Comments on: Newspapers stocks plummeting as the vultures keep circling

By: nextwave

nextwave — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:33:27 +0000

Here is a full post on the future of Newspapers and how to survive.
http://www.thenextwave.biz/tnw/?p=502

By: nextwave

nextwave — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:34:58 +0000

There isn't a problem with the news part- as much as there is a problem with the PAPER part. Nicholas Negroponte declared in his seminal "Being Digital" (1996) that "Bits not atoms" are the key- in other words, that which is digital- should stay digital.
The NewsPAPERS need to become NEWSpurveyors as fast as possible- and without the limits of a physical form- they can deliver a dumb version for the idiotocracy that is running rampant- and a more enlightened version for the rest of us. The USA Today style was a mistake for most local news organizations- who need to create content worth reading. The balance of power should be shifting to the content producers- who should be able to deliver ads at a profit.
What the papers have utterly failed at is what Google does well- making the ads relevant. The paper, in exchange for a flow of content to its readers- should be able to deliver only targeted ads to it's audiences. It isn't that advertisers don't want to reach local communities- it's that no one needs to reach everyone- and won't pay for it (or even a fraction of it) when they can have direct response for those in need of local real info.
We've been talking about this for years at www.thenextwave.biz/tnw where you cite our iPhone pre-release piece on the impact of this device on advertising.
The citizens are now rolling their own news using aggregators and social media only out of frustration with the mass media's inability to understand we want personalized and relevant news and ads. Yes- we want ads- if it they are relevant.
Unfortunately- most of the people in newsrooms have no interest in crossing over into the business side, and the business side doesn't care about the quality of the content- so we now have crap for both sides.
It can change. But, first- they'll have to hit rock bottom.

By: jasonkosena

jasonkosena — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:43:22 +0000

Good questions commprof. I think each community is different but one trend is constant. Cutbacks of newsroom resources and layoffs among the journalist ranks make it harder for the community newspaper to cover the community, especially in areas where the paper is owned by a corporation.

State capital bureaus have been cut in some places and totally wiped out in others. Investigative stories that keep a watchdog eye on government have fallen off the page in recent years. Investigative journalism is expensive and takes a lot of time and as resources are cut and newsrooms shrink, unfortunately watchdog roles are the first to go. The foundation of new non-profit centers such as ProPublica and The Center for Responsive Politics are just two examples of entities that have started to fill the gap downsized newsrooms have left open.

Too bad for local readers though, those non-profits are working on a national level and have not jumped into the local scene.

"Where will citizens go?"

The short answer is no one knows.

By: davebarnes

davebarnes — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:23:54 +0000

@commprof: “how will the decline and fall of the local newspaper affect local communities?”

In my local community, the local monthly rags appear to be doing quite well. The Wash Park Profile and the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle are fatter than ever. Display ads are sprouting like mushrooms in both papers.

By: commprof

commprof — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:06:16 +0000

While those directly employed by newspapers will suffer an inevitable fate (perhaps hastened by high energy costs and a slowing economy) the real story is how will the decline and fall of the local newspaper affect local communities? Our American society has come to rely on local newspapers as “our collective community voice.” Without them, where will citizens go? Certainly radio and television news budgets have suffered similar reductions. Will the internet be able to replace the convenience/portability of the paper format? That hasn't been the case so far, as the ignored and suppressed digital divide thrives. For journalism veterans, do you perceive a stronger sense of community today, or less? Are we better off today than we were 8 years ago?

By: jerryjerry0

jerryjerry0 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:28:05 +0000

As far as the Denver Pest and the Rocky Mountain Rag are concerned, they have never been worth the paper they are printed on. Good riddance if they eat it.

By: ericasmith

ericasmith — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:27:29 +0000

2008 is on track to be much worse for newspaper layoffs and buyouts: I count more than 6,000 so far.

By: alwaysthere

alwaysthere — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:25:40 +0000

A superb and informative article. What a shocking change the newspaper industry is experiencing today. The Smakdown chart was an excellent addition to quickly drive home the point of this article.

Quite an enlightening article.

Bill

By: alwaysthere

alwaysthere — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

A superb and informative article. What a shocking change the newspaper industry is experiencing today. The Smakdown chart was an excellent addition to quickly drive home the point of this article.

Quite an enlightening article.

Bill

By: jerryjerry0

jerryjerry0 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

As far as the Denver Pest and the Rocky Mountain Rag are concerned, they have never been worth the paper they are printed on. Good riddance if they eat it.