With the Web becoming an increasingly important avenue for distributing news and other content, it would seem safe to assume that finding the right tools to manage that process would be a snap. Wrong. Online media executives gathered at the International Quality and Productivity Center's Web content-management conference in Alexandria, Va., all seem to agree: Vignette Corp., Interwoven Inc., and other providers of content-management technology just aren't giving media customers what they need.

That need centers on being able to easily move content from other media to the Web without involving a lot of coding or clunky procedures with a mouse. They want a system that's fully automated and doesn't require significant back-end updates when sites are redesigned, and increasingly they're finding that the only way to get what they want is to develop a system in-house or have a customized system built. It also doesn't help that systems such as Vignette's start at more than $400,000, not including subsequent maintenance costs of $2,000 a day.

Until two years ago, Philly.com, the online version of the Philadelphia Inquirer, was saddled with a primitive content-management system that required editors and site producers to do lots of coding and to depend on cumbersome drag-and-drop technology to handle archiving. "At first we thought it was wonderful, but eventually we realized it was ruining our lives and taking away our will to live," says John McQuiggan, director of site operations. As a result, the Philly.com staff--in cooperation with the online operation of parent KnightRidder Inc.--developed Cofax, a proprietary, database-driven content-management system that's being used by other participants in the KnightRidder.com network. Knight Ridder is also considering licensing the software to other media concerns.

Les Blatt, managing editor of Newstream.com, says he's relieved to hear so many other online media professionals encountering the same content-management issues. Blatt says Newstream.com hired a consulting firm, Harrison & Troxel, to build a customized system rather than make a big investment in a Vignette or Interwoven product. "It's good to know we made the right decision."