks the jobs numbers might mean and what the fed is going to do.’

“Baker is keenly mindful of the larger Journal audience as well.

“‘We’ve got to make sure that we’re feeding both audiences. I think it’s complimentary here, rather than necessarily contradictory. The audience that wants, that subscribes to the Wall Street Journal for a few hundred dollars a year is not necessarily looking for the kind of advantage, the inside advantage, that something like the pro product will give you. You can give them the strength analysis of what the fed did yesterday, and give them the strength analysis of what the Chinese central bank, and what the People’s Bank of China did…. I have to make sure that we’re providing the right balance between the two audiences.’

“In addition to the Journal’s expanded, original content, the Journal will pull archival coverage from its Factiva aggregation products, trying to again bring B2B/B2C synergies to the collection of businesses that Rupert Murdoch bought in 2009.”

Read more here.