As our regular Wikinomics readers will know, we have written a number of times about the future of the newspaper.  Not surprisingly, a common thread among these posts has been a less than optimistic outlook for even some forward-looking outlets, and a downright gloomy one for those stuck in the 1.0 publishing world.

An interesting experiment is taking place right now that will put some of our perspectives and predictions on this topic to the test.  Since printing its last edition on February 27th, 2009, a number of staffers from Denver’s award-winning Rocky Mountain News (RMN) have collaborated with three local entrepreneurs to form InDenverTimes (IDT) – “a vision based on a 150-year tradition.”

IDT has collected 30 former RMN reporters, editors, designers and other journalists,  and plans to go live  with its online edition that will “invite readers [subscribers] inside the newsroom as never before” on May 4th  if at least 50,000 pledges of $4.99 a month or more can be secured by April 23rd.  The collective has created a YouTube video that details their appeal.

As Patrick Harnett reported in his earlier post, media mogul Rupert Murdoch is quoted as saying in his 2008 Boyer Lecture Series, “My summary of the way some of the established media has responded to the internet is this: it’s not newspapers that might become obsolete. It’s some of the editors, reporters, and proprietors who are forgetting a newspaper’s most precious asset: the bond with its readers.”

Interestingly, the above-mentioned YouTube video is clearly focused on the journalists/staff themselves and the perspective that they brought to their stories, heavily leveraging the writer/reader bond. The video finishes with sports journalist Sam Adams delivering the line:

You’ve seen our faces, you’ve heard our voices, we’re anxious to provide you with insightful commentary, in-depth reporting and invaluable experience.  We’re InDenver, are you?

There seems to be quite a bit of buzz around the IDT, and based on comments in numerous locations, support seems forthcoming.  The question remains, though, will intention carry through to action at a cost of $4.99 a month? Has the connection to familiar names and voices formed a strong enough bond to make the InDenverTimes a reality?  Could this be a model for the ‘paper’ of the future?